Do you buy a new piece of Christmas rolling stock this time of year?

That looks like fun!  Typically my Christmas purchases are PE themed.  I don't run them but use them as decorations.  The MTH LED tree car is nice so it may come home with me sometime.

I Rarely get new train items, I would like to get some of the Lighted Cars that MTH makes for my in planning winter/holiday theme layout.

Nope, no car.

But I did buy some more FasTrack. For those who know me, that's like an Eskimo buying an ice tray. All the same, I was a few pieces short on the Christmas tree layout I have planned for this year.

Used to get a Lionel Christmas box car every year since 1981.
I stopped in 2012 because there was a delay in getting the car out and Lionel stated that it would be out in the spring (Bah Hum-bug).
Still have the cars in a their boxed on a shelf, maybe I will find the 2012 at a train show and continue one day.

Yep, I get an MTH car every year. The exception being that ugly thing they made last year!
Here is the 2017 edition.

When my girls were young we made a trek to the lhs every year. They took turns picking a new car. As they got older the fun drifted away for them and all the cars have since been passed on...

I created my Christmas train with a Lionel 259E, a few tinplate cars and a 2657 caboose. Santa's Sleigh was made from Precision Board. I just took it down from the shelf dusted it, greased up the wheels and she is ready to spend another Holiday Season on my layout.

I buy my son a dated lionel box car every year, he has them going back many years.

Yes, I have bought one car per year since my first child was born, now he is almost 21, and I have quite the collection.

I bought a Lionel Happy Holidays GP7 to pull my rig in 1999, but as the train grew it became too much for the single motor loco, I had to replace the drive gear twice. So, two years ago the GP7 was retired and put in short line service on my upper loop pulling a small Christmas consist. To replace the Geep, I bought a MTH Railking Christmas ES44 with 2 motors, this year I bought another Railking ES44 and now have them both lashed up to pull the Christmas train, it’s unnecessary power, but it looks great.

Back to the cars: I buy whichever car grabs me each year, I am not brand loyal all. I almost always buy a boxcar, I like them with the year produced painted on the side somewhere, I like this because I line them up in numerical order, and also when I see the year, it triggers memories. MTH was doing this for a long time, but left off the year for quite a while, so I bought Lionel instead.  

This year I saw the MTH tree flarcars in the catalog, and was non plused, but at York I saw the flats at the MTH display and was blown away with all the LEDS, and how bright they were, and how nice the car was, the flat also has the year printed on the side. So, I promptly bought one at Nicholas Smith.

They all live under the layout from February though Thanksgiving.

Here is a look at my collection:

Well, sort of.  This Frisco airplane flat will be running in my Christmas train this year,  but, being broke, I traded for it instead...

Mitch 

No not a christmas train item, but train related ie freight car, engine, or set yes

The simple answer is yes.  Since 1990, I have been purchasing a Lionel Christmas car every year.  With a few exceptions I have them all.  In 2005 I started collecting additional Christmas themed stuff.  The first was a Polar Express and the addiction started there.  Today I purchase at least 2 pieces each year in addition to the Lionel Christmas car.    Last year I thought about the MTH Christmas ES44AC but changed my mind when I saw the MTH RK First Responders SD70ace.  It's Red so it matches Christmas and I can run it all year.  This year I went after the CP Holiday train.  I have box cars in hand but will get the engine when it is delivered.

The attached video is last year.  On the inner loop, Lionel's Silver Bells Christmas train.  On the outer loop, a not so prototypical MU or lashup (or whatever you call a steam engine and diesel together) pulling a consist of Lionel and MTH cars.  Most are Christmas but I take liberty as long as the colors are bright.

I am changing the inner loop track this year so the layout is still a work in progress.

Tony

Nope.

The only "Christmas" cars I have are the three passenger cars from the Polar Express set plus the Hot Chocolate car, and the three car North Pole Central set plus the matching Vista Dome.  The NPE cars are headed by a North Pole Express "Route Of The Reindeer" RS-3.

I installed Evans leds in the observation car.

Pete

Yes, I get one every year.

I finally got a Polar Express from my wife for Christmas.  The new Bluetooth works great and it was a one day special on Amazon.  With opening a new account she paid less the $200.00.  Since I work with the Fort Pitt Division Kids Club I try to add a new Christmas train/car every year for the December meet.

Chris Lonero posted:

My answer is yes. I usually get one new Christmas car every year.  Lets see your Christmas cars! 

Great "chase" car Chris!   I see this is in the 2017 Lionel Christmas catalog.  How does it attach to your Fasttrack?   Do the instructions say that it can also attach to tubular O?    

Yes, every year I purchase Halloween and Christmas Cars that I have to have. If I wait, they go up to ridiculous pricing or disappear.

Joe Gozzo

Me, no, but my 76 year old mom still buys me a Christmas car or something similar every Christmas.

RMT Christmas Coal Hopper Car...

Merry Christmas.

Susie

Hi Guys 

I have bought fours cars so far .  All MTH ! 

I plan on buying the Mth Traditional Christmas car as well . 

I've bought the last four or five years of the Lionel Christmas car. In the late nineties and early 2000s I bought a car each year. I'm having an open house December 9... I park a Christmas Car train on a prominent siding..

Jan

I never had much interest in Christmas rolling stock.  Until Lionel came out with those snow globe flat cars.  I thought they were so cool and got three different cars.  After that I started adding a car or two and now have two medium sized Christmas trains after buying a MTH ES44 Christmas engine and a Lionel Polar Railroad scale K4.  I'm so weak when it comes to trains!

Yes, Christmas Green.

Chris Sheldon

Traindiesel posted:

I never had much interest in Christmas rolling stock.  Until Lionel came out with those snow globe flat cars.  I thought they were so cool and got three different cars.  After that I started adding a car or two and now have two medium sized Christmas trains after buying a MTH ES44 Christmas engine and a Lionel Polar Railroad scale K4.  I'm so weak when it comes to trains!

Well Brian since you broke down and bought Christmas cars maybe you should pick up a nice tinplate set! Talk about weak! Come to the shiny side!

Usually.....this year's purchases:

The MTH cars and my custom "Christmas Ducks" gondolas are a big hit!.

Here they are in action....

Peter

Craignor posted:

 

[snip]

This year I saw the MTH tree flarcars in the catalog, and was non plused, but at York I saw the flats at the MTH display and was blown away with all the LEDS, and how bright they were, and how nice the car was, the flat also has the year printed on the side. [snip]

Awesome collection!

Fun fact for the day: The noun "Nonplus" means "the state of bafflement or perplexity." (Source.)

No, I don't buy Christmas, Halloween or any other holiday cars.  I get it that some people like them, but they're not for me.

At Christmas time, I put tinplate trains on the layout.

Since the Lionel S gauge AF Polar Express first came out, I have purchased the set, the two add on cars and the pewter PE figures.  Last year I bought the S gauge Elf Handcar.  Earlier year I added the elves and the animals. 

I run the AF PE on the S gauge loops at our annual local local TCA Clubouse open house.

However, recently someone on this forum was looking for the Lionel O gauge PE bump-and- go trolley of which I was unaware.  So I bought one and, with the help of another club member, refreshed the long unused O gauge "bump-and-go track.  The PE Trolley performed flawlessly throughout the open house, but because I spent my time in the other room with the S and Standard layout, I forgot to take a picture of the trolley running. :-(

Anyway, call the O gauge PE Trolley this year's Christmas train purchase by this S Gauger.

Cheers!

Alan

Absolutely buy Christmas rolling stock. Sucker for the Polar Express stuff and added PE silver load hopper and PE reefer along with MTH Christmas box car, Christmas fire car, and Christmas flat car with the trailer.  I actually already have an order in for PE tank car coming out in the spring when the grass will be green. How sick is that?

I need Lionel or MTH to come out with a Saint Patrick line, or at least something with shamrocks and leprechauns, so I can slow down on the Christmas stuff. Besides, it's getting to where I can't ever transition out of winter on our layout!

ALL are NICE and evoke the spirit of Christmas, but they are not my cup of tea.  :-)

At least the Lionel dated Boxcar each year.  I did MTH quite a number of years when I first collected, but I pass on that for the most part now.  I do have all the DAP Christmas boxcars though, with the ones with different graphics (one side meant to be looking outside from inside, the other vice versa), being my favorites from that series.

Some years I will also order other Lionel cars, motorized units, or accessories.  I like the Santa Pylon, the Ice Station,  and the Gatemen with Santa, a Nutcracker or Gingerbread man (just examples).  Love the little Docksiders in Christmas colors, but wish they would switch up the color scheme (ie, maybe green base with red trim vs red base with green trim) as an offering one of these days.

-Dave

Christmas trains are great - and I have many from years ago...but not many recently released ones.

Hallowe'en, OTOH, is my collecting target.  I have a fantasy Hallowe'en Mountain (as well as a Space Mountain) on the layout and it all works well together.  

Well, here's my Christmas Train, parked on the siding above the English Garden, right where guests enter.

Jan

I purchased the Lionel WWII series of box cars. Just was notified my Doolittle Raiders is on the way.

Chris Lonero posted:

Traindiesel posted:

I never had much interest in Christmas rolling stock.  Until Lionel came out with those snow globe flat cars.  I thought they were so cool and got three different cars.  After that I started adding a car or two and now have two medium sized Christmas trains after buying a MTH ES44 Christmas engine and a Lionel Polar Railroad scale K4.  I'm so weak when it comes to trains!

Well Brian since you broke down and bought Christmas cars maybe you should pick up a nice tinplate set! Talk about weak! Come to the shiny side!

Chris, I’ve been tempted for years to expand into some shiny tinplate. I probably won’t be able to hold out for much longer. 

But you can share with me since you are my Father!!  

I buy 2 Christmas cars every year, been doing it since the late 80’s. 

I just bought my first Christmas car, a NOS (New Old Stock) 20-some year-old Lionel Christmas car, at a local train show last weekend for 5 bucks.  Already removed the die-cast, sprung trucks from it for another project. 

Paul 

I don't buy them, but I do like to make them.  Heres one I made recently and couple from years past.

Polar Express flat car:

Montreal Canadiens boxcar (Go Habs!) 

Polar Express Reindeer stock car:

Reindeer Feed vat car:

Xmas Present Hopper & Wreath Gondola:

- Nick

Traindiesel posted:

Chris Lonero posted:

Traindiesel posted:

I never had much interest in Christmas rolling stock.  Until Lionel came out with those snow globe flat cars.  I thought they were so cool and got three different cars.  After that I started adding a car or two and now have two medium sized Christmas trains after buying a MTH ES44 Christmas engine and a Lionel Polar Railroad scale K4.  I'm so weak when it comes to trains!

Well Brian since you broke down and bought Christmas cars maybe you should pick up a nice tinplate set! Talk about weak! Come to the shiny side!

Chris, I’ve been tempted for years to expand into some shiny tinplate. I probably won’t be able to hold out for much longer. 

But you can share with me since you are my Father!!  

Resistance is futile!