Snow Arrives at North Pole

[AKKevinT]

Here are few pictures from our Christmas layout. I will post a few more as I work toward completion. The layout is 4' X 12', two train operation with one siding. One end is tunneld so tree sits on top with no interfering one with the other.

Looking down from our undecorated tree into the North Pole Village. 

 

Here is the village center with the Workshop and a passenger station. Snow has begun falling on part of the village.

A little closer look at Santa's Workshop.

A view of the [assenger station through the trees and over the snow.

How did this 614 Alaska switcher get all the way out to the North Pole.

Here is where the strange storms snow line begins and ends in the village. Look like the hanger is still operational and being preped for the big night.

 

More pictures to come as the tunnels get finished, mountains arrive, more snow and trees appear.

Kevin T, 

[darianj]

Nice work Kevin!  Looks complete as-is.  I look forward to seeing the completed product.

[cnw1995]

Brrr, looks cold.

[Jumijo]

Great layout, Kevin!

 

Jim 

[dbaker48]

Kevin,

Nice job!  The scenery is great, really looks real!  What did you use for snow?  Nice trees.  When are your sunrise and sunsets? 

[lionelsoni]

At the north pole, sunset should be at about half-past September, and sunrise half-past March.  However, at North Pole (AK) it rises and sets around noon this time of year.

[wrmcclellan]

Nice work Kevin!

[Brutus]

Very nice layout!

[ChiefEagles]

Nice job Kevin.  See if you can cover Ohizo about waist deep in it.

[AKKevinT]

I'll be darn if the rest of the North Pole Village didn't get snow tonight and a few more trees popped up.

Thank you for all of the positive compliments on our Christmas layout. I have added a couple more photos tonight. I hope everyone enjoys these. Here is a clearer night shot of the station. 

 

Here the station again with a freight train rumbling around the curve at night.

Here is a track level shot of Sanyta's Hanger and workshop factory at night.

Here is the the village central shot at night.

Here is a shot of the layout with only natural moonlight coming in through one the livingroom picture windows. Trees in the background are some birch trees in our front yard. I just missed getting the moon into this shot but I thought it was kind of a cool shot anyway.

One last one, we decorated our tree tonight so here is a shot of it. You see the viewing portals we added to the side s and end to watch the trains run under the tree. Yes the tree is real tree and no it is not from Alaska. We thank the good folks in Oregon for this tree, we whimped out a bought a tree this year instead of cutting our own. (Local trees look pretty scrawny compared to this noble fir anyway.)

 

I used an olympus stylus 400 digital camera set on night scene mode for all of the pictures except the tree shot. Some where hand held and some on a tripod.

Thanks for looking at these I hope these inspire some others to crank it up and start putting together a Christmas layout.

Chief: I am not sure if I am a good enough aim to hit Ohio with several feet of snow from way up here, but I will give it a try. We just ship the stuff south and figure it get to someone who really needs it! Heck if I could do that I should steal a couple feet for us here in Fairbanks.

Good Night and good morning from Fairbanks!

Kevin T.

[AKKevinT]

Bob: Your pretty close to right on about the October down and back up again in April deal with daylight but it happens North of us by about 175 miles!

Here is todays sunrise and sunset numbers:

December 7, 2006	Rise	Set
Actual Time	10:35 AM AKST	2:48 PM AKST
Civil Twilight	9:16 AM AKST	4:08 PM AKST

And yesterday temprature marks:

	Max Temperature	Min Temperature
Normal	5 °F / -15 °C	-14 °F / -25 °C
Record	52 °F / 11 °C (1934)	-59 °F / -50 °C (1935)
Yesterday	22 °F / -5 °C	-3 °F / -19 °C

Only a couple of more weeks and we start gaining back our daylight! We can dig it!

Kevin T.

[lionelsoni]

Kevin, you'll notice I made a distinction between the north pole and North Pole, AK...;-)

It's actually not that snowy in Fairbanks and North Pole (about 15 miles away, along the Alaska Railroad).  I've seen vastly more snow living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  I've heard that the Fairbanks area is technically a desert on the basis of its annual precipitation, but doesn't look like it because half of what there is gets saved up over the winter as snow.

For those who might want to see Fairbanks in real time:  http://arcticcam.com/cam/  The view is looking south along Cushman St. from the north side of the Chena River.  Unfortunately, both the railroad and my old high school are behind the camera.  That's Immaculate Conception Church to the left.  It was famously dragged across the frozen river in 1911 at the instigation of one Father Francis Monroe, SJ, after whom the school was named.