@Joe Littman, real nice score on the Dep't 56 buildings. The Radio City Music Hall on a Christmas layout is priceless. That's a great table for the layout even has built in storage. Glad you cleaned out that space in the garage. Did your son miss the trains as much as you?
@Trainbros89, you've got some iconic NYC Dep't 56 buildings there.
Thanks for the compliments. I really lucked out with the yard sale I stumbled upon. I have always loved the Dept. 56 Christmas in the City series but I never had any of them --- until now. I might be picking up another piece (Central Train Station) today. I wish I had some of those skyscrapers that @Trainbros89 has! Love them.
The table under my layout actually came with the house when I bought it. Luckily it was the exact same size as my layout so it was the natural place for it. I guess a 4'x8' sheet of plywood is a fairly common. The storage cubby was a bonus!
Yeah, my son definitely missed it. I feel bad he hasn't been able to use it for so long because it was inaccessible. But after we cleaned out the garage and he was able to get to it, he asked me we could get it up and running again. So, after a several-year hiatus, the fun continues!
@trumpettrain posted:Thank so much for your kind words Jay! I use Woodland Scenics Snow and Fusion Fiber. The Fusion Fiber makes for nice looking clumped ( freshly plowed ) snow.
Thanks Pat but where do you get Fusion Fiber? When I do a search I find cathodes and engineering items.
2024 not aware of any young visitors but we have at least one button to push - the swingset. Still need to cover the tunnel with snow!
@Joe Littman posted:Thanks for the compliments. I really lucked out with the yard sale I stumbled upon. I have always loved the Dept. 56 Christmas in the City series but I never had any of them --- until now. I might be picking up another piece (Central Train Station) today. I wish I had some of those skyscrapers that @Trainbros89 has! Love them.
The table under my layout actually came with the house when I bought it. Luckily it was the exact same size as my layout so it was the natural place for it. I guess a 4'x8' sheet of plywood is a fairly common. The storage cubby was a bonus!
Yeah, my son definitely missed it. I feel bad he hasn't been able to use it for so long because it was inaccessible. But after we cleaned out the garage and he was able to get to it, he asked me we could get it up and running again. So, after a several-year hiatus, the fun continues!
Great to hear he didn't lose interest.
@Joe Littman posted:Thanks for the compliments. I really lucked out with the yard sale I stumbled upon. I have always loved the Dept. 56 Christmas in the City series but I never had any of them --- until now. I might be picking up another piece (Central Train Station) today. I wish I had some of those skyscrapers that @Trainbros89 has! Love them.
The table under my layout actually came with the house when I bought it. Luckily it was the exact same size as my layout so it was the natural place for it. I guess a 4'x8' sheet of plywood is a fairly common. The storage cubby was a bonus!
Yeah, my son definitely missed it. I feel bad he hasn't been able to use it for so long because it was inaccessible. But after we cleaned out the garage and he was able to get to it, he asked me we could get it up and running again. So, after a several-year hiatus, the fun continues!
We have a number of buildings that were my wife’s grandmother’s (not Dept 56). After getting those, she started buying buildings, including Dept 56, at thrift stores. Now we have enough for 3 layouts. I had to suggest no more. I have been rotating groups of buildings, and this year it is time for Grandma’s buildings again.
I'm glad he is still excited about it too. 
I am starting to realize that if I'm not careful, I too am going to wind up with way more buildings than I have room for! I already have more than I can fit on my layout, but not enough for another set -- let alone 3! I had forgotten how addicting this hobby was!
Until my recent yard sale haul, my buildings were all Lemax. The "yard" sale wasn't just in the yard. The house was FULL of Dept 56 and other pieces. A lot of the stuff was still in storage bins and I didn't even get to see them. It was like going to a restaurant with a huge menu and trying to decide what to order. I couldn't buy everything. I bought 8 buildings (7 of which were a part of the Christmas in the City collection) . I drove by the house the next day to see if I could look again for items I may still want, but they didn't have the yard sale again that day. But maybe that is for the best. My wife would probably kill me if I bought any more.
So, at present, most of the buildings on the layout are now Dept. 56 which I switched out for most of the Lemax buildings. I added as many pieces to the layout as I could because I have so many now! Yesterday, I was looking through OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace ... because I'm obsessed again ... and found the Dept. 56 Grand Central Railway building which I promptly crammed into the layout. Here's a video I made of the layout last night.
My humble, 2” x 4” on30 Christmas layout…I made all the houses, figures and the feather style tree…that’s an old Dept. 56 bump and reverse trolley…
Howard…
@sawdust43 posted:My humble, 2” x 4” on30 Christmas layout…I made all the houses, figures and the feather style tree…that’s an old Dept. 56 bump and reverse trolley…
Howard…
You MADE those houses! WOW.
walt
Fabulous, Howard. That turns the clock back at least 75 years for me...just terrific.
PD
@walt rapp posted:You MADE those houses! WOW.
walt
Walt…I’m having computer copy and paste links to info on the houses…I’ll try again later…
Howard…
I just found this thread for the first time!! Naturally, I had to read all 200 posts! (I am now late for dinner.) It is amazing how much Christmas, becomes "Christmas!" when trains ( and better, a tree) are introduced. Some fantastic picts, that had to have delighted so may guests who saw them, the viewers on this thread. Just short of incredible some of the work.
I found MTH and DCS a little before 2000, and put up a Christmas Train Garden a few years ago (I was an old time Lionel O before that) and stopped in 2012 (personal reasons, not an aversion to trains or Christmas) but decided last year to do it again. A fall from a ladder delayed that, until this year.
I have started one this year. Maybe, with the help and patience of many forum members, I will get it finished. (At 77, you forget many things after 12 years! You also don't move as fast or as easily! ) Pictures of the track plan are already posted, and when/if I get done, I can try to get a picture up of this year's project.
In the meantime, here is layout from the past, this is 2009, everything worked back then!
Looking forward to seeing more of your posts-pictures! Greg
@sawdust43 posted:Walt…I’m having computer copy and paste links to info on the houses…I’ll try again later…
Howard…
Hope this link to Cardboard Christmas copied correctly...click on it to find out about the FREE patterns for the houses and figures...the basic construction material for making the house is cereal box cardboard and the backs of writing tablets...the "flattie" figures are basically cut out of double thicknesses of poster board...
https://www.cardboardchristmas.com/forums/
Scroll down to "Putz Patterns" and "Figures for Putzes and Candy Boxes"...look under the "Author" column for "Howard"...
Here's a link to my website...
WOW @sawdust43 - a forum just for that!
- walt
@walt rapp posted:WOW @sawdust43 - a forum just for that!
- walt
I looked at it too sawdust43! That’s great!
Here's some more winter scenes from my layout.
Fanger clears the mainline as a Pennsy A5 clears a siding with its' pilot. A RCD car emerges from the tunnel below.
A Baldwin Locomotive Works R16 "Shark" demonstrator and a B&O Hudson emerges from Lower East Tunnel as a RDC emerges from the tunnel on the El. 
@Randy Harrison posted:John:
Your Christmas layouts are GREAT!!!!! Also, you should consider selling publication rights on the above photograph to Hallmark for use on a Christmas card. (Make sure you get royalties.)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family!
I'm thinking jigsaw puzzle, someone call Angela Trotta Thomas!
Mikki
Great looking pictures everyone!
Bryce
A small Christmas Layout I had a few years back.
Take Care,
Ray
Very nice!!
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