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| Written by Paul D. Race for Big Indoor TrainsTM and Big Christmas TrainsTM |
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Trains-N-TownsTM, the Official Newsletter of BIGIndoorTrains.com and BIGChristmasTrains.comThis newsletter targets people who like O scale trains, especially people who combine On30 or O gauge trains with collectible villages. We are using this format because we discovered that lots of folks who started out using trains during the holidays were leaving them set up most or all of the year.We also realized that there were few resource for people who got into the hobby this way. So we've started Big Indoor TrainsTM web site and the Trains-N-TownsTM newsletter to help non-railroaders who find themselves running and liking O scale and larger trains.
Topics discussed in this update include:
 Hogwarts Express is Now In StockLast month we announced the new Lionel® Hogwarts Express®. This historic set is the first European model Lionel has ever made for 3-rail O gauge railroads. It's a remarkable model in its own right, too, a well-detailed, very solid offering painted like the real British train they used in the Harry Potter movies. We just found out that one of our suppliers has a pretty good supply. They'll probably be gone by early-to-mid December, but they are available for purchase now if you are interested. Click here for more information. New Article: Building a Vintage-Style Cardboard Halloween HouseRemember those glitter-coated cardboard-and-paper-mache houses we used to set around our Christmas trees or nativities? The ones that are making a relatively expensive come-back? Well, our new author, Howard Lamey, can help you build your own. This month we provide what we hope will be the first of many projects - a Halloween house made just like the old cardboard collectibles (although they were never quite this cool.) Click here for details.November Tip: Another "Autumn Leaves" Tip Last month we discussed using a leaf-shaped paper punch to make plenty of fall leaves to strew around your town and train. This month we'll add a tip that we remembered when it was time to trim our Hydrangea bushes (what Grandma called "Snowballs."). Hydrangea flower heads aren't real sturdy, so this is something that will last a few weeks, but it's easy enough to do it again next year. If you or someone close to you has Hydrangea bushes, or another flower head that dries out in October, cut a few heads off, bringing up to 18" of stem with each if you can. Buy a cheap can of orange (not flourescent orange) paint. Spray the heads lightly (they don't need to be solid orange - in fact they'll look more realistic if they are a little varigated). Then nip them off to the right "height" and install them near your village structures. In some cases you may even be able to camouflage "greenery" or roof snow splotches that are molded into your buildings, giving your whole village a warm autumn look.
The photo just above and to the right gives one example. Our title photo for this issue gives another. Of course, adding a fall train or structures from Hawthorne Village won't hurt either As always, your mileage will vary. Please let us know if you've come up with another autum idea that we can share with our readers next year. Keep in TouchWe always try to answer reader questions quickly. Also many reader questions (and their answers) apply to other readers as well. That's why we keep adding entries to our "Letters to the Editor" pages. You may find some interesting and helpful reading there.
Paul Race To view the newsletter for October, 2007 Trains-N-TownsTM newsletter, click on the following link: http://bigindoortrains.com/trains_n_towns/07_09_newsletter_indoor.htm#new_article_ To read more, or to look at recommended Garden Railroading and Display Railroad products, you may click on the index pages below.
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Note: Big Indoor TrainsTM, Big Train StoreTM Family Garden TrainsTM, Big Christmas TrainsTM, and Garden Train StoreTM are trademarks of Breakthrough CommunicationsTM (www.btcomm.com). All information, data, text, and illustrations on this web site are Copyright (c) 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 by Paul D. Race.
Reuse or republication without prior written permission is specifically
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