Christmas Trains: Tradition, Beauty and Fun!

A train display at Christmastime is all about memories, traditions, and fun. A steam train running around a fir tree lets you think back to a simpler time. Setting up the layout can be a tremendous bonding time between Dad and the rest of the family. And it's a good way to start building traditions that your kids will carry on long after they've started their own families!

Even without a train, it's possible to put together a Christmas wonderland that both you and your guests will enjoy if you choose the right display items. It's amazing how many Christmas dioramas were inspired by memories of a train set!

While a train and a tree are a great combination, a train without a place to go is a very sad thing. So, the next step is to create a theme around which the scene is built. If we were writing a play, we would call this setting the scene. It's the introduction of the locale and the people involved.

The theme doesn't have to be complicated. It can be as simple as "a train running through farmland." Or you might choose "an urban scene from the 1970's." You might even go as far as choosing a specific time and place. I've seen a nice layout specifically built around Dallas, TX, with recognizable landmarks. Layout locations are as varied as layout builders!

Some folks enjoy taking full responsibility for the buildings on their layout, and enjoy constructing the buildings themselves. Railroad Model Craftsman and Model Railroader magazines frequently have plans for constructing structures and scenery.

And you don't have to be completely on your own when it comes to custom layouts. Woodland Scenics is a company that produces kits, accessories, how-to videos, and materials to help you create that special layout! Need to figure out how to get a freight car to look like it has actually traveled the rails rather than just popped out of a box, or how to make a town look alive rather than--well--plastic, or how to achieve the look of running water on the layout without flooding your living room? Woodland Scenics can help!

Have You Read This Book Yet?

I Think It's Really Nice! Great Holiday Book!

Whether you are building a model railroad, diorama, or any othe kind of winter display, you probably want some Snow. For a dusting, sprinkle the snow and spray with Scenic Cement (S191). For heavy drifts, apply Flex Paste (C1205) to your layout and sprinkle the snow on top. The snow comes in a handy see-through, reusable Canister Shaker (50 cu. in.) with a sprinkle/pour dual-purpose top! Easy to store!

Strasburg, Pennsylvania is in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country. Although the country is beautiful, and the food is fantastic in local restaurants, the best-known attraction in Strasburg is its railroad!

Yes, Strasburg has its own railroad.

The Strasburg Railroad was founded in 1832. Much of the early history has been lost, but it is known that the trains were running on a timetable by 1851. The February 22, 1861 visit of President Abraham Lincoln caused the railroad to purchase its first passenger car, which it used to transport people to and from the President's appearance in Leaman Place.

The railroad operated until 1957, when a series of storms caused sufficient damage to the track that the owners were unwilling to invest an amount sufficient to make the necessary repairs and return the line to regular commercial service.

So in 1958 the Strasburg Railroad became a tourist railroad.

When you visit Strasburg, have a tremendous time riding the train, and don't forget to look into sleeping in a caboose at the Red Caboose Motel.

Santa's Timeless Disney Treasures Christmas Tabletop Figurine

But you don't need to have the gardening staff at Disney World to have a garden railway of your own. Click the picture below to take a look at a wonderful garden railway.

And yes, it sometimes snows on a garden railroad, too. You'll even notice that they use the model trains as snow plows to clear the tracks!

Get ready to rock, because the King of Rock 'n' Roll® Express is rollin' your way in a special commemorative-edition train collection to mark Elvis's® 75th birthday anniversary! This sleek train set - the first-ever to be authorized by the Estate of Elvis Presley - is takin' care of business starting with Issue One featuring an impressive diesel locomotive. Next you'll receive Issue Two, the commemorative Elvis® 75th Birthday Car, which includes a FREE keepsake transcript of Elvis's® actual birth certificate! Then this HO scale train collection continues with Issue Three, the coordinating Elvis Presley® engine, which includes your FREE HO gauge track and Issue Four, another train car with Elvis Presley artwork, which includes your FREE power pack. Additional coordinating Elvis®-inspired train cars, each a separate issue, will follow.

This exclusive Presley® Collectible Electric Train collection features a classic diesel locomotive with a working headlight and illuminated passenger cars, each decorated with dynamic, full-color portraits of Elvis's® most electrifying performances and even a golden replica of his signature! Plus, the 75th Birthday Car features images of Elvis from childhood through his lifetime as a legend, and the official 75th anniversary logo. Available exclusively from Hawthorne Village, this train set makes the perfect addition to your village collection, and a must-have Elvis tribute for all fans! But hurry! Strong demand is expected - Click Here For More Information!

What Do I Need to Do Before I Store My Trains For the Year?

1. Clean the cars and the track. It will make set-up next year much, much easier.

2. Make repairs before you put your trains away for the year. I don't know about you, but there is almost nothing I hate more than getting ready to put together my Christmas layout and finding a damaged car, building, or figure. Make the repairs now, and you'll be happier next Holiday Season.

3. Make a list of things you need to do for next year's layout. Are there cars, figures, tracks, accessories, wires, scenery, etc., etc., that you need? They might be on sale NOW! Hobby shops want to get cash for their inventory . . . especially in hard economic times. If it's a small hobby shop you might actually be able to make an offer for a piece that you want and have it accepted. In hard times, cash is king! If your dealing with the owner, offer the cash rather than the credit card. He pays a fee to process the credit card.

4. PUT PADDING EVERYWHERE. Wrap your figures, your cars, your locomotives in some sort of protective material. Bubble wrap is good. Even tissue is helpful. We don't want delicate things to bounce around, hit against other things and break or scratch.

5. Lists and Labels are Your Friends! Make lists of items you have and clearly label the boxes in which you store things. "Where did I put those street lamps?" I asked the question over and over. I finally went out and bought a new set . . . two days before I found the old set.

Answer some questions and take some steps early and you'll save some headaches next year!
1. What was your favorite part of this year's layout? How can you expand on it?
2. What piece of equipment didn't look or function the way you wanted? Put it someplace where you will remember to work on it when you have nothing to do. A little touch-up on 25 things over the course of a year is a lot easier than having to do everything the Saturday after Thanksgiving!
3. What piece of equipment would you like to add? In a down economy folks are selling things at a discount! Look at hobby shops and train shops. Look on eBay for equipment being sold by folks who need cash! You'll be helping yourself and them! Things are always cheaper during the off-season.
4. What piece of equipment do you have that you want to get rid of? See #3, above. Sell it for cash at a garage sale or on eBay and use the proceeds to upgrade the equipment you have.
5. Now is the time to start acquiring the parts of the layout that you want to add for next Christmas. Looking around during slow times for hobby shops is a great way to pick up some deals. Don't forget eBay as a source for the cars and track you need!
6. Have you checked around for local model train clubs. The folks there can give you some great tips about the best or easiest way to create some of the effects you are looking for.
7. Read. Read. Read. Ideas will come as you look at magazines, books, and websites.

Don't forget to start early. Some projects take a long time, even for something as small as a double loop around the tree! If you are going to build a model house, kitbash a building, or even just touch up the paint on two or three figurines that your dog decided looked like tasty morsels, that is best done when you are not in the midst of heavy Christmas decorating. Spend that time around the Holidays enjoying your trains, not wishing that you had done something a few weeks or months earlier!

Now, Back to What You Came Here For!

Ultimately, train around a tree is about several things.
1. Nostalgia and Family History. It's a chance for us older folks to remember things from the past. For some, those memories come as they decorate the tree with ornaments. For some, baking and cooking helps us remember times, experiences, people long past. For Train-Folk, the recreation of or improvement upon our old Christmas layouts brings us back to moments which were important to us at the time--helps us to remember.
2. Intereaction with Family and Friends. Whether it's in the putting the layout together, or just sitting and watching the train go around the tree, we get the chance to talk with friends and family without the hassles of daily life interfering.
3. It's pretty. Colors, motion, sound. A model railroad just seems to fit in with the season and the decor. A bit of whimsy...a touch of fantasy, at a very special time of year.
4. It's fun. After all, for most of us a model train is a toy.

It's worth repeating...

At one time, most of my friends
could hear the bell.
But as years passed,
it fell silent for all of them
Even Sarah found, one Christmas, that she
could no longer hear its sweet sound.

Though I've grown old...

...the bell still rings for me.
As it does for all who truly believe.

Have fun, play, and enjoy the Holiday Season! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! And a Blessed, Merry Christmas!