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Some of our Forum members have already completed their 2012 Christmas layouts. Many more will go to work on this project this weekend when they put up their Christmas tree with trains underneath.

 

So let's kick off the 2012 Christmas season with the photos of your special seasonal layouts. Below is a photo from my new North Pole layout and one from my regular layout.

 

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Hi all. I'm new to the forum and have found it a great resource and quite inspiring, thanks.

 

I recently finished a smallish 5.5 x 5.5 0-27 premanent layout for my nephew. It's a hybrid of sorts that my brothers family can use on the floor as a platform for the Christmas tree. The ponds footprint was built to the tree holder specs. I boxed out the corners of the benchwork to create female slots where legs can fit in so he can play with it off the ground.

 

The size of the layout was based off the max room my brother had including height as his tree is in his finished basement which has short ceilings. I went through several designs testing each one including different locomotives. I really wanted a twice around up and over with a reverse loop but the trains never behaved well and would always fly off the track coming down...if they got up! Lots of lesson learned including just because a locos min curve is 27 doesn't mean it likes them!

 

The frame is 1x2 with 3/8" plywood. On top is 3/8" insulation foam board. The ballast is Agway granite chick starter (50lbs~$12). Lots of stuff left over so I'm builing my own layout once I finish the man-cave. I have some prelim designs I'll post soon over in that forum.

 

Came out with a twice around with a reverse loop and one peice of operating track. I had to cut the wire of the 0-27 operating track to feed it through the table. Wierd, but since it's hard wired I didn't see another way. Wrong? Lionel Saw Mill 464 fits where the tray is. I wired the remoted switches together so it only needs one controller. Theres also a switch for the lights and switch tower. His birthday is soon...hope he likes it!

 

 

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Last edited by jaypeakpow

Howard:

 

My Bride of four months made the background of the mountains and trees. She used white plastic shelving paper from which she crafted the mountain scene and then cut out the mountain peaks, shadowed them and used glitter. She hand cut the trees out of green felt and also used glitter the give them a snow like appearance. I thought she did a great job.

 

I will post close-up photos of the backdrop tomorrow.

Here are a few pics from mine. They are from last year. The layout will be the same this year.I just haven't put it up yet. My daughter and I built the mountain from pink styrofoam. I'll also try to put up a couple of video's.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

Mike R

 

 

http://youtu.be/N6iTTwxiTQY

http://youtu.be/qksLadSgLp0

 

Sorry I don't know how to Embed the video's. I tried and failed. LOL! They show the Lionel Milwaukee Road S-3 going around the 0-42 loop.

 

 

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Last edited by Mike R
Originally Posted by Passenger Train Collector:

Howard:

 

This is a better picture of the backdrop Elizabeth did for us.

 

 

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Brian, this picture just screams "Christmas" I love it and so does Amy. All the images posted above are really nice, but I think you have struck a perfect balance of trains AND D56 in a relatively small (for you) space.

 

I would love to see an article or a photo spread of this scene alone. It just keeps your eyes moving from scene to scene. Thanks for sharing.

 

Charlie

Originally Posted by Charlie:

Brian, this picture just screams "Christmas" I love it and so does Amy. All the images posted above are really nice, but I think you have struck a perfect balance of trains AND D56 in a relatively small (for you) space.

 

I would love to see an article or a photo spread of this scene alone. It just keeps your eyes moving from scene to scene. Thanks for sharing.

 

Charlie

 

I agree. PTC does a wonderful job with D56 buildings and trains. I really enjoy his D56 town on his permanent layout, and I think this Christmas layout is just as nice if not better. My first thought when I saw it was "Wow!"

 

I'd love to see more photos and details of the layout.

I took some time this long Holiday weekend to do some surgery to my Christmas layout. To be honest, in all my years I've never had a "standard" Christmas layout. I've run N, HO, O, and G under the tree at one point or another. In the past, I generally chose whatever is running the best at the time. Last year, I used O Gauge for the first time in many, many years. I plan on that again this year. 

 

For many years, I used a 4x4 sheet of plywood painted white with an oval of track. I did that with HO for years. Later went to LGB for a few years with just a circle directly on the floor and back to O last year with a "permanent" 4x6 layout. I used the 4x6 for many years but that became to big for both the room and moving in and out of storage and far too heavy for me to handle just myself. This weekend, I cut the 2 foot extention off the original 4x4 and will keep it as 4x4 this year. It is a good size and easy to move and store. 

 

I have one Dept. 56 building and found in Home Depot the other day, a bunch of Dept. 56 village accessory sets with trees, figures, and small buildings. A large pack for $10. I grabbed one and will probably be back for some more. Last year I used the Plasticville stuff I use on National Capital Tracker displays but due to my need for that stuff this year during Christmas for a Tracker display, I'm using the one building and accessories. I plan to use a small oval of MTH Realtrax running in conventional. The layout has a very this indoor/outdoor carpet in green stapled over the plywood. I sprinkle "snow" over it and it is very easy to clean every few days to keep dog hair and toys to a minimum. A few quick runs with a vacuum and we are back in business. 

 

No pictures now. Will come when we get the tree up in about 2 weeks. 

Thank you Charlie and trestrainfan. I certainly appreciate your kind comments. Building the new Christmas layout was a kick as my bride of five months and I got to do it together. She has taken to O-Gauge trains like a duck to water. I will post more photos of the new layout.

 

This morning I took some photos of our mantle, and for you Department 56 Dickens Village collectors, there is a photo of the rare Brighton Train with the Chadbury Station in the background. There is also a photo of our Christmas tree with Santa in the background with his TMCC hand held controlling the Lionel Spirit of the Century set under the tree.

 

 

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Not much different this year on my Christmas layout, except the room now has yellow walls instead of the nice holiday friendly burgundy, and I've added a few operating cars, and new operation buttons in the form of retro door bell buttons.  As my daughter has gotten a year older and is now almost 7, we are having even more fun than before running trains and operating the layout together!

 

New operating Lionel pastel purple barrel dumper for my daughter, new Lionel dumping car, and old MTH operating brakeman car: 

 

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MTH Railking tuscan PRR Pacific and original America flyer talking station:

 

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Styrofoam snowman with playdoh hat and orange plastic toothpick nose:

 

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Made the "7" using the lionel "L" upside down, and the "8" by cutting and pasting together two "3's":

 

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Yellow walls, well let say they are nice the rest of the year!:

 

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Hydrocal mountain sits on its own base and just lifts off, the wings on the sides are foam:

 

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Scratch built news stand made during the blizzard of 2010:

 

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Crayola clay grade crossing pieces:

 

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New door bells for operating the firehouse and gas station:

 

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Jeff, your 2012 Christmas layout looks like great fun. Thanks for posting your photos. By the way, yellow is my favorite color, so I like the color of your walls.

 

Keith, nice to see your Christmas tree is up. You can't beat the D56 Lionel Train Shop. I look forward to a video of your scale PE train this year.

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Ste 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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