Model railroad layouts plans

Scott has been in touch with his Christmas tree train story.

I’m already feeling very festive, and Scott’s story made me smile so I hope it spreads some Christmas Cheer:

“When the 1970 musical Scrooge was first released, I sat with my family in a very grand movie theater in the Maryland Suburbs of Washington D.C.

My father, who at the time was just getting started in life and probably had to sacrifice a bit for us all to be at the showing, wanted his family to see this side of Christmas.

My dad a couple of years earlier had obtained a massive train set for me at GC Murphy’s — a regional discount department store.

It was a place where he had scored a temporary position as floor help during the busy Christmas season of 1966. Apparently, it was just enough to make Christmas happen for his fledgling family.

I imagine his employee discount and low sales of discounted electric trains were the only reasons I could have received my amazing “American Flyer, All Aboard” train set as a gift.

By Christmas of 1970 we had moved out of a city apartment and into an old house in the country (only about 13 miles from Washington D.C.).

The house had a damp, cold dark root cellar type of basement with an unlit exterior entrance which was even scary at high noon in the middle of August. This root cellar’s back most room was where my electric trains were relegated when we moved into the house.

This is where I spent most of my non-school waking hours in those days. It was there in the dimly lit cellar I became fascinated with engineering, science, and electricity.

The most memorable day of my 8th year on the planet (1970) was just before Christmas. Late in the afternoon of this cold and gloomy day, I was busy playing with my trains in the chilly dark recesses of the basement.

I came upstairs but once to get an extension cord and some alcohol and cotton swabs to clean the tracks. Seeing me out of the inner sanctum, my father explains to me it is time to put away the trains because we are going to the movies. I protested, asking why and what for? He proceeded to tell me the story of an old man at Christmas time with many regrets.

Before I knew it, we were in our Plymouth Fury heading to the Langley Park movie theater. From this moment on, the images and memories are indelibly etched in my mind: The beautiful music, the modern cinematography, Ebenezer’s redemption, everything.

But there was one problem with all of this — I was too young for the terrifying scenes of Scrooge wrapped in chains in his eternally frozen counting chambers surrounded by rats, cold, dark, and loneliness.

So, while thoroughly enjoying the experience, and looking forward to getting home to the pre-Christmas joy of my railroad empire, something had changed.

That evening, before dinner as I raced to the root cellar, my ears felt perpetually pinned back like a cat who hears something from behind.

As I reached to open the haunted door, I found myself checking its backside to see if Jacob Marley’s pigtail might be protruding. After ensuring the door was not haunted, I began the long walk down the hallway towards the back room, I half expected to see a phantom horse-drawn hearse float by wishing me (the Governor) a Merry Christmas.

By the time I made it to my trains, the room seemed (in my imagination) to be Ebenezer’s frozen counting chamber in Hell, and I was sure I could hear the rats. The clanking of dinner silverware being set upstairs sounded to me as if the devils were on their way with my chains.

It was too much for my 8- year-old mind, I banished myself from the root cellar indefinitely.

The spell finally broke Christmas morning when my father, once again, surprised me with more trains he had picked up at a hardware store near his office on Connecticut Avenue and 14th Street. And just like when Scrooge promises to find a cure for Tiny Tim, my father proclaimed to me, my trains could be brought up stairs and set up more permanently in my bedroom.

What a grand Christmas it was in 1970!

Scott”

Supporting saw horses shaped as Christmas trees

This year the center piece was a Christmas tree train

Christmas tree train:

Also note the benchwork details… the supporting 1x4s are Christmas trees

The Mini craft Church from 1953 Complete with Stained glass ablaze awaits Christmas eve worshipers. Control Panel includes 150 Watt Transformer with Current and Voltage Monitoring meters.

Santa & his Sleigh with team of Miniature Reindeer are visible as a silhouette over the Signal Bridge

Fast Freight wisping by as Rudolph signals the block is occupied with his “Nose So Bright”

Christmas Candied Canes out for Delivery

---

A big thanks to Scott for sharing his Christmas tree train story.

There are more Christmas model railroads here.

That’s all for this time folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you get started on your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

PPS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.

Need buildings for your layout? Have a look at the Silly Discount bundle.

It’s that time of year again – thought it’s time for a Christmas model railroad edition!

“Hi Al,

This is Judy from Wyoming and I enjoy making scenery for railroads of all sizes.

This is one of my latest after we got the Jingle Bell Express train for under the Christmas tree.

I made sections on foam board, then placed them in and around the track, under the tree.

Judy”

“Hello Alastair

Wishing you and all our fellow modelers a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Here is just a bit of photo fun I had on my layout, when a man in a red suit and long white beard suddenly appeared, took the train from one station to the next and then was seen going down a chimney…

Henry”

Christmas model railroad:

“Hi Al!

I know it’s not up to par compared to other layouts, but this one encourages me to do more with the layout you see in the background.

Eric”

Eric has done a great job because it’s all about making that start.

You can look in wonder at so many brilliant layouts, but do you know what? They all had to start – at some point, they made their first layout.

Now on to Dan:

“Dear Alastair:

Enclosed is a shot to two cars I did, one for me with the Delaware and Hudson livery, the other for my brother in law who models the Union Pacific. These answer the question,”How does Santa get his reindeer food?”

I created the decals with the same process as I describer earlier on the pumpkin cars. As to the reindeer food, it is a dry sifted proprietory pig food mix donated by my nephew colored with some diluted raw sienna pigment.

It has the look of distillers grains, which is the by-product of making ethanol (US gasoline has 10% ethanol) from corn. It is used as silage. Ground-up rabbit food or any other dry material would work as food, including sawdust, which may even be preferrable. I top coated the loads with a flat medium to seal them.

If you can’t post, no worries, but thought you might enjoy a look.

Thanks, Al, and best wishes for the continuation of your wonderful site.”

Over the years there have been lost of Christmas layouts – here’s another:

Model railroad Christmas layouts.

Dale’s is great too:

Christmas model train.

And Scott’s:

Christmas tree train.

Now on to Todd.

He’s not making a Christmas layout, but it looks like it’s going to be good:

“Good day to you al I have been wanting to send you some pics I just don’t know alot about hi tech devices. Let me know if you need want to know more about this layout ho scale 36×14 midwest theme.

I use duct sealer for my scenery very pliable just spread with a brush and paint there you go water clean up piece of cake.

Have a great one!

Todd”

A huge big thanks to Todd.

I always get mails asking why I post ‘half built’ layouts – it’s simple because that’s where the fun and the magic is.

What’s more, it shows that every layout is just a mess at first, so never be afraid to get going and make a start.

Hope you enjoyed the Christmas model railroad – should I post a few more? Please let me know in the comments below.

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you grab the bull by the horns, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

PPS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.

Need buildings for your layout? Have a look at the Silly Discount bundle.

Dan’s been in touch with his model train display at his local bank:

“Al,

Here is the model train display I have been doing for 32 years now. It is in the lobby of a local bank.

It is 20 by 12 HO. The bank lets me store it at the bank. My model railroad club and friends help set it up and take it down each year.

All scenery and buildings must be removed for storage. It gets bumped around some in the process.

It is not a MODEL railroad it is a DISPLAY railroad. I have no idea as to how many have visited. They begin asking if the trains will be back in early October. I sold advertising to cover the cost to keep it running.

I have worn out over 30 locomotives over the years. We redid the outside rails on the curves once.

The trains run during banking hours. I calculated that the trains have run 500,000 scale miles over 31 years. The track is 1 scale mile around.

I have learned a lot about the black stuff that gets on the rails. It is micro-arcing caused by the plating on the loco wheels wearing off. The very tiny sparks produce soot. This requires constant cleaning of the tracks and loco wheels. See the photos.

At the beginning parents were bringing their kids to the bank to see the trains. Then it was those kids bringing their kids. Now it is those kids bringing the GRAND kids!

The model train display track cleaning cars in use. I have had these for years. Walther’s has these I believe. The price is pretty high.

The tank cars have alcohol 70% that drips on to a pad. The odd looking cars have a roller that I employ to soak up the alcohol. Alcohol can be used with this car by it’s self. Either car can be used alone. I think this set up works best. There is NO abrasives used. Abrasives scratch the rail and gather more of the gunk shown in the next photos.

Here is what the cleaning looks like. I put alcohol on a paper towel. I run the locos front truck over the towel and press down lightly and run the loco back and forth by hand. I repeat with the other truck.

As I mentioned in the intro, there is micro-arcing causing the black gunk on the rails. The “good wheels” show a little of the black stuff that was picked up just while running. These wheels are rather new.

The worn model train display wheels show just how much the arcing has done. Both locomotives ran for just 1 hour.

Here is a wheel set taken out of service after about 3 years. Look closely and you can see the plating is gone and you can see a brassy look to the worn areas.

Model train display:

Metal wheel sets also get the worn look after a time. This tank car has been in service for 5 years. The advertising cars are worse. They run all the time. All of the other rolling stock is swapped out from time to time. Remember the trains run for 30 days during banking hours. That is 248 hours.

It is a long month. But it is worth it.

I have helped start many layouts. In fact, today December 6, 2023, I was helping a gentleman work out some problems with his track design.

Dan*”

A big thanks to Dan for sharing his model train display. It’s a wonderful narrative of how the attraction of trains stay with us all of lives.

Dan is our latest member of the Hall of Fame by the way.

You can see on his model train display above his signature ceiling tile technique for the mountains. If you missed that ‘how to’, here it is again:

Model railroad rocks

Here’s another good example of it as well, stunning stuff:

Dan’s post also reminded me of Cal’s track cleaning post:

Cleaning model train track.

And Brian’s, which is another display layout:

Display layout HO scale.

Now on to Julian:

“Hi Al,

Thanks for your great mail, and to your audience who make 85% of it happen!

I have had a model railway since I was 4 – first on the dining room table, then as we were banned, to the dining room floor, then a 6×4 ply sheet. I have to say the ubiquitous 6×4 is the worst possible size as when you are 6, you cannot reach the centre!

Then my parents moved around, so the rolling stock, layout, etc was sold as we moved with the Armed Services.

At University, a special offer on a narrow gauge set caught my eye, so I started to build again. I think I was the only student with a trainset!

Then more moving, marriage and moving conspired to see it sold.

My children and I built a large N-Gauge set in our loft – it was huge, but the loft was too hot in summer, and too cold in winter! A G-Scale garden railway was a better success. Again moves saw the set dismantled and sold.

Then since my wife decided to go on holiday with a bunch of ladies, what better time to start again, but with some firm outlines in place; it had to be modular, and the maximum width 1 Meter. Module 1 got built, then I suffered a heart attack at 62 – so to the disgust of my wife, and amusement of our friends, this built module sat in our lounge for a couple of years. A fire gutted our garage, and this was a perfect opportunity to turn it into a train room!

Instead of letting the set grow organically, I planned and sketched what I wanted to see. Its a mix of artistic creation, childhood memories, and manual skills I used to use as a surgeon!

Here are the sketches, and a couple of views of Module-1. As the layout comes together, I’ll write some more.

Regards,

Julian”

That’s all for today folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you get started on your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.

PPS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.