2015-2016 Redford Theatre Christmas Train Display

Thanks Paul, I look forward to seeing your display.  I believe Gary already posted a link to the upcoming events schedule.  I believe Miracle on 34th Street is the first Christmas movie we're playing starting on November 20th-21st.  The layout usually stays up for a month or two after Christmas is over due to the popularity.  A lot of theater rentals usually seem to request that it stay up for their events.  Last year it ended up staying up until March, which I think is why I'm dragging so much at getting it done this year.  Seems like I just took it down.

Thanks guys.  

I look forward to your email Andre.  Maybe you have a better lighting solution for me  

Some photos from last Thursday's work session that I never posted. I'm hoping to get at least two mainlines assembled and wired during tonight's work session.

Doesn't look like much, but the layout platforms are assembled. Now it's just a matter of filling the surface with trains and buildings 

I posed my theater model for a picture with the 1928 3/10 Barton Theater Pipe organ, which is original to the theater and is the building's sole reason for existing today. This is one of only two theater pipe organs in the city of Detroit that are still installed in the buildings they were designed for. Obviously a rare thing in the city, and also world-wide since many organs were removed after the fall of silent movies to the "talkies."

Hi Jake 

     Very cool photo of model on the organ bench.

Congratulations on getting this all done for the Redford.

     The members & patrons are going to enjoy seeing the layout.

• Cheers from The Detroit & Mackinac Railway, “ A Toy Train Layout” 

Thanks Gary

 Some recent progress on the display.  It's even a bit further along than this photo shows, as I've since added a few more strings of lights under the dark areas of the snow.  This was the most commented on element of last years display, so I went ahead and worked to improve on it.  New this year is back lighting on the upper level to hopefully show it off a little more than in years past.  I hope to have things wrapped up at the end of the day Friday if I'm lucky.

Check out the Redford, Saturday Nov. 14th, 2015 & See the Trains

Gary 

• Cheers from The Detroit & Mackinac Railway, “ A Toy Train Layout”  

Click artwork below to enlarge.

Some more progress.  Just have to add the final details (trees and figures) before the first official showing this coming Friday.

Redford Theater - White Christmas 

December 4th, 8pm - December 5th 2 & 8pm Tickets $5.00

See link below for details. See a Classic Movie and the trains.

                  http://redfordtheatre.com/

• Cheers from The Detroit and Mackinac Railway & Merry Christmas.

I guess I should give an update since the layout operated for it's first official show about a week and a half ago (my buddy that helps, ran some of his stuff on the unfinished layout for a special event the week before). Things ran well for the Friday evening show which I was at working elsewhere in the theater, but of course the gremlins attacked during the Saturday matinee show which I was not at. I went to check things out before the Saturday evening show when I got off work and found one derailed train, a shorted out streetcar (with a burned out motor) and a passenger train that was not liking some dirty track. The derailed train was an MPC GP20 that burned out it's electronics the first time it ran on the layout. I gutted it and installed a bridge rectifier, but neglected to replace the weight I removed when I took out the electronics. Nicely built engine, but very light on it's own, so I found it derailed every time the trains stopped due to plenty of traction at the wheels, and not enough weight to keep it on the tracks.

I got everything running for the evening show and had to leave, but I heard of one more derailment that I'll be going in tomorrow to check out and do other troubleshooting before the show this weekend. Sometimes these layouts don't like to cooperate, even with the best of plans

On a side note, the Detroit Historical Museum acquired a large collection and had some excess pieces that they didn't really need for their display or stored collections, so they were nice enough to transfer some of the pieces to the nonprofit theater for use on our display. Some interesting MPC Lionel pieces are now in the reserves for a change of scenery when we so choose.

Some photos my dad took from opening night.

My "cameo" appearance thanks to my dad as I hurriedly tried to get trains running in time for the Saturday evening show

A photo my coworker took earlier that day while a couple of us worked to get some of the cars in the yard switched around to where they were needed for the winter maintenance season. Kinda gives a good idea of what the weather around here was like that day. That's our 50 ton coaling tower that was built about two years ago now. Behind that is our 30,000 gallon(? not sure exactly, but I believe that's about it) water tower. The brick building behind those is the roundhouse, which is a replica/reconstruction of an 1884 roundhouse that was originally located in Marshall, MI. Some original pieces were incorporated into the building when it was built in 2000.