Great photos Scott that is quite the layout.
And everyone posts such great variety each week.
Here are some shots from a small show that I attended and set up a few loops of track for the kids to run trains. Some circus, Thomas the Tank engine and a Coke train.
On a board I mounted the Lion Chief remotes for Thomas, Percy and James with a photo of each so kids and parents could see what they were running and labels for the controls. A couple of buttons to push to blow a loud whistle and fly Harold the Helicopter on the Lionel spinning tower, and a control for Cranky the Crane with sounds.
The other trains just ran in circles and I could hit the whistle and bell buttons from the transformers. Lots of the Animated Lionel / K-line cars on the trains and figure sets from kids movies riding the trains.
I was trying to kid proof the Lion Chief remotes. In the past the kids turn the dials back and forth when we handed them the handhelds and even though we say the trains are slow to respond (takes 4-5 seconds for an engine to start moving from when you turn the remote) the kids are just used to instant response of video games and RC vehicles and do not want to wait or understand to wait for the train to respond. They turn the dial back and forth rapidly and when they can not get the train to go or want to make it go faster they force it past the little stop in the electronics and break the controller so the dial breaks off and control wheel then just spins around and does not really control the train speed.
So this time I mounted the controls on the board and a few screws with a bracket for each to keep the speed control from being turned backwards or past the end stop for top speed this way I figured they could not break it.
But some how near the end of the 2nd day of the show some kid somehow managed to bend the bracket and turn the James wheel past the stop spin it right around and break off the control wheel again.
I now have had 4 of these broken at shows. Will build some stronger metal brackets perhaps add a second and some more screws to try to keep it from getting broken again.
It takes under an hour to take apart the remote and repair it with a$2 part, just a hassle. Will post some instructions when time. Would be nice if Lionel would build these a bit stronger so the kids cannot break the remotes as easy. They are fine for your home layout but do not think the remotes are built strongly enough for kids to handle. They are still a great way to let kids run trains at a show without having to let them near a transformer.
I also run the 3 engines that are with remotes off one transformer and turn the throttle down so the power going to the tracks is less and they cannot run the engines to fast and run them off the track.
Also a couple of other shots of a G layout the old street scene with a Street car running and some HO layouts at the show.