Getting close to Christmas

I have had a very good plan but how am I going to explain it to my mom and Dad? I wanted to pay my mom some money to let me build my dream layout. Of course she wiill say no even though it was worth the try. My Dad will be all for it.

I've started planning and getting some things together to begin my display at the Redford Theatre, but at this point I'm just trying to find a point where my schedule and the theater event schedules don't collide so I can actually start putting it together.

 Getting Close to Christmas, have you started your Christmas Layout Yet,  I usually do this around Thanksgiving time but I am getting ready!  Got that Tin Plate yitch alread.

 

The layout here is pretty much the same every year. What I do is swap out the trains from year to year. I figure that the trains are not a focus point to the holiday - they are an addendum, so to speak. 

 

Don't know if I have mentioned it before on this forum, but I live by myself (and have for 30+ years) in a house that is at least 100 years old. In fact, it was moved to this location in the 20's. It has approximately 800 square feet on the main level and a second floor above that. Now you may ask why that has any significance. Well, here goes:

 

Fully half of that upatairs area is dedicated to the storage of Christmas stuff.I used to not enjoy Christmas that much - it was a holiday like many others and I would do what needed to be done to kind of enjoy it. For some reason, who knows why, about 15 or 20 years ago I kind of took a second look at it and decided to really get into the spirit of the season. Nothing to do with religion, although I do understand those that go that rout, but more like an opportunity to enjoy the whole idea of getting some sense in the old noggin. So.....since then I have kind of expanded things. In the kitchen I have one of those skinny trees on a round table with a tolley running around it. computer desk and the adjoining bookcase I set up a Dept. 56 village  with a bumper trolley that runs  on a a single line on my computer desk the makes a loop   around a village square and back.   On another bookcase I have a train that runs onto the lower deck of a china cabinet. Pretty space restricted here so I usually run a Marx M10005. There are three other trees in the house (again, consider the square footage I mentioned above) with the largest sitting in a corner of the living room. Under neath that tree I have a 10 x figure 8 layout with the small part of the figure 8 running underneath the tree and an  extended part running around my video stand.

 

From about Thanksgiving on through the New Years I host dinners for anywhere from 4 to 8 guests - usually about 15 dinners in that time span.    By the way, I really like to cook. And each christmas i select a theme that includes the decorations, the food and the train.

 

Meanwhile, during the rest of the year, I have a fastrack dogbone that I use to test out stuff for the public layout. In case you haven't noticed, I have really (finally) started to enjoy the season.

 

Anyway, so much for the rambling. I just hope all you folks that are old grumps take a look at the idea of Christmas and kind of let it all  hang out and roll with the tide.                                                                                                                                                             

Dave,

 Glad you are getting ready.

 Don't feel like you are too early...I heard Macy's in Manhattan already has Christmas decorations up!

 

Tom 

Interesting juxtaposition isn't it!

No room where we live now, that and my job really makes me dislike the holidays (like last year with thier crap). Worked 7 days a week 16-18+ hours a day and this year will be the same only this time we will also be working Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years day. No time off. No time at all. Starts next week until mid February.

Nice thoughts everyone . Glad you're getting into the swing of things, Tripleo. Who does all of the complaining SJC? It's Christmas for gosh sakes. What's Christmas without trains? !
Mike

Black Friday the layout goes up for me. HURRY UP!!!!

ES44AC,

   Michael good for you, don't listen to the nay sayers.  Put your Christmas layout up and have fun with it.  I do feel bad for the guys that like to have layouts and their family gives them a hard time, or they work so much there is no time to really enjoy an O Gauge layout, enjoy Christmas everyone each in his own way.  Got to say this however, there will be a Christmas Train Layout in my home for as long as I can set one up, it's part of our family tradition at Christmas time, and this is still my home.

 

PCRR/Dave

 

Christmas is coming, it time to add another level to the Train layout!

 

Plan on starting as soon as I can. It'll be my first real Christmas layout, and I'm doing it with postwar trains, Plasticville, and a tree with Shiny Brite, tinsel, and C7 lights. Still trying to figure out size/track plan.

not yet....The Boss usually grants permission the day after Thanksgiving. I hope to have my Uncle Jim's platform under the tree this year along with his trains.

Hi Dave,

 

Glad to see you're in the Christmas spirit, that's the way to be !!!!!

 

 

Alex

My family sets up my Christmas layout on Thanksgiving day morning.  

Was just talking about the Christmas layout the other day (negotiating for space ).

 

I'll use my Lionel Corporation Tinplate Christmas set which is a great looking train for the holidays. Red 261e loco and tender and green/red combo rolling stock.

 

One of the touches I always enjoy is my set of "It's a Wonderful Life" village buildings. Got these at Lowe's (?) a number of seasons back but have never seen them since. Can anyone say Martini's Bar?

I don't do a layout, just a loop of track around the tree.  Because it's FasTrack on tile, it is very, very loud, so I don't run it too much, but it does run at least a couple times a week.  Always runs on Christmas morning.

My Christmas layout which right now is my only layout is 4×5 which is as big as I can make it in the available space. Very frustrating because my family insists on putting this big tree right in the center of it thereby taking up valuable space! Working on improving their priorities, but so far no luck! Lol

Why does the Christmas season start earlier every year? Walmart had there Xmas dept set up the 3rd week in August.

oh that's easy......$$$$ ever hear of "Christmas in July" sales? it's all about the money anymore.not our Savior.

I grew up with Saturday Evening Post and Norman Rockwell 's Christmas paintings! Doing my best to have that kind of Christmas for my family but with creeping commercialism I worry it is a losing battle!   But worth fighting!!!

Hope to start before the end of the month. Plan to reconfigure last years display so it's a continuous loop instead of two. That probably means adding a bridge and reconfiguring  tunnels.

"Getting close to Christmas"?

 

It's not even October 15th, for Pete's sake! Actually, it approaches being as close to last July 4th as it is to Christmas. Can we put this off for a month, please? It gets so boring, so long, so constant...

I suppose your first name is Ebinizer.  ☺

Dave for me its easy. The tree gets put up on the layout. I have already stated the prep work so the tree can go up right after thanksgiving. 

 

Speaking of close, I'm surprised their isn't a Halloween layout thread (or did I miss it). Only 1/2 a month away.

 

Dave

Try something between the FasTrack and the hard floor. Anything to break the contact and cushion the FasTrack base should cut the noise considerably.

If a regular tree-skirt is too small, get a piece of material from a fabric store. I bought a couple of yards to simulate snow, I think it was fleece. No long strands to get tangled like the popular snow blankets.

 

Dave

 

 

The amazing part is you clicked on the thread, where people were enjoying something, and felt the need to crap all over it. Just don't click and move on, it's really easy.

Not that you asked my opinion, but I'll give it anyway. I use those foam rubber, interlocking squares that get used in exercise rooms and such, to protect my hardwood when I drop the layout on it. They have them in different colors, so a nice red or green would work for the holidays. Depending on how big your loop is, you could build a square with 9 pieces, remove the middle block and drop the tree right in there. That will make your train nice and quiet. Just a thought.

Our Christmas layout is hanging on the garage wall, so it is mostly a matter of carrying it in and dropping it in place. I am planning to change the buildings this year, just since it is overdue for a change. I also upgraded to a GW-180 power supply this year, since my old BW-80 died last year.

 My layout is also the tree stand, and my wife is in charge of decorating the tree. Seems she is taking longer every year to finish it, so this year I will be setting up the weekend before Thanksgiving. Hopefully that way, I won't lose a week of train time again this year.

Oh c'mon guys, The naysayers are right - to a point. It is too early to put out Christmas stuff, at least in my opinion. Nothing goes up until after Thanksgiving and it all comes down the first weekend after the New Year starts. There are exceptions, though, because the outside lights often get frozen in until the spring thaw. They are turned off after New Years even if they aren't removed for some time.

 

But that doesn't mean a person can't look forward to the season and do some planning. After all, isn't that part of the fun? Besides, this thread was started now so it doesn't make a lot of sense to wait two months before replying to it. Sounds like a lot of you folks con't hear the bell ring anymore. 

 

Not a big Halloween fan, though, but do have a few things a run just to pay a bit of homage to the season. I just wish there were more Thanksgiving stuff available. And if you want some complaining, here it is - when is one of the big train outfits going to come out with a Guy Fawkes car. That day has been neglected way too long! 

I'll give you that...it is a tad early for me..but this is from someone that leaves the tree up a month after Christmas, and the platform later than that. BUT...the thing is...if you don't like a thread, don't click on it.

Gentlemen,

 Glad to see so many members getting ready for their Christmas layouts, I know it's a might early but not for the planning stages, I want to add another level this Christmas, have picked up some new 036 FasTrack Command Control Switches to help with the expansion.  

 

johnstrains,

    The 261e Christmas train sounds great to me, wish Lionel would make a Legacy just like it, I would purchase it in a split second.  

 

Good luck to all those negotiating with the Boss for space to set up the Christmas Trains, I wish you all the Christmas luck in the world.

 

For you guys who want to put it off another month, that is fine, however it's is never boring to me to talk and build Christmas layouts, it's good for the soul!

 

I expect to see some Great Pictures of Christmas layouts this year from all the members, it's one of my favorite times on the OGR.  It's like being invited into each members home for a visit at Christmas time, ya got to love it.  One of my favorites is

the PassengerTrainCollector Christmas layout, man with all the new stuff, Brian should have a world class Christmas layout, this year, can't wait to see it.

 

Hope all is well in your homes and everyone is healthy.

 

It's just around the bend, Christmas time is coming!

 

PCRR/Dave

Is Brian okay? I did notice no posts from him for awhile! I was following the new PE layout for Christmas. Looked great!!

He left this site because he couldn't deal with the politics/moderation from OGR.

Funny I had responded and basically had said the same thing and my post was deleted.

If there was the collection of knowledge and photos on the forum they've moved to I would probably join them, but this site still has that going for it for now. 

This may be the year I pick up a tinplate set at York for under the tree.  Haven't had a set under the tree since my son was little.  Really missing it this year for some reason....probably because I just turned 50 and am waxing nostalgic.

-Greg

Don't worry, before long the PC Police will have all the "Holidays" banned. Current target is Halloween parties at grade schools.

Yes it is.  Christmas Eve is just 10 weeks from today.

Time to get to the local Malll and start my Christmas shop-lifting.