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All aboard! Train back in Lebanon

City officials held a ceremony with owners of the Lebanon Mason and Monroe Railroad today, July 21, to welcome back the tourist train to Lebanon.

Justin McClelland City officials held a ceremony with owners of the Lebanon Mason and Monroe Railroad today, July 21, to welcome back the tourist train to Lebanon.

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By Justin McClelland, Staff Writer 11:36 AM Tuesday, July 21, 2009

With the sound of a whistle, the chug of an engine and the applause of the crowd, the city of Lebanon welcomed trains today, July 21, back on its tracks.

The Lebanon Mason and Monroe Railroad returned with its tourist train that provides leisurely rides based out of downtown Lebanon. The company was forced to temporary move in December after city officials learned that two bridges along the five miles of track owned by the city were dangerously deteriorated and required more than $300,000 in repairs.

For the past eight months, LM&M has been operating out of Mason while awaiting the repairs. LM&M officials estimated more than 50,000 people rode the train in 2008.

“We’ve missed the train,” said Joy Kossouji, co-owner of the Golden Turtle Chocolate Facotry, which sits on South Broadway, only a few hundred feet from the train’s depot. “We missed the interesting and diverse crowd the train brought.”

Kossouji said she and her husband were delighted when they first opened their business in 1988 and realized they were close to one of the city’s premier tourist attractions. She said the past few months have been the first time in the store’s history that weekday business exceeded their weekend crowds.

“The weekends were lonely,” Kossouji said. “The streets had an eerie feeling without the train.”

Steve Mullinger said business at the Golden Lamb was affected by the train’s absence.

“You can’t turn your back on an attraction that draws 50,000 people,” said Mullinger operator of the Golden Lamb and president of Historic Downtown Lebanon Inc. “This is an attraction that has brought people here for decades.”

“I can’t thank the city and local merchants enough for the support in bringing the train back,” said Ray Kammer, Jr., president of LM&M. “The downtown area, with its history, is a perfect natural fit for us.”

The LM&M operates rides every weekend through December. The train will offer special hour-long rides tomorrow, July 22, and return to weekend rides with a Harry Potter theme, Saturday and Sunday, July 25-26. For more information on tickets, visit www.LebanonRR.com or call (513)933-8022.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4544 or jmcclelland@coxohio.com.

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Now that picture of Amy Brewer standing on the LM&M railroad locomotive is definately one of the funniest things I have seen in awhile. After the verbal bashing she gave the railroad owners at the council meeting where she was the lone no vote, how can she have the audacity to stand on their locomotive welcoming them back after she basically told them just six months ago to pack up their railroad and get the heck out of town.

That's our dear mayor, what a piece of work. lol

WRANGLER
10:40 PM, 7/21/2009

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Earlier today there were several reader comments regarding this article, printed below. Many of them were regarding our Mayor and her actions involving the railroad and other city decisions.Now they all seem to have suddenly dissapeared. hmmmmmmm???

beatrix kiddo
6:04 PM, 7/21/2009

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