2015 Christmas Layout Progress Report, the Final Stages for Completion-New Photo Added Apr. 29th

Watching the progress on your new layout I feel like an eight year old counting the days till Christmas. 

Good choice with the EL wire.  I have some for a project I've been working on.  It is fun to work with and the effect is amazing.  Your illuminated bridge arches are going to be big eye candy for this layout.  The EL wire does photograph quite brighter than actual appearances.  Beautiful work, Brian.

 

The layout just looks amazing & every update you post makes it even better, if that's possible.

Brian, that looks great! As you say it photographs much brighter than it actually appears. I've been looking at the El Wire for a while. I was thinking of a similar application; embedding into the foam under the arches. I thought one of drawbacks might be the length a single section could be without needing an additional power source. Are you using a single power source with a single wire or are there multiple wires with additional power sources?

Matt, each side has it's AC power source. I am told that you can power up to 300 ft. of this lighting width one adapter.

Looks great Brian, another excellent detail which will highlight your new layout.

 

Steve, Lady and Tex

Wow, that's all I can say is wow!

It is indeed going to rival the movie for realism. Well, at least I don't have to build one, I can just look at yours!

Great job.
Mario

"It is indeed going to rival the movie for realism"

 

Mario, we are doing our best to replicate the movie without going too crazy. So far so good. Many of our ideas that we put to paper are in reality coming out better than expected.

What does that lighting look like when not turned on?  Just wondering if it looks "tacky" or not.  And how did you affix it?

 

I agree that it's hard to take accurate looking pictures of lights.  We all know how different pictures of Christmas lights turn out from what they actually look like.

 

Great progress guys.  It's really going to be a sight to behold.

The lighting is not objectionable when not lit. Hot glue gun does the trick.

Work has now progressed to the Elfland part of the layout. The elves are very excited about moving into new quarters since being displaced when we took down the previous Christmas layout at the beginning of this year. Lots more room for them to perform their tasks and a much easier route to the Center of the North Pole. Click on photo for expanded view.

 

More to come.

 

 

I am glad the elves have new quarters.  Maybe it has been warmer than usual at the North Pole, since all this Arctic air has been here in the Northeast and Mid Atlantic! it was the coldest February on record here in Butler County.  Regardless, I'm glad the elves are happy!!

Looks marvelous!

-Greg

As always, looks great!  I see them working with the reindeer in the background, too!  

 

As the layout I'm planning will also be a winter one (albeit east central Ohio) I'm wondering what you like to do for the snow on the ground on your layout.  White paint?  Do you add any grit/glitter before it dries?

 

Also, my gold PE set arrived on Monday & I have to agree with you - it does look spectacular.  Wasn't that excited about them initially but with time & after seeing the pics & videos you & others here have posted it did grow on me.  [My wife sends her regards for this expense.]  After all, I can always get the scale movie version later, right?    Haven't run it yet, though the MTH Baldwin M-1 I found on e-Bay (arrived the same day) took a few laps on the Ohio, Polar & Carpet Railway in the guest bedroom to break in the temporary layout in for the main attraction....

 

Thanks again for the updates, & keep up the great work!

I'm almost feeling like Christmas with that photo; and, the mirror lake doubles the scenery and lighting from the camera's perspective.

Thanks for your comments. The progress has been better than expected. Once we took down the former Christmas layout, we spent a Saturday morning at the breakfast bar with pen and paper sketching our what we wanted in a new Christmas layout. Our goal was to take you on a journey from the point the PE scale trains (both the Gold Edition and Black version) leave the mountain, go by Ice Lake, enter the Elves Village where they live and work, and finally arrive at the Center of the North Pole.

 

It is surprising to both of us just how close we are coming to our vision as we have progressed. 

Brian and Elizabeth,

what a great husband and wife joint endeavor.  It is very exciting to watch your project take shap!

Oh, in addition, to the notion that Christmas is too far off to be working on a Christmas themed layout, I think what better time than during the early months of the year when you have considerable snow in Maine!  Reminds me of an old Lucy episode, I think, where she went to a mountain cabin for skiing, but couldn't get the door open the next morning, because the overnight snowfall went up above the top of the door.

"I think what better time than during the early months of the year when you have considerable snow in Maine!"

 

This is an excellent reason why we are doing it now before the weather gets nice. It has been extremely cold and lots of snow, so this has been a good project to work on when you don't want to be outside. It is also a very cool project as well.

WOW, WOW and WOW!!! Just Super.

nice nice layout wow keep on showing more of these

Nicely done!

 

Thanks for the update.

It's been a bit over a month since Passenger Train Collector began this thread on the planning, construction, and detailing of his and Elizabeth's 2015 Christmas layout.  Fortunately for us, he has periodically updated the thread with photographs and descriptions of what these two imaginative and energetic Polar Express fans have been up to. 

 

In a thread that is now 7 pages in length, it's easy for me to lose track of, or forget, how much Brian and Elizabeth have accomplished in such a short period of time, and the innovative elements they have incorporated in this layout.  So this post includes the photographs and dates PTC posted with a very brief description of the work done.  The dates of posting are included to make it easy for anyone to "catch up" with the layout's progress and information on what's depicted--just scroll back to PTC's post for the date given here.

 

February 1: The thread starts with a series of photos showing the area for the layout prepared; rosin paper down with tracings of buildings, track plan, features rendered 1:1; and, bench work begun and completed. 

 

February 5: Track work is down and complete.

 

 

February 8:  Two scale Polar Express locomotives make initial run on layout.

 

 

February 18: Mountain completed and scale PE locomotive exits portal on upper level.

 

 

February 22: Arched causeway segments drying and compass installed.

 

 

February 25: Ice lake installed and scenery added.

 

 

February 28: Correct compass installed. 

 

 

March 1:  Arched causeway illuminated with electroluminescent wire.

 

 

March 4:  Elf Land and scenery.

 

 

March 11: Clock tower in Elf Land. 

 

 

March 24:  BELIEVE sign installed.

 

 

April 12:   Clock tower structure installed and illuminated. 

 

 

April 13:   Northern lights feature painting by Elizabeth, and installed.

 

 

April29:   Christmas Tree.

 

 

EDIT:  I must be all thumbs because I inadvertently hit the "Submit Reply" button prematurely.  Also, I'd intended to post pictures after each daily notation and don't know how to do this while adding text after the picture.  More skilled members are invited to correct my mistake.

 

EDIT 2:  The dramatic lighting effect on the arched causeway is included.

 

EDIT 3:  Added the Clock tower in Elf Land.

 

In any case, I'll enjoy having this collection of Brian's and Elizabeth's efforts to date in a post for remembering and catching up on their efforts.

 

 

 

Thanks Carl for posting the summary of our progress. This has really been a fun project. Almost everyday we come up with a new twist to improve upon our initial plans. Wait till you see what we are doing with the arches.

Gorgeous!

 

Peter

Adriatic, thanks for the instructions.  I'll have to come back to them.

 

 

The layout project continues as we work our way down Elf Land. You might say "we are on the clock", literally. The photo below shows the clocks on all four sides of the Clock Tower building have been tested and will properly show five minutes to twelve when the Polar Express arrives at the Center of the North Pole.

 

 

Hi Brian,

 

The layout surely is coming along and looking just great!

 

What paint did you use for the Styrofoam?

 

Thanks for all the updates, BTW.

 

Alex

I BELIEVE       

That's great Brian, did Elisabeth repaint the face of the clock to show the correct Polar Express time or did it come that way? I meant to fix my clock tower before I packed it away. Thanks for the reminder.

Look's great Brian

 

 

Alex

Looks great, Brian.  Thanks for the photo update.

hi Brian, Its details like this that is making  this a fantastic layout. 

"did Elisabeth repaint the face of the clock to show the correct Polar Express time"

 

Matt, we just had decals made for the clock. We are working on the base for the Clock Tower building that will go over two tracks and streets on either side of Elf Land. So the Clock Tower Building is elevated. We want this to be a focal point of this part of the layout. When finished, the sides and roof of this building will be lit with LED's.

Work continues on our 2015 Christmas Layout, but at a slower pace as we wait for LED lights to accent three new custom structures. We have finished Elf Land and are now concentrating on the elements that make up our Center of the North Pole. Over the weekend, we finished the work on Santa's Sled with Reindeer. We added a special feature to it as well.

 

We also installed one of Miller Engineering's new rotary lighted signs, "Believe". What a nice addition to a Christmas layout, particularly one that has a Polar Express theme. The elves coming into the Center of the North Pole area are greeted by this sign, but they don't need to be reminded as to the wisdom it represents. The sign is positioned so that the children arriving by train will get a good look at it as well.

 

 

I BELIEVE this is going to be one awesome layout.

I believe!

I also BELIEVE your lay-out is already awesome!

 

You will have to do a video reading of the Polar Express using your lay-out.