Yes, another Christmas layout!
This year, an under-the-tree On30 layout was added to our household. The trains were a gift to myself last Christmas.
Many hours went into planning (?) this layout, but in the end, I delayed the construction so long that I just built a loop so I could have the train running this year! LOL
Here’s a link to my Christmas train layouts album on photobucket: http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/dgwinup/Christmas%20Layouts%202009/?
The base is 1 1/2" foam 32"x45", painted with brown latex house trim paint. (Next spring, I’ll actually use it on the HOUSE! LOL.)
The tree sits on top of the On30 layout. Nestled within the tree is a little circular N scale layout that I built several years ago.
I gave consideration to what scale trains should run under the tree. My first choice was O scale but the minimum radius of O scale would have made the layout too big for under the tree. I thought about HO scale, but I really wanted something bigger. On30 seemed a good compromise between tight radius curves and size of the trains.
Other than ballasted tracks, there’s no scenery decorations. I kind of like it like that. It’s simple and the On30 layout still leaves room for presents under the tree. (A MOST important consideration! LOL)
I’m hoping the new layout will be a big hit with everyone, especially the grand kids. One year, I broke the N scale layout and didn’t put it in the tree. I had a lot of complaints about the train not being in the tree so I made sure it was repaired in time for the next year. It’s been a fixture ever since!
A very Merry Christmas to all! Best wishes for the New Year!