How about some photos and videos of your Christmas Tree Layouts!

Finally got our Christmas layout done 

My daughter asked if we could set up her set this year, so I did

Al

Chris Lonero posted:

Waiting for Santa 🎅 

found my new favorite pic! 

This is my first post.  

My Christmas train focus is operation.  I also solved the problem of gifts encroaching on the tracks by mounting the tree stand on CMU’s (makes the tree taller too) and adding a extension platform for the presents to rest on.  Guests love the makeshift tunnel.

SafetyTom posted:

This is my first post.  

My Christmas train focus is operation.  I also solved the problem of gifts encroaching on the tracks by mounting the tree stand on CMU’s (makes the tree taller too) and adding a extension platform for the presents to rest on.  Guests love the makeshift tunnel.

Tom, Your first post!  Welcome to the OGR Forum!  Your Christmas train is well thought out for maximum functionality.  Yes, my wife wraps so many gifts, you can't get them around the Christmas tree either.  I'll look forward to hearing from you again!

Depending on what ends up under the tree, the maxi stack cars get repurposed for present transport. 

Train disaster, dumped water all over the tracks.  The black dog did not do it. But after cleanup the Lionchief engines still run. Oldmike

We have another energetic youngster, so are keeping things pretty simple this year. 

Homemade flatcar to haul Terence the tractor and Harold the helicopter around.

Great pictures and videos!

Here's my contribution.  I kept it simple this year because of some back problems.  B&W photo is from a few years ago.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Don

greetings to all...

a picture from the past...On30 train and the cardboard village houses i make as a hobby...

Howard

www.littleglitterhouses.com

www.cardboardchristmas.com

As I said in my earlier posting, I have put my 2026 on layout duty for the holidays, and transferred my parents' Christmas trains to the coffee table:

The crossing gates were hand-made by my grandfather, for his own Christmas layout, in the Thirties.

Getting ready for dinner but here’s a quick shot! Merry Christmas fellow fotumites!

My under the Christmas tree layout is (gasp) n-gauge.  My dad purchased this set in the early 70's to run under our family Christmas tree.  I run my o-gauge trains elsewhere.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Joe, N is good!  I ran HO and N since the last ‘60s until about 6 or 7 years ago!  Merry Christmas to you in The Burgh from me in  Butler!

Past 3 o'clock on a cold, frosty morning … merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

I like the focus and color on this, reminds me of my night shots from the 60's... you can see the yellow brio train under the potted tree if you squint at it just right... 

2368 A & B taking their annual excursion around the tree.

Santa brought my son some old cars for a new engine

This is for you, YanksPride4:

Merry Christmas,  Arnold

Just a simple, though expanded, loop this year for the Polar Express diesel set that got me back into the hobby during Christmas 2014.  

Merry Christmas!

My Dad's handwritten Lionel inventory circa 1950 and the original train set running today:

We scaled things way back this year, in honor of our newest family member. I left out my Santa pylon, fake snow, cars and people. Also chose to run my RMT Beefs and Peeps, rather than risk my son’s Troop Train. She has actually been really good around it, which shocks me, so we will go back to normal next Christmas. We did have a guest dog walk up on the platform yesterday, but no damage done.

Pingman posted:

My Dad's handwritten Lionel inventory circa 1950 and the original train set running today:

Joshua Lionel Cowen stated that when you buy a Lionel Train you are buying it for your great grandchildren!

NYC Fan posted:

Pingman posted:

Joshua Lionel Cowen stated that when you buy a Lionel Train you are buying it for your great grandchildren!

So true. That has happened in my family. My parents' great grandchildren play today with the trains they bought for me. I know that is also true for many Forum members.

The expression about pre-war and postwar Lionel trains can be changed to: "an investment in happiness for generations." Arnold

Scrambler81 posted:

We scaled things way back this year, in honor of our newest family member. I left out my Santa pylon, fake snow, cars and people. Also chose to run my RMT Beefs and Peeps, rather than risk my son’s Troop Train. She has actually been really good around it, which shocks me, so we will go back to normal next Christmas. We did have a guest dog walk up on the platform yesterday, but no damage done.

The guest dog looks like a toy train enthusiast if I ever saw one!!

Mark Boyce posted:

Scrambler81 posted:

We scaled things way back this year, in honor of our newest family member. I left out my Santa pylon, fake snow, cars and people. Also chose to run my RMT Beefs and Peeps, rather than risk my son’s Troop Train. She has actually been really good around it, which shocks me, so we will go back to normal next Christmas. We did have a guest dog walk up on the platform yesterday, but no damage done.

The guest dog looks like a toy train enthusiast if I ever saw one!!

She’s not the guest, she is the resident dog, Pearl. I expected her to run all over the platform, but she never did. She sometimes puts her front paws on it, just to get a closer look, but that is it. We didn’t add the buildings until Friday night, we gave her lots of time to get used to it.

Here's my layout from under the tree this year: https://youtu.be/_VDfUJHd_z8

My late dog, Sally, a German Shepherd mix and Alpha female, used to bark her head off when I ran the trains. I think she thought the trains were a snake. LOL,  Arnold

Scrambler81 posted:

Mark Boyce posted:

Scrambler81 posted:

We scaled things way back this year, in honor of our newest family member. I left out my Santa pylon, fake snow, cars and people. Also chose to run my RMT Beefs and Peeps, rather than risk my son’s Troop Train. She has actually been really good around it, which shocks me, so we will go back to normal next Christmas. We did have a guest dog walk up on the platform yesterday, but no damage done.

The guest dog looks like a toy train enthusiast if I ever saw one!!

She’s not the guest, she is the resident dog, Pearl. I expected her to run all over the platform, but she never did. She sometimes puts her front paws on it, just to get a closer look, but that is it. We didn’t add the buildings until Friday night, we gave her lots of time to get used to it.

Well that is good Pearl is well behaved!

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

My late dog, Sally, a German Shepherd mix and Alpha female, used to bark her head off when I ran the trains. I think she thought the trains were a snake. LOL,  Arnold

Our Annie barks at the trains every time I run them.  I can't put a train under the tree because she waits for the locomotive to come around then nudges it off the track.

My son and couldn't leave well enough alone.  Since the last pic I posted...

I dug out an old Lionel station I got somewhere in a bag. It was really poorly assembled was missing all the doors and a small wall. We popped off the inset panels and painted them red (formerly yellow), the roof grey (to hide the glue stains) and replaced missing the doors and wall with balsa.

On Christmas morning the kids came down to find that the Hogwarts Express (HO) appeared like magic!  My buddy had given me the Hogwarts coaches and I painted up a Triang Princess class to be the loco.

Runs like a champ!

Then a couple days later we also rearranged the town. 

Got sucked in by half-off Christmas stuff at Menards so a vinyl brick mat (with an envelope laid in the middle) and a bag of Lemax trees were acquired to give a nice town square with lots of room for displaying buildings and toy cars. 

Also added some construction equipment, phone booths, a bag of Lemax trees and I tied some equipment (trailer and loader) onto Menards flats to improve a work train.

Need to enlarge the white cloth now but that probably won't happen til next year.

I have absolutely loved looking at the holiday trains you folks have posted. Hope you all had fantastic Christmases!

Excellent Eligi!

NYC Z-MAN posted:

Getting ready for dinner but here’s a quick shot! Merry Christmas fellow fotumites!

Wow Jim, looking great. I think if you keep adding to it, you'll need a bigger room!

Doug (Bulldog_65) & Christine's 2018 Christmas layout. I stumbled onto the CP Holiday Train engine at our local hobby shop last Christmas. Christine loved it (says it's her train). Now we have the whole set and we both really love them! I'm more of a Lionel diehard from childhood...but the CP Holiday by MTH is a home run.

This was my elaborate display for 2018.  I had the train, an ETS O-gauge 2-6-0 and Christmas train already on the entertainment center, so I added Mom's ceramic tree.  The etched plexiglass  light behind is a gift from my cousin in 2016.  It depicts Baldwin no. 26 on a run in the Steamtown yard. 

Mark Boyce posted:

Excellent Eligi!

Thanks Mark.  

I've committed pretty thoroughly to HO, but I'm having a blast with the O stuff and I know I'll be looking forward to improving my Christmas O-gauge setup each year. 

Still couldn't leave it alone!  Added lights to the buildings today courtesy of a String of 6 candelabra bulbs on a wire with switch I found at Menards.  Intended for Ceramic buildings I swapped the bulbs for LED's to keep from melting the old plasticvilles.