Finally made some progress on my layout - “Christmas in Dixie”
A GM&O RS-3 leads Santa & Mrs. Claus’ special train.
City planners see the need to do a better job of paving Main Street and burying utility cables. (How do you hide all of those blasted Dept. 56 cords anyway!?! [:(!]
More buidlings to add, along with trees, lights, details, etc. GOT TO HIDE THE CORDS! mumble, mumble [:(] At least it’s a start.
Eventually, this corner of the layout will be Bucktown, AL. If you’ve never met an Alabama redneck, this is the place to visit! Lot’s of details to come!
I’ve switched back to tubular with 0-42 0-27 curves instead.
So I have a oval of 0-27 track with 0-42 curves, an 0-42 right hand switch to a siding, and a villiage of Department 56 houses with evrything resting on Buffalo Snow Sheets under the tree. Also with a CW80 controlling the layout.
Oh, There is a New MTH country station and a postwar #138 water tower for accesories.
It hasnt been built yet, but when the tree goes up tonight, so will the layout.
So, Dr. John, how did you solve the cord problem with the Dept. 56 items? I used white felt with buffalo snow, but I am sure there is a better way.
thanks,
Dennis
Celebrating 50 Years of Toy Trains at Roger’s Corner’s, Ohio
The Marx pictured in the bottome photo was taken in 1955. This is the same train that is running under our tree in 2005 shown in the top two photos. I was almost five years old in the 1955 photo and as you can see I was in love. The tender was replaced with an identical tender due to a broken coupler. Thank you Marx!
Looking good Dr John. Buckeye, your pictures make me want to put my 1958 Wabash GP-7 under the tree but it would probably take out at least one corner of the tunnel (really close).
Wish I could get more smoke out of the Christmas Docksider. Still need to make the table skirt.
The plywood/homasote deck look like Swiss Cheese from all the holes drilled in it for power cords and accessories. Between the halloween layout and the Christmas layout this year and last they are getting quite a workout.
Beautiful! Dr. John, is that a GM&O Williams car I see? I’ve taken the Christmas ‘oval’ down - the 3 year old just can’t help himself from mucking around too much with it…Maybe next year.
Hey Doug,
When my son was three I had a layout built on a low table so he could see. One day we were inthe basement and he got mad at me for some reason, so he went over to the train table and picked up a 1666 steam engine. He turned around stared right at me and dropped it on the floor. Oh man was I upset, broke the trailing truck into many small pieces. Very unpredictable at that age. To bad you had to take your Christmas oval down. Maybe next year. Happy Holidays to you and your family!
And Dr. John really like the GM&O too. That color combo is great!
Last year my mother gave me the Lionel Train and layout her father gave her when she was a child. The layout is as old as the 675 that runs the tracks. After repairing the poor plaster mountain, repainting the middle area where the tree stands I believe this layout will provide more Christmas fun for many more years to come. It was always something I looked forward to having setup when I was a child, and now @ 29 the torch is past to me now! Unfortunately some of the old model houses haven’t faired too well with annual packing/unpacking so they have been replaced with ceramic ones.
Mantronik - Beautiful layout! Welcome to the forum! [:)]
Doug, yes that is the GM&O Golden Memories set with Alco FA and three passenger cars.
I’m still working on hiding the Dept. 56 cords. Some are under vinyl roads, some under cotton batting snow, and some are still out in the open. [:(!]
Some more pics from “Christmas in Dixie . . .”
A little NYC action for my Yankee friends. [;)]
A Lionel 0-4-0 heads a few postwar freight cars as an Industrial Rails trolley prepares to pick up workers from the Sleigh Factory.
Passing through Bucktown. Santa picked a bad place to feed the reindeer - Venison is a delicacy in these parts!
I love these photos of Christmas layouts. This is a great topic. Everyone add some more. Mantronik those photos are great and the layout is simple but just perfect for Christmas. Dr. John, does the trolley run on a separate track or is that a block? Did I understand that a train hit a deer?
For Tom’s instructions on how to post photos, click here
Buckeye, the trolley is on a separate block - an industrial spur to the Sleigh Factory. I can park it there while freight and passenger trains run on the main. I think I’ll incorporate a separate trolley route next year and use fewer buildings.
Sadly, Rudolph forgot to light his nose and was killed by a train at a rural grade crossing in Bucktown, AL. [xx(] The engineer says he blew his whistle but apparently Santa could not stop the sleigh in time. The local constable checked the not so jolly elf with a breathalizer when he noticed the strong smell of eggnog. [:0]
Santa is seen trying to comfort Dasher, Dancer and Prancer. Comet and Cupid were injured and at the local vet. Rudolph was rushed to a local meat shop and then to a taxidermist. Santa really needs to get the rest of the reindeer out of town. Some of the local hunters have been seen near abouts! [;)]
I just got an email from MTH showing off lotsa pictures of their Macy’s holiday layout, one in South Florida, and another on Navy Pier about a mile away from me…
