This summer I will be in Cincinnati, OH for my son’s wedding. I will have a rental car and am interested in visiting decent HO retailers within 40 miles of Cincinnati, OH. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I have heard there is a decent museum in the area as well. Thanks! - Mike Johnson
My two favorites in the greater Cincinasty area.
DCC Trains
8595 Beechmont Ave. Suite LL1
Cincinnati, OH 45255
513-388-9000
Store Hours:
Mon, Wed: 12-8pm ET
Fri: 12-6pm ET Sat: 10-6pm ET
Tue, Thur, Sun: Closed
Kinda hard to find, i
There are a few in the area but for HO gauge Tim’s Trains & Hobbies and DCC Trains are two good ones with good prices. There is a Hobby Town USA, 9120 Union Cemetery Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45249, 20-25 miles north of Cincinnati along I-71 at the Fields Ertel Road interchange. Dixie Union Station, 110 West Main Street, Mason, OH, 45040, 25 miles north of Cincinnati on US 42 is one of the largest O gauge stores in the US. Yellow pages link for hobby shops in the area but call before you go since some listed are no longer open http://www.cbyp.com/Search/CategoryFeatListings.aspx?ci=38840&st=AllSelCat.
The Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal http://cincymuseum.org/ is probably the museum you are thinking about. It’s on the west side of downtown proper along I-75. The museum has several different sections, one being the Cincinnati History Museum which has a model of CIncinnati from 1900 to 1940 with working trains and inclines. Also in the museum is the Cincinnati Model Railroad Club http://cincinnatirrclub.org/ which is open to the public Thursday evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Around 25 miles north of Cincinnati along I-75 at the Tylersville Road interchange in West Chester, OH is Entertrainment Junction http://www.entertrainmentjunction.com that has a 25,000 square foot train display and other train related indoor attractions.
Cincinnati Union Terminal is not to be missed, mostly for Tower A. It’s not terribly hard to find the station (it’s huge), but once inside, finding Tower A for the first time can be tricky. But ask for directions from staff at the museum if necessary, and take your camera and telephoto lens, the views of Queensgate yard are pretty amazing. Also, if you’re a researcher, there is a sizable reference library/reading room.
Mike … You may wish to stay at the Covington, KY hotel (I think it’s Courtyard but I am not sure.) overlooking the busy rail bridge over the Ohio River. Nice view of teh city, too.