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Will You Run a Train Around the Christmas Tree This Year?

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Posted by Shock Control on Monday, December 7, 2020 2:26 PM

BurlingtonNorthern2264
...Our first cat as usual is well behaved around the trains, she likes to sit and watch them go around. She does seem to have some sort of attraction to cabooses, which means I need to choose my caboose choices carefully.

Do you think this may be the real reason why cabooses were eliminated from freight trains?!?

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Posted by Track fiddler on Monday, December 7, 2020 2:45 PM

Shock Control

 

Do you think this may be the real reason why cabooses were eliminated from freight trains?!?

 

LaughLaugh

That's it SC! 

All this time I thought it was because of the development of GPS to save on labor.  Now I realize it's because too many people and cats like cabeeseLaugh  The railroad just doesn't have time for that sort of thingLaughWink

 

Funny stuff

 

 

 

TF

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Posted by NittanyLion on Monday, December 7, 2020 3:25 PM

I've never done one, really.  This year, though, my wife said she wanted something under the tree.  After debate on the matter, we decided to go classic and have a Lionel O27 set on the way.  

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Posted by BurlingtonNorthern2264 on Monday, December 7, 2020 7:26 PM

So that's why they got rid of cabooses. At least mine are rugged enough to sustain some rough handling, once the cats know I have Genesis tank cars it'll all be over.

I ended up running my superdetailed F7A/B pair with some Rivarossi passenger cars to make a really, really short Empire Builder for the cats, and luckily no derailments occured. I'm feeling hopeful this time.

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Posted by Pennsy_I1 on Monday, December 7, 2020 7:35 PM

I'm starting to change my mind about not running a train this year, assuming I can get my track out of the boxes it went into before the move.

Assuming things go to plan, I'm going to run some of my older equipment that I plan to rebuild from the rails up anyway (once the holidays are over), so if some grab irons get broken, it won't matter. I might run some of my better equipment, but I'll make sure to not leave it alone. 

For me, the biggest issue has always been the poor quality of my existing track. Hopefully with some cleaning the power can get where it needs to go.

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Posted by joe323 on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 10:17 AM

Actually we ended up using one of those plastic "Holiday" train sets under the tree. Never ran it much anyway in the past

My Lionel Hanukkah train sits above my layout all year round now anyway.

Joe Staten Island West 

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Posted by Shock Control on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 10:39 AM

joe323
My Lionel Hanukkah train sits above my layout all year round now anyway.

As I mentioned earlier, our white tree with blue garland goes well with the silver and blue B&O Budd passenger train running underneath!

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Posted by Ringo58 on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 12:02 PM

My lionel Yukon Special is in my backseat waiting to be set up today. Had to dig it out from the parents basement!

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Posted by Ringo58 on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 2:12 PM

Its up!

Happy Holidays everybody!

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Posted by Shock Control on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 2:44 PM

Ringo58

Nice!  Be sure to get a picture when the cat knocks it over!  ;)

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Posted by Ringo58 on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 2:49 PM

Shock Control

 

Nice!  Be sure to get a picture when the cat knocks it over!  ;)

 

He would never.......wait yes he would! Lives up to his name, Jack. Any guesses on the last name? Laugh

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 5:19 PM

Ringo58
Its up!

It looks like Christmas!

I had a cat knock over one tree. He climbed to the top, and then it fell over.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by Shock Control on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 6:49 PM

Ringo58
He would never.......wait yes he would! Lives up to his name, Jack. Any guesses on the last name? Laugh

Jack B. Quick?

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Posted by Ringo58 on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 6:55 AM

Shock Control

 

Ringo58
He would never.......wait yes he would! Lives up to his name, Jack. Any guesses on the last name? Laugh

 

Jack B. Quick?

 


JackAss. he's been living up to his name this past week with the tree up!

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Posted by richhotrain on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 7:52 AM

Ringo58
 
Shock Control 
Ringo58
He would never.......wait yes he would! Lives up to his name, Jack. Any guesses on the last name? Laugh 

Jack B. Quick?

JackAss. he's been living up to his name this past week with the tree up! 

Wow, what a meanie and what an awful name.

Cat lovers of the world, unite. You have nothing to lose but your tree!

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by Ringo58 on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 8:29 AM

richhotrain

 

 
Ringo58
 
Shock Control 
Ringo58
He would never.......wait yes he would! Lives up to his name, Jack. Any guesses on the last name? Laugh 

Jack B. Quick?

JackAss. he's been living up to his name this past week with the tree up! 

 

 

Wow, what a meanie and what an awful name.

 

Cat lovers of the world, unite. You have nothing to lose but your tree!

Rich

 

It's the name he came with. I guess the people who rescued him said he was a real jerk and bit everyone. He's the best cat ever! 

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Posted by richhotrain on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 8:57 AM

Ringo58
 

 

 

It's the name he came with. I guess the people who rescued him said he was a real jerk and bit everyone. He's the best cat ever!  

Awww.

Alton Junction

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Posted by emdmike on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 10:26 AM

Yes, we are running trains around the tree this year prewar Lionel style with my 1938 OO set.  Using my portable show layout on top of our dog crate with a table cloth to somewhat hide the crate.  Enjoy the video and Merry Christmas from our family to yours!    Mike and Michele. 

Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome

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Posted by Boiler-man on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 10:36 AM
The wife and I have done one in the past but with 2 small grandkids one at 3 years & the other at 18 months, we decided not to do it this year as they would not leave it alone. Our son has one and he has it around the tree in their basement and I had to allready repair the engine for him this year to get it runnable again.
Boilerman
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Posted by dknelson on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 11:01 AM

I already unearthed my Lionel and Marx trains to deliver socially distanced candy at Halloween

https://youtu.be/WUgSJa4B56k

 
 
I think that is enough 3-rail for now.
 
Dave Nelson

 

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Posted by BurlingtonNorthern2264 on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 11:07 AM
Interesting use of model trains. Maybe I should put a "Collection Express" up at my church, where the train collects your offering. Nickel Plate Road equipment should work nicely...
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Posted by emdmike on Friday, December 11, 2020 1:39 AM

Here is a better picture of my prewar train under our little tree, which is also now decorated.   Mike the Aspie

Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome

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Posted by richhotrain on Friday, December 11, 2020 2:12 PM

Mike, I like that video of the train running around the tree. Simple but elegant. Brings back a lot of memories when my parents let me do that as a kid. Thanks for sharing.

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by emdmike on Saturday, December 12, 2020 3:37 PM

Thanks Rich!  I posted a new video in its own thread, now that I have the tree decorated, village lights all working and running my other OO Hudson that is a bit more healthy.   The one in the video has worn out motor brushes, so it runs noisy and not the best right now.  New brushes are on order.    Mike

Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, December 12, 2020 5:21 PM

emdmike
New brushes are on order.

It is great that you can still get parts for it.

What a classic beauty.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by emdmike on Saturday, December 12, 2020 5:25 PM

The motor itself is used in a few places in the Lionel line, even after the war, the water tower and the magnetic crane used the motor as well.  So basic parts and some common wear parts like pickup roller assemblies, along with the easily broken cast metal cow catcher are reproduced and available thru The Train Tender.     Mike

Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome

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Posted by angelob6660 on Saturday, December 12, 2020 11:32 PM

I been recently thinking about the new Micro-Trains Santa's Off the Rail Express set.

Santa

It reminds me of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation in the opening credits. I was hoping to getting the Z Scale version, but they only made one set this year being N Scale. 

A circle of track of 9 3/4 radius will be 19.5 inch round. To short for the Christmas tree setup being 8.5 inches.

It's one a few train sets that catches my eye that I really want to get. 

Modeling the G.N.O. Railway, The Diamond Route.

Amtrak America, 1971-Present.

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Posted by Track fiddler on Sunday, December 13, 2020 10:24 AM

We are missing our Christmas tree the last few years since we downsized seven years ago.  The train layout found it's way from the dining room table over to where the tree used to go a couple of years ago. 

I still have two of my three Greatland Express O gauge size trains that used to go around the tree that I just can't part with.

We still have many Christmas decorations around the place for the spirit of things.  I put one of my Greatland Express sets on the Hearth of the fireplace but it just sits there and looks good.

I'm thinking of making a tree with lights that can be hung on the wall that can be taking apart and put away in a small box every year.  Maybe I can have a permanent shelf that goes under the picture that I will swap out for this tree, to put my train on every year.

 

Downsizing certainly comes with its sacrifices and priorities.

 

 

TF

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Posted by emdmike on Sunday, December 13, 2020 10:30 AM

I have lived in small apartments and now a very small house since moving out of my parents place years ago.  So small layouts are my curse and my blessing at the same time.  I cannot fit a decent O gauge layout under the little tree, but the smaller OO keeps a Lionel under the tree, just in a smaller scale!  My reissue 700e from 1990 looks like a monster going around my little 4x8 layout in my tiny train room.  Hence the plans to build a 3x8 OO layout in there next year.  Mike

Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome

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Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Sunday, December 13, 2020 3:14 PM

Not the best lighting, but today I got the Christmas train set up.

 

 

 

 

In the last picture, note the lit headlight on the parked train, the parked train that is powered by DC. And no it is not a battery.

It is part of the magic of PWM control with the Aristo Train Engineer wireless radio throttle.

Sheldon

    

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