Looking good guys! I'll have mine up as soon as we get a tree....
this platform was my Uncle Jim's. I spent a lot of time growing up on the carpet at my Grandparents watching his 2020 go around their Christmas tree. Now it is mine.
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Although not O gauge, this is Christmas themed so I thought I'd post it here. UK train operating company Virgin Trains East Coast has painted one of its Class 91 electrics and a companion driving van trailer (cab car) in a special Christmas livery. Courtesy of railway webcam provider www.railcam.uk here is the locomotive passing the site's webcam at York on the East Coast Main Line this morning. Santa's sure got a sweet ride this year!
Bob
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I need to forward this thread to my wife. For some reason she is under the impression that I am the only person in the world crazy enough to put up an elaborate Christmas train display!!!! Thanks to all!
don't let her fool you stumper..the ladies like'm as much as we do. I never got too crazy with mine, but it was my wife's idea to start putting a Christmas platform up. she's the one that borders on over doing the decorations.
Not really a layout but, here is our tree with the 384 Blue Comet.
Built this for my oldest son's 2nd Christmas, so this is the 15th year we've run it. This is the first year we've included the fake snow and the Christmas buildings.
now that looks great!
Always just a simple loop for me. It's my grandpa's fake Christmas tree, so the thing is very old. But I like it as he's the one I got my train genes from. The train is much more modern.
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Gentlemen,
All the Christmas trains are looking great, we start building the Christmas layout tomorrow here.
PCRR/Dave
Super pics everyone!
Started getting the Christmas stuff up yesterday evening. Got the tree up and mostly decorated. Needs a few more ornaments putting on the back.
Tonight Mason and I could wait no longer and got the basic track down.
Ordered a few new bits for this year including the 45 deg crossing to add a bit more interest. More to do but here's a in progress pic.
.
Nick
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Originally Posted by Scrambler81:
Built this for my oldest son's 2nd Christmas, so this is the 15th year we've run it. This is the first year we've included the fake snow and the Christmas buildings.
To me, that looks clever, great fun, and exciting. And dreamy. And pretty. Congratulations on the success of it! Bravo!!!!!!
FrankM.
NYC Fan posted:As has been my tradition for as long as I can remember, the layout and the tree were put up the weekend after Thanksgiving.
I always look forward to seeing this particular view, especially with the reflections. Very nice!
Ladies & Gentlemen,
Today we started construction on the 2015 PCRR Christmas Layout, initial layout work posted below. More pictures to come as we build.
PCRR/Dave
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Past layouts/displays
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and a few more 
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Here's my contribution.......last Sunday at the annual Science Museum of VA show.....
Peter
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those 253s are really growing on me.
Only had one the came out the first night, hopefully will add more. Having issues w/the steam/diesel motor sounds on my engines for some reason - even the PE Berk stopped. All other sounds (bell, whistle, crew talk, blow down, water fill) work fine.
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Trainlover160 posted:and a few more
Very nice - that is a beautiful Christmas layout!
Sean
Scrambler81 posted:
Built this for my oldest son's 2nd Christmas, so this is the 15th year we've run it. This is the first year we've included the fake snow and the Christmas buildings.
Chris, what is the dimensions of that layout? I really like the track plan and use of space. Mike
artfull dodger posted:Scrambler81 posted:
Built this for my oldest son's 2nd Christmas, so this is the 15th year we've run it. This is the first year we've included the fake snow and the Christmas buildings.
Chris, what is the dimensions of that layout? I really like the track plan and use of space. Mike
The platform is 6'3" square, with one corner cut off. I took the track plan from a book. Our old house was quite small, so we would remove the dining room table to fit in the tree. This was made to fit in that spot. There was actually a short wall between the front door and the dining area, and the chopped corner kept people from turning into it and tripping. The oak trim was stained to match the dining room hutch, so it looked like it belonged in there. In the before pic, you can see the home made tree stand, and I also wired in 4 electrical outlets and a switch for the tree lights. My wife loves that part. Not being a carpenter, and having never built a layout before this one, I've really been very pleased with how this turned out and how well it has held together.
Wow! Some really Great looking Layouts!!!!!
Thanks Sean, really appreciate it. It is a labor of love each year as I do not have a permanent layout yet.
JoeG
Found a few more 
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wmtrainnut09 posted:This is from last year. This years will be pretty much the same.
Love that station. Is it Department 56? If so, do you know the model number?
Very nice layouts / displays. I took 2 weeks of work to build a 34 x 20 foot display at our Railway museum for the Polar Express train event. Over 4 weekends we have train rides all day, then families come into the North Pole (roundhouse) where I have my display set up. 13 trains running half of them have LionChief remotes on the fence so kids can control the trains, little engines beside them have sounds for each of the matching engines kids can hear the sounds. Other controls for them to activate different things. Overhead I mounted a slow motor turning making Santa and reindeer and characters from the Planes movies flying. Lots of the Lemax etc. animated figures and buildings etc.
Everyone comes around the corner and says WOW then the kids favorite things they see are the Minions on a couple of cars and a gateman that moves, Frozen movie figures, of course Thomas and friends and a display of the town of Radiator Springs from the Cars movie similar to Disneyland.
Lots of fun with all ages enjoying the display some staying for long periods of time to see the village and trains.
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Our Christmas layout is on an 8' x 8' platform and is a little unusual combining Lionel trains and Lego Modular building along with some of our own creations. We are running the Polar Express on the outer loop, Hallmark's Toymaker Express on the inner loop and a trolley.
Enjoy,
EddieZ, Austin, TX
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Ladies & Gentlemen,
Construction on the PCRR Christmas layout continues, with the addition of the RealTrax inner loop on the 2nd level for the new Hallmark/Lionel Santa Train. There definitely is a need for MTH RealTrax on our Christmas layout, this is the 2nd inner loop on different levels now, and this loop has both the older solid and newer tubular RealTrax, some with black middle rail, some without. I do have one question for the guys running Legacy on RealTrax. How are you attaching the Legacy base wire to the opposite outside rail of the DCS TIU connections. I really do not want to solder the Legacy line to the RealTrax.
Suggestions definitely welcome!
PCRR/Dave
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A picture from "opening night":
Peter
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Pine Creek Railroad posted:I do have one question for the guys running Legacy on RealTrax. How are you attaching the Legacy base wire to the opposite outside rail of the DCS TIU connections. I really do not want to solder the Legacy line to the RealTrax.
Why does the connection need to be on the opposite rail? Why not just connect the Legacy to the TIU like MTH suggests?
Sinclair,
Per Marty F's outstanding advise, I do run the Legacy line on the TIU connections, and also drop a Legacy Base Line directly to the opposite outside rail from the Legacy TIU connection, to maximize the Legacy signal to the engine, it works very very well. The FasTrack has connections on it's opposite outside rail underneath the track, the RealTrax has none. I want to set the 2nd level Legacy RealTrax up in the same manner I do the FasTrack for ultimate Legacy signal Control.
PCRR/Dave
Okay, I see what you are doing now. I know you don't want to solder, but it might be a good idea to go ahead and do so. This way you have one section of track to use in the future in case you need it.
Sinclair,
Thanks for the advise, it may very well come to that, I am also thinking about drilling the opposite outside solid rail, slipping the Legacy Base Wire thru the hole and using a small screw to secure the line, if this technique sets up a good signal path, I will not need to solder, if not then I will solder. Was actually hoping for some way to use the MTH lighted lock on from the opposite side of the track, and just connect to the outside rail, got to look at this technique a little more, it just might be that easy.
After further investigation, it is exactly that easy, turn the track around insert the MTH lighted lock on, and the opposite outside rail is good to go, for the Legacy base line connection, on the Black Channel.
PCRR/Dave
Fantastic Christmas layouts and pictures everyone!!
Alan
This is the beginning of Johns & Lans Christmas trains 2015 from fairfax, Va. The whole idea is to create a layout visible from outside the house which reminds me of the window store displays I used to view as a child back in the 60's.
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Ladies & Gentlemen,
The PCRR Christmas Construction is making head way, tested the different track levels and programmed the new Lionel Legacy Scale 317 Northern Pacific, you got to hear and see this engine, no video can do it justice, smooth and powerful beyond imagination, the more I run these Legacy engines, the more I love'em.
PCRR/Dave
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