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Written by Paul D. Race for  and  |
Trains are fun. Trains running during the holiday season represent a century-old tradition in North America. And "big trains," the kind that look best running around the Christmas tree or running through Holiday Villages, are growing rapidly in popularity. Some people feel that they bring back warm memories; others note that two or three generations of their family often come together to set up and enjoy the trains, or that it's nice to see the kids playing with something that doesn't have a video screen. Many other folks feel that watching a train circle the Christmas Tree or a Holiday Village is every bit as relaxing as watching a fire in the fire place.
No matter what aspect of setting up and running trains at Christmas appeals to you, the Big Christmas Trains buyers' guide is designed to help you find the best ideas and resources. Each page of the buyer's guide includes descriptions, illustrations, and links to reputable vendors who sell this product. Our editors will also try to answer your e-mail questions about any product listed on these pages (or even similar products you've seen somewhere else and are trying to "track down.")
Christmas Train Resources and Plans for 2010:
In late 2009 we added several major resources for Christmas train lovers. Several are listed below. Our mailing list, reader questions, and reader requests for additional information and features keep expanding as well. In fact, the more questions we answer, the more questions we get, and the more features we provide, the more features people ask for. This is a good thing, as it means our content is helping lots of folks with their hobbies. Throughout 2010, we hope to add several new features as time permits, so keep checking back.
of the difference between scales like O and HO and gauges like O gauge, On30, HO gauge, HOn36, and so on. From Big Indoor Trains™ New November, 2009!
Big Indoor Trains™ Primer Page - Our "sister site" BigIndoorTrains.com™ has a growing library of articles about combining model trains with holiday and collectible villages. New features include articles about displaying your trains, making scenery, and surrounding your trains with vintage-looking buildings that would have been at home on a Christmas railroad 60 to 100 years ago. Of special interest to Christmas train lovers:
Family Christmas Online™ - This is a new resource we started to answer questions about Christmas in general. It includes a growing number of articles about Christmas traditions, several of which touch on the history of "trains and towns" in our Christmas celebrations. Two favorite articles among readers are:
Note about Availability and Pricing: Although I try to recommend quality products that are available from reliable sources, the model train and collectibles markets fluctuate, so any product in this catalog may change price or become unavailable without notice. Yes, more new Christmas trains are becoming available and staying available longer. But the "limited edition" trains on these pages are still limited editions, and some of the other trains will be replaced by "updated versions" in other colors or with other features. This is not a "hard sell," simply a reminder that if you want any particular holiday train in your home for the next holiday season, you should get your order in early. For more detailed information about why products seem to come and go, please see the article "About Pricing and Availability."
Note about Suppliers: While we try to help you get the products you want by recommending suppliers with a good record of customer service, all transactions between you and the supplier you chose to provide your trains or other purchases are governed by the published policies on the supplier's web site. So please print off any order confirmation screens and save copies of invoices, etc., so you can contact the appropriate supplier should any problems occur. (They almost never do, but you want to be on the safe side.)
Big Christmas trains come in three basic sizes:
To Lean More About the Sizes and Scales of Big Christmas Trains, please check out the article "Sizes and Scales of Big Christmas Trains.
Finally, if you have any questions, testimonials, recommendations, or photographs you'd like to share with other readers, please contact me. In the meantime, may your holidays and all of the days in your life be blessed!
Paul D. Race, Proprietor
Use around Christmas Trees or For Outdoor and Professional Display Railroads. "Large Scale Trains" are used in big public display railroads (like those in the Botanical Gardens). They also look great around a Christmas tree. If you're wondering whether a Large Scale Christmas train will fit in your house, please refer to the "Sizes and Scales of Big Christmas Trains article. To learn more about Large Scale Christmas trains, please click on the picture to the left. If you like the size of Large Scale trains and would rather have a train in "non-Christmas" colors, you might also check out the Large Scale Starter Set page. A holiday favorite that deserves its own page is Lionel's Large Scale Holiday Express Christmas train that provides big fun. Click on the image to the right for more information.
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More Holiday VillagesMayberry RFD(tm), Bedford Falls(tm), and many more memories! As the Hawthorne Village collections explode in popularity, many new collections are being added. This page lists some great communities that have never been licensed before, much less produced with this quality and value.
To see many new Hawthorne Village collections, please click on the picture above.
Trains and Villages for Every SeasonCelebrate St. Paddy's Day, July Fourth, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and More
Holiday trains aren't just for Christmas anymore. In response to huge demand for holiday trains and villages, 
Hawthorne Village® has introduced new trains and villages for every season - and for nearly every holiday - of the year. These heirloom quality collectibles are the same size and quality as the Hawthorne Village® Christmas collectibles that have already become best-sellers. But they prove that quality and charm can be enjoyed all year 'round. They include trains designed by artists Thomas Kinkade, Terry Redlin, and Al Agnew.
For more details about holiday trains and villages for every season, please click on the picture above.
Halloween Trains and Towns Page - It's never too early to start subscribing to the most frighteningly fun train and village collections ever. Munsters(r), Nightmare before Christmas(r), Movie Monsters, and more!
Due to the growing popularity of Halloween trains and towns, we have added a Halloween Trains Primer page to answer your questions and to link to many free, fun projects and resources for any Halloween village or railroad.
Click the button to the left to go directly to our Halloween Trains page.
Several New Collections have been added for 2009, so please check back often.
| In addition, the O-Scale Accessories page includes many inexpensive details such as bridges, fencing, and stations, that will bring life to any O-Scale or O-Gauge railroad. For details on these accessories, click on the image to the right. |  |
This video should put you in the holiday spirit, while it gives you many ideas you can implement on your own railroad, using trains described on these pages. In other words, it's fun to watch and a great source of inspiration.
For more information, or to purchase this video in VHS or DVD format, please click on the photograph to the right.
Holiday Garden Railroads Video - Peter Wine, garden railroader and photographer, has worked on several of the nation's best-known display railroads (under the direction of master builder Paul Busse). In the process, he has captured live-action video of several of those display layouts as they were decorated for Christmas, including display railroads at the Smithsonian and the New York Botanical Garden.
Christmas Collectibles with Railroad ThemesThis section is for unique railroad-related collectibles. It changes frequently because "limited edition" really means "limited edition." We will be keep our eye out, though, and adding products as we continue to find them. |
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Best Seller! Thomas Kinkade Wonderland Express Animated Tabletop Christmas Tree With Train Animated Thomas Kinkade Tabletop Christmas Tree with Music and Light! Moving Trains and Rotating Santa Sleigh. This is cool. Sorry, I got carried away. For two years, Hawthorne Village has been incorporating its famous Thomas Kinkade Christmas Express into tabletop decorations that are perfect for folks who love trains and Christmas and want to express their enjoyment in some space that isn't big enough for a whole train set. This is their best effort, a 16"-high "tabletop" Christmas tree with three levels of animated trains. The trains travel past 12 brilliantly illuminated buildings and over 2 dozen handcrafted figures. As I write this, it is early July, and these display trees are alreadly flying off the shelves. Order now! For more information on this collectible, or to purchase one, please click on the photograph to the left. |
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Thomas Kinkade Home For The Holidays Collectible Bell Jar Exclusive Thomas Kinkade Christmas Village Collectible Bell Jar Brings a Wintry Wonderland to Life with Light, Music, Motion! - Discover the perfect place to be for the holidays! A winter wonderland comes to life in this first-ever Thomas Kinkade Christmas village collectible bell jar, exclusively from Hawthorne Village. Inspired by the beloved holiday visions of Thomas Kinkade, this uniquely designed, handcrafted and hand-painted village comes to life under a beautifully decorated real glass bell jar! Warm light pours from every quaint window and lamp post. Festively dressed villagers play, shop and visit as a medley of beloved carols play! Sparkling snow blankets the entire scene, while a For more information on this collectible, or to purchase one, please click on the photograph to the left. |
 | Thomas Kinkade Tabletop Christmas Village and Train - Lights, Sound, and Action combine to bring old-time charm to your home this Christmas season. This Hawthorne Village exclusive features Thomas Kinkade artwork, an illuminated village and train, and the music of Christmas. The set includes a FREE AC/DC adapter. Make your holiday parties shine with this brilliant tabletop holiday home decor - what a unique Christmas decoration! These have been out a while and they are limited editions, so don't wait too long to order.
For more information on this sculpture, or to purchase one, please click on the photograph to the left. |
 Sports Team Trains These are HO subscriber trains that celebrate the colors and spirit of your favorite team. They will not run on your garden railroad or look right in your Christmas village. That said, some
folks seem to think they look great on a shelf in the "den" or "rec room." And they run like champs.
These exclusive "Team Colors" Train Sets from Hawthorne Village feature:
For more information on Hawthorne Village Team Subscription Trains, please click on the photograph above. |
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Note: Family Garden Trains™, Garden Train Store™, Big Christmas Trains™, BIG Indoor Trains™, BIG Train Store™, and Trains-N-Towns™ are trademarks of Breakthrough Communications (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, 2008, 2009, 2010 by Paul D. Race.
Reuse or republication without prior written permission is specifically prohibited.
For more information, please contact us
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New November, 2009! Christmas Train Primer
Each intricately detailed holiday scenes is further enhanced with a blanket of glitter-touched snow. This makes an especially great gift for fans of Thomas Kinkade or of Christmas Trains or both.
train merrily rolls round the village scene! This is a limited-time offer, so don't miss it - order now!