Well, it is that time of year again, and I was wondering, if you have a Christmas Tree in your home, does it have a train running around it? I have a Lionel 671 turbine pulling several fright cars and is powered by a KW transformer. What do you guys have?
I have a 15 year old battery operated G gauge Christmas train under my tree that I bought at Big Lots for $19.99. Still in mint condition.
Ordinarily I have an elaborate Christmas layout that sets on a 4 X 6 platform under the tree. We have a dozen or so lighted buildings and numerous small accessories. This year, however, I think I’m going to have to forgo all of that.
We are in the process of trying to sell our home, and we have to keep it presentable for showings by the agent. The layout takes up a certain amount of space in what is already a smallish living room. So I’ll probably just go with my Flyer equipment on a simple oval on the carpet under the tree.
We have a smalll layout for under the tree- a table top tree.
It consists of a small oval {almost a circle really} of HO track for my HO trains to be rotated around and 2 ovals of N scale track for My Other Half’s N scale {and some of my old N scale as well} to run around.
Knowing the luxury of DCC in HO, we have decided any new N scale purchases will be DCC also and only one oval of N scale will be DC.
THe Nscale stuff that MOH has is the only time it gets run, as I forced a space issue to have a small HO layout, but there is just no room for MOH’s “dream N scale layout” until we get a MRRIng space with a house covering it!
[8-|]
Expect we’ll have a table tree again this year. Other half has an N set that was purchased for her, at her suggestion, to go under the tree. (Only time she gets it out.) I have Lionel and HO that could go around the tree too. Haven’t gotten the word what the plan for this year is. A cat (not too big a problem) and a couple of “bull in a china shop” grandchildren may mean the tree won’t be surrounded by rails of any size.
Hope all of you have an enjoyable Christmas, train under the tree (or on the shelf) or not.
Richard
I have the five car freight, pulled by a 2-6-2 loco, that I got for Christmas in 1948, along with the 1948 Lionel Catalog listing it. In 1951 I got the twin F-3 diesels, in WP colors to go with it.
My answer is always that if it doesn’t have a train it isn’t a real Christmas tree [:-^]. I don’t know which train we will be using this year. I’m really tempted to buy a new LGB Mogal to use.
I have an oval of Lionel FastTrack with an operating section and an 80 watt transformer. Motive power is an MTH PRR Rugged Rails 2-8-0. The train is made up of a Sunoco tanker, an LV hopper car, a log dump car and a milk car that I received in 1950 when I was three years old. The other cars are an MPC box car, an MPC bi-level auto carrier with some Hot Wheels cars loaded, and the caboose from my 1776 B&A Bicentennial set. Some day, I’ll get a proper PRR caboose. The grandkids really like to play with the operating cars. Their tree at home has a Polar Express set with extra cars.
I have a table top Christmas tree with 3 ovals (1 HO and 2 N scale) The HO oval has a steam locomotive with a few freight cars while the N scale ovals have two Amtrak Superliners trains running. A few removable foam snow covered mountains were made to eliminate the flatness of the table and to hide the base of the tree. The little removable trains are actually a bunch of cheap trees I bought at the Home Depot.
We put the tree up this weekend. We like to go buy a real tree for lots of reasons. Anyway, the layout will go in this week. My son and I are building the Polar Express in HO scale(or at least modifying/kitbashing/painting) and we also have a 4-4-0 pulling a flat car with lighted Christmas tree(we made from Miniatronics bulbs and a Bush tree) and a drovers caboose with Santa on the rear platform–we call this our Christmas train. The Berkshire has Soundtraxx in it. No DCC yet in the 4-4-0. But, I am considering buying a Zepher plus for the Christmas tree layout this year.
We are also working in the Preisler HO nativity scenes, I’m just not sure where and how yet.
I wonder what percent of guys use steam vs diesel on their Christmas layouts? I guess probably both.
Richard
The family cat leaves the layout downstairs pretty much alone, but the train around the tree is subject to a special game: the objective is to swat the last car off while leaving the rest of the train running for another pass around the tree. If her aim is off, oh well, thats what humans are for…to re-rail trains. Amazingly nothing has ever been damaged in this game, and we are amused by her game.
It might be different if she tried this on the layout, but in five years she never has. It’s a Christmas sort of thing for her.
Under our tree runs a Bachman On30 overland passenger train. My grandson loves to put mints on top of the cars and have them do several “laps” and then he removes the mint and replaces it with a new one. The fun lasts for hours. I cannot envision a Christmas tree with a train running under it.
Over the years we have run an Aurora N-scale train, a Lego electric train, and a Hogwarts Express around the tree. They fascinate the cat, but somehow this cat never summons up the nerve to pounce on the moving train.
A model railroad under a Christmas tree? Just where are you supposed to put your presents?
That’s our situation too. We put the presents for each other, for the children and for the grandchildren under the tree. It would work only if the train ran in a tunnel the entire distance. Small living room too.
We put the smaller presents under the tree behind the layout and then the large presents to the side anyway. Our train provides some colored lights running under/around as well, so it looks neat.
I guess you could build “tunnels” with your presents. Maybe even deliver small ones with a flat car.
Richard
When I was younger and my parents (more so my father) had the G-scale train set circling the tree, presents blocking the track wasn’t an issue. When Santa Claus was “real”, the presents just “miraculously” appeared under the tree Christmas morning, they usually covered the tracks. So there was no issue with blocking the tracks at least until Christmas morning and the tracks were cleared up in short order. When my siblings and I grew older and more “knowledgeable”, the presents just accumulated as the real “Santa(s)” did their thing and the accumulating presents created canyons and make shift tunnels for the Christmas tree train. It was always a thrill to see the train roar through a tunnel of presents because the vibrations from the train could very well collapse the tunnel. [G]
You mean he isn’t real!!! [sigh]
We did away with the packages on the track problem by having a table tree and stacking the presents under the table. Easier to reach as there is more clearance, plus you don’t get tangled up in the garland, tinsel and wires or knock the ornements off.
Happy Holidays,
Richard
Mountain (shell scenery -over the tree tri-pod) is good!
Elevate that train & then stop it (strategically over a gift) to call out the recipient of the ‘below’ gift.
Just another idea to keep the ‘childerns’ guessing!!