The 2021 Christmas layout starts today!
My starting point is the layout I created last year. Here are some videos and pics to set the stage:
video - Christmas Eve 2020
video - Christmas Morning 2020
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The 2021 Christmas layout starts today!
My starting point is the layout I created last year. Here are some videos and pics to set the stage:
video - Christmas Eve 2020
video - Christmas Morning 2020
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Sweet! You're right on target.
Mike
got the benchwork frames all set up and placed the foam on top. the painted foam is what I used last year. the unpainted green is new for this year. realized that I did not account for floor space for plants which need the sunlight from that left corner. so, going to have to flip this track plan horizontally. the add-on 4x4 surface will have to move to the right side of the layout. glad I started way early.
You know....I've never thought of or seen an elevated dog bone used for a Christmas Tree Layout before.
Works great and keeps the trains off the floor.....yet you can still add presents to the base of the tree.
Many of us wind up moving a couch to make way for the tree....which one would do for a dog bone like you did last year.
Brilliant. Thanks for sharing.
Keep documenting that Christmas layout build, Garrett. Might be a very good candidate for the Dec. (2022) issue of O Gauge Railroading magazine. Just get in touch with me if you might be interested. Our 2021 issue is already in production, but I really like to plan ahead when it comes to seasonal magazine features.
@Berkshire President posted:You know....I've never thought of or seen an elevated dog bone used for a Christmas Tree Layout before.
Works great and keeps the trains off the floor.....yet you can still add presents to the base of the tree.
Many of us wind up moving a couch to make way for the tree....which would for a dog bone like you did last year.
Brilliant. Thanks for sharing.
I went with the dogbone concept at first because I could start building it in Oct or Nov. We would get a live Xmas tree after Thanksgiving. I made the section in front a head of time. just slide into position after the tree was in place. My first dogbone layout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUXa4qVFwEA
However, problem- our older dog would stumble through it like Godzilla through Tokyo. We could come home and find derailed train cars and broken ceramic buildings, LOL. after that I lifted everthing up. my first elevated layout was 2014. it was smaller than what I have now (different house), but it is still one of my favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk7_b_cglMo
@Allan Miller posted:Keep documenting that Christmas layout build, Garrett. Might be a very good candidate for the Dec. (2022) issue of O Gauge Railroading magazine. Just get in touch with me if you might be interested. Our 2021 issue is already in production, but I really like to plan ahead when it comes to seasonal magazine features.
Thanks. If you have any photography or documentation tips, please share. Right now I am focused on making daily forward progress and sharing with the forum.
A Question for the O.P. your forum handle begs me to ask if you have a Garrett in your collection? If so what scale?
@prrhorseshoecurve posted:A Question for the O.P. your forum handle begs me to ask if you have a Garrett in your collection? If so what scale?
no, never heard of it until you mentioned it
Looks great, Garrett!!
I am impressed you are getting started so early ahead of the Christmas rush. Nice work so far!
Garrett, You have a nice space for your Christmas layout. I lost my previous space to my wife's quilting operation. I'm all in favor of her doing it. She retires tomorrow. Yippee! She needs to get her mind off nursing and work on her hobby more.
In addition, I finally notice the chipped off edges of the foam in the final photograph. I think that is a nice touch. I agree, get with Allan Miller on doing an article.
as a friend of mine said, it's time for my wife to get a she-shed !
I tried to sculpt the edges of the foam to make it look more like a snow bank. once the garland is in place like the pictures at the top then it really takes on a custom look with the lights and shadows
@Garrett76 posted:as a friend of mine said, it's time for my wife to get a she-shed !
I tried to sculpt the edges of the foam to make it look more like a snow bank. once the garland is in place like the pictures at the top then it really takes on a custom look with the lights and shadows
I used a hot wire kit from Hot Wire Foam Factory. Worked like a charm
@Garrett76 posted:as a friend of mine said, it's time for my wife to get a she-shed !
I tried to sculpt the edges of the foam to make it look more like a snow bank. once the garland is in place like the pictures at the top then it really takes on a custom look with the lights and shadows
Our township only allows one outbuilding, and we have a shed with mower, snow blower, etc. The only answer is to move!
@Garrett76 posted:Thanks. If you have any photography or documentation tips, please share. Right now I am focused on making daily forward progress and sharing with the forum.
I will send you a copy of our Author Guidelines and Photo Tips sheet. Just document the heck out of everything you do with hi-res photos and I will work with you to put an article together. If we come up with a decent presentation (I'm confident we will), you will receive $400 for the article when it is published.
@Garrett76 posted:
@Craftech posted:"Garrett, pass the ketchup"
"No problem dear, I'll send it down to your end railway express"
speaking of which, eveyone on the forum has probably seen this video, but it's always a good time to watch it again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t475_VGa7EE
@Garrett76 posted:speaking of which, eveyone on the forum has probably seen this video, but it's always a good time to watch it again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t475_VGa7EE
So You Want a Model Railroad - Joe McDoakes - 1955
"We couldn't afford a maid anymore, but Joe took care of that"
I love it. Thanks for the video link Garrett.
John
I picked up this graduated trestle set (MTH product, specific model for use with Lionel Fastrack) at the local train store (Just Trains in Delaware). it was my first experience with inclines and elevation. pretty neat product. the fit around the track is pretty snug. I got a few bent fingernails trying to slide the pieces down the 30" fastrack straights. I wised up and started pushing with the end of a sharpie marker. otherwise, it was easy to setup
Garrett, the trestle kit made a nice job of adding the grades you wanted.
I did discover some problems with the inclined track setup:
1) the loco and tender are heavy and cause the curved track to bend toward the outside of the curves (O36 Fastrack). I'm not comfortable with any flex and don't want any part of the loco or cars to derail and tumble onto the ceramic items that will be below
2) the MTH pillars seem fine to support the end of the track where they join between 10" straights and the O36 curves. however, there are weak spots where I have small straight pieces (1-3/8, 1-3/4, 5). at one spot on the left, the track flex causes a break in power. in the video below, you will see the loco stop on its climb. have to work on some fixes
3) I am uncomfortable with the height of the track next to the edge of the benchwork. call it a fear of heights. I will have to add some protective measures to prevent a major crash in case of a derailment
Under track supports. Lionel Trestles have them. Found this which may be helpful.
youtube.com/watch?v=HznyFYqpkdA
I wasn't crazy about the extra wide opening in the center area. The top pic is the setup I used last year. I had an extra large Christmas tree and still thought the space was too open. So, back to the drawing board and saw horses for a new piece. The 2" insulation from Lowe's is plenty firm for tracks and village houses. Also, it's easy to shape.
Garrett, the curved edge on the front looks great!
Well done!
Peter
Looks great, Garrett!!
Maiden run on the layout. Everything went well on the first few laps. No power connection problems
Looks great, Garrett!
This is a neat thread - and really nice work, Garrett. It is so rare to have so much natural light to work with. The foam cutting thing gives a neat effect. My only suggestion is to go back to a single operating loop but keep the over and under; having the train traverse the entire span will lend interest to viewers - making it appear more of a journey.
Great layout work and excellent taste in music!
@Paul Kallus posted:This is a neat thread - and really nice work, Garrett. It is so rare to have so much natural light to work with. The foam cutting thing gives a neat effect. My only suggestion is to go back to a single operating loop but keep the over and under; having the train traverse the entire span will lend interest to viewers - making it appear more of a journey.
yeah I had the same thought. My past Christmas trains pulled about 20 cars. A long train looks really nice traversing the layout. But, I made the change for a few reasons which I will reveal later. All good.
@Mark Boyce posted:Garrett, You have a nice space for your Christmas layout. I lost my previous space to my wife's quilting operation. I'm all in favor of her doing it. She retires tomorrow. Yippee! She needs to get her mind off nursing and work on her hobby more.
My Congrats to Nurse Boyce.
@Dallas Joseph posted:
Thank you, Dallas!!
tonight's task was adding more piers under the elevated curves. It really bothered me to see the O36 fastrack bending under the weight of the loco and tender. Since I luckily purchased two of the MTH elevated trestle sets, I had plenty of extra piers to add. Now, it's rock solid, and I have no fears about the train tipping over
here's a quick video of the layout with doubled trestle support
Very Cool Garrett !
and a video
Awesome candy train: Trains and candy make the season even brighter That Lionchiefplus engine is neat - good that it has speed control to tackle those grades.
I see that you are using the Dept 56 O Little Town of Bethlehem initial set of buildings. I have picked up one of those and a couple others from the series for my layout this year. When I get the detailed finalized, I'll post a pic on another thread. But I wanted to let you know I appreciate that aspect of your layout.
@Paul Kallus posted:Awesome candy train: Trains and candy make the season even brighter That Lionchiefplus engine is neat - good that it has speed control to tackle those grades.
some of those candy cars are quite heavy and the uphill grade is steep. the LionChief Plus Odyssey cruise control feature is perfect.
@palallin posted:I see that you are using the Dept 56 O Little Town of Bethlehem initial set of buildings. I have picked up one of those and a couple others from the series for my layout this year. When I get the detailed finalized, I'll post a pic on another thread. But I wanted to let you know I appreciate that aspect of your layout.
thank you, sir. it's easy to get caught up in all the hoopla, but Jesus is the reason for the Season
PE train and MTH Nativity train.....
the backdrop is the most time-consuming element in the entire layout. I made a piece for the middle section in the back. also had to make some length adjustments to the other back pieces. I am painting two coats of blue as a base sky color then will add some other hues to achieve the desired look. the overall length is about 19'
Very nice! Coming along well!
here's a closer look at the backdrop construction. A night sky backdrop for my Christmas layout has been on my to-do list for several years. I wanted to incorporate the look of a quilt and star elements to give this a really custom and cozy look. I think that it will look fantastic when the layout is finished and the backdrop is lit only by the lights of the Christmas tree.
the first step is to mark the vertical lines with a level while the foam is attached to the table. I make a few other reference marks then remove the foam and place on a table. Then, I map out 4" squares. Then, I sketch the quilt pattern.
the second step is to apply paint. actually, I already applied 2 coats of blue before marking with pencil. I used four colors- a medium blue, slightly darker blue, gray, and lavender. I wanted to use colors that might be found in the twilight sky and complement each other in a custom quilt pattern.
Like I mentioned before, a unique backdrop has been on my to-do list for several years. I think this turned out really well. I finished the first panel today and it took HOURS of painting. I think it's worth it, though. This is going to look awesome illuminated at night by the Christmas tree lights.
Garrett, the live nativity and Bethlehem buildings are great! All the scenes on the layout look great! Very well done.
left side train - Strasburg Railroad passenger set. This was my first train set purchased in 2011 at a local now closed LHS
right side - the LionChief Plus North Pole Central locomotive and tender pull the candy cars and cookies & milk cars. This loco is a beast thanks to the weighty metal construction and Odyssey speed control. It handles the incline with no issues
Excellent, Garrett!
here's a spotlight post on the MTH red arch bridge with Christmas lights. It looks really impressive with the lights on and is still great looking when the lights are off. Bought this a few years ago from Just Trains in Delaware. This is the first time using it in a layout, and I should have used it sooner.
@Mark Boyce posted:Excellent, Garrett!
thank you, sir!
in the next few posts, I will spotlight some features around the layout
first is a shelf for the transformers and remote controls. this is the first time I built a specific place for the transformers. it is very helpful to keep things organized and off the floor
Looks great! The older I get, the less I like the floor.
@Garrett76 posted:spotlight on the control panels for the 10 operating accessories on the layout. I used arcade game buttons and mounted them on some 1x5 lumber
Excellent idea, well-executed!
@Garrett76 posted:
This is soooo much a Mark Boyce THING. .......which is of course a good THING.
@Mark Boyce posted:Looks great! The older I get, the less I like the floor.
This is your THING Mark..........which is, of course is a good THING.
Dallas, you are so right!! I spent too much time on my knees crawling around working on electronic equipment. I even laid on the cold concrete floors and steel grates so I could see what I was doing on equipment mounted 6 inches off the floor. I hurt my shoulders reaching above my head as well, when I couldn't climb into the cable trough. When I was 51, I moved into engineering, and I always tried to design equipment to be mounted above the knees but no higher than eye level, just to help the guys out. (It was kind of like mounting the equipment in the strike zone!!) Now at age 65, I wish I hadn't had to crawl and kneel so much!
Sorry to digress, Garrett! I never want to stop encouraging middle age guys to think like you are in getting off the floor. All of your spotlights look great! Excellent layout.
That came out great! I like the presents underneath which act as skirting.
@Mark Boyce posted:Dallas, you are so right!! I spent too much time on my knees crawling around working on electronic equipment. I even laid on the cold concrete floors and steel grates so I could see what I was doing on equipment mounted 6 inches off the floor. I hurt my shoulders reaching above my head as well, when I couldn't climb into the cable trough. When I was 51, I moved into engineering, and I always tried to design equipment to be mounted above the knees but no higher than eye level, just to help the guys out. (It was kind of like mounting the equipment in the strike zone!!) Now at age 65, I wish I hadn't had to so much!
Sorry to digress, Garrett! I never want to stop encouraging middle age guys to think like you are in getting off the floor. All of your spotlights look great! Excellent layout.
You are da man Mark.😉
@Mark Boyce posted:Dallas, you are so right!! I spent too much time on my knees crawling around working on electronic equipment. I even laid on the cold concrete floors and steel grates so I could see what I was doing on equipment mounted 6 inches off the floor. I hurt my shoulders reaching above my head as well, when I couldn't climb into the cable trough. When I was 51, I moved into engineering, and I always tried to design equipment to be mounted above the knees but no higher than eye level, just to help the guys out. (It was kind of like mounting the equipment in the strike zone!!) Now at age 65, I wish I hadn't had to crawl and kneel so much!
Sorry to digress, Garrett! I never want to stop encouraging middle age guys to think like you are in getting off the floor. All of your spotlights look great! Excellent layout.
discussion of back pain is on target for this project. my back was KILLING me after painting the backdrop. sitting in a non-ergonomic chair and hunching over caused me acute lower back pain that lasted for days. then while that was going on, I was on the tile floor under the layout and wiring the operating accessories. now I have broad based muscle aches and pains that cause me to wince every time I go over a bump in the road. It's all wearing off but will definitely try to do things differently if there is a next time, lol
we had an open house Christmas party last weekend and the operating accessories got quite a workout. I would say each item was called into action at least 50 times, so all total about 500 activations on the layout in 2 days. Everyone seemed to have pleasant enjoyment playing with the old school tech
I'm glad the layout was a big hit!!
@Garrett76 posted:discussion of back pain is on target for this project. my back was KILLING me after painting the backdrop. sitting in a non-ergonomic chair and hunching over caused me acute lower back pain that lasted for days. then while that was going on, I was on the tile floor under the layout and wiring the operating accessories. now I have broad based muscle aches and pains that cause me to wince every time I go over a bump in the road. It's all wearing off but will definitely try to do things differently if there is a next time, lol
Garrett , you can be happy at least in knowing how much you have sacrificed for thr hobby .
here's a video tour of the whole setup
Excellent job, Garrett!! Very festive!
here's a tour around the layout at night
Outstanding work, Garrett!
I'm working on tear down of the benchwork and thought I would share some info about the underside wiring.
There are two sets of wiring, one for the right side track and one for the operating accessories across both sides.
For the right side track, I fed the Lionel terminal wires through this hole in the foam. The the wires connected to a piece of Fastrack.
Underneath, the Lionel wires were held fast in the teeth of some alligator clips
The alligator clips were connected to two very long wires which ran the length of the table
At the far left end of the layout, the wires were connected to the Accessory Posts on a Lionel CW-80 transformer. I used the Accessory Posts for constant voltage out to power the Fastrack. My Christmas loco is a LionChief+ unit and it runs on constant track power
The loco is on a transformer shelf for easy access and ergonomics
I'm an amateur at wiring and working with electricity. The takeaway for new hobbyists is that it is very easy to wire a loop of track even from a long distance away.
As I mentioned in the previous post, there is a wiring set dedicated to the operating accessories. A basic illustration and explanation is in order.
First, I cut 2 wires the length of the table from left to right. On the left, they are connected to the track power posts on the same CW-80 transformer. I wanted to be able to adjust the power to affect the brightness of some of the lights and the speed of motion on some of the accessories. On the right side, the wires are not connected to anything. Then, for each accessory, I created a path for electricity to move from the (+) bus wire to a push button switch, then continuing from the switch to one terminal on the operating accessory, then continuing from the other accessory terminal to the final destination of the (-) bus wire. That was the general thought process. Each accessory was connected and tested. Some accessories were that simple. Others had additional features which required additional wiring. There are 10 button switches. I also had two other accessories (arch bridge with lights and billboard with lights) that were connected directly to the bus. When the transformer power was on, those accessories were lighted. The bridge lights were a helpful indicator to me if the transformer power was on or off.
to keep the bus wires taut without sagging, I designed in a counterweight system. At the right side of the table, I added a screw to the underside. The bus wires passed over the top of the screw with a few inches of excess hanging down. Then, I added some old screws to a ziplock bag and attached that to the end of the bus wires. It had the effect of adding some tension to the bus wires and kept them up near the table. I thought it was a clever idea.
At first glance, it was a mess under there. Since it's been a few months and I need to clean up the room, my first inclination was to go for speed and just cut it all away and trash it.
Then I mused how easy it would be to setup next year if I reused what was already in place. So, under the table I went with a roll of blue painter tape and a sharpie. I labeled every switch and wire. Each button switch contain a module that pops in and out of place with a 1/4 turn. I did not have to disconnect any wires from the button switches. The only wire disconnects were from the operating accessory feeder wires in order to retract the feeder wires through the foam table surface.
In most cases, there were only two wires connecting to each button switch (see # 5).
the wire lengths varied for each operating accessory depending on the position of the accessory on the table and the path the wires had to follow to complete the circuit
The button switches do have the capability to illuminate via an internal LED bulb. I started to wire some of them for illumination (see # 7) which is why there are additional wires. My numbering system is 7P (for power) and 7L (for lights).
After disconnecting all operating accessories and push button modules, the wiring is on the floor. I will locate a decent size plastic bin (the type for storing items under a bed) and attempt to gently coil the length of wiring so as to make it easy to extract for next use. I have learned to use newspaper and plastic bags to keep the wiring elements physically separated so that they do not tangle. Fingers crossed for how it works out. That is all I have to say about the wiring of this project. Hope it gave you some ideas for your own layout. It really was easy to do one step at a time.
Garrett, I like your idea to keep wires taunt enough so they don't sag. My wiring seemed taunt enough when I wired, but some are sagging now. Since I kept wiring near the front edge, I could snag wires when putting things under the layout.
Your 'wiring harness is well done and will save time when you setup again.
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