Do you make season/holiday-related changes to your layout?

[Peter C]

Now this may seem like a stupid question, but stick with me. Even if you have nothing to say you'll hopefully have had a laugh at my inability to ask questions

This thought began all the way in December 2020 - around Christmastime. I put up lights around my layout to make it look a bit more Christmas-y (is that a word? Christmassy?) and made some little headboards for some of my engines; I also thought about getting some sort of material to make fake snow which could then be removed after the festivities had ended. I didn't get around to doing that last one, but it got me thinking - are there people who change the scenery on their layout to fit in with the seasons/holidays?
Now, I expect the answer's going to be no for the most part - I think I've seen some layouts where the owner has covered them in materials to make them covered in snow, and there are obviously people who have modelled one particular season (Winter is a popular one), but I can't think of any particular examples. And I'm not talking about just Christmas and Winter - I'd be very interested to hear if any of you make any changes to your layouts throughout the year

Well done for making it through that one - it was tough - there were some hard bits - but I think we did it.

-Peter

 

[Iskra]

I don't change the vegetation- my layout should eventually look Autumny, but the layout can and does feature seasonal trains; I can run Summer Saturday relief specials with unsuitable 'cast-off' rolling stock, football specials and a 'Jacobite' style steam passenger service in more modern times.

 

[Cowley]

I’m completely stuck in summer on my railway. But then I’d have to be or there’d be no summer Saturday 31 or 33 hauled trains to Barnstaple and that just wouldn’t be right.
I can do nighttime running though...

 

[Peter C]

I don't change the vegetation- my layout should eventually look Autumny, but the layout can and does feature seasonal trains; I can run Summer Saturday relief specials with unsuitable 'cast-off' rolling stock, football specials and a 'Jacobite' style steam passenger service in more modern times.

That's something I forgot to mention - season-specific services. One of my favourite things to do is to run Summer specials in June/July/August and then Christmas/Santa Specials in December. Having the seaside station on the layout will help with the first one.

I’m completely stuck in summer on my railway. But then I’d have to be or there’d be no summer Saturday 31 or 33 hauled trains to Barnstaple and that just wouldn’t be right.
I can do nighttime running though...

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I love that. Something I'd like to do with my layout at some point

-Peter

 

[43055]

In terms of scenery not at all but the use of the stock on the layout changes very much over the year to cater for demand:

XC: Extra HST on Saturday afternoons in the Summer.
GWR: Increases to mostly hourly on Summer Saturdays replacing some EMT services. Some 800's could run as double sets (4+4) and I have a extra TGS for the HST to act as a baggage coach which I think has happened on some Newquay HST's.
EMT: St Ives branch ranges from a lone 153 in the winter to a 4 car 156+153+153 combo in the summer.
If I do get the Accurascale Caledonian Sleeper MK5's then this could give me another opportunity to use different lengths over the year by changing the number of sleeper coaches.

 

[reddragon]

Now this may seem like a stupid question, but stick with me. Even if you have nothing to say you'll hopefully have had a laugh at my inability to ask questions

This thought began all the way in December 2020 - around Christmastime. I put up lights around my layout to make it look a bit more Christmas-y (is that a word? Christmassy?) and made some little headboards for some of my engines; I also thought about getting some sort of material to make fake snow which could then be removed after the festivities had ended. I didn't get around to doing that last one, but it got me thinking - are there people who change the scenery on their layout to fit in with the seasons/holidays?
Now, I expect the answer's going to be no for the most part - I think I've seen some layouts where the owner has covered them in materials to make them covered in snow, and there are obviously people who have modelled one particular season (Winter is a popular one), but I can't think of any particular examples. And I'm not talking about just Christmas and Winter - I'd be very interested to hear if any of you make any changes to your layouts throughout the year

Well done for making it through that one - it was tough - there were some hard bits - but I think we did it.

-Peter

Well due to climate change there's no more snow, so maybe you could have floods & landslips or a forest fire?

When do you drivers go on strike?

 

[BRblue33]

I do change car's and buses around . To match what era i'm running mid 1970's or late 1980's . But as seasons go it's not so easy when you have trees and flowers.

 

[Peter C]

I do change car's and buses around . To match what era i'm running mid 1970's or late 1980's . But as seasons go it's not so easy when you have trees and flowers.

Oh cool - I like the dedication to a realistic scene
I wasn't really expecting people to be changing trees etc., but I expect there will be some people who do - model railways attract all sorts of folk with different interests!

-Peter