Lionel Polar Express Train Set walmrt.us/46Ep9FI [Affiliate Link]

Opening scene, 50's Christmas tree, reminds me of my Lionel running around the tree. Those were the days of real aluminum ice cycles. They often fell and shorted the tracks!

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

And if you had carpet, they would often reach out and shock you with static electricity!

@Eugene2ndW

6 ай бұрын

@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks After tjhe Lionel for Christmas, couldn't afford carpet! Plus lint would get sucked into the workingsl

That would look even better with a Trolley of some sort on the tracks.

Man, that reminds me, I've got to get busy on this year's under the tree layout! For the past 30 years I've used a 4x6 foot, 3/4 inch thick plywood base cut down the middle into two halves for easier handling but for some inexplicable reason with each passing year it's gotten heavier and heavier and harder to handle! So, last year was it's last year, goin' lightweight this year! Insulation panels sound like just the ticket!

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Strange how gravity gets stronger every year!!! :-)

@wayneantoniazzi2706

6 ай бұрын

@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks Yeah, if you can figure out why that is let me know! 🤣

My layout is semi-permanent on the floor in the living room of our apartment, just a simple Indy-style rectangular circuit of Lionel black-tie 3-rail. First year in my life I’ve been able to set it up like this. Naturally, my GF wanted me to pick a locomotive and consist to run around the tree that we will place inside the circuit. Her decoration theme is cardinals (the songbird), and I just so happen to have a C&O 4-6-4 and a 5-car heavyweight Pullman passenger set. This makes sense, because Amtrak’s Cardinal route runs on former C&O trackage. But of course I couldn’t stop there. I decided to turn it into the Christmas Cardinal. After about $45 worth of mini crafting decorations from Michael’s and Etsy, it’s about 85% finished: -Locomotive will have a wreath on the nose (not sure what else to decorate it with yet) -4-bay coal hopper filled with wrapped gifts instead of coal -gondola filled with decorated trees (held down with poster putty) -and the 5 Pullmans, each with a string of fake mini Christmas lights held along the top edges by poster putty -(Not made this year, maybe next) adding Air Force officers and a Santa signal silhouette to a searchlight car, NORAD style. Far less expensive than MTH’s $900 Canadian Pacific Holiday train, a similar look to enjoy, AND the train decorations can be transferred to a different loco and consist next year!

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Excellent!!!!!

@VioletLeader

6 ай бұрын

Forgot to add: the hopper and the gondola both have die-cut Merry Christmas stickers held by candy cane-style ornament hooks on the long sides of each car.

Mike, another Great video plus being timely and informative.

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Glad you like it!

I did a similar thing with the snow ball throwers from the doller tree. I have them attacking carolers.

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

😂 😂😂😂😂

Great display Mike.

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Thanks!!

Pretty darn cool

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Thanks!!

Plenty of good tips here.

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Thanks!!

perfect! Art!

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Literally got a 224 to make a christmas display, took it apart and cleaned it because it needed it, got it back together and ran it back and forth on a test track, ran beautifully. Then suddenly the plate opposite of the brush plate decided that it wanted to start falling off, then it caused a huge jam in the motor that absolutely blew up the armature. You can see the loose wires just hanging out. Literally had it not even four hours and ran it maybe 10 minutes and now I have to spend more money to run it more, and I have like 5 options, buy a new armature or motor assembly, buy a new locomotive entirely, pull the wheels and rewind the armature, send the loco to someone to fix it, or just set it on the shelf and have it remind me of my own stupidity for not knowing that you have to put 500,000 ft lbs of torque on the screws (I'm going with that) I love postwar lionel lol. Literally got it to do something like this, and now I am just not going to do it now because I know it's going to blow up again anyways. I at least got the whistling tender to work perfectly so that's a plus, maybe. Contemplating selling it all off and giving up on my little dream of having postwar stuff.

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

So sorry! I've had repairs like that myself, though.

@IndianaNorthWestern

6 ай бұрын

​@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricksYeah, got myself a faucet puller to get the wheel off to remove the motor, and it was just an easy splice. Used some loctite on those screws and cranked them down this time, such a painful hobby but also rewarding at the same time

For my Christmas layout I originally was going to use FasTrack but ended with using the very quiet Menards track. I use Menards track for my layout and I am very glad i did so!

Looks amazing yet simple. Nice work and thank you for the tips.😊

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

I'm glad you like it!

Very nice

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Thanks!!!

I also have a Christmas train layout that I put on my enclosed front porch. I did my layout a little more simple than you, I use a 4’x8’ piece of 1/2 inch plywood sitting on two saw horses. I painted the plywood white to simulate snow and use Lionel’s newest track to run on that I got with the Poler Express set that I got for my Christmas layout. As for buildings I use a combination of the classic Plasticville or Marx with some ceramic ones from various sources. In my case I do put the Christmas tree as the center piece and build the town around it. Using Lionel O-27 track I can also run a town trolley that serves the train station says well as a park with ice skaters and an operating ski hill. To add variety I sometimes add Christmas freight cars to the Polar Express consist. This comes in handy if you let children run the train by making it heavy enough that it will not derail even at higher speeds that children like to run the trains at. Since I do not use a styrofoam layer it does run louder but because it’s on the porch it does not disturb others in the main house. Have extra holiday fun with your family and friends by having a Christmas layout in your house.

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Sounds nice!!

Wonderful! I also love those budget friendly MPC "Crescent train". It's a perfect fit!

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Thanks!

my christmas layout is comprised of a couple plywood boards painted white with an oval of FasTrack, and christmas village of course. unfortunately with it being on the under the tree on hardwood floor (and having pets), I have to clean the layout at least once a week and cover the trains with some old towels when I'm not running them to keep dust away. I would love to have a table for my layout but I just don't have the space in the living room as I use O36 curves

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Great way to work with the room you have!

Great little layout! I've been using an old 30"x60" resin folding table for a few years. After I set it up last week I got a brainstorm to add a mountain, tunnel and an elevated superstreet loop instead of the back n forth line I used to run down "Main Street". Then I redid the back n forth. Now it's partially taken apart so I can slide a larger table underneath for a 3rd level with broader curves😂 Although I might just transfer the existing scenerey to the larger table to expedite the process.

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Wow! Sounds great!!

Awesome video

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Thanks!

Nice as always ! Thanks

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Thank you!

I love it! It's the most wonderful time of the year for running trains. 🎄 🚂 Your crimping and plastic zip tie fix is one I will definitely use.

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Happy to help!

Just found your channel! Thinking I’m going to use an old kitchen table for my Xmas tree and train platform next year.

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

5 ай бұрын

Go for it!

Nice layout love the videos

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@user-tl1mf1fu6x

6 ай бұрын

@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks you welcome

Fantastic Mike.! Well Done.!👍 Happy Holidays.! 😊

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Mine has grown this year to include a 8ft air hockey table

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Score! (Pun intended) ;-)

I have a battery operated Christmas. Train I have since my oldest grand daughter wss born almost 21 years ago

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

When boys were toddlers I used a Marx battery operated set because I was afraid someone would pick up. Lionel engine and toss it across the room.

@franktino6676

6 ай бұрын

My nephew is now 41 years old. When he was 3 years of age, he did just that-- " footballed " his father's round the 'ole Christmas Tree ' Lionel ❤ Steamer locomotive.😢 --across the dining room😢. Great useable tips here, Mike!

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

@@franktino6676 Ouch

Love this :) Where did the trees with the snow flocking come from? Also, what was the fluff that you used as snow called? I couldn't hear very well otu of the video. Thank you!

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

The trees with flocking and the Buffalo Snow are available from WalMart. walmrt.us/3ugU1ia

I take the easy way out, just show a picture of your favorite Christmas Card. After cleaning it up from fifty years of dust and mice droppings.

Thank you for the video and how-to, would you know who made the station? It looks remarkably like the depot in Pleasant Lake, Indiana.

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Except for the house, all of the buildings were from the Americana collection marketed by Kmart in the early 1990s.

Your voice sounds very familiar to me. Did you do voice overs for Milwaukee's PBS station's show Tracks Ahead?

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

Nope! No professional work, and I've never been to Milwaukee.

@Joe30101

6 ай бұрын

With your voice you could do it. You don't need to be here to-do voice work. Can be done remotely.@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

6 ай бұрын

@@Joe30101 I appreciate that. I've always been told I have the face for radio! Oh. Wait!

@Joe30101

6 ай бұрын

😄😄@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks

Well, I didn't follow your idea of "keep it simple". While I simplified some things, the wiring is a bit complex. kzread.info/dash/bejne/dGWDzbCpeq-baco.html This village and the Erie Alco set has been a tradition in my family since 1950s and with an old standard gauge set, the tradition dates back to the 1930s. Of course the old layout was much simpler than than what I am doing now. My first KZread video is an example of what I grew up with. kzread.info/dash/bejne/pHtrtpOhiLbAXag.html