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Trains-N-TownsTM, the Official Newsletter of BIGIndoorTrains.com and BIGChristmasTrains.com
This newsletter is for people who like O scale trains and Christmas trains, especially people who combine On30 or O gauge trains with collectible villages. It is produced in conjunction with the Big Indoor TrainsTM and Big Christmas Trains web sites.
- If you did not get this Trains-N-TownsTM newsletter through your own e-mail, and you would like to get the newsletters in the future, please join our Trains-N-TownsTM Mailing List
- On the other hand, if you don't want to receive our e-mail updates, please e-mail me with a "Please Unsubscribe" message (worded any way you wish), and we will graciously remove you from our list.
- Also, if you would like to subscribe to our free newsletter for garden railroaders (people running big trains outside), please join the Family Garden Trains Mailing List. By the way, you can subscribe to either, both, or neither, and we will just be glad to be of service, no matter what you decide.
New This Month
This issue has several new articles, including a great new "Glitterhouse" project from our designer Howard Lamey. And in case you're feeling a "squeeze" these days, we offer some tips on keeping your hobby going even when the operating funds are getting thin. If you also get our garden railroading newsletter, you'll notice a lot of overlap, partially because gettng a garden railroad ready for Christmas can be a lot like getting an indoor railroad ready for Christmas, but with more leaves and rain and things. The point is that Christmas is coming, and we are getting ready and hoping to help you get ready as well.
Topics discussed in this update include:
Note: As always, we have more articles in the works, so check our site often.
Vintage meets vintage in a Lionel-inspired collectible you build yourself, using free, downloadable plans and instructions. Construction is based on the original Christmas villages - those vintage cardboard structures that were popular Christmas decorations between 1928 and 1965. But this project also pays homage to the spirit of Lionel's "big-city" stations without making a structure so large it takes over your holiday village. To see this article (and maybe start the perfect indoor winter hobby), click on the following link:
November 8, 2008 Open House on the New Boston and Donnels Creek
 On November 8, 2008, we plan to have our southwest Ohio-area garden railroad decked out for Christmas and running trains that feature a lot of red and green. Yes it's outside, but we don't have an indoor Christmas set up yet, so come by if you are in the area. Thomas and James will probably make an appearance as well. We now plan to be running trains from 1:00PM to 7:00PM. Rain/blizzard date is November 15. The railroad is between Donnelsville and Springfield, Ohio. if that helps you plan your trip.
The railroad itself is wheelchair accessible (unless it rains or snows the yard gets muddy), but the house and bathroom are not. :-(
If you are planning to come please get in touch, and let us know you're coming so we can send directions and be looking for you.
Other Sites Worth Visiting in Southwest Ohio - About an hours' drive south of our house is the EnterTrainment Station, a huge indoor Large Scale train display worth coming a long way to see. It really is the BIGGEST Indoor Train setup you're likely to see in your lifetime. And later in the year, my friend Dan Stenger, in Northern Kentucky (about an hours' drive south of the EnterTrainment Station) will have have a series of Christmas-themed open houses on his garden railroad.
More details and signup sheets for our open houses are provided in the following link:
If you get in touch soon, I can keep you updated if anyone's plans change or any open houses or dates are added.
This article is posted on our sister site Family Garden Trains(tm), but it's written for indoor railroaders and display village fans as well.
I'll be honest, it's easier to buy new stuff than it is to install, wire, paint, and otherwise work with the stuff I already have. And I doubt I'm unique - many hobbyists I know own more linear feet of trains than they do of working trackage, or more buildings than they have space to display them. So it isn't necessarily a bad thing to take some time off from acquiring stuff and start thinking about better ways to use the stuff we already have. At the same time, we may find ways to make upgrades and additions that cost us little or nothing. I've always believed in keeping to a budget, so I've already published some of the ideas in our list, but I have collected new ones you may find interesting or inspiring. To see the list of ideas I've gathered so far, click the following link: (and please send us your ideas as well.
 In September, 2008, we reported on a unique railroad that ran in the Smoky Mountains between 1903 and 1939. In October, we visited one of their most successful experiments, which is also the last operating locomotive from the railroad. Number 110 is the smallest Pacific (4-6-2 passenger locomotive) ever built for standard gauge trackage. It has been fully restored and runs about two times a week in Coldwater, Michigan. Nothing brings the past to life like seeing, touching, and riding behind an real operating steam locomotive, especially one this unique. For more information on our trip, this locomotive, and other unique features of the Little River Railroad's "Northern Division," click on the following link.
If your family sets up a holiday village, consider getting an On30 Christmas train to go around it. The most popular On30 Christmas trains are those offered by  Hawthorne Village. Based on real-world prototypes and using Bachmann frames and mechanisms, these clever, attractive trains will delight railfans and Christmas-lovers alike. Why shop now? Because these are subscription trains - you get one piece about every four weeks, starting with the locomotive.
If you start your subscription now, you should have enough of the train to run by Christmas. Also, these are quality products, with a one-year money-back satisfaction guarantee from Collectibles Today and a lifetime mechanical warranty from Bachmann Trains.
Click on the following link to learn more about Hawthorne Village On30 collectible subscription trains.
If you'd rather have more realistic trains, click on the following link to see Bachmann's own On30 train offerings.
Of course, getting trains ready for your Christmas tree or building a Christmas village is a lot of fun. So is setting up a Christmas village and train for your church, workplace, or community organization. But beyond that, you might consider:
- Set up a small portable railroad or "test track" indoors if you haven't already. You may only have room for a 5x5 "railroad" but at least you can run a "starter set" once in a while to keep "in the mood."
- Put backgrounds on your shelf railroads or storage tracks. Our printable photos of building fronts will help you set provide realistic backgrounds that take up almost no space at all. Click on the following link for more information:
Also, our friend Howard Lamey has used these graphics to create a "business district" for his own railroad and provided plenty of tips. Click on the following link for more information:
- Start thinking about Christmas by visiting our new sister site Family Christmas Online and reading up on What Do Trains Have To Do With Christmas?" While you're there, poke around the site. You might even check the "More Christmas Stories" page to see the family-friendly classic Christmas stories we added in 2008.
To jump directly to the article "What Do Trains Have To Do With Christmas?" click the following link:
Keep in Touch
We are continually getting more interest in this newsletter, in the site, and in the trains and towns we discuss. We welcome your questions as indicators of what we should be working on next (also, we always try to answer reader questions quickly). In addition, if you have any photos, tips, or articles you'd like to share with your fellow hobbyists, please let us know. The hobby grows best when we all learn together.
In the meantime, have a great rest of the autumn and splendid holiday season!
Paul Race
BigIndoorTrains.com
BigChristmasTrains.com
FamilyGardenTrains.com
To view the Trains-N-TownsTM newsletter for October, 2008, click on the following link:
http://bigindoortrains.com/trains_n_towns/08_10_newsletter_indoor.htm
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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New BIGIndoor TrainsTM Article: Building the Union Station