Positivity: Holiday Train Exhibit is in 60th Year
On Tuesday, November 22, a Cincinnati holiday tradition continues (go to end of article):
Train a comin’: Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman will emcee the 60th annual Cinergy/CSX Holiday Train display opening event, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET Tuesday in the lobby of the Cinergy building at 4th and Main Streets downtown.
More than nine million visitors have seen the display since it first opened in 1946. This year, Cinergy is partnering with the Yellow Ribbon Support Center, a charity founded by the parents of U.S. Army Sgt. Matt Maupin to support military personnel serving overseas and their families.
Tuesday’s ceremony is free and open to the public.
Here is some information about the exhibit from Cinergy’s web site:
The first model train displayed in our lobby was designed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in 1937 as part of their traveling display. The train display first appeared in the CG&E lobby in 1946. The portable model grew through the 40s, 50s, and 60s. In the 1980s, CG&E made a commitment to the long-term renovation and expansion of the display.
….. The display, one of the largest portable models in the world, measures 36½ feet by 47½ feet long and is authentic “O” gauge in which a quarter inch on the model is equivalent to one foot on a real train. Rail cars, tracks and buildings are 1/48th actual size. The Cinergy/CSX display includes approximately 300 train cars and 50 locomotives on 1,000 feet of track. During the holiday season, the trains will run over 100,000 scale miles.
….. Assembly and testing of the display begins approximately 30 days before the annual opening ceremony. A small group of volunteers Cinergy/CG&E employees and retirees spends many hours throughout the year handcrafting replacement parts and adding to the collection of miniature buildings and structures.
….. Many of our trains are handmade antique trains from the original B&O model. Every year the display continues to grow as new equipment is added. Whether the trains are old or new, they are precisely scale-sized and historically accurate. The display depicts the time in railroad history when the steam engine was on the verge of being replaced by the diesel engine. For historical purposes, the design of the display was intentionally set up to feature both steam and diesel engines.
