Our railway museum runs a great Polar Express train event for the families over 3 weekends. We get close to 10,000 people through the event with an hour train ride hot chocolate and cookies, actors and attractions through the railway park and roundhouse. We are limited as to how many hours all the volunteers put in and how many kids Santa can talk with. I was granted a large clear area to set up my model train Christmas village, layout size is 34x16 feet.
I am located just above the Royal Hudson Steam engine. Some photos here more to come.
I mounted the control sets on the fence, buttons to push to make whistles blow, Harold the helicopter fly, and LionChief controllers for Thomas, James, Percy, Diesel. I have them mounted with metal brackets to prevent the kids from snapping off the speed dial easy to do. Buttons to start various animated stuff.
There are 10 trains running 4 with the kids to control.
Top of the green mountain On30 with Duncan, bottom Diesel LionChief pulling some Coca cola cars. Top of the snowy mountain Coca Cola train.
Bottom middle loops Thomas, James, Percy that the kids can run.
Lower big loops under the mountain with Coors Silver Bullet and Polar Express. Upper loops Williams CP PA pulling 8 CP passenger cars.
And a Williams Santa Fe set pulling a long string of Christmas theme freight cars.
Overhead I have Santa and 5 figures from the Disney Planes movie flying, they slowly rotate just over the trains.
The backdrop are 3 large sheets of cardboard, double sided tape holding dark blue wrapping paper to them then a white mountain outline. I sprayed it with gloss clear coat and sprinkled with fine glitter. I punched holes through and fitted 140 tiny light bulbs in each board. Each set of bulbs has 4 different circuits they are programed in different patterns from fast to slow fade. I have them on a slow fade from one to the next set of lights they slowly glow bright then as they dim next set of bulbs starts to get bright etc. makes for a nice set of twinkling starts that sparkles on the glitter.
I am very careful to ensure that the track design will keep the noise down so you can hear the other sounds and engine sounds. The layout was set up on some plywood sheets for the upper levels. I used some sound deadening boards underneath the tracks and snow on top. In other areas layed down carpet underlay beneath the snow sheets. And on bridges thin sheets of cork or foam to keep the track quiet. I used for the most part the old K-Line Supersnap track. Some of the older track has the pins instead of super snap. This track works very well stays together, is much more quiet then the popular tracks on the market with roadbed, and long sections carry current well with good solid connections. Used 2 power feeds on the larger loops. Even with long long trains running at speed the track noise is very quiet. You can hear the sounds from the Thomas engines for the most part. With the hard plastic roadbed track that is common to the market this same layout would be deafening.
Click on photos for a larger view.
