You've got mail! Tis the season Extra Mail and Express Trains

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

My railroad operated this extra train (3 loco units and 22 cars) for all of those packages of Christmas Presents

Has anyone else operated similar trains in December? Post your pictures, too.

[tomkat-13]

Those were the good ole days!! No UPS, FEDX ect....Remember the Sears, Wards & J C Penney's Christmas Catalogs! Those were the "wish books" for all us kids. In St Louis We would go Downtown to see the  toy trains run in the Department Store Windows. Nice looking train.....Love those big silver "Q" E-units.

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Thanks Tomkat.  Yes, the times have changed. Train watching was much better in that era. I lived near Q's triple tracks west of Chicago from age 5 to 18 starting late 1940's. Watching the 120 trains per day on that line at that time period beats anything now. BTW I have roots in St. Louis because my Dad was from there.

[NeO6874]

I can't for two reasons --

 

1. My "layout" is Bachmann EZ track with 22" curves on the floor (passenger cars don't like that)
2. Don't have any head end equipment
   

However, if the club layout is completed enough to run trains by next Dec (hopefully so, we only have about 20' of modules to lay track on, and then wire the beast -- we just ran into a snag with needing (and not having) 8' of bridges to run across a module... weren't thinking ahead there) I will definitely have a Christmas Special running around.

[last mountain & eastern hogger]

Garry,  I just love that trick corner building you have, what a great idea for an inside corner.

 And love the "Q" stock as well.

I prefer to run an RPO with my CZ. even though it isn't prototypical. I still like the looks of it with the baggage car. Makes the front of the train look very business like.

Johnboy out.................

James:1 Verse:5

[loathar]

Those were the good ole days!! No UPS, FEDX ect....Remember the Sears, Wards & J C Penney's Christmas Catalogs! Those were the "wish books" for all us kids. In St Louis We would go Downtown to see the  toy trains run in the Department Store Windows. Nice looking train.....Love those big silver "Q" E-units.

I'd have the ink worn off the pages by the time Christmas rolled around.

I like that corner building trick too!

[ModelTrainLover]

I got no pics but I do have Video.  It may a bit dark. even though I had all the shades up and the light on.

http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h181/Trainboy13/?action=view&current=MVI_0854.flv

http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h181/Trainboy13/?action=view&current=MVI_0856.flv

[leighant]

Not a holiday express train, but a number of years ago, when I had a "skeleton" layout with only the unsceniced trackage intended for a future staging yard, I ran a yard switching problem based on my Christmas shopping list.

Each freight car represented a gift.

I had gifts obtained from the mall, from specialty stores, from the discount store, from mail order.  I set up the cars representing gifts in blocks as if they had come in from through trains, locals and interchanges (mail order).

Then I did yard switching to classify the cars in order for their destinations, some for local friends, some that I would take with me on my Christmas trip home, some that I would ship out.  It was a way to practice freight yard classification with a special meaning.

[sleeper33]

being an ex postie i've never ran 1 but have helped load a few

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Thanks for comments. Again, I appreciate Tomkat's chiming in. Good luck, Dan w/ club layout. Johnboy, we modelers use our modelers license to make things look how we want them, and a CZ RPO would be one of those. Loather, my Sears catalogs were worn out on the pages with Lionel trains. Colby, thanks for sharing videos. Leighabt, I enjoyed reading your the gift yard classification idea. Sleeper, good to hear from England, and it sounds like you had some very heavy work.

Enjoy the Christmas season, everyone.

[ModelTrainLover]

Now the question turns to anyone who views this thread.

Do YOU have any holiday trains running on your layout you would like to share with the rest of us?