Train layout for Christmas 2025

[OldFeller]

Making a Lionel & Dept. 56 Christmas Village - 2025​

By Dave Hohman (not me @OldFeller)


From the maker of this layout (Dave Hohman) and this video from Youtube...
"Here is this year's Christmas Village Video. I took approximately 3 weeks to set up. It will take 5-6 days to take down.
Yes it comes down every year that's what makes it special.
There are 11 running trains, 3 workmen cars, approximately 250 houses and probably over 1,000 people.
This is a lifetime collection."

 

[Aunt Bea]

What is it about Christmas and trains?

I still remember the smell of brimstone that our old train transformer gave off and our mother constantly checking to make sure that it didn’t overheat and burst into flames … it never did!

 

[Llynn]

Impressive!

 

[OldFeller]

What is it about Christmas and trains?

I still remember the smell of brimstone that our old train transformer gave off and our mother constantly checking to make sure that it didn’t overheat and burst into flames … it never did!

It amazes me how we think alike. I had the same thought as I watched this.
Trains, especially Lionels, have always been an expensive investment. My father said that in 1948 when he bought a simple starter train set that it cost a week's salary. So when people were frugal except at Christmastime, they would only buy trains at that time. Advertising promoted train sets at Christmas with pictures of a layout in and around a Christmas tree.

 

[Pinky]

I'm still watching the video .. what a Herculean effort!

I like the view from the train engine, going through the town.

 

[OldFeller]

I'm still watching the video .. what a Herculean effort!

Seriously! He must have incredible patience.

 

[JustDave]

You actually did this? I froze the video several times trying to catch a pose with a face showing. Yeah, it looked like you. Do you put this up every year? I don't even put up a tree anymore. I particularly liked the part of video taken from the moving cab toward the end. Amazing, truly amazing.

I'm an n scaler with nothing but rolling stock. I had plans of one day of building an empire in my basement, but never made it that far. I haven't enjoyed utube this much in about a year. Congratulations on a master piece, and remind everyone to go in and out through the front door of the house, not the outside door to the train room.

 

[That Lady in PA]

"Here is this year's Christmas Village Video. I took approximately 3 weeks to set up. It will take 5-6 days to take down.
Yes it comes down every year that's what makes it special.
There are 11 running trains, 3 workmen cars, approximately 250 houses and probably over 1,000 people.
This is a lifetime collection."

Where do you store it all!?!?!

 

[OldFeller]

You actually did this? I froze the video several times trying to catch a pose with a face showing. Yeah, it looked like you. Do you put this up every year? I don't even put up a tree anymore. I particularly liked the part of video taken from the moving cab toward the end. Amazing, truly amazing.

I'm an n scaler with nothing but rolling stock. I had plans of one day of building an empire in my basement, but never made it that far. I haven't enjoyed utube this much in about a year. Congratulations on a master piece, and remind everyone to go in and out through the front door of the house, not the outside door to the train room.

No, @JustDave, I didn't do this. If you look back, you'll see that the introductory remarks are in quotations because I copied the introductory remarks from the video maker.

 

[OldFeller]

Where do you store it all!?!?!

I didn't make this train set or the video. I'm just an admirer of it all.

 

[jujube]

I had a Lionel set when I was a child. It had some kind of oil you dripped into the smoke stack and when the train was running, smoke came out. I was always so impressed with that. I sure wish I had that set now.

 

[astralcat]

Wow ! - just WOW ! What an effort. I love it.

 

[OldFeller]

What is it about Christmas and trains?

I still remember the smell of brimstone that our old train transformer gave off and our mother constantly checking to make sure that it didn’t overheat and burst into flames … it never did!

This is a nice video and answers your question.

Why We Put Model Trains Under A Christmas Tree​

 

[That Lady in PA]

I had a Lionel set when I was a child. It had some kind of oil you dripped into the smoke stack and when the train was running, smoke came out. I was always so impressed with that. I sure wish I had that set now.

My set uses small pellets, much like aspirin.

 

[hollydolly]

Making a Lionel & Dept. 56 Christmas Village - 2025​

By Dave Hohman (not me @OldFeller)


From the maker of this layout (Dave Hohman) and this video from Youtube...
"Here is this year's Christmas Village Video. I took approximately 3 weeks to set up. It will take 5-6 days to take down.
Yes it comes down every year that's what makes it special.
There are 11 running trains, 3 workmen cars, approximately 250 houses and probably over 1,000 people.
This is a lifetime collection."

Amazing , but what I want to know is how does someone end up with a whole room with little or no furniture in it ?

 

[TeePee]

What is it about Christmas and trains?

I still remember the smell of brimstone that our old train transformer gave off and our mother constantly checking to make sure that it didn’t overheat and burst into flames … it never did!

Just thinking about that smell brings back memories of childhood.

 

[hollydolly]

 

[OldFeller]

"Little boy, don't you think it's time you were in bed."
Cute line.

 

[JustDave]

My first train set ran on battery power. I think all the cars and the engine were yellow plastic, and it ran on Lionel three rail track, which always looked hokey to me. But that train set was just some cheapo diversion to put off buying a real electric train, and back then Lionel was what you bought. There was another company called American Flyer that had realistic two rail track, but Lionel dominated 95% of the market. I finally got a Lionel for Christmas with the smoke stack that ran on "aspirin" tablets, and I had some track side buildings that loaded things. But the three rails always disturbed me.

Years later, HO scale trains gained massive popularity. If realism was your cup of tea, HO gauge did it all, and I bought myself what I needed to build a small layout on a 4 X 8 piece of plywood. That solved my realism problem. None the less, there are still avid Lionel three track fans out their today, and they are serious about it, three rail tracks and all. And Lionel is not cheap. Although it is no longer the standard for most model railroader fans.

Lionel is in O scale or 1/43 of real life. HO scale stands for Half of O scale (H of O). Lionel's large size limits realism unless you own an empty warehouse for your layout. The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago had a massive O scale layout, but it wasn't Lionel. It was built from scratch and ran on two rails. As a kid I was mesmerized standing by that layout for long periods of time waiting for the next train to come buy. Later, it was torn down and replaced by an HO scale that represented the Great Northern railroad that ran from Chicago to Seattle, but it was NOT near as impressive as the original.

 

[Capt Lightning]

Just back from Hamburg where we saw the world's largest railway layout at Miniatur Wunderland which has 15,400 mtrs of track, 1040 trains and 260,00 figures. Look it up on the web - it's mind boggling.

 

[JustDave]

Just back from Hamburg where we saw the world's largest railway layout at Miniatur Wunderland which has 15,400 mtrs of track, 1040 trains and 260,00 figures. Look it up on the web - it's mind boggling.

I checked it out. HO gauge of course. Yeah, model railroading has come a long way in the last 70 years. It's not a kids whim anymore. These guys are adults, and have massive financial wherewithal, and apparently lots of extra time on their hands.