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.