Christmas Layout Sense changing from the postwar folks

We are selling the house, so not sure where I can put one this year. It's a bummer! But, I watched the "Toy Trains & Christmas" videos free on Amazon Prime last night. 

George

I was thinking the same, where are all the posts on Xmas layouts?

Best time of the year! I will be setting up my layout today around the tree.

cswalter posted:

Best time of the year! I will be setting up my layout today around the tree.

 

I think you answered the question.  IMO it's a bit early.  You're only setting yours up today.  Most folks don't start until about now.

You can never get started too early! One guy on my street starts setting up his trains in October! He has about 25 train sets of various gauges on the floor of a large room with a tree and other accessories, but his display is all about the trains. Last year he had to move the Texas Special and GG1 to another room around a separate tree and has a G gauge train around another tree in his finished basement.

Im relatively new to the hobby - and I've been plotting my Christmas layout for months now - just haven't made a post...yet!

Im trying to work the tree and the layout into a single assemblage...two levels of trains.

I have one Fastrack Oval - and a ton of post war track and switches - and a lot of new Gargraves 37 inch straights.(probably wont use much(or any) of that for this project.)

Im running the LIONEL Winter Wonderland set and the Lionel UPS set. And I also have the North Pole Central Expansion pack that I'll work in there.

Im re-utilizing some light weight 4x8 walls we built for art shows a few years ago. Basically 1/4 inch lauan plywood back framed with 1 x 2s - they're rigid enough - but likely to be LOUD! - like running a train on a snare drum head! I'm sure that can be mitigated though...

Tonight I'll probably bring one panel in and start laying track and switches around. I want to get it as pre-plotted as possible so I can have the boys (grandsons) come over and have them help put it together - without a lot of screwing around.

I'll definitely start a thread once I get the platform set.

I'm starting a post for my Christmas layout Monday so... I guess not as many people do it anymore.

I always thought Christmas layouts were silly.  A single loop around the tree is fine for me, and I won't put a tree up any sooner than the 1st weekend in December, but I prefer the 2nd weekend.  I'm surrounded by trains all day every day, so I don't need a big Christmas layout to get my fix.

MARTYE...    last year we had folks posting a Christmas tree layout build in October/November and a lot more as well as some folks really have some large Christmas layouts.

Sinclair...   your from the younger generation we postwar babies hold trains and Christmas in a special place its all about the excitement the lionel tv adds the store displays running the day after thanksgiving and they weren't setup over night months earlier were made and held in backrooms ready to go.

GEORGE S.....  hope you find a spot to run a holiday tree setup.  also hope selling home is a good thing and not for other reasons.

I think what happens with the Christmas layout people is that after their little seasonal projects end up taking a month to plan, another to build and a third to operate they tend to end up turning onto a year round hobby.

After you spent a month or so just building something the big after holiday question never fails to hit us, why bother to take it down at all?

StPaul posted:

I've noticed this year not many posts on Christmas Layouts being created or discussed.

I think that some of the very active, and inspirational, posters of Christmas layouts have moved to that "other" train forum.

Dave

I noticed the lack of Christmas layout posts too. Same at the other place. One or two people cant carry the load.

Just a bit early I think. They'll be coming soon. Mine will start this weekend. Pics will be coming. I always put some pics up. Mine is all traditional postwar stuff. F3s, Berkshire's, 115 stations, rotary beacons, gateman, trolley, gang car, etc.  The TRUE good stuff!  With all that annoying, "Built by Lionel" and "Lionel Lines" stuff on the sides that I love so much.

I've had 2 Christmas layouts since 1986...one raised hi-rail one under the tree in the dining room, and one on-the-floor Lemax scenic one under the big tree in the living room. Lionel postwar passenger trains run on both.

Since my grandson loved these when he was one, I built a 5x8 year-'round layout in 2005. This one has TMCC trains running on a very detailed city/urban/carnival scene. I also have a 3x6 American Flyer postwar layout in the basement.

Sinclair is on to it...once there is a small loop or twice around the tree built it's kept and put up like other annual decorations. The few mentioned are new Christmas layouts or a layout redesign.

They are still there. Someone will start a thread in week or two and we can see them. The Big crabcake and PTC have large Christmas year rounds that migrated to the other place.

This year, I found the freight add-on pack for the train, a new building and did some shaping of the base. The grandkids will be here tomorrow and we will set it up. They are 5 & 4 years old. I have the North Pole Central from 2009-conventional with a whoo-whoo whistle tender 6-30068.

I put up the 1934 Lionel Jr. freight on it's own small table in the train room with a small tree in the center. It doesn't do anything but run and put out that old train smell. Oh, it has a headlight!

I believe the thread has just begun 2016 Christmas

Dave

My tree and Christmas trains is done as of last week. Although not a big train display that is just a circle of std. Gauge track and a std gauge blue comet that looks great under all the lights and reflections from about 1000 glass Christmas ornaments. 

I sold my window display and it is too early to set up at home.

got started on mine last night. got the platform down, and the tree up. probably won't do much till I'm off Monday. 12 midnight shifts are rough.

When I was a kid, Santa would bring the tree, presents, and decorations Christmas Eve, and we'd awake to the wonder (and sleepy parents) Christmas morning.  Everything would stay up through New Years Eve and disappear New Years Day.  Besides... your tree will be a brown wreck by then if you put it up in November!

Jon  

we always get a fresh cut tree, and they last a long time. The Boss likes me being in the living room instead of downstairs playing with the trains, and we like the decorations. so we leave the tree up a long time. One year we almost made Easter....got some strange looks whenever someone stopped by....

I worked at Builder's Square and the trees we sold were cut in July.  How's that for longevity?  Or is it paint? 

I will put our layout around the tree next week,it is a ETS tinplate passenger set that I bought at the factory in Prague from Gustav Taus in 2006.

Mikey

Layout will begin this week. Putting it directly under the tree in the living room this year instead of creating a separate layout in the basement as we have done other years.

There are years with more snow than others too.

  Mine is very small and ready year round now. Its been posted before....

...but not lit up until my post tonight in a "lets see your Chistmas train under the tree"  thread.

 I brought in my platform over a week ago, but my wife is running late with the tree decorating. She finished the lights last night, so once the ornaments are on I can get busy completing the layout. Basically, that means installing the buildings and the power supply, then spreading the fake snow. I've got pre-wired terminals all over the layout, so hooking up the buildings is quite simple.

 This will be the 16th Christmas that I've used this layout, and I never get bored with it. The track plan is permanent, but I add and/or subtract other items every year, just to keep things fresh.

In response to the original poster's open question, seasonal operators (Christmas train runners) are actually the most diverse group of people from all ages and walks of life as evidenced by the sales and service numbers at the train store where I work. Most aren't even into trains, and certainly not year round.  Postwar operators are dwindling, but that is a separate issue. Many year round hobbyists on this forum have permanent layouts. However, many still also build temporary seasonal displays. You don't see many Christmas layouts on this forum because most Christmas runners aren't committed train enthusiasts, and consequently don't belong to this forum. 

I disagree Greg. The type of layout, be it scale or toy or holiday should have no implication on "belonging".

That is an exclusionary, somewhat arrogant thought that they are slacking somehow. Akin to the everlasting toy vs scale battle. They own a train, so they like trains. They belong, and deserve the same respect from us a non model owning railfan does.

Not to mention the years the Christmas posts may have been the hottest topic in months

It's just a different year.