My new holiday layout for under the christmas tree started


C

Chessie System

Member
I just started building my layout for the holidays under our Christmas tree but I decided to do something a little different since its just for fun.

I will be running 2 simple HO ovals on a 4'w x 5'3"L platform built out of 1/2 plywood and 1x3 lumber. I will be modeling a winter scene on the entire layout using Windham Heights ceramic village houses once available at the dollar tree store around my area. I decided to use these houses because of the $1 a piece price and the size is near scale. I will be using a covered bridge on the outside loop that my wife bought me last year for Christmas as well as a little scratch built bridge from balsa wood I made on the inside loop. I will be running Atlas code 83 flex track, DC operation.

My dad and I built the platform in mid Oct and I have been trying to figure out how I am going to lay out my Christmas village houses on it with the track, tree stand/skirt without it looking all congested.

I think I have the final layout figured out, and spent yesterday cutting out my foam hills from my paper templates as seen in the pics. I have allot to do and I am hoping to get it done quickly but will be working quite a bit of overtime at work this month so hopefully with a little more hard work and some longer hours in the basement I can still pull it off in time for the holidays. If I can't get it done in time I will paint it white for now and just lay the track for this Christmas and finish the seanery after.
 
Update info and pics

Thanks funvalleyline.

Update -
I have been chipping away at this layout in what seems to be little of my free time. I finished the foam contours, creek bed, bridges, and added trim to the fascia stained it with minwax cherry and put 3 coats of varnish on it and it came out terrifiic but it took a little longer then I would have liked.
Today I put 2 coats of semi gloss white on everything as a base color since it will be modeled in winter, I need to go over a few areas with a 3rd coat then I am done with the paint.
I have the lemax village pebble stone road already cut to fit which will go on as soon as I am done with the painting and then I have to lay the track, wire it and run the string of lights through to light up the village.
I will not be finishing it completely before I set it up this year, but its close and I'll be able to run trains for this year so I am happy with that. After the holidays I'll continue working on it, painting the rock faces, ballasting the track, adding the snow ground cover, painting the water and envirotexing the creek pond area, trees, etc...
 
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That's a pretty sharp Christmas layout you have in the making. Nice work! Good solid photo-essay, too.

-Crandell
 
Thanks guys :)

I just finished my 6 & 1/2" bridge track that will span my 5" scratch built bridge made from balsa wood. I used a piece of code 83 flex track and cut the tie joiners to slide the ties closer together and glued the tie gaps on the bottom side with jet glue. I also fabricated a set of guard rails for the bridge track too out of code 83 flex rail bent into v's at the end and soldered together, I glued the guard rails to the ties with the Jet glue. I'm pretty happy with it for a 2 hour project, I basically mimicked walthers bridge track with the design of my bridge and track. The whole thing only cost about $8 to build.
 
Nice looking job but, out of curiousity, why didn't you just slide the rails out of the flex track and spike or glue them directly to the wood deck? Not to say there's no prototype for what you did but railraod typically didn't add ties to a wood deck bridge like that. You got the color just right, though, and I'm sure it will be close enough for a Chistmas layout.
 
UP2CSX said:
Nice looking job but, out of curiousity, why didn't you just slide the rails out of the flex track and spike or glue them directly to the wood deck? Not to say there's no prototype for what you did but railraod typically didn't add ties to a wood deck bridge like that. You got the color just right, though, and I'm sure it will be close enough for a Chistmas layout.
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I wish I had asked about that before I built it, never crossed my mind to spike the rails directly to the bridge. I'll leave it as is for this layout but keep that in mind for future builds.
 
When I first read the thread topic it got me started thinking about the 1:29 and O Scale 2-Rail models I own that are basically just static displays: Hey! I could buy a simple oval of each gauge track and run these trains around the Christmas tree, just like when I was a kid (chronologically -- some people say I still act like a kid with my trains).
 
Update

Update, Saturday night late I painted the nail heads rail brown in prep for laying track on Sunday. Also painted the rails and guard rails for bridge tracks Sat night as well, really happy with the way this all came out so far, I will do paint the rail on the entire layout after all the track is layed.

I ran a loco on the inside loop last night to test rail joints, etc... No problems. Started laying track on the outter loop, should finish that up tonight. Hopfullly tommorow I'll be wiring...
 
Very nice progress. This will look like a nice piece under any Christmas tree, with just enough whimsy and just enough scale modeling. I'd love to do something like this but, with three cats, I'm lucky to keep ornaments on the tree. :)
 
Update

Well I got the platform up stairs last night in the living room, going to set up the tree tonight. I have some things to work on while its up stairs but its up there and trains will be running tonight. I real quickly last minute painted the water area with a coat of blue laytex paint left over from painting a room. That's one of the areas I want to finish correctly after the holidays.
 
Now that's the kind of layout my wife would like, with Mickey and Minnie over by the station. Great job - even that blue latex looks like a frozen stream. :)
 
UP2CSX said:
Now that's the kind of layout my wife would like, with Mickey and Minnie over by the station. Great job - even that blue latex looks like a frozen stream. :)
Click to expand...

That's my wife's input :D I wanted trains under the tree and she wanted a winter village so we compromised and this is what it came to, I like it because its different. Next year it will look better after its finished.
 
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