Thought I would share my finished “quick setup” Lionel Polar Express Layout.
I have “space” issues and cannot have a room to “just do trains”…just ask my wife
So I wanted to design a board that could slide under a large bed in the only room in the house I have any control over. Slide it out, tilt taller pieces up, attach a few bigger pieces with quick connects and then attach a quick connect “Power Board” to run the whole shebang.
Goal was 30 min setup and tear down
I also have a couple of modular add on quick connect boards that have animated cars and accessories like the Hot Chocolate Can car and the new Present Chute. I love all the creativity and care folks do with scenery but that is just not me and kind of not practical for this concept. This is a “run the trains and have fun set up”….not a scale model masterpiece I see so many of you guys make. My 4 year old granddaughter just LOVES it. “Grandpa…can we go play with the trains now?”
The entire theme is Polar Express and I have acquired many of the Lionel pieces as well as modified and repainted and marked a bunch of other pieces to match that theme.
The board is 48 x73 and will run 3 trains simultaneously and a bumper car in the middle. The two outer tracks are 18v DC and run LionChief Polar Express Berkshires. The inside track is 0-27 And has a conventional AC transformer. Right now I am running The Polar Express Elf Work Train on it.
All wiring is tightly secured on the bottom of the board with some plastic sheet 
covers over main connections. There is a large power distribution block under the main passenger station that lifts off.
The board slides easily on the carpet and deadens track noise nicely. I added some thin foam sheeting under each track and on the Fast Track loops stuffed small pieces of insulation into the caverns on the underside of each piece. It is the quietest layout I have ever experienced.
I have also included pictures of some pieces that I have modified to the Polar Express Line. The radio tower was probably the most challenging. The caboose is a Lionel camera caboose that works just OK. I wish it had a better camera system in it. One of the beacons I converted to DC power with a small little DC motor and the gateman is an old 145 gateman that I rebuilt and added the house that the regular Polar Express gateman comes with from Lionel. Unfortunately, I have had trouble with that gateman and two just plain not working, I went back to a 145 that I picked up at a train show cleaned it up, painted it and works a champ.
I have all the power wired to a wireless switch and my granddaughter walks in the room and says “hey Siri, turn on train”…. and away we go! FUN!
