Creative operating accessory ideas?

The Lionel Santa pylon is kinda cool and is available on the bay.

Kids love a Operating Barrel Car (3562) and a Barrel Loader (362). Barrels move like magic - by vibration. Put a Barrel Car and a Barrel Loader on different variable voltage circuits. Move barrels up the ramp and put 2 or 3 on the Barrel Car. Vary the voltage to move them up the ramp on the car. Then load a few more barrels. Turn down the voltage to "snug them up" until they are touching. With practice, 5 or 6 barrels should fit.

Although a Lot of room and some $$, the Lionel Mi-Jack is really fun and Challenging trying to load and unload trailers and containers.

I use a bump and go trolley across the front of my Christmas layout.  The track has an isolated section on one end, and when someone presses a pushbutton, the trolley goes out and back, then stops on the isolated track.

The kids like it, and sometimes hold the pushbutton down so the train goes back and forth until they let go.

It would probably work across the front of your layout.

Ed