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Post by edlloyd on Nov 8, 2024 21:18:13 GMT
I refuse to do the other Christmas decorating before after Thanksgiving, but over the years I know I have to start on the layout before or else it's just too much to do that, plus Christmas decorating, and everything else in the busy month of December. So I am starting this weekend with the tables and base and perhaps the rough outline of track. I try to do it different every year. I have city houses, mountain houses, small town houses, so it's always a choice to figure out what type of theme I'm going for. I also have a huge mountain I made that makes its way into a lot of my Christmas layouts. I haven't quite decided yet what to do. It's always a ton of work that I kind of dread doing every year, and I never have time to do everything I want to do, but it's always worth it in the end, especially when having family over to marvel over it. You should never dread doing a layout. Yes it is a lot of work but like you said it is worth it in the end. I suggest you put on a little Christmas music to get you in the mood and once the spirit hits you you'll be fine. I can say first hand until the spirit hits you it will be hard. The Christmas music does it for me.
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Post by david1 on Nov 9, 2024 0:03:47 GMT
 Two pictures of my year round Christmas and train layout! I will post pictures every week till Christmas. My layout is up year round and things are added and subtracted every summer. I have had trains running in my home and now my over 65 apartment for the past 58 years and its been great!! Dave Attachments:
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Post by healey36 on Nov 9, 2024 13:17:25 GMT
I have had trains running in my home and now my over 65 apartment for the past 58 years and its been great!! Fifty-eight years is quite a streak. Here it's been a bit more sporadic. Looking forward to seeing a few pics over the next several weeks.
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Post by ron045 on Nov 9, 2024 15:05:50 GMT
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Post by rtraincollector on Nov 9, 2024 17:03:50 GMT
Very nice, look great
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Post by healey36 on Nov 10, 2024 13:58:28 GMT
I was thinking about cutting my four-foot circular plywood under-tree platform in half, then inserting a two-foot-by-four-foot rectangular section in the middle. While this would provide quite a bit more space, it would also increase the width to six-foot...not sure the wife would go for that, especially when more than half of our small basement has been consumed by the main layout.
I'll probably stick with the 48-inch circle and work on floating the idea for next year.
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Post by steveoncattailcreek on Nov 10, 2024 14:18:38 GMT
This thread has got me thinking about doing a simple oval around the elevated base of our Christmas tree, similar to what I did back in 2019 (shown in the video beginning at 1:07 and again at 2:37):
Since the holiday tree is elevated on a table top to help our 9 foot artificial tree fill the two story space, I can do a simple loop around the top, and possibly another loop around the table's base at floor level. Hmmm . . . .
[FYI, other portions of the video (other than the prototype clips at each end) show the newly repurposed around-the-tree layout I'd pulled out of storage and resurrected as my COVID hobby, using the surviving rolling stock from my childhood train set, and bits and pieces I'd resurrected or added some three decades ago when our kids were the right age (the 12 to 14 foot live tree fit in the center circle). It had been mothballed years ago (too loud to run in our two story living space, per the wife!) when the kids aged out, and still serves as an animation showcase, and earlier as an experimentation workspace, back deep in the basement.]
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Post by david1 on Nov 16, 2024 5:56:23 GMT
Well my Christmas tree is going up this coming week for the first time in two years. Nobody sees it except me and some visitors. I decided that Why not and from now on it will be put up until I can't. Pictures will follow!
Dave
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Post by healey36 on Nov 16, 2024 14:33:16 GMT
Okay, spent a few hours pondering the track plan and platform for my round-the-tree layout for 2024...this is what I came up with:  It might be overly complex in areas; I'm rethinking it a bit  Let's keep this thread going!  |
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Post by Adam on Nov 16, 2024 15:06:23 GMT
Okay, spent a few hours pondering the track plan and platform for my round-the-tree layout for 2024...this is what I came up with: It might be overly complex in areas; I'm rethinking it a bit Let's keep this thread going! Very creative. I never thought of doing a circle around the tree. 
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Post by Adam on Nov 16, 2024 15:07:21 GMT
Step 1 done, took the plywood platform and legs out of the shed and moved them to the garage. I plan to put the village up either next week end or over the Thansgiving break.
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Post by healey36 on Nov 16, 2024 15:39:55 GMT
Step 1 done, took the plywood platform and legs out of the shed and moved them to the garage. I plan to put the village up either next week end or over the Thanksgiving break. This is staging, correct? The layout is set up in the house? Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. I did dig out the "brick" skirting I purchased last year that didn't arrive in time to be used. I plan to use a bit of it this year to get a 1950's look. I don't remember the stuff The Old Man used being corrugated, but this should work.  I think we'll get going on the actual construction the week after Thanksgiving. 
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Post by Adam on Nov 16, 2024 17:53:37 GMT
Step 1 done, took the plywood platform and legs out of the shed and moved them to the garage. I plan to put the village up either next week end or over the Thanksgiving break. This is staging, correct? The layout is set up in the house? Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. I did dig out the "brick" skirting I purchased last year that didn't arrive in time to be used. I plan to use a bit of it this year to get a 1950's look. I don't remember the stuff The Old Man used being corrugated, but this should work. I think we'll get going on the actual construction the week after Thanksgiving. Yep, step 1, staging. Gathering up all we need before the assembly begins.
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Post by david1 on Nov 16, 2024 19:34:31 GMT
 A few more pictures of my layout and Christmas display, Dave
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