~G4
19 Years old, modeling the Cowlitz, Chehalis, and Cascade Railroad of Western Washington in 1927 in 6X6 feet.
The pics that I posted above, show MTH Realtrax mounted on that platform, I liked the looks of the realtrax better than the Fastrack, and I have piles of the stuff. I would however reccomend Fastrack, MY experience has been that Fastrack electrical connections are more reliable than the realtrax connections. Realtrax also tends to loosen up a bit after being put together and taken apart repeatedly, I have heard that Fastrack is much better in this respect, but this is the first year that I have used Fastrack much. In my pics above, you can see the Realtrax lighted lock-ons, I do like the Realtrax lock ons better from the more user friendly stand point, but the fastrack power hook up connections are out of sight under the track, which I am undecided about, it is nice to be able to see how bright the lock ons are when trouble shooting power issues, but having the track power connections out of sight, like with Fastrack makes for a cleaner looking layout.
For a permanent layout, my choice will be Atlas O 21st Century Track, but if you are not going to screw it down to a table top, then track with roadbed is a better choice.
I like Lionel starter sets myself, especially if you are intending for it to be a Christmas tree layout, and don't expect go Command Control. The Lionel starter sets often include an operating car. I would reccomend looking at Lionel's Rio Grande Fast Frieght set, it includes a nice looking and running Berkshire jr, boxcar tank car, and i don't remember which, but either a dumping log car or a side dumping coal car, and a Caboose. Charles Ro had a great mail order price on these recently, it would be worth taking a look at.
Doug
May your flanges always stay BETWEEN the rails
Doug, thanks for the info. I think Im going with a Lionel starter set. I should be able to pick one up from excess Christmas stock. 36" sounds good.
Santa Fe all the way! Wow, what a response to my thread. I really enjoyed reading all your posts. I think I found my reason to buy a Lionel starter set. Stupid question, whats the diameter of a simple circle of track in your basic starter set? I need to know if my existing, antique table is big enough.
Wow, what a response to my thread. I really enjoyed reading all your posts. I think I found my reason to buy a Lionel starter set. Stupid question, whats the diameter of a simple circle of track in your basic starter set? I need to know if my existing, antique table is big enough.
A Lionel starter set now usually includes a loop of 036 Fastrack. In O-Gauge track curvature is measured as DIAMETER, not as RADIUS, like most smaller scales. Fastrack 036 is a 36" diameter circle, but the built in roadbed maks it about 40" diameter overall. Most starter sets also include 4 10" straight sections to make a 40x60" loop.
MTH brand starter sets usually include a loop of 031 Realtrax(also with built in roadbed)
Fastrack curves are available in 12" diameter increments, 036, 048, 060,072, 084, and I don't recall how many more
MTH offers curves in 031, 042,054, 072, and I don't recall the rest, but these would be about what MOST would use under a Tree.
The older style "Tubular" track is available in 027, 031, 042, 054, and 072, this type of track is really good for the Nostalgic effect, reminiscnt of trains from the 40's, 50's and 60's.
Ther also other brands and sizes available, but the above cover the most common and available.
I will have to get some pics of this years tree added to the trains, but I have 2 loops of 072 (I'm running the big Scale size articulatds this year) with a loop of 054 inside of those.
Here is some pics of previous years version of my Christmas Tree, Carpet & Western.
YES! For the first time in years I have an HO running under the tree!
SPECIAL thanks to Darth Santa Fe for selling me a good Chat Choo Choo drive so I could rebuild my dead fathers train to run under the tree! You Da MAN Darth!!!
I don't have a train around my tree, but I must say (as an N-scaler), even though I'm not personally into large-scale trains in general, if you're gonna have a train circling your tree, HO and smaller won't cut it. It's gotta be a large-scale, preferably Lionel O27.
just set up the 1941 lionel tinplate. my dad said it was the last year for metal toys. WWII had started just a couple of weeks before Christmas that year ...
still runs fine - the cars are in good shape, three green passenger cars, two labeled 'pullman' and an observation. the loco's a little rough though - the pilot and one of the marker lights are broken off - years of happy playtime
eric
I wish I was a headlight
On a northbound train
Normally, I have the O-Scale Polar Express around the tree but I just did not get it up this year.
CSX RobertI've got one that I put in my tree every year
I don't think I'd try that with this in the tree
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
(Finally some time alone....)
Threw a quick layout together with Kato UniTrack (26in radius, 28in straight away) to run our Burlington Zephyr (Con-Cor HO). The buildings are from the yet to be finished downtown Springfield scenic module. The Zephyr looks good running on the curves (have a short video clip), which is good as the layout will have 28in radius mainline.
A Merry Christmas to All (who celebrate)
Alan
Co-owner of the proposed CT River Valley RR (HO scale) http://home.comcast.net/~docinct/CTRiverValleyRR/
Have had a Lionel semi-oval loop under the tree in the family room for a few years now. And then this year we added another Lionel oval on a 3'6" x 7' board (sitting on sawhorses and covered with the white 'snow' blankets) in the living room. Wife wanted a tree in the living room, so we bought a 4' tree for the 3'6" x 7' board and put her Christmas village on it.
Next year I'd like to make that board an HO layout.
Enjoy,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FsBgJKfe-A
Merry Christmas,
Gregg
It depends on the scale of train and the set you get. Here's a link where you can see basically what's available. Most should have the oval size they come with.
http://www.trainsetsonly.com/
Springfield PA
Yep. Got my dad's 56 year old American Flyer Hudson pulling three coaches. I restored this to operating condition a year or so ago and wanted to show my dad when he comes down. It was his when he was just a boy. And now I run it under my tree and my 4yr old daughter loves it. Let's hope it's still around and chuffing away when I'm 60. Merry Christmas.
I would like to but just to many animals. Three cats, and two dogs. Maybe in like.............5 years .
"Rust, whats not to love?"
Yes, A MTH Harley Davidson Train....
Of course, wouldn't be Christmas without out it. Its a 1946 vintage Lionel that was my Uncles when he was a boy. It got passed down to me because I had trains. The 2-6-2 engine pulls the train around the tree. Both of my older (4 and 2) grandchildren rush right up to the tree and ask for the train to run. Then we sit and watch it, go around and around. The train running keeps the cats away from the tree. Well at least while the train is running. Over the years I've have both an 'N' scale and 'HO' scale train under the tree. That really kept the animals away, something about 12 volts and wet noses LOL
"Merry Christmas to all"
John
Nope! Not one, but TWO!! LOL
A small circular N scale layout nestles in the (artificial) tree. I built it several years ago. It was broken one year so I left it out of the tree. Nothing but complaints about it missing from the tree! Needless to say, it was repaired in time for the following Christmas!
I've wanted a train under the tree for a long time. I felt HO was a bit too small and O gauge took up too much room to be viable. For Christmas last year, I surprised myself with a few On30 trains and vowed to have a little layout under the tree this year. Having had almost a year to plan the layout, I procrastinated long enough to have to hurry just to get something under the tree!
Here's a link to my Christmas Layout album on photobucket: http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/dgwinup/Christmas%20Layouts%202009/
I think the On30 is perfect for what I wanted. It operates well on the 15" radius curves mandated by space constraints and it's big enough to be easily visible under the tree. It's also small enough to leave room for more presents under the tree, a MOST important consideration from MY point of view! LOLNow if I could only convince the Superintendant (the wife) that the living room needs a G scale shelf layout near the ceiling, I'd be in train heaven! ROFL!
Having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have!
MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone! (Do your best imitation of Jimmy Stewart when you say that!)
Darrell, quiet...for now
If I couldn't get a train around the tree, it would not be worth setting the tree up. This is our 28th year running. Through the years the trains have been N, O, G, O-3 rail, and Lionel battery powered (BRIO size). Our philosophy is that if there isn't a train, it an't a christmas tree. Reminds us of the times when a Lionel Train set topped almost every little boy's Christmas list.
This year there is a simple double track main line with two crossovers and a two car spur. G-gauge 1:20.5 scale narrow gauge w two Christmas passenger train. We used the thin tree this year (the others are in storage) so it looks a little funny.
R. T. POTEETA couple of years ago one of our eight months old kittens got into the branches on our Christmas tree and managed to topple it over onto the tracks. For awhile my trains didn't run around the Christmas tree, it ran through the Christmas tree!
A couple of years ago one of our eight months old kittens got into the branches on our Christmas tree and managed to topple it over onto the tracks. For awhile my trains didn't run around the Christmas tree, it ran through the Christmas tree!
Which is why my two cats aren't allowed in here with the tree up. Last year, I'd gotten my office organized and got the loop of track down on the one half of the room. When I put the tree up, I only put the lights on it and then let the cats in to see what they would do. Granted, I only let them in here when I'm in here. Well, Chessie went over to the tree and just stared at the lights. Casey Jones went right under the tree and started rubbing up against the branches, causing the tree to sway. So, they're banned from the room until January.
Kevin
http://chatanuga.org/RailPage.html
http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html
I have a mismatched set of modern boxcars (CSX, BNSF, CN, and so on) pulled by a WM F7 and a CP caboose because, well, that's what I picked out of their boxes at random.
Hopefully next year I'll have my Hudson working. It'll feel a little more right for Old Time Christmas.
For the first time in my 63 years we have a train running around the tree. It's a Bachman G scale loop. It's our starter set for the yard next summer.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Tom
Life is simple - eat, drink, play with trains!
Go Big Red!
PA&ERR "If you think you are doing something stupid, you're probably right!"
Yep I got the ol lionel out again. I have my moms scout and cars, her alco AA set in burlington colors and a 2-6-2 2026 I got for christmas from my father in law a couple years ago. My wife and I have started collecting christmas village stuff to have under the christmas tree.
alco's forever!!!!! Majoring in HO scale Minorig in O scale:)
richg1998 Not anymore. The 0-27 Marx Tinplate noise will drive anyone out of the house in short order. Rich
Not anymore. The 0-27 Marx Tinplate noise will drive anyone out of the house in short order.
Rich
That could work to your advantage if you had annoying relatives like I do. Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Will
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.