Pics of layout I built for a client

Very nice. Classic Lionel.... You have tons of power on the table. What was the reason for that?

Christopher, you are truly the master of postwar themed layouts!

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Very nice. Classic Lionel.... You have tons of power on the table. What was the reason for that?

You must have a very happy client. Well done, Christopher.

I really like seeing the PW animated accessories and you've incorporated them well with more modern scenery techniques--a really nice blend of the old and new.

And you can never go wrong with Santa Fe F units pulling aluminum passenger cars.

Wow.  A nice classic layout.  A lot of fun there!

Very nice layout. Lots of action.

You can NEVER have too much power.  More Power!!!!

Tim Allen

Thanks guys. 

The 2 of the ZWs control the loops & trolley tracks & the rest of the terminals are for the accessories & lights. The middle ZW is only using the A&D posts.

It's also tough to see in the photos, but each of the 3 loops is on a different tier, so when you are viewing them, nothing is blocked by the other loop.  I came up with the idea after remembering a display layout I saw at Macy's in Herald Square when I was a kid. Amazing what things stick with you after all these years.  We went through a  couple of different design ideas, but in the end, he liked the idea of accessories for the kids & realistic scenery - so I tried to blend them as best I could.  Even after all the layouts I've seen & built, when you turn the lights out & get up close, the magic of being a kid is still there!

Christopher2035, real nice job on this.  I missed the different tiers when I first looked at the pictures.  Having them makes it even nicer to run when you can see all 3 loops and the 2 trolleys at the same time.  Lots of classic accessories with good play value. I'm sure your client will get many years of enjoyment out of it.  

Christopher2035:

     Nice layout with plenty of accessories for action and entertainment! Nice scenery, too.

     Congratulations!

John Knapp

Erie, not Eerie

One more question Christopher. The trees look terrific. Did you make those? And, if so I would like to email you about them. I am just starting my tree building efforts and am trying to develop my skills, so I'm looking for techniques.

This is a wonderful classic layout that brings tremendous action and a lot of memories to many. Like how you used the Dept 56 buildings. Great job Christopher.

Terrific! You have the knack for building Postwar style layouts. Captures a lot of the magic of that time.

Every time I see Chris' work it makes want to rip up what I have and just go back to tubular.

Roman, 

I was strictly "3-rail scale" before seeing Chris' work. Now we have a pretty extensive collection of Postwar Repro locos, cars, accessories and tubular track. His photos have cost me quite a pretty penny!

Mike

Very nice! I love the Wabash engines. 

The trees are straight out of the box by Woodland Scenics.  I have made my own trees in teh past, but due to time constraints, I used pre-built ones here.  

Bill, funny you mention the Dept 56 buildings.   He originally purchased some plasticville buildings for that space but I kept saying to go w/ the Dept 56 ones, as I thought they would fill out the space better & they gave a better overall feeling to the town area. Looks like I made the correct call

Thanks guys!   I've built my share of Hi Rail layouts, but there is something to be said about the classic style layout, if done correctly. 

Sorry Mike

great layout. Your client must love it. You should be very proud of it!! 

This layout reminds me of the pre-built store layouts that Lionel used to build back in the day.  You really captured the period look, The trolley on the dead end trestle has to be a new original idea. Like yourself, Lionel also crammed quite a bit of accessory action and roiling stock into a small space.

Dennis, 

In my quest to build my own PW display layout, I think I must have picked up a lot of their skill for track & building placement lol.  As far as the elevated trolley, he wanted as many trains as possible. I said fine, as long as they don't look all cramped - I dislike layouts like that. There's a lot going on here, but it never loses that feeling of openness. That is the #1 thing I took away from all my research about postwar display layouts. 

Say what you want, a tubular track layout still looks great. My layout days are done. However, I still enjoy seeing them. 

Sometimes the least complicated track plans are the most fun, at least in my experience, and I have made some seriously complicated plans.

Christopher, this is a phenomenal layout and very similar to what I like to create.

Nice work!

Just beautiful. I've really come to appreciate "old school" layouts such as yours Christopher and this gem you've constructed. The new owner and yourself should be proud!

Fantastic!

Peter

Always great to see a well done and scenicked Lionel layout with conventional control.  Very nice job!  Looks like it is a lot of fun to operate.

Art

 I kept it w/o switches on purpose to eliminate any potential issues. He just wanted to see them run, so I thought that was the best way to go.  

great looking layout. this is the layout we all dreamed about as children. i am a 2 railer but when i saw this, this is the way Lionel trains should look!

Outstanding job!