Anyone else put model trains under the christmas tree?

EJames1226 · 12-13-2008, 03:46 PM

So back in the late 80s, my dad had a huge HO scale train collection, and buildings and a whole layout. Then we moved across the US to CA, and stuff got destroyed, not to mention i was a destructive kid so i broke a bunch of the trains.

Anyways, this year i will be setting up my dads old collection, and my small collection under the tree, complete with buildings, and what not. Was wondering if there are any other train collectors, or anyone puttin trains up under their tree this year, and if ya got pictures post em! I should have pics this evening or tomorow.

**vtjeepguy97** · 12-13-2008, 04:22 PM

i used to do that. my uncles rich an collected trains so i have some nice lionels (?) And i will probably put them under the tree this year because my sis is bringing her boyfriend homw for the holidays and wants the house all decked out. Im not a collector though, once my uncle realized that i wasn't really into the trains he just started to send checks.

AEagle326 · 12-13-2008, 04:26 PM

i have some plastic ones, but they seem to get in the way most of the time. I had a whole table of them back at my old house. But we sold them and got a good bit of dough off of them.

Avian · 12-13-2008, 04:27 PM

I used to do it. I didnt use HO though, I used the larger scale one, with the 3rd rail. The set used was from the 50's, and we decided to not use it anymore after the engine's power brush started arcing quite bad on the 3rd rail. We were afraid of it starting a fire on the carpet with the loose plastic snow.

We ended up getting one of those plastic battery powered sets, but it just wasnt the same.

**vadslram** · 12-13-2008, 04:56 PM

We used HO before but a couple of years back we got my son Lego trains. They are quiet, run smooth and aren't derailed by the ever present falling needles.

buzzbrick · 12-13-2008, 04:59 PM

I've got a set of 1940's Lionel o-scale trains that my grandfather gave me that I put up every year. Giant thick metal parts; they're tanks!

mylittlecj5 · 12-13-2008, 05:25 PM

I may dig out the kid's Thomas the Toy Train set and put it under the tree...but we are going to the M-I-L's house again, and we don't have a tree, so it won't be up long...

EJames1226 · 12-13-2008, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buzzbrick

I've got a set of 1940's Lionel o-scale trains that my grandfather gave me that I put up every year. Giant thick metal parts; they're tanks!

My grandpa has a whole set in his attic that i want! Those things are tanks for sure!

**kg4kzv** · 12-13-2008, 05:42 PM

I keep wanting to but with 5 kids and 2 grand kids money gets stretched. I have a couple of train sets that I keep meaning to fix up and put in my sons room on the slide out part of his trundle bed.

Maybe one day I'll find a nice lionel train to put under the tree.

Does anyone have a garden train? I saw one on one of those landscape shows or something. That was cool and I would like to set one of those up.

Chris.

**Jerry Bransford** · 12-13-2008, 06:08 PM

I went out and bought an O-Gauge Lionel set when my son was just over two years old, it was fun to set up under our Christmas tree. We no longer do it, partly because I had so many problems with the set... not made like they used to be I guess.

What rankled me was this... my parents gave me an American Flyer train set when I was real little, a competitor to Lionel, and when I asked my mom where it was after my son was born, she said they threw it out after I moved out to go into the military. When I was in the train store buying my son's Lionel set, he said my old American Flyer set would have been worth a lot of $$$ if my mom hadn't thrown it out.

iluvtruenos · 12-13-2008, 06:52 PM

HO from 96. Every year I run some sandpaper across the rails and never have a dead spot. Hmmm. I'm going to the basement right now, as a matter of fact.

SS 414 · 12-13-2008, 10:45 PM

My father and I used to set up his 50s-60s era Lionel O27 gauge trains under the tree. One year we decided to expand on his collection with newer Lionel trains and we started building a permanent train display in the basement.

We have the complete underpinnings/electrical laid out and hooked up for the trains to run, but never got around to doing all the cosmetics of the display.

Some of these trains are over 50 years old and other than some lubrication and cleaning of contacts every now and then they still run like new. Amazing!!!

**MoonyJohn** · 12-13-2008, 11:21 PM

A tree isnt a tree without having a train under it..

**_Kyle_** · 12-13-2008, 11:29 PM

I used to be into the the mid-size scale...BO maybe? I don't recall when I was younger. Then I just ran out of time/space and it's in storage at my dads house right now... But, no train under the tree with my moms 6 month old puppy.

ahampton128 · 12-23-2008, 07:28 PM

I used to run HO scale under our tree, but they're too easy for cats to mess with. A few years ago I acquired an 1946 American Flyer (S guage, bigger than HO, smaller than Lionel (O)) from my grandmother. It's 62 years old and runs better than most of the new stuff...better than my Wrangler too sometimes...