What Christmas train will you have this Year?

I'm torn.  I will either run my newly acquired 2330 with some freight cars, or my newly acquired 2333 Sant Fe AA with the 2500 seies passenger cars.  I also have an all original Thunderbird  set that I like to run as well.

I have the CP train as well as several other prior issue MTH large Christmas diesels to choose from, plus an MTH Christmas tinplate set, so I've not yet decided which I may want to use this Christmas season. Ran the Polar Express (w/Bluetooth) last year, and that worked out just fine as far as visitors were concerned.

Every year I setup the same two set - My dad's Lionel Prewar freight set (224e, whistle tender, and matching cars).  Along with his prewar Chicago Flyer set.  Those 2 sets have been under my Christmas tree since I was a baby.  I look forward to unboxing those trains every year.  The sites/sounds/smells reminds me of my childhood and times spent running trains with my dad.

I will have the Santa freight set and would like to get a couple more holiday cars to go with it.

Most likely it will be the Tenth Anniversary Polar Express set from a few years ago and the Christmas Express set we bought last year.  On the other hand, I have been toying with the idea of running a couple non holiday trains this year.

I’d like to smooth the running of my Dad’s 1932 #262 and run that.  It sounds like a coffee grinder! 

Jon

I have the Christmas disconnect cars.....I may run the behind the Nutcracker General.

Peter

It will depend on if my boys want the Polar Express or the Christmas snow blow with Christmas cars. Last year they picked the Christmas train, so I would imagine it will be the Polar Express.

The postwar 2046 set will be running around the tree on tubular track, as it has since 1951(?).

VL GG1 pulls scale Polar Railroad freight train around a large, temporary FasTrack layout.

This is the first I've thought about Christmas. Thanks, Dave! Santa's coming! 

I run my dads #706 electric profile engine Two passenger cars and baggage car from 1915. I also made my own Christmas train. Years ago I started a tradition of decorating freight cars and naming them for each of my grand children. That worked well when I had only 4 of them I used a plastic bodied steamer on an oval of o27 track. As my family grew I kept adding cars until I now have 10 grand children And need to pull the train with a K-line mikado on an o42 loop. Three years ago It became too difficult for me to get up and down to the floor so I built a table for the train. We are now expecting our first great grand child so I guess I'll have to make another train. Last year we gained two grandsons in law so I put them on a hand car chasing the train. 

I will once again be running a christmas tinplate set under the tree.

-Greg

Well, I have the LC Bluetooth PE I bought last year with the snow on the car roofs.  Second is the Hallmark Toymaker my wife asked me to get about 3 years ago.  So those will be running.

I also have a Frosty the Snowman  set and a nice conventional North Pole Central 0-6-0 and caboose that I think I may put up for sale, so I can afford to buy the family Christmas presents.  It's been a tough year financially for us.  That's quite alright!  We have plenty!! 

Another vote for this one:

As a kid growing up in the 50's Christmas meant toy trains and Christmas gardens.  Well I still love toy trains so this year's theme for the Christmas garden is "I LoveToy Trains" and will featuring MTH's "I Love Toy Trains" dockside switcher with all the "I Love Toy Trains" cars.

On our Christmas layout, I'll run both my O27 Polar Express and Polar Railroad trains.  I'll also set up a nice big carpet central O72 loop in the basement so I can run my (Older) Scale Polar Express.

Here's my North Pole Central Christmas train.

My postwar Lionel 671 will be pulling the Polar Express tender (a Polar Express tender shell on a postwar tender, lol) and passenger cars this year.  

If anything (we have a doggie) it would be the Polar Express we got right after the movie came out. 

For me...the PE.

I don't have an actual Christmas train theme I will probably have one of my prewar 262 with 262T and some of my prewar 810 - 820 series cars. 

Polar Express.  

I like to run a collection of Angela Trotta box cars and various Lionel Holiday box cars with a K-line NYC semi scale hudson and a postwar 6119 DL&W work caboose loaded with foil wrapped presents.   Second loop, will be  the  4-6-0 red NPC loco pulling all the reindeer passenger cars.  Third loop, all of the 027 polar express cars and 36166 PE reefer as a front end car.   This requires using a more robust steam loco (671/681)  with the PE tender.

Haven't decided yet, but choices include modern Lionel Union Pacific Fast Freight starter set, Hogwarts Express (not Lionchief) set, great grandpas first train set that I was given before he passed with a 224E, and several other prewar or postwar choices that could pop up when the tree is set up.

This year my Christmas train will be AWVR #1206 on an O42 loop

Std Gauge 384 Christmas passenger and freight sets. This assumes I can get the POS P3 to function again.

Steve

All of them!

I am sure our youngest will choose something.

Last year we had a Alaska theme. 

Nick H

We’ve had the original Lionel Polar Express, and MTH 4-6-0 for years. This year we added the MTH 2-8-0 and MTH North Pole RR Berkshire. I’m sure my grandson will be changing them daily, if not more often!

Same as last year, the MTH Railking Imperial ES44AC lash up with my MTH Freedom Railking Imperial ES44AC on the outer loop, on the inner loop the Lionel Polar Express, and the Lionel Happy Holidays GP7 on the High Line,  plus whatever Xmas car I buy for 2018.

The Polar Express.

Our “Christmas train” is always the Lionel WWII Troop Train, which my oldest son received for his first Christmas. I do have two Polar Express sets, the original and FT passenger set, and they will surely run laps around my basement layout, but the Troop train rules under the tree. 

 Just had a sobering thought. We bought a puppy yesterday. Keeping her away from the train should be fun.

Nick12DMC posted:

I am sure our youngest will choose something.

Last year we had a Alaska theme. 

Nick H

Many years ago, our local hobby shop had the Alaska starter set on sale for around $100 and I came within an inch of buying it for myself.  I was so glad I didn't because Christmas morning, guess what was under the tree...    My wife surprised me with the set which was a huge deal because money was so tight.  Seeing your picture brought back a very happy memory.

Gandalf97 posted:

Nick12DMC posted:

I am sure our youngest will choose something.

Last year we had a Alaska theme. 

Nick H

Many years ago, our local hobby shop had the Alaska starter set on sale for around $100 and I came within an inch of buying it for myself.  I was so glad I didn't because Christmas morning, guess what was under the tree...    My wife surprised me with the set which was a huge deal because money was so tight.  Seeing your picture brought back a very happy memory.

Nice story Eric. This set also has a story as it was a gift to our youngest and myself from my father in law. The in laws did a trip to Alaska and Canada. They rode the Rocky Mountaineer and wanted to bring back a model of that train but found that no one made an O gauge model. 

On their way back to the U.K. they stopped off in New York and FIL visited Trainworld and purchased individual items to make this Alaska set as they also visited the Alaska Railroad.

Nick H

My postwar 2026 has been my Christmas train since I received it in 1951.  And it will be my Christmas train again this year.

Lionel Christmas dockside switcher with all the reindeer cars and the Lionel Christmas General, recently fixed, with various Christmas freight cars. 

Polar Express  and hopefully with the new observation car from the LCCA. On the second loop will be the Dept 56 Train bought from Allied Trains with some added on holiday cars. Had Mike when he had  TAS upgrade the engine with comand and railsounds a few years back.

Uncle Jim's 671,224E,and Dad's/Uncle Jim's Marx Commodore, on my Uncle's platform

johnstrains posted:

Another vote for this one:

Ditto🤩

Here are my 3 candidates...