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Written by Paul D. Race for Family Garden Trains(tm)
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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.")
Update for January, 2008: Christmas Trains are Growing More Popular in All Scales:
Although many warehouse shelves are nearly empty now, sales of Christmas trains were up this year for many companies, and manufacturers seem more committed to keeping Christmas trains in their catalog. In fact, the Family Garden Trains' Bargain of the Year for 2007 was a Christmas train, Aristo-Craft's Christmas freight set.
Updated Resources for 2008:
As reader requests for information keep coming in, we keep finding things to write about. And since we know that for each reader who asks a question there are 12 or more with the same question who didn't ask, we try to publish answers and articles that come out of those questions on a regular basis. Our new or substantially updated resources for this year include:
- A newsletter for people who run big indoor trains, especially folks who combine those trains with holiday villages or othe displays - also sponsored by BigIndoorTrains.com™.
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 and making scenery.
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.
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:
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 prior 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."
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. New for 2006! Lionel has introduced a new Large Scale 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 Page - It's never too early to start subscribing to the most frighteningly fun train collections ever. Munsters(r), Nightmare before Christmas(r), Movie Monsters, and more! Click the button to the left to go directly to that page!
| 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. At the moment we have fewer products listed than ever, since several we listed as late as August, 2006 are no longer available. This is another reminder that "limited edition" means "limited edition." We will be keep our eye out, though, and adding products as we continue to find them. |
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New for 2007! 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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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 by Paul D. Race.
Reuse or republication without prior written permission is specifically prohibited.
For more information, please contact us

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