Looking for Ideas....

[thestand]

I have a half wall between my front room and my kitchen which is 8 ft tall. I have always wanted to put a Christmas village and Christmas train on top of it. It is 15' long but only 28" wide so a standard oval is too wide for it. Any ideas on how it can be done? I had thought of an auto reversable track but I don't know enough about model trains to know if it would work. What scale would work best to be seen? I wired the wall with a switchable outlet on top.
Any suggestions will be appreciated....

[mabloodhound]

8 feet tall?   not many people are going to be able to see much unless they're basketball champs.

[Jim Banner]

0-27 trains would be a good solution.  They are about 1/64 full size and will run on track that makes a 27" circle or oval.  You might have to add an overhanging plywood top to your wall to provide a safety zone in case the train derails, but the overhang would be minimal and the plywood would give you something to attach the tracks to.  Lione and Williams by Bachmann jump to mind as makers of 0-27 trains.

"0-scale" trains are just the right size to go with most porcelain Christmas village sets.  I have run MARX 0-27 trains through mine for many years.  MARX trains are no longer manufactured but there are many used ones available.

Another alternative would be to run 0n30 trains on a 30" wide oval of track.  Only some of the 0n30 locomotives and cars will run on a 30" circle (you could ask about which ones on the 0n30 forum on this website.)  A 30" oval would definitely require an overhanging top on your wall.  A 2" overhang on each side would put the tracks right on the edge of the shelf.  A 3" overhang would be more comfortable and still allow a clear view of the trains.  The advantage of the 0n30 trains would be that they are whisper quite when running.  Many are available with built in sound systems so that you can literally have all the bells and whistles when you want them and silence when you don't.

On30 trains are much the same size as the 0-27 ones but run on rails that are closer together.  Like the 0-27 trains, the 0n30 trains are a good match for most Christmas Villages.

If I may make yet another suggestion.  For best visibility, the trains should run on an oval of track near the edge of your layout.  The buildings can then be set in the middle of the oval.  To enhance the view of the buildings, you could use styrofoam or even cardboard to build up a hill so that even from a low angle you can see them in rows on the hill side.  White styrofoam does not require painting to look like snow and is easy to cut, stack and push trees into.  Don't forget to leave extra room for future buildings - these things tend to grow from year to year.  If you decide on styrofoam, you could start off with a layer  1-1/2" thick and eliminate the plywood completely.  Done right, the 8 foot wall height should be no problem at all. 

Jim

[thestand]

Thank you Jim, I should be able to use a 3/4" plywood (painted) overhang. And by running an oval you'll be able to see it from both sides....

Thanks for the info...
Tim

[Joe Satnik]

Dear All,

Just to emphasize safety again:

Any train running on any track is a derailment waiting to happen. 

Imagine a 5 pound die-cast loco falling on someone's head from 8 feet up. 

A strong fence (strung with small diameter cable perhaps to not block the veiw?) is in order.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik
   

[BIG BEAR]

   Hey All,
   Our Cristmas village is what brought me back to model railroading.
I used to do HO as a youngster, and had a set for my son 20 years or more ago. Now I am into On30.
   I like the looks of it with the size of the lemax & D56 Bldg. I also prefer the more realistic look of 2 rails vs. 3 with O Ga., I also prefer the smaller footprint to that of S Ga.
   I might recommend a Christmas Trolley from Bachmann. I have another one to add to the existing one for this years Village. Check at:
       http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/products.php?act=viewProd&productId=356

    Enjoy,
       Barry

[Jim Banner]

Joe,
Good point about the safety.  A fence of 1/8" acrylic sheet ("Plexiglas") or 1/16" polycarbonate ("Lexan") does a good job too.  The top of the fence only needs to be 1/2 way up the train to work, but a bit taller looks better as it puts the visible line at the top of the fence above the train.

Either Lexan or Plexiglas can be drilled and attached to the edge of the plywood with small screws.  Lexan is easier to drill as it has little tendency to crack.  With Plexiglas, on the the other hand, you can polish out scratches if necessary.  Personally, I would go with the Lexan.

Jim

p.s.  Talked to the wife about taking a chain saw to one wall of the living room to cut it off even with the tops of the kitchen cupboards on the other side.  I figured this way we could do something similar.  For some reason, her response was rather negative.  Ghoulish even.  Something about dead bodies.  I guess she just likes Halloween better than Christmas or something.

J. 

[thestand]

>>>p.s.  Talked to the wife about taking a chain saw to one wall of the living room to cut it off even with the tops of the kitchen cupboards on the other side.  I figured this way we could do something similar.  For some reason, her response was rather negative.  Ghoulish even.  Something about dead bodies.  I guess she just likes Halloween better than Christmas or something.


Maybe she just didn't understand how great it would be.... You should just go ahead with it and surprise her. Wives just LOVE surprises....

Tim

[Michigan Railfan]

How about Plexiglass around the layout. Its see through, and you won't need too much for a layout that size. Maybe about 4-6" high, depending on what scale you use, and if the track has roadbed or not.