Member's Holiday Greetings and Layouts Here!!!

More or less the same since 1986.

A Merry Christmas in New York City

Very cool Skip!

Took over my wife’s craft table this year to get the trains off the floor.

Merry Christmas to all!

Currently working on a larger video to share with you all soon, but in the meantime I'd like to show some of my photos, featuring perhaps the most Christmassy steam locomotive in operation today.

Simmering in Owosso, Pere Marquette no. 1225 awaits departure on the very first North Pole Express run this season.

This shows well how dirty the Steam Railroading Institute lets her get. It definitely provides an experience like no other, though if it were my choice she would be sparkling clean.

Now departing Owosso, the 1225 crawls across Main Street, past the old Robbin's Furniture Warehouse. This makes for one of the most timeless scenes on the line.

For many, this is the money shot of the entire trip. Pere Marquette no. 1225 gallops through the small town of Carland in perhaps the most famous scene she goes through every year.

Two weeks after my visit, this was the site of a near-miss incident between the locomotive and a pedestrian who was standing much too close to the tracks. While this person escaped with only a torn jacket, it serves as a haunting reminder as to why rail safety is so important. Remember to stay a safe distance from the tracks when you're along the railroad, and to remind those you see that are too close to stay back!

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!

I scaled back again this year with only one O Gauge loop around our tree.   MTH 260-E with 710 passenger cars make  the circuit.  A Merry Christmas to all.

BobbyD posted:

VistaDomeScott posted:

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays ! 

The CVSR Polar Express and work keeping me too busy to set up a Christmas floor layout yet.   Here are a  few views from the CVSR Polar Express last week as we deadheaded to Akron.

Now those are darn way COOL handrails!!

I bet one can duplicate it with a K Line/ Lionel scale dome car and some smd LEDs along with exposed fibre optic cable!

A couple pictures of the 2019 Living room tree, Snow Village Buildings and last year's Santa Fe Super Chief starter set.

Edited to add this short video.

How about this! The Ritz-Carlton here on Maui made a full sized copy of the Sugar Cane Train with 21000 gingerbread cookies. Their own staff baked and built the loco. Merry Christmas. Don

scale rail posted:

How about this! The Ritz-Carlton here on Maui made a full sized copy of the Sugar Cane Train with 21000 gingerbread cookies. There own staff baked and built the loco. Merry Christmas. Don

Is there a tank car with a load of milk behind the Loco?,

Just Kidding this is assume!

Allan Miller posted:

Will posted:

I am working on a tinplate layout, but here is a Christmas diorama from about 15 years ago and my days of more realistic railroading. Happy Holidays to all my old and future forum friends. Happy to be back.

Welcome back, Will! Those diorama photos are really very nice. Is the tinplate layout you're building Standard Gauge or O gauge? I am a BIG fan of tinplate!

Hi Allan, long time no see. It's O gauge, using my Dad's original trains, liberally supplemented with purchases. Trying to use as much or all original equipment, all pre-war. Doing a lot of restoration!  It's just 4 x 6 but will resemble a Lionel catalogue layout of the period, but in winter. Just finishing some wiring, It won't get finished this year, but I will post some progress pics. 

I've discovered I love tinplate. It's more like the abstract art I make. All about arranging the pieces and balancing the color. Realistic modeling is very different- more about copying nature. 

prrhorseshoecurve posted:

BobbyD posted:

VistaDomeScott posted:

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays ! 

The CVSR Polar Express and work keeping me too busy to set up a Christmas floor layout yet.   Here are a  few views from the CVSR Polar Express last week as we deadheaded to Akron.

Now those are darn way COOL handrails!!

I bet one can duplicate it with a K Line/ Lionel scale dome car and some smd LEDs along with exposed fibre optic cable!

Except fiber optic doesn't shine along the length of it, only the ends. You could try sanding it, I guess, but then the light would all just escape near the source.

The Christmas "train garden" is a tradition in our family for over 80 years.  Here is 2019.

Merry Christmas 

You packed a lot of interest into that layout, Steve!

Mark Boyce posted:

You packed a lot of interest into that layout, Steve!

Thanks Mark.  

We have a scavenger hunt that visitors fill out as well.  

Some slow motion action.

Merry Christmas everyone!  Here's a couple pics of my Christmas village.  More of a diorama than a layout, but included is my version of the Diesel Polar Express with an Alco FA at the head.  I also added some staium lights for the hockey rink this year.

- Nick

Nick, the layout looks great!  The lights on the rink are great!  Time for an outdoor Winter Classic game!!!

Here is a video showing the trains around the family room Christmas Tree.  The Polar Express passenger cars’ lighting has been upgraded to LED strips using my version of GunrunnerJohn’s lighting module.  Probably won’t put buildings around this tree other than possibly an old Lionel No. 133 station I bought a battery operated string of blinking LED’s to decorate it with.

Greg, The PE cars with John’s LED kits look great!  I have enough of John’s kits to do my two sets of passenger cars.  I need to do the same as you 

Mark Boyce posted:

Greg, The PE cars with John’s LED kits look great!  I have enough of John’s kits to do my two sets of passenger cars.  I need to do the same as you 

Mark, thanks but I didn’t use John’s kits.  I did use his circuit design to develop my own PCB with slightly different components.  All of which is documented in other threads here on the forum.

Greg, thank you so much for correcting me.  Now I see I overlooked ‘my version’.  That is an even more excellent job!  I took the easy way and bought the modules and LEDs from John at York.  LOL

I used to run the trains on the floor around the Christmas tree, through the village, and under the piano.  This year we placed the tree in a different location with no room for trains so I got the village up off the floor which made it easier to work on.  It's on a 4x8 sheet of plywood supported by cheap storage bins from the orange box store - simple and strong, and no need for fancy legs or framing.  Hopefully next year I can add a backdrop.

Merry Christmas to all.

Don

My small Christmas table top.

Merry Christmas,

Ray

Today I super glued the string of LED lights to my ancient (from the early 1970’s) No. 133 station roof.  Rather tedious but it is now done.  Here is a very short video showing the final result.  Be nice if the flash rate was just a bit slower.

Merry Christmas to the OGR Publishing Team, the Forum members and their Families!

Graz, this layout design is outstanding! 

John

Our 2019 Hanukkah Train - Happy Holidays everyone !!

Turns out it actually is beneficial to read the instructions once in a while.  This string of LED’s has an “on” setting where they flash for six hours, turn off for eighteen hours, turn back on for six, etc.  So, yesterday I turned them on and right about six hours later they turned off.  The LED’s turned back on this afternoon just a little later than expected.  

Captured the magical moment just for the fun of it .

Greg, looks great!  Have you noticed a lot of inexpensive items, especially from the orient, don’t come with instructions?  I guess they know we don’t read them anyway!  

While digging out the little Lionel train station ornament (see the Christmas ornament thread for details) the box with a few second hand Snow Village buildings and accessories was the “next” one in the closet.  Somewhat simultaneously my wife and I said “what the heck, there is room for them under the family room tree.”  So I spent part of this morning getting them placed around the tree.  I will admit, they do look better than the No. 133 station all by itself.

No layout at the moment, so real trains will have to do. A couple weeks ago in Hudson, N.Y. All the best for the holidays, and travel safely.

Add: just saw today's LA Times puzzle online - one of the down clues - model train giant, six letters....

David

I wanted to wait until I received my new Menard's buildings before posting a pic of my Christmas layout (a simple O42 loop, single train service). I was waiting for Menard's Taco Bell to be delivered when they offered the new Strip Mall. I ordered the Strip Mall on Wednesday, the 11th, and it was at my door Monday evening, the 16th. Now that is fast delivery!

So, these two pics are my Christmas Menardsville layout.

Happy Holidays to all

Well, the Christmas trains are now up and running.  I hope everyone enjoys the season as much as i do, especially if my temporary track keeps passing electrons!

Merry Christmas/Happy Hannukkah from AGHR

Santa comes to Plasticville.