Christmas Layout 2015 build out

Looking good, Doug.  Will be watching your progress.  I'm especially interested in your mountain development.  Good luck.

this is a 8x4x4 layout in 4x4 sections.  It will sit on the floor on 8" legs so all power is hid under..The holder for the tree rotates with a 7' flocked tree..

that is so great!  Im thinking of mine also.  no tree in middle of mine because we get real trees, and I don't need the needles fouling up the thing and santa dumping presents all over the scenery!  lol. 

you give me a good idea on what I may want to do though.  thanks for sharing!

Chris

Excellent ideas and love the slot car track. 1/43 scale? Carrera, Tyco or Modelworks? I also have track I plan to integrate into my layout. Thanks for sharing. 

Gary, it is SUperstreets that I have there but it may??? not make the final cut on the layout..

FYI....I did the layout this year in 4x4 sections.  The mountain, tho in one piece, it will be placed on the lay out with just tooth picks so at seasons end I can move it easy or can change it up next year...

I'm basically new at this, since my last experience with trains was over 40 years ago when I was 12. Last year I wanted to do an around the tree layout.  Nothing major, just something to get the grandkids involved in something without a video display.  Long story short...got the idea too late, got overwhelmed with the technology and chucked the whole project.  I'm starting earlier this year and need all the help I can get.  I'm thinking of an O gauge layout that matches the scale of my wife's Dickens Village buildings (assuming I get the green light on that).  I have about a 4' x 6' footprint available.  I need to have a tree in there somewhere.  My main question, at this point, is one of logistics...we have a seven foot tree that typically gets decorated on all sides, then pushed back into position.  Keep in mind that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, but how the heck can a person decorate/position a tree when you're working around a train layout?  Surely, all those really cool layouts don't get set up after the tree is in place on the base/plywood, do they?  Is there some sort of semi-painless, stress-free way to accomplish what I'm trying to do?  Thanks ahead of time for any help you can give!

Looks Great so far!

Can't wait to see the finished layout and tree!

Msg to Horntoad57: I'm quite the amateur at this, but last year I did build a simple Christmas layout for the grandkids (and me of course).  I cut a plywood base into the shape of a kidney, glued a sheet of the pink foam board to it, painted it white and added Woodland Scenics Soft Flake Snow.  The tree is on one end of the kidney and I built a small village on the other. I placed a piece of thin rubber backed carpet runner (from Home Depot) under the layout (carpet side down) and positioned the board in the middle of the room for easy decorating.  Built a bridge out of 3/4 in plywood and 2x6 lumber to span over the layout to allow easy decorating.  I have wood floors, so when all was done, I carefully slid the layout and tree into position. I may try adding some mountains this year, so I'll be watching the Doudie fresh project.

Nice ideas, Frisco Steve! Particularly the decorating bridge.  And, while we have carpet where the tree will go, your runner-under-the-plywood solution gave me the idea to glue a few of those plastic furniture glides under mine.  Couple of questions...are your buildings of the Department 56 scale?  Also, what train are you running? And is it in O or O27?  With all the weight of the tree on one side, do you have any issues with the other side lifting?  If your an amateur, I'm an absolute neophyte!  I need and will happily receive all the help I can get.  Thanks!

I am finally getting to upgrade my simple ovals.....

Great idea with the sliders.  The locomotive is an MTH RailKing Christmas Express with a new paint job.  It's smaller than O scale (1/48), a little larger than O-27 and will negotiate O-31 curves.  Not sure of the size of the buildings, I went on the cheap and got the whole set at one of the Dollar stores.  No problem with the tree lifting the other side, I cut holes in the foam for the stand so it sits on the plywood base.  It all seems to remain flat even though it's 9 ft with tons of decor.  Good luck with your layout.

Dougie, I really like that layout.  And the original version is almost dead on to what I want to do, right down to the size and being next to the fireplace.  In the 2013 version, I assume that was one piece?  How did you do the legs/base?  How did you accomplish decorating the tree?  I assume that was done after it was set in the display and after the track was laid?

Christmas is just more FUN when you have a train to RUN.     

Dougie

Nice work...gives me some great ideas for my Christmas Layout. While we do not decorate until after Thanksgiving, we run trains all year round so putting down the Christmas Layout now is very appropriate.

I spent today doing a bit of wiring tune up and installing the accessories. Your corners have given me some good starting points for two of my layout corners.

jeff

Dougie

Nice work...gives me some great ideas for my Christmas Layout. While we do not decorate until after Thanksgiving, we run trains all year round so putting down the Christmas Layout now is very appropriate.

I spent today doing a bit of wiring tune up and installing the accessories. Your corners have given me some good starting points for two of my layout corners.

jeff

Nice track plan. 

Your 2013 layout was really nice, I like layouts that are un-symmetrical - very artistic, what did you use for snow, and is that cork roadbed you're using?

This was last years layout. I had a reversing loop at both ends.

Dougie,

    Real nice Christmas layout, I like the rotating tree idea very much, we have a Christmas Bear Christmas Tree on our FasTrack multi level Christmas layout, rotating the Christmas Bear gives me something to think about!

Real nice engineering job.

PCRR/Dave

Well here is a few pic's of the layout with paint and flocking applied.  The pictures don't show it but I have glitter within the flocking and when the tree and the lights of all the stuff, it will really be pretty.  Project today is to get allllllllll the wiring done and to that end place all the stuff that will need power.  I'll post a picture of it when I get that done..

Well this weekend I did the final setup with the new Christmas layout in the garage.  I finished the wiring and the track is now screwed down. It is in 3 4x4 sections.  I am moving it into the house on the 23 and I figure it will take 2 days to get it all hooked up and the to let the final snow fall on it all.  I will post pictures as I get each section together in case anyone else would like to copy it of at least give y'aall some good idea's...Theee biggest problem that I have had is WHAT houses or track side stuff to put on it this year. I try not to repeat the same ones for 3 years.  So need a room where I could set it up all year, but it is what it is.... 

Dougie,

This is really a great project! You have given me some very good idea's! Thanks for posting your work!

Nice to see your vision becoming reality. I like the leg system so the boards can be stored and easily set up each year.

There is also a craft item, like glitter, but I think it's called diamonds. Small pieces of clear that react to light to sprinkle in with the snow.

Thanks for updating the project.

Awesome. I have been trying to get a layout around the Christmas Tree for years but don't know what to do and where to start. 

Thanks for sharing.