# Let us see your Homemade Christmas/Holiday cars or engines you have made or modified



## ogaugeguy (Feb 3, 2012)

Post a write-up and pictures of Homemade Christmas/Holiday Lionel or other manufacturers cars or engines, or other features you have made, modified, or scratch built. I’ll start this thread off with photos of a Nativity-themed flatcar I made last season long before MTH announced it would make available a LED backlit manger scene flatcar. My flatcar, while not a traditional manager scene or adorned with LED lighting, is nevertheless unique and makes a nice addition to my Christmas trains. So now show us what you’ve made for your Christmas train, layout, or display.


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## Guest (Nov 26, 2018)

I will take a current photo of our scale Polar Express Observation car. I will post it soon.


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## seayakbill (Jan 16, 2016)

Looks great, certainly a neat addition for any Christmas Train.

Bill


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## Big Jim (Nov 17, 2015)

" My flatcar, while not a traditional manager scene or adorned with LED lighting, is nevertheless unique and makes a nice addition to my Christmas trains."

*"That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown!"*


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## Guest (Nov 26, 2018)

This is a slide from my MTF Dinner presentation. It shows an MTH Jordan Spreader converted into a Polar Railroad Snow Plow and a Scale Polar Express Passenger car modified with the Hobo/Ghost figure and a flickering campfire. 

The Snowplow was my own creation. The Hobo Car modification was the genius of fellow forum member Keith (MOVL). I followed his step-by-step instructions and it worked perfectly. 

I'll try to post better photos of both.

Emile

View attachment 473674


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## Guest (Nov 26, 2018)

Good ones, Emile. Love the snow plow.


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## Guest (Nov 26, 2018)

Here are better photos of the Hobo Car and the Snowplow and also a photo of an easy and fun modification to add a Conductor with lighted lamp to a Scale Polar Express passenger car. The Conductor was another of Keith's (MOVL) great ideas.

Emile

View attachment 473708


View attachment 473712


View attachment 473714


View attachment 473716


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## Pebo (Sep 27, 2015)

Very basic.....red Lionel flat, coffee stirrers, a ceramic crèche off eBay....

















Peter


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## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

Emile: love that snow plow. :appl:


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## Big Jim (Nov 17, 2015)

Peter,
I remember seeing your Nativity flat car last year. Very cute! Nice job lad!
It has inspired me to make my own (I saved your photo). It took me till last week to find a car to my liking, so, it will be a while before mine is finished.

Ogaugeguy,
Your's is very nice too!


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## papa3rail (Oct 8, 2016)

Excellent work guys very creative.:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Enon49 (Mar 21, 2018)

*Santa Tin Train*

This will eventually become an eleven car train


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## Guest (Nov 30, 2018)

Ogaugeguy, Emile, Peter and Mr Toad, you guys all did exceptional work and created some fine Christmas trains. Very well done.


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2018)

This is the interior modification to a custom Polar Express RPO:

Emile

View attachment 474160


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Ok so its mix and match for me as some of my suff is still boxed up. I have a few simple x mass cars. Robes gave me the idea, he was a member a while back. Just hit the old crappy car with some paint, add some doller store decorations and done. Easy peasy. For the die hard collector, dont look. Lol. I atually should have saved the cars for nostalgia, there lionel plastic wheel trains!


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

And yes the zw is overkill but it has a whistle switch, it was the 4th transformer i grabbed, lol.


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## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

It's not Christmas without the ZW!! :thumbsup:


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## Volphin (Dec 7, 2015)

Ever wonder how Santa's Elves get to work? This is how. The world's only LC+ FT Polar Express ABA.


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## Volphin (Dec 7, 2015)

Some shells in PE blue for custom bobbing reindeer cars


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## Volphin (Dec 7, 2015)

I also upgraded my scale PE diner car. It has a stainless steel kitchen with appliances and chefs, hot chocolate cups for the kids, repainted hot chocolate dispenser, and PE murals in the service hallway.


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## Guest (Dec 6, 2018)

*"Ever wonder how Santa's Elves get to work? This is how. The world's only LC+ FT Polar Express ABA."*

Need to fill all of those empty seats with elves.


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## Guest (Dec 6, 2018)

Trey,

The PE Streamliner is really cool, but the PE Hot Chocolate Dining Car is Extreme BAD-AAS!!! Possibly the best PE interior I've ever seen! Thanks for sharing it. I intend to copy the heck out of that Bad Boy! A new winter project for me. Well done!

Emile


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## Volphin (Dec 7, 2015)

Passenger Train Collector said:


> *"Ever wonder how Santa's Elves get to work? This is how. The world's only LC+ FT Polar Express ABA."*
> 
> Need to fill all of those empty seats with elves.


I got started, but life got in the way for this Christmas. They will be riding next Christmas for sure, along with an LED upgrade. Those passenger trains really draw the amps!


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## Volphin (Dec 7, 2015)

TheBigCrabCake said:


> Trey,
> 
> The PE Streamliner is really cool, but the PE Hot Chocolate Dining Car is Extreme BAD-AAS!!! Possibly the best PE interior I've ever seen! Thanks for sharing it. I intend to copy the heck out of that Bad Boy! A new winter project for me. Well done!
> 
> Emile


Thank you sir! Just buzz me and I'll share some specifics when you're ready.


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## Guest (Dec 7, 2018)

Trey, just a fantastic PE passenger train. *You do BELIEVE!!!!!*


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## Big Jim (Nov 17, 2015)

Volphin,
I, for one, would like to see how you made that beautiful kitchen.


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## Guest (Dec 7, 2018)

Big Jim said:


> Volphin,
> I, for one, would like to see how you made that beautiful kitchen.


And, Me, for two, would like to see how you made that beautiful kitchen.

"The Motion has been Seconded. All in favor: Say Aye!"

Emile


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## Volphin (Dec 7, 2015)

TheBigCrabCake said:


> And, Me, for two, would like to see how you made that beautiful kitchen.
> 
> "The Motion has been Seconded. All in favor: Say Aye!"
> 
> Emile


I did some digging and found the original post. It's a fun read, and goes over the diner car project. If I can answer any materials or art questions, just post on up.

ALSO: Thank you all again for the kind comments. They really mean a lot to me considering what fine work you ALL do with your trains and layouts. We really do have quite the skill set here at MTF. :appl::appl::appl: 

https://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=57410


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## Volphin (Dec 7, 2015)

*Polar Express Freight Upgrade*

Anyone remember this set? It was a little RTR set with no chuff, an awful horn and conventional control. The only thing that was good about the set was the cars that were included, which was one caboose, one gondola and one boxcar. Well, the body of the 0-8-0 wasn't bad either. I picked it up on eBay for a hundred bucks. It was worse in person than the promo video for it! (You can still see it if you Google the part number).

Soooo, this set sat in the box until a donor LC or LC+ chassis became available. Well it took a few years, but finally a 0-8-0 NYC LC unit that was inoperable popped up on the bay. I snatched it up for a song. (Surely I wasn't the only one who noticed the drive rod screw had backed out jamming the entire mechanism!)

So when it arrived, I repaired the drive rod, replaced a bent wheel set and removed the shell. Then, after making a wee bit of room inside the PE 0-8-0 shell and rewiring the LED headlamp to the new style connector I refitted the PE shell to the loco. Then I swapped tender shells. Perfect fit. 

The best part was I put the NYC bodies on the old conventional chassis and a guy at my club fell in love with it and bought it for $150. In the end I almost broke even. I was enjoying it this afternoon before I take her to the club for the kids to run. 

It just goes to show you, upgrading something you like is not always that hard and it can be done cost effectively if you aren't in a rush.


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## Guest (Dec 7, 2018)

You do terrific work, Trey.


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## Guest (Dec 7, 2018)

You did a very nice job on that loco, Trey. It looks, runs and sounds great. Santa needs that train running so the elves have raw materials so they can make toys.


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)

*Pre-Amazon, Pre-UPS, .... (Video)*

The original, global, Christmas present delivery company.


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## Guest (Dec 24, 2018)

Millstonemike said:


> The original, global, Christmas present delivery company.


That’s awesome Mike! How did you go about motorizing Santa’s sleigh? 

Emile


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)

TheBigCrabCake said:


> That’s awesome Mike! How did you go about motorizing Santa’s sleigh?
> 
> Emile


It's the basic no-frills Marx motor: no E-unit, no smoke. I made the sled out of 3/8" mdf to hold the motor. The rest of the cars are Marx tinplate.


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## Guest (Dec 24, 2018)

Millstonemike said:


> It's the basic no-frills Marx motor: no E-unit, no smoke. I made the sled out of 3/8" mdf to hold the motor. The rest of the cars are Marx tinplate.


That’s impressive! The sleigh looks like it could have been made by a top notch European toymaker. Well done!

Emile


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## Volphin (Dec 7, 2015)

I LOVE it! That's a cool model! Merry Christmas Mike!


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)

Thanks gents.

Like Kstrains (in the Christmas Photo thread), I had a hard time finding a right-sized Santa. Scoured the Christmas shops, and what not before I gave up. Then I found him in a one of my boxes of Christmas ornaments. 

Still looking for a right-sized Rudolph. If I do find one, he'll get that bright red nose courtesy of an LED.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Fun ! That sleigh is fast.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

So clever!! A wonderful idea.

Here is my submission.


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## Big Jim (Nov 17, 2015)

I know this is late, but, the "LInus RR 1005" Christmas flat car was very late being even found, much less delivered. With inspiration from "Pebo"/Peter, it has finally found its way to fruition.


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2019)

Well done. That's a great addition to any Christmas Train. That's also my favorite scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas when Linus tells the story of the first Christmas. "That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown."

Emile


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2019)

Very nice, Big Jim.


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## Pebo (Sep 27, 2015)

Big Jim said:


> I know this is late, but, the "LInus RR 1005" Christmas flat car was very late being even found, much less delivered. With inspiration from "Pebo"/Peter, it has finally found its way to fruition.


Love it!
Peter


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## Big Jim (Nov 17, 2015)

Thank you guys.
I have one more in the works to go along with this one. But, it will be a while before I can get to it.


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## Big Jim (Nov 17, 2015)

As promised, the second *LI*(nus) *RR* car.


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## Guest (Feb 2, 2019)

Very creative, Big Jim.


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