Cinergy Celebrates 60 Years Of Holiday Train Tradition

CINCINNATI, November 16, 2005 — Once again the magical holiday season is upon us. This is the 60th year the holiday train display has delighted more than nine million visitors, old and young, becoming a holiday family tradition since its inception in 1946.

The official opening ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, November 22.

This year Cinergy is partnering with the Yellow Ribbon Support Center, founded by Carolyn and Keith Maupin, Army Sgt. Matt Maupin’s parents after his capture. The goal of the organization is to support military personnel serving overseas and their families left behind waiting for their safe return. This year the Cincinnati Reds Radio Hall of Fame announcer Marty Brennaman will emcee the opening event that will also honor Cinergy retirees and employees who have served in the military since World War II. Representatives from each of the wars will be Honorary Engineers and will “flip the switch” to get the holiday season rolling. Also expected at the opening are Keith and Carolyn Maupin, Cinergy officers, train crewmembers and musical entertainment provided by the Cinergy Choir.

The trains, located in the lobby of the Fourth & Main building, will be open to the public Friday, November 25 and run through Saturday, December 31. The display will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p. m. Sundays (closed Christmas Day).

The theme this year is Enchanted Winter Wonderland. The centerpiece of this years display is a snow-covered castle with hundreds of stars sparkling overhead. Outside the castle, the young prince and his subjects patiently await the arrival of the princess in her elegant horse-drawn coach.

This year the train crew will 300 numbered O-Gauge and O-Scale train cars for $50 commemorating the 60th holiday train season. The crew will also sell one-hour videotapes featuring interviews and trackside scenes of the Holiday Train again this year. This $12 tape can only be purchased at the display and only cash will be accepted. The proceeds from the video sales will be donated to the Yellow Ribbon Support Center this year.

The display, one of the largest portable models in the world, measures 36½ 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 began very early in October, approximately 60 days before the annual opening ceremony. A small group of volunteer Cinergy/CG&E employees and retirees spend hundreds of hours throughout the year handcrafting replacement parts and adding to the collection of miniature buildings and structures. To learn more about the train display visit our website at www.cinergy.com or call 513-287-1500 to receive updated information.

Cinergy, through its subsidiaries, The Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co. and PSI Energy, Inc., serves approximately 1.5 million electric customers and 500,000 gas customers in Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Indiana.