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Trains-N-TownsTM, the Official Newsletter of BIGIndoorTrains.com, BIGChristmasTrains.com, and HalloweenTrains.com
This newsletter is for people who like O scale, O gauge, S scale, and Christmas trains, including people who combine On30 or O gauge trains with collectible villages. It is produced in conjunction with the Big Indoor TrainsTM, Big Christmas TrainsTM, and HalloweenTrains.comTM web sites.
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- Finally, if you would like to subscribe to our free newsletter about Christmas traditions, please join our Christmas TimesTM Mailing List.
In this Issue
So, we skipped a few months, then came back with a newsletter that's going to be too long to read in one sitting. Sorry about that, but this is the time of year when everything starts happening at the same time. We wanted to get the Halloween train and town projects online early, but in our research we also discovered that several of the great new O gauge trains that are available at the moment will probably not be around in a few weeks - the demand is so high. That includes two Lionel trains featuring graphics from the Peanuts specials - one for Halloween and one for Christmas. United Features never licenses a huge volume of these, so they tend to sell out fast, in case you're interested in that sort of thing.
Lionel has also added a Polar Express freight train and many other new Halloween- and Christmas-themed trains, as well as reissuing some standard road name sets with new locomotives and car combinations. The downside is that a couple of their new issues for 2014 were nearly sold out before they came off the loading dock, and many of them are in short supply. So when I say "Order early to avoid disappointment," I'm really thinking of all the angry e-mails and phone calls I start getting around Thanksgiving because something I recommended in June or July is no longer available anywhere.
On the On30 front, Bachmann only introduced ONE - count them - ONE On30 train set for 2014, and all of their other sets are sold out just about everywhere. In addition, if you like the Hawthorne Village On30 train "collections" that Bachmann used to make (yes, I used the phrase "used to"), you should know that Hawthorne Village stopped ordering these several years ago and has no intention of ordering new sets. "Sold out when gone" is a phrase from my days as a Radio Shack salesman (when I was going to college), but it's one that starts coming to mind a lot this time of year. If you want a "Thomas Kinkade" or Rudolph or Coco Cola train built on a Bachmann On30 chassis, you know what to do. (Fortunately, for Coca Cola fans, Lionel has a great Coca Cola train available at the moment. It was introduced a couple of years ago, though, so I don't know how deep the stocks are on that one either.)
The best news is that you can add a lot of seasonal interest to your railroad or village without buying anything at all - we have a whole lot of Autumn- and Halloween-themed projects that won't cost you anything more than a little printer ink, a sheets of paper, and some cereal-box cardboard. Or, in some cases, a few minutes collecting weed and flower heads that have dried for the winter. We have several links to such projects on this page, and each of those links will take you to other projects, so if you don't stay busy and entertained this fall, don't blame us.
Finally, I have posted a reminder about our Big Indoor Trains discussion forum. Since we rolled it out in April, it's gotten thousands of hits, and a good number of folks have signed up, but only a handful of folks are posting. I know that most of our readers have at least one question they'd like to "throw out" to get multiple responses, and every one of you has something to share. Even if you don't plan to post often, consider signing up so that when you log on, the icons will show you what forums have been active since you signed on last.
As always, we have more projects in the works, so stay tuned.
Finally, please accept our wishes for a great rest of the year. And please enjoy any time you can spend with your family in the coming months.
Topics discussed in this update include:
 New Halloween Trains and Village Projects
If you have a hankering to do some Halloween decorating on your railroad or village this year, or to run Halloween-themed trains, we have some great new products and projects.
Click on the following link to jump to the Halloween Trains and Towns home page.
Click on the following link to see Lionel's Halloween train offerings this year, including a Peanuts train that I expect to sell out long before Halloween. I guarantee we will have some disappointed readers - we always do when this kind of product is announced.
Click on the following link to see our most popular Halloween village projects:
Bringing Autumn to Your Railroad or Display Village
What if you want the setting (or base) for your trains and towns to "look like fall"? Fortunately, two easy crafts will help you stir up "autumn joy" without spending more than a few dollars and a little time.
Click on the following link to see our suggestions.
 Easy HomeMade Trees
While you're collecting dried flower and weed heads for the project above, get enough to make a forest you can use year-round. Since we posted this article, a dozen other folks have posted their version online, so obviously it was a good idea. :-)
Click on the following link to see our suggestions.
In addition, the dried plant heads you collect this fall can be used to bring extra color to your railroad or village next spring. Click the following link to see some suggestions:
 Christmas Train Day, 2014
Mark Your Calendars! - Our seventh annual Christmas-themed open railroad on our own New Boston and Donnels Creek is currently scheduled for November 16 this year (2014) (near Springfield, Ohio). We're hoping for more trains and other great activities for the whole family. Check back for details, as well as information on other Christmas-themed open railroads in the area.
Click on the following link to see the page of information we have so far:
Don't Wait Too Long to Order Trains for Christmas
As ajunct to my hobby sites, I maintain separate "Buyers' Guides" to help folks track down or at least see reviews of trains they can use. This year, the most obvious news is the lack of AristoCraft trains for Large Scale modelers and the lack of On30 train sets for indoor modelers. But even the trains that have appeared to fill the gaps seem to be a "mile wide and an inch deep." That is to say, that I have more trains than ever listed on several of the "buyers' guide" pages, but MANY of those sets are "onsies and twosies," that is, I expect them to be sold out long before Thanksgiving.
Every year, starting in early November, I get deluged with messages asking where folks can buy trains that were available in September. I've even had folks track down my phone number and call me in anger because something I recommended in July is no longer available anywhere to speak of by December 15. I hate seeing folks disappointed, and I hate having to tell them all the same thing (they should have ordered earlier). And I really hate angry phone calls. So this posting is "pre-emptive," so to speak.
Here's a quick recap of where "Big Train" markets stand as of September, 2014:
 O Gauge Trains in Railroad Names - Lionel has issued a number of new trains and has reissued several existing sets with a different locomotive or different cars. This year, trains pulled by F (streamlined) units and freight diesels are also available. I expect the diesel trains to sell quickly - they always do. Several of the other sets are getting "thin" as well. If you were thinking about getting a Lionel set or adding to a Lionel railroad this year, don't wait too long.
To see the Lionel trains that are painted for PRR, NYC, UP, and other "real-world" railroads, click the following link:
 O Gauge Trains in Christmas Colors - This year, Lionel has more trains decorated for Christmas than they have ever offered at one time. Again, some of the units are already in short supply. And I expect others, like the Peanuts-themed train, to sell out quickly.
 On30 Trains in Christmas Colors - Hawthorne Trains used to order specially painted On30 train sets from Bachmann to sell in "collections." They featured art from folks like Thomas Kinkade and Al Agnew, as well as cultural icons like Coca Cola and "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Several of these classic collections are still available new, although I don't think any new sets have been ordered since 2009. So once they sell out, they are gone forever.
These come one piece at a time, except in some cases you can order a "super saver set" in which the first three "issues" come in the first shipment, and after that, the subsequent pieces come one at a time. To see which collections are still available, click the following link:
 On30 Trains in Railroad Names - These are almost non-existant this year. If you haven't got into On30, this may not be the year to start. On the other hand, if you have an On30 railroad, several individual locomotives, cars, and self-propelled units are available. Click the link below and scroll down to see the links for those products.
 Large Scale Trains in Railroad Names - Bachmann "Big Hauler" train sets are still available, although they have obviously cut back on ordering new sets, and their most popular current set seems to have sold out since June of this year. Starter sets from Piko and LGB are available, although I expect the LGB set to go very fast - in fact, one I posted in June is already sold out.
To see our best currently-available recommendations, click the following link:
 Large Scale Trains in Christmas Colors - These are perfect for big displays in bank lobbies, etc. And they are "jaw-dropping" around the tree. A couple of the most popular Bachmann Christmas-themed Large Scale sets are available. But the best (and probably most fleeting) news is that as of this writing, two LGB Christmas sets are available. I expect them to go VERY FAST. A Bachmann "Lil Big Hauler" Kids train decorated for Christmas might be the best solution for folks who want a real train around the tree, but whose kids still have "pokey fingers." I expect them to go fast, too, just not as fast as the LGBs. The Piko Christmas set that is available this year has a very nice paint job as well, and seems reasonably solid.
To see the Large Scale trains that are decorated for Christmas, click the following link:
In April, we announced a new discussion forum for folks who want to share projects, float ideas, ask and answer questions, etc. relating to garden trains. We've had a couple thousand hits, and quite a few people signed up, but then hardly anybody posted anything. Don't be shy. Again, our experience is that new forums (like long coal trains) take a while to gain real momentum. But once things get going, we think you'll be glad you got onboard early.
In the meantime, I'm using the forums instead of "Letters to the Editor" to publish our answers to reader questions. This way other folks can chime in if they have something to add or they think I've said something wrong, and we all learn together.
To sign up for the discussion forums, please click the following link:
To check the forums out without signing up, please click the following link:
Speaking of forums, members of the Cardboard Christmas forum have added some great links and photos to Halloween projects and ideas. To see those contributions, click the following link:
Keep in Touch
Each month, we get 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. All of the hobbies we report on grow best when we all learn together.
In the meantime, please accept our very best wishes for a great autumn and holiday season!
Paul Race
BigIndoorTrains.com(tm)
BigChristmasTrains.com(tm)
HalloweenTrains.com(tm)
FamilyGardenTrains.com(tm)
To view the Trains-N-TownsTM newsletter for April, 2014, click on the following link:
http://bigindoortrains.com/trains_n_towns/14_04_newsletter_indoor.htm
To read more, or to look at recommended Indoor or Garden Railroading products, you may click on the index pages below.
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