Well it’s time for your Christmas model railroads:
“Hi Al,
Been following along now for several years…
And each year I miss sending you something to post for Christmas so this year, I thought I’d get ahead of it.
This railroad layout? I call “Christmas on Sand Patch” As I grew up in Pennsylvania, on the B&O’s “Sand Patch” grade! As I model the B&O, in HO Scale!
And this layout is made to sit on the floor, with a 6.5 foot Christmas tree to sit on top of it!
The layout when not in use it stands up and folds in half by hinges….
I have SEVERAL electrical circuits in it, as well as 110 Volts AC for wall power the tree plunges in it and all lights up!
The Micro Christmas lights are LED, and have their own circuitry…. I will add pictures to see the under side, the top side as its being built, and then a video! PLEASE, ALL Enjoy!
Hemi”
And Karl has sent in this youtube of his Christmas model railroad:
“Hi Al,
This is my coffee table railroad layout for entertainment of my friends.
The big layout is in the other room, of which I will send you pics soon.
Hope our modelers group will enjoy it. My dog Charlie “noses” in a couple of times.
Thanks for all the work and assistance you provide to our group.
Merry Christmas and a happy Newyear to all of you.
Karl”
Karl and Hemi’s posts reminded me of Larry’s from a while back:
He put his engine shed (which is made from a download you print out) to good use around the Christmas tree:
A big thanks to Karl and Hemi for sharing their Christmas model railroads – they are always good to see to get the Christmas cheer going.
Here’s some more from last year:
Henrich’s Christmas model train
Bob’s Christmas G scale layout
Daniel’s model train Christmas story
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.
How do you manage to water your Christmas tree?
All I can say is WOW. Hemi you did an outstanding job. I thought that I would take a few months off after my impending retirement but I can see that I will be starting my Christmas Train project right away.
James,
As for my tree its artificial…. I would NOT cut a real one only to worry of pine sap getting on things, and ruining them! And the scenery on mine is white styrofoam, painted gloss white with latex paint and while it was wet, I sprinkled white glitter on it EVERYWHERE! except the track area… as the paint was done in 3 coats, 1stto cover EVERYTHNG, the track itself was spray painted white and then the rail tops whipped with a paper towel with Acetone on it to remove the paint ONLY to the top of the rails. Then after that was done a 2nd coat to really cover it, and then the 3rd coat only goes to the very edge of the cork, where the landscape starts…that’s is when it got the glitter treatment, and once it dried, I carried the whole folding layout base, outside and blew it off with my air compressor to TRY to keep loose glitter from getting everywhere….
Lynn,
Thank you! I began this little feat, in 2015…. I began it in July that year and had it worthy to go under the tree…. Working on it every weekend till Christmas! I designed EVERYTHING including the light circuitry, and controls for EVERYTHING as well…. the LED lights on the trestle blink, on steady, and fade by a switch that is hidden UNDER the house closest to the road bridge! That bridge, AND the trestle are all REAL WOOD stick built, one stick at a time to fit…. I EVEN molded the tunnel portals as well! The houses are all from Wal-Mart, when I started getting them they were $1.00 each, NOW the same size houses are $1.92! Most expensive houses are the water tower, and the blue house behind it across the tracks from the station on the right….Then there are several Christmas trees I decorated with working LED lights as well…. and they’re controlled the same as those on the trestle, one switch is behind a tunnel portal, thats removable, and then there is another control under the railroad station, ALL the houses are lighted too with the Candelabra lamp bases mounted into the layout itself!
Each year, I TRY to add something new, till I consider it “completed” SO for 2021, I added NEW LED street lights around the little town on the right, and ten right to the right of the road bridge, sits a Church that I added parking lot lights on the edge of it….
AND Next year, 2022? I plan to add TWO sound systems! one for train sounds and then another to play Christmas music!
Al, ca I upload a video of this working? I have a couple videos of it in action!
Merry Christmas Everyone! Enjoy, ~Hemi
Everyone, a video of my Christmas Layout named “Christmas on Sand Patch”
In action! ENJOY! Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! ~Hemi
https://youtu.be/0iUFQ3Iyghc
Very festive but….just one thing about running 120V or even low voltage wiring as such in photos. There’s a good chance of those bare wire staples piercing through the wire insulation or also mice love to chew on insulation at those points. And yes, it can result in a fire, absolutely. In U.S. all electrical wires and cables are installed with insulated staples per National Electrical Code (supposedly). It was a long overdue new law maybe 30-35yrs. ago?
I’m just saying, but do what you want to. I have enough things to fix daily it seems these days, why compound the problems by making your own. Here in ME a guy recently was trying to smoke out a snake den in his basement and burns down his 200yr. old house. Yup, this state is littered with rocket scientists.🙄🙄
Regards, Rich
Ah hah. Great look! Thats how mine started but I kept adding buildings to the layout and eventually, left the tree out but kept setting up the layout. 🙂
Pretty Cool………………..
Some great ideas. Love them. Merry Christmas.
I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Model Railroading was an absolute must for what seemed, every household and Fire Station in the area. There was not a house that we visited in the holiday season that did not have a display in the basement, attic, spare room, or under the tree.
As I mentioned, each firehouse would put their fire trucks and equipment outdoors to set up a 60′ by 15′ (usually O gauge Lionel display) inside. It was started in the late summer months and completed by Thanksgiving. Run solely by the assigned firemen, they had thousands of visitors each season (most leaving nice donations to support them for the following years display). My father would rush home from work to take us around to see each display that year. Often, when guests arrived to our house, we begged to go see the best display again with them.
OK, my question is, did I just luck out and grow up in the best train display area or was this commonly practiced elsewhere in the US or world? Just a curious question.
As a quick follow-up, I was LUCKY enough to have been able to go into downtown Baltimore and actually shopped at the Original MB Klein’s “hardware” store. Back then, you could find new, old, and in between stock stuffed in every floor space, cabinet, shelf or even in the storage area upstairs. The prices were ridiculously inexpensive too! This store was to precursor to the present day Model Train Stuff (still in Maryland). They have become one of the largest sellers of Walther’s HO products and model trains in general. They have shed the old stuff and no longer provide repair services, but it was so cool being able to experience their original store and courteous staff of helpful people.
Love it!
Thanks Everyone! I appreciate it!!!!
Rich B.,
The bare wire staples are OK as all my 110V wiring I triple sheathed, so there’s no chance the staples will go through it! As the gun that shoots them, is set to not shoot the staples “home”…. I MAKE sure of it once I shoot the staples EACH time! IF you look, even the smaller thin wire the staples are not fully “tight” so….
As for off-time the whole thing folds in half as if you look I got hinged that allows this and when stored, its got a storage cover that seals it and its kept in such a way mice and all can’t get to it so….. Its safe that way!
Merry Christmas, Best Regards, ~Hemi
I spent some time working for Teddy Klein bock in the 1670,s.
I spent some time working for Teddy Klein bock in the 1670,s. Actually, it was BACK in the 1970’s.
Hemi, when I was young, we had no artificial trees, and as I grew up and got married on 1955, we always had live tree. There was absolutely no problem with sap. Then when artificial trees came along, we felt that an artificial tree just wasn’t Christmas. Another nice thing about a real back then was after Little Christmas and the tree came down’ it was cut up and burned in the furnace,helping to heat the house sand making the whole neighborhood smell of pine.
Hi everyone. Great fun for Christmas to all. Keep running those trains!