Christmas Trains

Christmas Village Shopping hints to select the right Christmas Train for your Christmas Village

G Scale - O Scale - S Scale - On30 - OO - HO Scale trains 

Trains have been a part of Christmas for well over a century, and many of us have woken up Christmas morning to the Christmas Train circling the Christmas tree.

A Christmas train is a perfect addition to your Village.  Filled with fine detail, lighted headlights, some with billowing smoke and the sound of trains whistles and bells.  Christmas Trains fit right into your Victorian, Seaside, bustling city, small town or rural village setting.  Where doesn't a train take people and freight?  

Christmas Trains come in different sizes, with turn of the century steam engines, diesel engines or electric.  There are also electric Street Cars that can circle your village or go back and forth on the main street.

We offer complete Christmas train sets, made of durable quality materials from leading manufacturers.  They are powered from your home wall outlet.  We believe these quality train sets will last much longer than battery operated trains made with plastic parts, that they will continue to bring joy to your family and friends for years at one of the greatest times of the year.

The Right Size for Your Village

Don’t be confused with Scales and Gauges.  The photo above shows common model train Scales.  HO scale is the most common size in the model train industry. There are the most train models and accessories offered by the manufacturers in HO scale. 

Think of the Scale as the “Size” of the train in height and width.  The larger the train the more detail can be built into it.  O and G scale trains often have more features, such as smoke and sound, and they are easier to set on the train tracks and stay on the tracks.

Think of the gauge as the amount of space the track layout will require.  The smaller the axle width the less space required for the train to turn around.  Note that the width between the train wheels (axle width) of HO is half that of O scale.  A HO scale train layout will take almost half the space as an O scale train layout.  This may be an important factor in deciding which train is correct for your village.

Other factors that may affect your decision are hand dexterity and eyesight.  The smaller trains are more difficult to set on the track, are lighter and more apt to be "bumped" off the track with a table jostle by young children.

S, On30 and OO Scale are the best size options for your Christmas Village displays!

OO Scale Christmas Trains arrived in fall 2021, O Scale is only marginally larger than S as noted in the photo. 

Christmas Train Tips to consider;

• Put a little awe on children’s faces when the lighted and smoke billowing train emerges from the tunnel.  Building a tunnel is also practical in your village as you can set a display on top of the tunnel.
  • Two portals,  3 pcs of 20-36 inch long 1x6 for the sides and top of your tunnel, cover with a white sheet or a snow blanket,...that is all you need
  • Don’t build your tunnel on a curve in the track.  The front of your train engine extends beyond the track when turning and can bump into the side walls of your tunnel.

Please note that G Large scale trains are too large for your village.  We offer these  battery operated G Christmas trains to circle the base of your Christmas tree.