Christmas Layouts Photo Album-2011

I'll be back next Sunday

I will feature this thread at the top of the page in the hope that all who have Christmas layouts or displays to share will do so in one place so a genuine online album can be created.

Brian WOW what a lovely view of your layout. It is just stunning !!!!! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you very much Allan, this is very appropriate for this placement. You are a class act.

Bill, you are always very complimentary. This means a great deal to me right now.

Beautiful photo Brian!

Brian,

That is some Christmas layout you've got.

I'll post mine again soon. It's nothing compared to yours, but I'm building it right now with my youngest daughter. Should be done in a week or so.

Mike R

Brian, It's not as impressive as seeing it in real life, but still looks fantastic. Hopefully Marty and I will get up and see it again someday.

That's a fantastic pic. I'd love to see more. You don't have a video, do ya?

Nice job!

Here's our upstairs Christmas tree. Our downstairs [real] tree won't be up for a couple more weeks.

Mark 027 tinplate.

Cannot do a Holiday layout this year due to shoulder surgery and we hope you like last year's versions. We're lucky folks and we wish you Happy Holidays 2011.

Brian, what a spectacular layout!! You have done such a great job...very special indeed. I join in Dotty Perry's (Dotty and Marty) comment...would love to come to Maine and see it in person!!

Eliot...extremely well done...and top notch music. Bocelli and Dion...what a great selection for the background music!!

Jim

Many thanks, Jim
Happy holidays to you.
Eliot

...and my very best to you and your family Eliot for a wonderful Christmas. Jim

Found this on a website which features Christmas Layouts somewhere in NYC. Really quite warming to the sight...could be an office or home. Not sure of the author.

Great start !

David, are those all tin buildings?

Don

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Rawlings:
Found this on a website which features Christmas Layouts somewhere in NYC. Really quite warming to the sight...could be an office or home. Not sure of the author.

I think that is the Christmas layout of NYCFan. He is a member of the forum and has posted photos of the layout.

yup that's NYCfan's!

i was hopiung to get back home to VA tomorrow to complete mine but wife and kids had to go and i had to stay here in PA to help my mom and grand father mom cracked her knee cap so hopefully south soon to finish layout and decorate.
Dave

Spiff...thanks so much. Just sent a note to Skip Natoli (NYCfan). Jim

Postwar Lionel:

Started work on mine Thursday, will post pics later.

Thanks for the compliment Jim. Here are a few more photos.

Thanks Brian for starting this thread for 2011 Christmas layouts...and Allan for posting it at the top for all to see..a great idea!!

Wonderful pictures everyone.....just beautiful!!

Happy Holidays to all of you!

Alan

Here's a shot of my Lionel scale Polar Express car with added hobo. I positioned it in front of my rock wall and tunnel. I then shined an Enlux blue LED flood light straight up at the ceiling(this cast a blue hue over my layout) and snapped a photo.

Skip:

You have one of the finest Christmas layouts I have ever seen. Your photos are terrific.

CandO (Keith)

What a wonderful photo. Sure gets you in the mood for this thread.

brr, that is a great looking postwar layout. Nothing signals Christmas more than postwar Lionel. How big is it and anymore pictures that show the entire layout ?

Keith, great looking picture and nice work on the modifications.

I was going for a layout like what would have been built in the 1950's.
The layout is 5x9, and uses a postwar design.

Two blurry overview pictures, sorry:

Here is my Christmas Layout with my Cloe and the General she is my little helper and loves to chase the trains

Keith... did you re-work the fire on that Polar Express Hobo car?

brr:

Beautiful job on the Christmas layout.

Wow! Everyone's looks so great! All that NYC steam makes my heart sing!

Here's some of mine...

Joe

Love it! Tinplate and pine...

Sweet smell of Christmas.

quote:

CandO (Keith)

What a wonderful photo. Sure gets you in the mood for this thread.

Many thanks Brian!

quote:

Keith, great looking picture and nice work on the modifications.

JPaul155,
Thank you very much!

quote:

Originally posted by Gandalf97:
Keith... did you re-work the fire on that Polar Express Hobo car?

This is a scale Lionel Heavyweight. I drilled a hole in the roof and installed Evan Designs' FIRE LED kit. I tapped into the interior lighting. My hobo is a repainted Arttista breakman with lantern. I cut off the lantern and then painted his hands red. The campfire piece is from Woodland Scenics...it comes in their campsite set.

Here is a closeup of hobo before painting his coat brown...

The Blue Comet rumbling through the Hellgate Bridge




Joe

Just a few pics from **** past...

Trainlover160:

Beautiful Christmas layout. Your D56 Empire State building is rare and hard to get. Nice display of your buildings and the integration of the trains.

WOW! There's some real art here. My little layout certainly isn't up to par with these beauties, but it was a great way to showcase a few of my ETS tin trains. I hope you guys enjoy it.


...and here's a short video of it in action.


I hope you all enjoyed the trip on the Christmas Train!

Rick

Santa gave up the sleigh this year and is using a 408E.

Joe,

When did they make the red 408E?

JoeG

quote:

Originally posted by Trainlover160:
Joe,

When did they make the red 408E?

JoeG

About a week ago in my basement.

Wow!!!
Very Nice!!

Will there be step by step photos in the next OGR??

JoeG

quote:

Originally posted by Trainlover160:
Wow!!!
Very Nice!!

Will there be step by step photos in the next OGR??

JoeG

No. This was one of those projects that just kind of evolved so I didn't take any photos. This engine was nearly tossed out the window a few times during the restoration. It was in a fire. The paint was completely gone. The wiring and some of the softer metal pieces were melted. Every piece had to be restored or replaced. Parts were sandblasted, buffed, polished, painted and coated. The body was painted three times before I was happy with it. It is now a dummy for display purposes only. It was a tough project.

Thanks for the compliment.

Christmas in the washroom

Joe,

At any rate this 408e is still a gem. It could either be pushed or pulled by another 408E. I would be inclined to looked for another 408e that runs well, but the shell is gone and take the motor from that one and put into this red beauty. This is a true example of how persistance pays off, and it really inspires me to do a tinplate restoration. You truely have some talent and patience. for sharing this photo.

JoeG

Thank you Joe.

Here is our Christmas Layout. This is my first ever layout under the tree.

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Joe: I'm sure MTH has replacement motors for that 408 - it's too good to just sit and look pretty. Great restoration.

Joe:

Love your engine. Very nicely done.

Rick:

Your early version Dickens Village Church (1985) is perfectly placed on your layout. Very good looking Christmas layout.

All these pics are wonderful!

Joe, your 408E looks great...very nice paint job.

I have at least a week left to go on mine, but this is always my favorite thread of the year. I love looking at every single layout. Some are whimsical, others literally take your breath away. Some are simple, others complex. I just love them all and get so many good ideas.

As soon as I can figure out how to post pictures I'll get some up of mine. Looking at all the photos sure is motivating me to get more done.

Put this little 4'x6' Super O Bedford Falls layout together this past weekend.



Still a work in progress but runs like a champ! Love that Super O Track.

GReat stuff, everyone!!

It really puts ya in the holiday spirit. Really does.

Jim

the layout remains the same every year,,,,hope you all have a merry christmas an a happy new year

Layout is still not up...trying to recreate the CP Holidays Train..1 more car and the engine to go...

GregJ410 visited my house today to see my Christmas layouts and my new J1a. Greg is a tradesman with a keen eye for measurements. So, he keenly noticed the gap between the trailers on my TOFC would nicely hold his iPhone for a video. It fit right in there perfectly. Man, he can detect fractions of an inch from across the room. Not whole inches though apparently, since the camera was about 2 inches too high.

Here's my past Christmas layout, which evolved into a year-round layout:

Skip, another great layout in progress. You really have a special talent.

Paul, what an absolutely fabulous layout!!! You have really done a spectacular job. Are some of your buildings Dept. 56? Jim

Paul....That is a dream layout!!! Do you have any more photos? I'd like to know what your track plan looks like.

quote:

Originally posted by NYC Fan:
Paul....That is a dream layout!!! Do you have any more photos? I'd like to know what your track plan looks like.

Ditto to that, my thoughts exactly too.

Merry Christmas from Pine Mountain Valley...

my very best regards...

Howard

http://www.littleglitterhouses.com

Here is a video of my Polar Express and Polar Railroad trains running...

Paul:

Your layout is just outstanding. Some of the best use of D56 products and trains.

Howard:

This is truly unbelievably good. This is the best under the tree layout that I have seen.

Keith:

Your PE video really shows off your craftsmanship on the scale passenger cars. Love the sights and sounds. Keith is one of my very best Forum friends and I appreciate his genuine friendship.

Skip:

Your work is museum quality. Can't wait to see the finished product. I like the Bedford Falls idea.

"Paul....That is a dream layout!!! Do you have any more photos? I'd like to know what your track plan looks like."

Thank you, Skip and everyone.

I don't have many good photos, unfortunately. However, Jim Barrett photographed the completed portions of the layout prior to dismantling and I was hoping it'd make this year's Christmas issue. If it makes a future issue OGR may choose to print the farily complex track plan which comprised four interlocking levels, assuming they can figure it out from my Elmer Fudd written plans

Fun video Keith!

Thanks Brian and Jeff!
Brian, I appreciate your friendship as well.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by NJCJOE:
Santa gave up the sleigh this year and is using a 408E.




GREAT job Joe!! This is going to be my new screen saver and my new favorite holiday pic.

Paul

Here is the 2011 version of the Polar Expres/Christmas Story Layout









Happy Holiday everyone!!! Thanks for sharing all the great photos.

Todd

This is my second year putting up my Christmas layout. The layout is two interconnected loops running DCS. This year I am using the "track" feature of DCS and am running my dad's 1947 Lionel 2026 on this layout with the MTH RailKing stuff I ran last year.

Here are some pictures and a video. Thanks for looking and watching!

The antlers are from a Lionel Polar Express caribou on my Christmas General engine.
Dan

Jeff,
The video was wonderful! That 2026 set strecthed out in front of the depot could have been a "catalog photo."

Thanks for posting & Merry Christmas, Malcolm

Jeff,



I love your mountain! (and the whole layout)

^Beautiful photo, Brian

Jeff, your photos and video are wonderful...very nice Christmas layout.

Here is some pics of my first Tinplate under the Christmas Tree...

Trial run of the Christmas "platform." That's my grandson, Ryan. Our Jack Russell puppy learned right at the start of the video NOT to lick the track!



I'll post another when it's all scenicked out.

NJCJOE,

Your 408E looks fantastic. You obviously have great restoration skills. I would display that engine with great pride. Mundane question: Where did you get the miniature Christmas lights?

The Texas Special is leaving the Grand Central Terminal on a night run.

Wow, that's a beautiful 2026! One of my favorite postwar locos.

Jeff....did you make that small mountain/tunnel? I am looking to make something similar to what you have for an o-36 curve. Could you provide the particulars, and perhaps a close up shot?

Thanks,
Rick

Well this is my first ever train layout! I got the train last year for christmas, and got mom's old north pole houses that have been collecting dust in my sister's attic, and set myself up a little village. Hoping to add a little bit to it every year, seems a little more "sparse" than I was expecting. I think a circle track with a little christmas trolley or hand car going around the tree in the very center would work good.

But here's some bad photos

Mark, Keith, and Skip, thank you!

Skip, that engine is in one of my earliest memories, of my dad running it around switching cars. Except for in its early life maybe, it only saw service at Christmas time, as is still the case, so it is pretty well preserved.

Rick, the mountain is a wooden support structure, made from scraps, then crumpled newspaper covered with hydrocal mesh sheets, and covered with extra hydrocal for strength. It is dyed with woodland scenics hydrocal dyes: white with a touch of grey. The snow is woodland scenics snow soaked with scenic cement. The whole thing just lifts off. The side wings are white styrofoam sculpted to the desired shape, and covered with hydrocal sheets, etc. like the main mountain.

before snow:

quote:

Trial run of the Christmas "platform." That's my grandson, Ryan. Our Jack Russell puppy learned right at the start of the video NOT to lick the track!

That is so very, very cool! Thanks for sharing it.

Jeff, great looking Christmas layout, what are the dimensions ? The 2026 looks great and so many have a neat story like yours associated with them.

quote:

Originally posted by Timk:
Well this is my first ever train layout! I got the train last year for christmas, and got mom's old north pole houses that have been collecting dust in my sister's attic, and set myself up a little village. Hoping to add a little bit to it every year, seems a little more "sparse" than I was expecting. I think a circle track with a little christmas trolley or hand car going around the tree in the very center would work good.

But here's some bad photos

TimK love that christmas hudson! i think it's a cool little setup just wait till you get the urge to make things a little bigger every year!
Dave

quote:

Originally posted by SCD:
NJCJOE,

Your 408E looks fantastic. You obviously have great restoration skills. I would display that engine with great pride. Mundane question: Where did you get the miniature Christmas lights?

Thank you. I had the miniature lights for quite a few years now. They came from some craft store but I don't remember which.

Skip

Good think I don't live near you. You would find me standing at your window quite a bit.

quote:

Originally posted by CandO:
Here is a video of my Polar Express and Polar Railroad trains running...

Keith, really cool to recognize all of your small modification projects all in one video. I recognize all of them. Nice video and must have taken a while to stage up. I love both of those lines. I just can't get over how striking that color combination is.

Nice tinplate set too. You have it made.

Christmas 2011...almost done!

Brian, Jeff, Keith and Everyone,

Excellent job!!! What a great hobby we have, and its connection to Christmas just makes it that much more special. Thank you all for sharing your photos and please keep them coming.

just a small layout with thomas passing by.

I love it when everyone post their layouts at Christmas time. I have to admit that I am very much a seasonal train guy and not always as faithful year round. I love setting up a carpet central under the tree. I always pick up the Dec. 0 Gauge Magazine just to see the Christmas layouts as well. I truly enjoy when they profile a lot of members and their tree layouts. This is such a great hobby. When I retire, I can't wait to start building a large layout...