Weekend Photo Fun 2020 Christmas Edition

                   have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone !!

Photos of fun for this very fine weekend!!  Merry Christmas everyone and here's to a healthy year ahead!  Be safe = Be well!

Early Christmas morning a new bicycle awaits to be brought inside to surprise little Billy.

Right on time Scott. Here's to Christmas, may it be filled with all that we need and more. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

First....I will start off with some pics from last weekend running Lionel’s 20th Century Ltd as a tribute to Charlie Ro........it was 1983 and it was the 1st item I ever purchased from him (....and not the last!).

Peter

Next, we move to a busy business district in the Bronx, alive with holiday shoppers and people just celebrating the season......

While on the on the New York Central right of way, a New York Central ABA E8 pulls an army train through town. I am told that the soldiers are heading back to their home base for Christmas......You can also see the Polar Express exercising its traffic rights on the Central.....it’s making an important trip since it’s Christmas Eve....

Have a wonderful and safe holiday, folks!

Peter

A few videos this week

Merry Christmas.

POST # 1

I know that everyone is posting photos of their Christmas tree layouts, but since I celebrate Hanukkah, I have never set up a Christmas tree layout in my life...until this year when a friend who said they always wanted a tree around their layout but knew nothing about trains asked for my help. So, for the first time in decades, I purchased a starter set on their behalf, and since they already had Covid-19, went to their place and set it up for them! Not only was it the first time I had ever set up a Lionel layout under a Christmas tree, it was also the first time I ever used FastTrack or had ever used a LionChief controller and had wired a layout without a lockon! Hmmm, and no usual 45 watt transformer, but instead a wall pack! It was all new to me, but lots of fun. They wanted a traditional steam engine with smoke and whistle, so I got them the "Pennsylvania (what else?) Keystone" set which is really quite nice. Has a very attractive 0-8-0, two freight cars, and the traditional PRR N5c caboose. I had a blast setting it up, and here's a picture of how it all turned out...

So at least this year, I can provide a picture of a holiday layout!

Anyhow, I got lots done on my own layout this week, so I will type up a second post more in line with my usual posts!

POST  # 2

OK, here's my usual post. Aside from a few minor details, I finished up Altoona last night in half the time I figured it would take due to the pandemic shutting off so many other things in my life With all of the construction junk (ground foam, adhesives, tools, etc.) cleared off the yard tracks, I just started shooting random pictures of the completed city with my cell phone. So in no particular order, here are some shots of what I worked on over the past nine months:

And finally, just a comparison shot with one I posted last week just to show the last bit of work accomplished on this section. First, here is a photo I posted last week:

Now here is the same area taken today showing all of the ground cover in place, a chain link fence installed, and the "Morrison's Doors" sign with an inappropriate contemporary font replaced with a sign with 1940's-50's font for "General American Signal" to match the big warehouse:

That's it for this week. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Here are a few pics from around the layout at sunset, starting with downtown from above:

...and from alongside the zeppelin coming in to dock:

...and from the other end of the layout:

...and just outside of downtown:

...and, finally, Banksy is at work on the back side of one of the towers:

My Christmas layout this year.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Great pics guys, Merry Christmas!

@PRRMiddleDivision posted:

POST  # 2

OK, here's my usual post. Aside from a few minor details, I finished up Altoona last night in half the time I figured it would take due to the pandemic shutting off so many other things in my life With all of the construction junk (ground foam, adhesives, tools, etc.) cleared off the yard tracks, I just started shooting random pictures of the completed city with my cell phone. So in no particular order, here are some shots of what I worked on over the past nine months:

And finally, just a comparison shot with one I posted last week just to show the last bit of work accomplished on this section. First, here is a photo I posted last week:

Now here is the same area taken today showing all of the ground cover in place, a chain link fence installed, and the "Morrison's Doors" sign with an inappropriate contemporary font replaced with a sign with 1940's-50's font for "General American Signal" to match the big warehouse:

That's it for this week. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Magnificent, Neal.......Happy Holidays!

Peter

Great pics, everyone......Merry Christmas......this is a picture from long ago taken from an 8mm movie shot by my Dad..........it’s me.......Christmas, 1958...

.......and, here is Lionel Freight set 2507 today........

Peter

Merry Christmas and thank you to everyone on the forum for your beautiful brilliant ideas and inspiration to build them!

Neal, yours is one the layouts I would really love to see in person someday - You are a terrific craftsman and I greatly admire your work my friend!

God Bless you sir...       PS  Is Steven(?)  still active with the trains?

@PRRMiddleDivision posted:

POST  # 2

OK, here's my usual post. Aside from a few minor details, I finished up Altoona last night in half the time I figured it would take due to the pandemic shutting off so many other things in my life With all of the construction junk (ground foam, adhesives, tools, etc.) cleared off the yard tracks, I just started shooting random pictures of the completed city with my cell phone. So in no particular order, here are some shots of what I worked on over the past nine months:

And finally, just a comparison shot with one I posted last week just to show the last bit of work accomplished on this section. First, here is a photo I posted last week:

Now here is the same area taken today showing all of the ground cover in place, a chain link fence installed, and the "Morrison's Doors" sign with an inappropriate contemporary font replaced with a sign with 1940's-50's font for "General American Signal" to match the big warehouse:

That's it for this week. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Stunning

These are the new Burlington Northern 'beer car' insulated box cars from LIONEL.

Andrew

Falcon Service

Grand Daughter and Me Chirstmas at layout

I built this simple tree to showcase all my son's Hallmark Lionel ornaments.  I need to add another "branch " on the bottom .

@trumpettrain posted:

Photos of fun for this very fine weekend!!  Merry Christmas everyone and here's to a healthy year ahead!  Be safe = Be well!

Early Christmas morning a new bicycle awaits to be brought inside to surprise little Billy.

Patrick, a Christmas Layout?  Don't recognize this section of the big layout.

@frizzinbee posted:

Here are a few pics from around the layout at sunset, starting with downtown from above:

...and from alongside the zeppelin coming in to dock:

...and from the other end of the layout:

...and just outside of downtown:

...and, finally, Banksy is at work on the back side of one of the towers:

Dustin, great photo angles on the first two pictures, love the graffiti.

To remember my train bud, Max......I customized a Lionel boxcar.....

Peter

@wmcwood posted:

Love the simplicity of the buildings.  Did you make them?  And the bridge?

Don

@PRRMiddleDivision posted:

POST  # 2

OK, here's my usual post. Aside from a few minor details, I finished up Altoona last night in half the time I figured it would take due to the pandemic shutting off so many other things in my life With all of the construction junk (ground foam, adhesives, tools, etc.) cleared off the yard tracks, I just started shooting random pictures of the completed city with my cell phone. So in no particular order, here are some shots of what I worked on over the past nine months:

And finally, just a comparison shot with one I posted last week just to show the last bit of work accomplished on this section. First, here is a photo I posted last week:

Now here is the same area taken today showing all of the ground cover in place, a chain link fence installed, and the "Morrison's Doors" sign with an inappropriate contemporary font replaced with a sign with 1940's-50's font for "General American Signal" to match the big warehouse:

That's it for this week. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Neal where is the Boyer Candy Factory? Can’t have Altoona without Boyer Candy now home of the Clark Bar!

@Putnam Division posted:

To remember my train bud, Max......I customized a Lionel boxcar.....

Peter

Peter, Very nice tribute!!  Our dog Annie had to be put down last Thursday.  After being treated for cancer for the last two years, she declined rapidly.  She is greatly missed as I know Max is.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Peter, Very nice tribute!!  Our dog Annie had to be put down last Thursday.  After being treated for cancer for the last two years, she declined rapidly.  She is greatly missed as I know Max is.

My condolences, Mark, to you and your family.....

Peter

@Putnam Division posted:

My condolences, Mark, to you and your family.....

Peter

Thank you Peter!

Mark,

Sorry to hear you lost your pal Annie.

MELGAR

@dmestan posted:

Love the simplicity of the north pole buildings.  Did you make them?  And the bridge?

Don

i too would like to know more about the buildings...

Howard...

My condolences Peter and Mark

I know how you feel, one of our two dogs, Rocco, passed just last month - we had him for 15 years, almost to the day. He is the floppy eared one on the right in this photo with his "sister", Belle. She misses him too

Now, I gotta go runs some trains to distract myself

Running trains is the best distraction!!!

@third rail posted:

I built this simple tree to showcase all my son's Hallmark Lionel ornaments.  I need to add another "branch " on the bottom .

Very nice way to display the Hallmark Ornaments, Bill. Short of getting one of those old artificial Christmas Trees (the ones with the very stiff metal branches - the kind you had to insert each branch into the wood “trunk”!!!), almost all of the Hallmark ornaments are too heavy to actually hang on a modern or live tree. Unfortunately, if I were to copy your solution, I’d need a small forest!!! - I have the complete series, including the “limited editions” they have been doing for the last couple of years (I don’t collect the mini’s - too small).

A sampling of this year's garage display, running four levels of trains. We were open to visitors, drive by or sidewalk viewers the evening of the 22nd and 23rd.

Doug W. I'm not able to see your photographs.  Please check.

@Apples55 posted:

Very nice way to display the Hallmark Ornaments, Bill. Short of getting one of those old artificial Christmas Trees (the ones with the very stiff metal branches - the kind you had to insert each branch into the wood “trunk”!!!), almost all of the Hallmark ornaments are too heavy to actually hang on a modern or live tree. Unfortunately, if I were to copy your solution, I’d need a small forest!!! - I have the complete series, including the “limited editions” they have been doing for the last couple of years (I don’t collect the mini’s - too small).

Paul, Are you meaning a tree like this.  My wife decided to get me a "train tree" 3 or 4 years ago.  There are about 10 Hallmark ornaments she picked up over the years at the thrift store.

@Apples55 posted:

Very nice way to display the Hallmark Ornaments, Bill. Short of getting one of those old artificial Christmas Trees (the ones with the very stiff metal branches - the kind you had to insert each branch into the wood “trunk”!!!), almost all of the Hallmark ornaments are too heavy to actually hang on a modern or live tree. Unfortunately, if I were to copy your solution, I’d need a small forest!!! - I have the complete series, including the “limited editions” they have been doing for the last couple of years (I don’t collect the mini’s - too small).

My son has every Hallmark lionel ornament made. This is just a sampling of the collection. I built it from an oak 2x2 and some 5/8" dowels.  We wanted simplicity so as to show off the ornaments.