I always have multiple projects going on. Right now I'm changing over to DCC on my existing layout while also planning my next layout (years away from building). But an idea occurred to me that I may actually work on the next few months.
I imagine it's near universal for model railroaders to include a loop of toy tack around the Christmas tree every December, but I'm thinking of making a Christmas/ornamental layout that could actually be called a model railroad.
It would be Z-scale to allow something that could be portable (stored the rest of the year) and yet have enough complexity to be more than just a toy loop. I have in mind a Z-scale layout I built on a cork bulletin board back when I lived in an apartment. Scenery would be snow-covered and Christmas-themed, probably a small town decorated for the season, with a passenger depot.
It'll still be mostly a toy loop, or at least a circular mainline will be a requirement since it'll have to run unattended during the annual Christmas party. But I'd like to elaborate around that loop with enough operational features to show it was made by an actual hobbyist.
I'm willing to bet that others in this hobby have done this kind of thing before. Anyone have any pictures or ideas that might provide inspiration? Or just that you'd like to show off?
Meanwhile, I'll post now and again on what I come up with for a plan.
You're right, this type of thing has been done before, and it does make a nice holiday addition. The one article I have in my notebook is from the Dec 2000 issue of RMC. As I remember it it was in HO. At the top of this page go to RESOURCES, then Index Of Magazines and do a search for Christmas layouts or Holiday layouts for more information.
I bought my wife the materials for an N scale layout a few years ago. So far it is a 4x4 piece of plywood that the tree stands in the middle of, with a temporary tunnel, several holiday buildings, but no perminant features, but someday it may progress.
One thing you might want to concider is the scale if you plan to have it under the tree. When I had my Lionel under the tree, years ago, the tinsel was made of tinfoil = shorts and tinsel wound around axles. I would think that even a small needle off the tree could cause problems with Z scale. If you are just going to have this on the sideboard, it shouldn't be a problem.
It would be a good way to try some experimental methods of scenicking, could easily be changed during the year if you think of some new ideas.
Have fun,
cowmanAt the top of this page go to RESOURCES, then Index Of Magazines and do a search for Christmas layouts or Holiday layouts for more information.
I hadn't noticed that index feature before-- thanks for the tip! (In general, not just for this project.)
I'm thinking of a sidebar, definitely. If I was going under the tree I'd stick with a large scale for that very reason. I have a 3'6" x 2'6" table that at that time of year houses a set of those "Christmas village" buildings. That's the same size as my old Z-scale bulletin board layout, which it why I thought of it. (Plus I have a nostalgia for Z-scale, which is what I always used before I bought a house with a spare room, and if you can't indulge your nostaliga on a Christmas toy then what can you indulge it on?)
I could go up to 4x3, hanging over the edge of the table a bit, and still have something that would fit under the peninsula of my main layout for storage the rest of the year.
Anyway, if I start planning now I might just have something ready to show by this December.
I'm in N scale. I felt the scale was too small to run under the tree, so I put it IN the tree!
A closer look:
Yes, all it does is go 'round and 'round, but that's all I really wanted. It was a big hit with the whole family, not just the grandkids! So much so, that when it broke one year and I didn't put it in the tree, everyone complained about it! Needless to say, it was fixed and fully operational the following year and every year since! LOL
This year, I'm planning on an On30 layout for under the tree. I think that will be big enough without taking up too much room. Would have preferred full O scale, but the tracks would stick out too far into the room. Using HO tracks keeps the trains under the tree.
Of course, the N scale will still be IN the tree!
By the way, the tree is artificial. It separates into two sections, top and bottom. I built the N scale layout to fit between the two sections. The layout is cut from 1" blue foam in the shape of a wagon wheel so it's appearance wouldn't overpower the tree.
Darrell, quiet...for now
dgwinupI'm in N scale. I felt the scale was too small to run under the tree, so I put it IN the tree!
I love it, very cute! I'll have to try something like it (in addition to what I'm planning).
In the pictures it appears to have a slight tilt-- it must be hard to keep it level-- do you find this causes any problems with trains toppling off the tracks?
I did a surprise small Christmas layout a dozen years ago for a lady who said she always wanted a train but never got one from anyone because she was a girl.
I did an N scale layout about 2 1/2 by 3 feet with the intention of representing:
Just a plain loop, no turnouts or grade--but the terrain had the grade. A road that went up a hill to cross over the track on a wooden bridge. The track went through a cut because railroad tunnels seem to be an overdone cliche on small layouts, and they are not typical of Missouri. The layout included a general store at the corner, a farmhouse where holiday visitors were arriving in the driveway and being greeted, and a church (a made-in-China brass ornament that was painted with flat paint etc to approximate a scale model) with a live nativity scene. Lots of bare skeleton trees and a light dusting of snow.
The lady, who is somewhat of a psychic, wanted to know if I had somehow read her memories-- she was sure she remembered that scene from somewhere when she was a child.
Which of course was a main idea.
Here's one I did a few years ago. A few slabs of 2" foam and some white sculptamold, maybe 5 or 6 pieces of flex track. It's a continous circuit, no turnouts, and it just runs round and round. I use my Atlas Shay and a couple of freight cars.
Lights in the structure are a must... All put together, and I achieved the desired result...
Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
wm3798Here's one I did a few years ago. A few slabs of 2" foam and some white sculptamold, maybe 5 or 6 pieces of flex track. It's a continous circuit, no turnouts, and it just runs round and round. I use my Atlas Shay and a couple of freight cars.
Very nice, especially the reaction from the target audience! This is exactly the sort of thing I'm picturing.
Here is my N-scale "ornamental layout":