Getting close to Christmas

Going to expand the basic loop so that I can use my O-72 min. equipment on it.  Pretty much got it planned, here's some SCARM pics of a rough draft. Not totally certain the wife's on board, though.... 

Gentlemen,

    Please post pictures of your layout work here in this thread, as time gets closer to Christmas, and your layout construction advances.  Looking forward to the layout pictures big time.

 

Tom,

   Macy's has always been a great store, especially for the original Miracle on 34th Street, with Quinn, Payne & Ohara!  Ya got to love Macy's, especially during the Christmas season.

 

PCRR/Dave

But... butbutbut it IS after Thanksgiving...

 

I haven't pulled out my little fake $50 Costco tree in three years now. Working!

 

I MIGHT set up mom's WBB SF Flyer I got her a few years ago as a replacement for the ancient Tyco set that was lost forever ago. The track pins in that Atlas stuff are kinda a PITA.

 

10-4

Sorry no real photos of the Christmas yet. So I just took one of the master plan, old school style. I still like drawing the plan by hand.

 

It has been 10 years since the last one I did. This is the 2015 plan for Maryland's Largest Christmas Train Garden. The Wise Avenue Volunteer Fire Company's 35th Annual Christmas Train Garden. Shown below the 2014 Display.

 

The last one that I did was in 2005 the 25th Annual. I just went back to helping during last years operating display. It was really hit me hard last year as I sat back and watched the Display as the hundred's of the visiting people walked by the Display. Last years' Display was great with around 30,000 visitors. It finally dawned on me this is what I started 34 years ago. The very first one had it's roots in my basement, when the fire company decided to have a Christmas Garden I told them that if they would go with O gauge that I would supply all of the trains and the many animations that I had already built as long as they would help with fixing or repairing anything that stopped or broke and they agreed. The first one was 10' x 30' and the rest is history. The 1st is below.

 

This years' Display is again 22' x 44'. This year there will be 12 trains(9 last year) + 2 trolleys and a hidden train acting as a boat. It will feature 5 different levels and 2 operating highways. A 5 level real water waterfalls and also artificial water.

 

Construction starts this Sunday and we open the Saturday after Thanksgiving at Noon. Not a lot to to get it all done.

Ok, that one gets the Ginormous Great Christmas layout so far! 

Right after Halloween when I mothball the Halloween layout I will start the Christmas Layout. last year I had a 10' x 6'  I caved and let the wife install a 072 loop of O gauge  around the outside perimeter to run some of her tinplate, this year I plan on sneaking in and extra 2' on the length making a 12'x6' platform,

The layout will be in the family room where space becomes a commodity with a 7.5 Christmas tree.

Paul,

   Great old 2014 Christmas layout, very serious stuff!  I expect some Great Pictures of the wife's Tin Plate on your layout this Christmas season.

 

Steamwolf,

   Yep those small Atlas track pins in the Industrial Rail Atlas Track are one big pain to use, I wish Atlas IR had the same pins as the Lionel FasTrack, no doubt about it.

 

PCRR/Dave

Nice bridge!

Dave

Greetings from Winterton (Somewhere near the north pole) Rail traffic has been up over last year to and from Santa Work shops. With rail traffic already worse then last year, with trains backed up as far south in Chicago, Denver and Spokane. The CB&Q/GN traffic mangers have had their hands full with the demand for rail traffic. As you can see the yard is full with freight waiting for their turn to head north to the work shops

 

 

 freight train passes makes the turn heading north to the Santa Workshops.

 CB&Q891/GN3005 arriving at Winterton with outbound manifested freight heading south

 

 Early morning, CB&Q 103/515 waiting for 891/3005 to arrive from Santa's workshops, to continue the run south.

The Big man takes time out to visit with the Children of Winterton

 

  

  

Not yet....way too early.  Weekend after Thanksgiving for me.

-Greg

My layout is up all year round and is Winter themed. The tree will go up on the layout after Thanksgiving.

Gentlemen,

   Thanksgiving is just around the bend and it's almost time to begin the Christmas layouts, making my plans for the new 036 Command Control switches, ya got to love this time of the year!  Christmas layouts are the very best of all. suzukovich get your Christmas tree ready.

PCRR/Dave

Here is a update on our firehouse display, yesterday was the start of week 4, I just left there 1 1/2 hour ago and snapped some photos.

 

In the upper left corner of the photo is where I stopped for tonight working on the real water waterfalls. The big brown square in the middle will be a fake lake with a power boat moving around.

Above you can see some of the many tracks for this year and in the background in the North Pole.

Another view and in the center is 1 of our 2 operating highways.

4 levels of trains.

This is where of our visitors will start their journey and moving to their right.

This is where our visitors will end their journey.

Back here is under the North Pole and end with a view of 6 trains on 4 levels. This year we are featuring for the first time a scale Polar Express (one exception to the Polar Express is that it will be pulled by a MTH scale Berkshire, the layout is operated by DCS) it will be running on the 2nd level in the back.

In the middle the green elevated level will be the city where the Polar Express starts it's journey from the city and across a long bridge to the North Pole.

Also a 1st. will be a Standard gauge Christmas train running around a Christmas tree on the White platform. 12 seen trains this year 1-082", 3-072", 3-054", 4-042"  and 1-031"

In our house, we don't apply/install a Christmas layout to/in the house. We apply Christmas (as seen here) to the permanent layout  after Thanksgiving Day. Also, this year, I am considering having a Rose Bowl, Macy's, Miracle Mile type parade down the village's principal street, complete with a couple floats.

FrankM.

Really nice scene Frank! I like it a lot!!

Moonson- I like it !!  Xmas has always been a special time although some try to take it away.

Just a few weeks until my layout goes up...maybe I'll have a nice Legacy command system to run it with too!

Gentlemen,

   Looking great, Michael I hope you get your Legacy system to use on your Christmas layout!

PCRR/Dave

Frank, I have come to expect nothing but the best from you. Just like in real life Cities and Towns put up Christmas decorations, have parades, Christkindlmarkts and take them down after the new year. Its to bad others with permanent layouts don't do this. After all aren't most layouts are a vision of are likes, past experiences, fondest memories, and traditions? Or am I missing something. 

Got an O-72 FasTrack turnout that will be needed for the Around-the-Tree layout in a few weeks.  Installed it into the Guest Bedroom Branch loop for now.  Seems to work well, though the Y6B gets upset & derailswhen backing through the straight part.  Haven't tried on any other engines yet, though. 

Won't be able to get excited about Christmas till after I see the new Star Wars movie. Just saying.

Hi Suzukovich, Good to hear from you! Thanks very much for the approval.

 

I don't think you are "missing something," nor do I think any others who have permanent layouts are missing anything by not decorating them in miniature for Christmas.

 

Each of us enjoys - celebrates - our hobby in our own particular, individual way.

 

Likewise, celebrating Christmas is a very personal matter which for many can, also, be celebrated in a public way. For some folks, it's one candle in a window; for others, it's an audio-visual statement that lets the whole neighborhood, and anybody else who travels to see the self-expression of Christmas, know of their joy.

 

For me, decorating my layout for Christmas was an additional way for me to celebrate with friends who wanted to see the layout at Christmastime. Christmas doesn't just apply to the upper floors of our house; it is continued into the basement, into "playland." The miniature decorations are reminiscent of what I saw as a boy in a neighborhood of a small Pennsylvania town in which nearly every house and business had some sort of decoration for all to enjoy.

 

I find it fun to remember that by modeling it as best I can.

 

Incidentally, my parents put up a layout every Christmas, for which an entire room was de-furnished for the occasion. Every time I see photos on OGR of a hobbyist's Christmas layout, crafted into a room in the house for temporary enjoyment, I get a big smile of nostalgia because I am reminded of a time in my life (I am that boy standing at the layout) when every day seemed like Christmas to me.

FrankM

And Thank you, Play Trains and jim Pastorius, for your very kind comments, too! They are much appreciated.

 

Also, Thank you, to those posters who sent me "Likes" about my Christmas-decorated permanent layout:

Suzukovich; Fridge56Vet; Lhayden93; Andrew BK

 

Every bit of that approval matters to me.

FrankM.

Mine will occupy the space my 4' 4'' x 8 layout is now.  Last Christmas was the first I put up a Christmas layout since downsizing to my in-law's house, and my wife suggested I put up a Christmas layout in our married daughter's old room.  The Christmas layout was a little smaller last year.  Over the course of this year, I put everything on the table temporarily in order to remove all the structures, etc, put down a snow blanket cut to fit around the two loops of track, and then add Dickens Village and Department 56 buildings etc.  We have way more buildings than I can use.  My wife will help decide what goes on the layout, as she did last year.

 

Right after Thanksgiving I will post photos of the layout as it is now, then with the buildings removed, then stages as I transform it into the Christmas village.  I will pull the Polar Express off the shelf for the inside loop, and will pick from my remaining collection for the other train.  I will keep everyone here posted.

Christmas? 

 

I'm still working on Halloween.....getting the zombie flamingos to settle in a bit....

 

I am getting nostalgic !!  Maybe I will get some cotton batting and put "snow" on the roofs of buildings and around some of the layout-on the ground. My little tree is in the attic but nowhere to put it  !!  I miss the the times we went in to downtown Pittsburgh to visit Santa and the toy depts. plus the windows. No big box store of today could equal that.  We did it with our two sons when they were young.

This, I am much looking forward to, Mark. You are such a pleasant presence on this forum that I am certain anything you put your hand to is going to be a happy place to visit via this venue.

Have fun (as I am sure you both will.)

FrankM.

I definitely want to dig out the old American Flyer Royal Blue set this year. All I have to do is find everything! It's been nothing but 3 rail the past 25 years! Hope to find the stuff and begin the weekend after Thanksgiving.

 

Rich

Thank you Frank M for the kind words.  We may have children see the Christmas layout if it works out that friends from church are able to bring the grandchildren when they visit from North Carolina.  That would be great.

 Here ya go. 

 

The BEST TRAIN CHRISTMAS VIDEO ever is on the other forum.