This is probably old news to some. Yesterday I found myself in the card section of a variety store and finally noticed the Hallmark ornament Christmas display. I have been receiving these ornaments as gifts for years and now have one Christmas tree entirely dedicated to train ornaments (not all of them Hallmark; most are the usual goofy little steam locomotives or lanterns)
Last year’s “big” Lionel ornaments were a Milwaukee Road 4-6-4 and tender and the “Buck Rogers” Beavertail observation from the Hiawatha. Those are really nice looking liitle models actually.
That same engine is offered in this years’s tiny tiny oraments (in years past they offered the Lionel milk can car and some other things in this tiny tiny size). Also offered is a special Polar Express engine and passenger cars in the tiny tiny size, in a special presentation box.
The “big” Lionel oraments this year are a VERY nice looking PRR 0-6-0, Pennsy box car, and New York Central caboose. I think the 0-6-0 and the caboose and possibly the box car are reproductions of some of the last “scale” trains that Lionel put out in the 1940s, as a followup to their famous scale Hudson. Since they are reproductions of scale model trains, not really toys, they make for very realistic looking oraments. Almost too nice (and almost too heavy) to put on the tree.
Dave Nelson
I have eight of their metal aircraft including two of the spirit of St.Louis.
Fits right in for my Sunday afternoon HO antique airshow. Can’t get these
1st class babies out of the Walthers’
Also their small town movie theater. It fits too. Not a bad price if you can wait till 12/26
I’ve got a friend that collects these, and adds to his collection every time they come out with something new or he comes across something he’s never seen before. My personal favorite is his Norfolk & Western J ornament…
I love these too. I have the gold Hudson, a pair of GG-1’s, the Milwaukee 4-6-4 and a couple others from previous years. Only thing I hate is the price… and yet they often sell out before the big after-Christmas sales.
Last year I received a Lionel “Magic” ornament with lights and sound. It has 2 little trains running loops (actually one’s just back & forth) and some cool sound effects. You activate it by moving the handle of the little power pack. Pretty neat!
I have all of them except the first year,including the miniature ones.I’m gonna try to pick them up on Ebay,they’re not too hard to find.When my wife bought me some the first time on Christmas,I wanted to hit her over the head with them[ I figured,for the price,she coulda bought REAL N-scale stuff] Now I can’t wait for Christmas every year,to see what else is out.She’s been getting all of them,but this year,she couldn’t find the CNJ passenger car.I picked up a few on the internet. Just for the heck of it,I was thinking of building a sort of “fantasy” Lionel-ish mini layout to display them,with a plexiglass cover.I have the original roundhouse from my old layout,it has 9 stalls,my new one is gonna be bigger.I was thinking of an engine facility,and a small yard,and use the smaller stuff as a nearby live steam display.I wi***hey’d make some rolling stock,cabeese, and more stuff like that.
I enjoy receiving them and occasionally will look for some myself. The biggest problem is trying to remember what I have when another year goes by. This year I think I’ll write down the ones I have. I still haven’t figured out the series and of coarse each year the new runs are dated.
Bob K.
After razing the N-scale layout almost all the remaining N-scale fleet was converted to “tree duty”. Simply add an eyelette to the top (open hoppers are the trickiest). Even a few of the buildings (water tower, switch tower, etc.) were converted. We also found that used N-scale locomotives are often cheaper than the Hallmarks, and have picked up several at swap meets. So one of our Christmas trees is almost entirely N-scale trains.