Do you model the Polar Express or Strasburg Railroad? Show and share what you've done with what you have

Kenn:

 

I am planning on York and like you, have a passion for the PE. Let's see what the response is to your thread and we will work this into the calendar.

I have a lot of the PE stuff bought over the years.  Love the movie and the colors.  I do not have the scale cars as they are way too big for our modest Christmas layout.  I think Lionel will keep adding to it as long as folks keep buying it.

 

In other news,  I started out buying a few Pennsylvania Power and Light items and that roster is up to 10 cars and a docksider.  Lionel has a gondola coming out soon too.  Even RMT has some PP&L items.

I love the PE stuff and have plans in the works to build additional islands in my basement connected via bridges to my hi-rail islands and artistically license the PE and Dept. 56 CIC items on the corner modules. Don't think I can make York in April but am willing to meet and discuss, fyi, I live in SE PA.

I don't model it on a layout, but I put my Polar Express around the Christmas tree every year.  I have all of the passenger cars.  However, I pull it with a Lionel Mikado, or my original Lionel #2035 locomotive from 1954.  Matt

It's good that you brought this up since I see very little, if any, Strasburg equipment on the market, and even fewer that resemble any of the trains used on the railroad. I know Lionel has done #89 and 3rd Rail has been doing #475, but #90 would be really cool to see.

My son's room is the Polar Express. One side of his shelf layout and is Winter.

 

Scott Smith

Did somebody mention strausburg?

My wife and I were in Strasburg this past October. We rode the Strasburg Railroad and went to the toy TCA Train Museum, Railroad Museum, etc. It was a really nice time. I would love to purchase Lionel's Strasburg Railroad Passenger train, funds permiting. Although I do have other train purchase priorities ahead of that.

Cobrabob.

I have a Kline porter in strasburg. What I really want is the gas car LO&S #11 because it ran on a short line I really like.

I ask again for all who missed this post earlier, who loves the Polar Express and Strasburg railroads?

Wouldn't it be worthwhile and interesting to exchang tips and ideas on modeling, modding and improving these liveries and relate our personal experiences, trials and tribulations and to talk about what you've done regarding these railroads?

Please post your thoughts and/or pictures for all of us to see here.

 

I haven't modeled it, but there is a model of it on the Choo Choo barn layout.

Kenn,

I started this past holiday with a 4 x 8 loop and the PE. A North Pole scene on one end, the big tree. So, now I am building the Arctic Railroad. It will have the Polar Express and the Alaska RR freight. I will be using Lionel modules, in winter. I plan to travel with it.

 

We are not that far from one another, I would be happy to get together to discuss the Polar Express ideas.

Kenn,

My two grown sons surprised me with the PE RTR this last Christmas.  Have added the Hot Chocolate and Conductor announcement cars.  Replaced the "wadding" in the puffer, drilled out the air holes, and added a MTH 14 ohm resistor.  JT's or Pat's Trains fluid makes the most smoke volume.  Next year will add a second cam to the axle to double volume.  Replaced headlight and all lights in cars with LED's and regulator chips for constant brightness on conventional.  Read everything that Dale H has to say on his JCstudiosinc.com blog.  Easy fixes.  Added the Trainsounds tender but bigger speaker and enclosure.  How I can hear the chuffs. 

And all the time I was making the RTR closer to what it could be, my wife was busy painting and assembling all the buildings for the village the PE surrounds.  Named Nanaville in her honor. 

It amazing how easily things can get out of hand....

If not for 7 grandkids, why else do we enjoy Christmas so much?

I'm not much for passenger trains, but I'm completely hooked on the Polar RR freight.  Started with the 0-8-0 Polar RR freight set and have everything they've produced for the line (12 cars, 3 caboose).

 

Currently running the traditional freight behind the 0-8-0 and the scale freight behind a 1225 from the passenger set. Hoping for more Polar RR freight in this year's Christmas catalog!

Back in 2004 I was contracted to do a store front display in a vacant store at The Avenue at White Marsh, MD. At first they were considering doing a display in 2 window sections (the store had windows in front & on one side) And they went with a display in the front windows. The big selling point that I made was that I would have one level featuring Department 56 North Pole Village with the Polar Express running around it. This was the year that the Polar Express Movie came out. And they have movie theaters across the street from this store.

 

My biggest fear at the time was trying to get my 2 Polar Express sets which I had pre-ordered well before this project ever came up. I started ordering more sets from a couple of different places when I took on this project. Well I did windup getting the sets in before the opening of the display which was in mid November. The display and the trains operated on a timer from 9AM to 11PM daily. And I did have one of the Polar Express engines go down just before Christmas.

 

 

I did sell some of the extra sets I had. And my 2 daughters each have a complete set with all of the extra cars. One day I hope to have a big display some that I can run my scale Polar Express set which will has 15 cars at the present time. And I have all of the Polar RR engines and cars. 

 

I just love Christmas and trains. And believe it or not I love Strasburg RR and I do not have any of those pieces.

I would love to see a O gauge PE set done in tinplate. Maybe similar looking to the one running under the tree in the movie!

 

 

Here's my Polar Express in Standard Gauge.  An MTH locomotive re-labelled, and the two G Scale PE cars that I retrofited with Standard Gauge trucks.  I consider it a temporary fix until MTH comes out with a PE Standard Gauge tinplate RTR set like their current Christmas RTR set.

 

 

We are big PE fans in our home. We have a combination PE and D56 North Pole layout on the first level of our home and run the scale PE train on our main layout during the Christmas season in the train room in our barn. The scale train includes three customized PE cars, the observation car that was retooled by Keith (Forum member), a conductor car also done by Keith, and a RPO car.

 

The Polar Express is a great holiday movie and breathed some life and excitement into the hobby. Lionel was wise to license the rights to the name. For those of us who remain young at heart, incorporating the PE concept represents a challenge, especially in building what Lionel has called a "scale polar express railroad." I got a chuckle when I first read that description in their catalog. Nevertheless, designing and building a Polar Express Division (my project name) into my hi-rail layout has proven very difficult.

 

Notwithstanding the fine work presented in this thread, performing a Google search for Polar Express train layouts and videos reveals some incredible PE projects. Jack Smith's PE layout was featured in CTT some time ago. That layout was done by TW Design. I don't want to even speculate what it cost, but it had to have been considerable. Another chap built an impressive PE layout in his living room. These guys and others provide great inspiration.

Brian,  : ref your Dept 56 layout

 

I have aquired a Mth Christmas Tinplate , cause owner wanted to keep his POLAR EXPRESS,  but anyway,  I am figuring I'll need to start about Sept, to do our Dept 56 thing this year,  MY concern is the effort to hide all of the electrical cords.

Are you drilling a hole in the back of each building,  --- thanks

Passenger Train Collector- my Bichon doesn't like steam engines-does yours?

 

Paul Kallus- The movie folks blocked TW's video of the building of the PE layout on YouTube-you can find some stills on the TW Site. That layout is my selection for the best that I've seen. Here it is.

 

There's another layout with a huge spiral mountain that I really like also. That's a fun layout. The three times around spiral is a pain to create even with software. Nice effect.

 

Another element that I really like is the viaduct to the North Pole.

TGP:

 

I used 2" high density Styrofoam and used a hot knife to create channels to hide the wires. With D56 buildings, the older ones have the lighting wire exit from the back of the buildings while the newer ones exit from under the buildings.

 

Moonman:

 

He loves to watch the trains. Cody is a four year old 28 lb. Bichon who has lots of personality. He is a great dog.