A new topic to be updated on occasion, random scenes around the layout. All photos of your layout welcome! Permanent layouts, carpet-centrals, around-the-tree and/or holiday displays, it's all good; let's see 'em.

I'll start the thread with a shot of the recently refurbished Lionel 253 dragging a short express train:



Seen exiting the Hell Gate bridge ( Lionel #305), heading south toward the tunnel at Heat-Pump Pass.

The rail fans seem to gather here often, one of the few places on the layout where one can get a good long shot. Here a local freight headed by a Flyer 3315 waits for a northbound express to pass:



Taken a few years back from the old pedestrian bridge, this section has been reworked quite a bit in recent times; it's not quite so forgiving for photographers now, and more changes are on the way. Some fencing is planned for the recently-installed utility box, but access should remain open, if not a bit constricted.

Here's another photo from the archives, one I may have shared before, but I include it here because it is a personal favorite. Quite a few years ago, we were trying to come up with a shot suitable for a Christmas card and decided to stage something on the layout. This is taken at the opposite end of the Lionel 305 bridge where the 126 station is located. A bit of shredded plastic "snow" and an illuminated bottle-brush Christmas tree were added:



It's 9:55PM on Christmas Eve as the Flyer 3315 pulls a short local into the station. There's just a single traveler waiting to board, a sailor on leave hoping to make it home by Midnight. Taken from a number of different angles, we found this to be the best. Cobwebs aside, the lighting really makes this shot.

The Lionel 1465 set runs through the northern corner of the layout:



The 1465 set featured the 2034 2-4-2 locomotive, offered for one year, 1952. Typically considered one of the "Scout" sets, the 2034 differs in that it has a standard open-frame motor, not the inexpensive plastic motors typically found in the low-end sets. I added a bell (the boiler casting has the hole for it) and green diamonds for the running lights.

This corner of the layout will see some improvements in the near future. The Plasticville switch tower may move here, and Western Union will be arriving soon to continue hanging telegraph wires.

The basement seems infested with cobwebs these days...a good vacuuming top-to-bottom is needed.

A repeat pic from elsewhere here, a local freight headed by the Flyer 3315 is seen running north from the tunnel at Heat Pump Pass:



Taken shortly after the pedestrian bridge was removed and Western Union began erecting telegraph poles along this stretch of the mainline.

Another shot taken at the signal bridge on the northwest corner of the layout; here, the New York Central's Lake Shore Limited is seen on the outer track heading for bridge #305:



This set was produced by MTH (Lionel Corp.), commissioned by the Lionel Collectors Club of America (LCCA). It was the brainchild of the great Lou Caponi, a guy who came up with a number of nice sets for the LCCA membership. It makes rare appearances here on the layout, something that needs to be remedied. Headed by a traditionally-powered reproduction of the Lionel 264E, the Lake Shore Ltd. features three 2600-series passenger cars in a metallic paint scheme. It's a lovely thing.

The signal bridge seems to be lit in an alarming pattern, and the tower's roof is askew