With an eleven month-old in the house, and the wife wanting to do the wagon under the tree, the Polar Express got a vacation this year.  The only train under the main tree this year will be the one on the skirt Grandma made.

Fortunately, my wife also wanted to do a small tree in the dining room.  While not enough room to do a full loop, we were able to display the Aristocraft Christmas train that my father-in-law gave my daughter for her first Christmas. 

Snagged a 2-wheel Christmas-themed Aristocraft gondola car on a certain on-line auction site last week to go with it - not sure if technically same set, but seems to go with the caboose.  Didn't have room for the log car that came with the original set.  I might enquire in the HONGS forum about any additional cars. 

Andrew Gallousis posted:

I just got home from deployment just in time to set up my seven month old daughter’s first Christmas train layout. It isn’t much, but it’s been great sharing the hobby with her.

Welcome Home Dad!

A Model Railroader she will soon be!

Thank you, Rich!  Have a safe and blessed Christmas too!

Your under the tree layout looks so homey next to the fire!!

Hallmark/Lionel Christmas train and Dept 56 buildings.

Better late than never! 

Bearville on Christmas eve. Not much changed from last year.

Merry Christmas To All.

2017 Christmas Tree with my Christmas present from my wife.

                    Charlie Brown's Christmas tree...  

Andrew Gallousis posted:

I just got home from deployment just in time to set up my seven month old daughter’s first Christmas train layout. It isn’t much, but it’s been great sharing the hobby with her.

WOW. 

Thank you for your service and may God bless you!

Have fun and be safe.

Merry Christmas

Cleo posted:

Hallmark/Lionel Christmas train and Dept 56 buildings.

That soft glow makes me want to lie down on the floor and watch the train circle until I doze off in perfect Christmas contentment...

Here is what has been a year in the making. Last year I started working on what this would be, but things just didn't work out right with mom getting stuck in the hospital. She passed away in February and I know she would love seeing what I have done.

Good old Department 56 stuff. Every Christmas I would buy my mother a new one and it would grace under the tree between the train. Took me some time to do all the building of the table, paint the roadbed, screw the wood together, glue down the foam board, screw down the track, place in the front of the living room, and of course, put up the tree.

Merry Christmas!!!

Santa brought my son a LionChief Plus Berkshire for Christmas!

At work today so I set up a fastrack loop with my USMC war train. Nothing says Christmas like a rocket launcher. The tree it sits under the original when the station was built in 1958. 

Ah, those aluminum trees.  It has 1960s written all over it.

The Cat collapsed 🎅

Merry Christmas 🤶

Merry Christmas everyone! Watch those roads, they look slick.

RSJB18 posted:

The Cat collapsed 🎅

Merry Christmas 🤶

 

Go ahead, make my day!  

The new addition and calamitous Santas.

TedW posted:

RSJB18 posted:

The Cat collapsed 🎅

Merry Christmas 🤶

 

Go ahead, make my day!  

Ted- She can suck you in with her sweet face like she's gonna let you pet her, and take a swing at you in a blink . Got the scars to prove it .

In this case she was wiped out after running through all of the piles of wrapping paper for an hour.

Bob

I like all the great photographs since I commented last!  Here are some night photographs I just took!  The new LC PE is in service.

Santy Claus brought me a new Sony Cyber shot.  So I just had to take at least one layout photo today! 

Our standard tree layout: the Polar Express set, the tins, and quilt-batting snow. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Merry Christmas from the Happiest Little place in the Pacific NW:  The Carpet Kingdom, Carpetland!

https://youtu.be/F0GcoHumVtg

https://youtu.be/DbcDY01pi_I

Some quick videos of Carpetland in action

https://youtu.be/jwizjKLbEcc

https://youtu.be/qKdWFd5YdqY

https://youtu.be/6s9SqyF4AuA

Janitor John posted:

Merry Christmas from the Happiest Little place in the Pacific NW:  The Carpet Kingdom, Carpetland!

Love the Disney. Looks like paradise, especially for children.

Thanks Arnold!  The kids and I had a great time building it for Christmas.  The wife wasn't too thrilled about it taking up our entire living room, but once she saw the finished product she was on board

Janitor John posted:

Some quick videos of Carpetland in action

https://youtu.be/jwizjKLbEcc

https://youtu.be/qKdWFd5YdqY

https://youtu.be/6s9SqyF4AuA

Delightful YouTube videos of your Layout, Jim. Thanks.

MG Brown,

  Here ya go buddy the finished product decorated Christmas Tree, Fire in the Fire Place and all!

PCRR/Dave

Janitor John posted:

Thanks Arnold!  The kids and I had a great time building it for Christmas.  The wife wasn't too thrilled about it taking up our entire living room, but once she saw the finished product she was on board

Whew, so glad your wife came around, John. That is very important. And it's great that you have so many things on your Christmas layout to entertain your kids.

Here is my little circle of happiness....

Just a simple oval around the Christmas tree, but I did hook up my Legacy system this year so I could operate my new Lionel Heavy Mike from the comfort of my favorite big chair!!  No more sitting on the hard floor. 

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

MG Brown,

  Here ya go buddy the finished product decorated Christmas Tree, Fire in the Fire Place and all!

PCRR/Dave

 

Dave, The first Christmas in the new home looks like you folks are quite settled in!!

Garrett76 posted:

Santa was here!

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSCQGokT9i4

pic:

Polar Express Layout under the tree in my office.