Why We Put Model Trains Under A Christmas Tree 

For anyone who’s a train enthusiast, having any train set underneath a Christmas tree will make their Christmas complete!

Another reason is that parents often did not wrap presents years ago - they hid them until the kids went to bed on Christmas Eve night. The parents brought out the gifts and often assembled any toys - including setting up a train set.

Anyone else remember/know about the series "I Love Toy Trains"? It was a big part of my early childhood and perhaps the main reason why I have an interest in model trains today (as well as Thomas of course). I'm going to have to wait until I have my own house before I build my own layout though.

I remember even as a kid growing up in Toronto in the 90s that Christmas model trainsets were sold at Loblaws grocery stores. I still remember all the cool sets they sold to this day. Trains and Christmas are the perfect pairing.

I'm actually very lucky that both of my grandfathers had Lionel Postwar as kids, and they've passed it all on to me. I still need to finish servicing the old beasts though, since it's been decades since they've gotten any grease or oil.

Oh yes, also here in the Netherlands we took over that American tradition :) and I love it, my Marklin train is always running under the Christmas tree. Yes I know, I am a fully grown man 41 years of age but trains do have a special place in my heart, trains are cool. Very durable also, if you take a bit care of those realistic model train sets it lasts more than 1 generation. It is not 'diamonds are forever', trains are forever!

I don't think this is a very widespread tradition here in Germany. I probably got the idea from the film Polar Express, where at the very end the Polar Express model train goes around the Christmas tree. I always wanted to have one of these, but it's a little difficult in Germany. So German trains have been running around my Christmas tree ever since. I love this tradition, I couldn't imagine Christmas without it.

Merry Christmas I got hogwarts express

I still remember my first Lionel train,it was the ready-to-play Polar Express,set it around the tree and played with it till Valentine's Day

I got a Bachmann harvest express train set for Christmas of 2018, and it basically made me interested in trains as a whole. That cn gp40 and those three hopper cars were my prized possessions for years, until my dad and I started building a 4x8 ft layout, that we’re still working hard on to this day. It also made me discover railfanning, a hobby that I very much enjoy as well. and even career wise, I plan to work for the railroad in the future. One train set can sure go a long way.

This was incredibly enjoyable. Full of Christmas cheer. I received the model train tradition from my Fathers side who's mostly German-American. My Grandfather had a nice train set and my Grandmother would make fantastic Putzen's to go along with them.

Model railroading is the most satisfying and relaxing hobby in my opinion

I have ran my own G Gauge Lionel Polar Express Train Set around the Christmas Tree along with my HO Scale Trains too.

This why i love this tradition. When i was 8, my dad got me an 0-27 set that at first we set up around the christmas tree, My mom got mad and threw it away. So me and my dad dug it out the trash and hid it in my room. He built a layout for me a few months after my mom calmed downed. My mom threw it away cuz it was smoking..... It was a steam locomotive

I got my dad a Lionel train a few years ago. My family are train enthusiasts no matter what time of year it is, but Christmas is the only time he can get it out. The tree really is a convenient place to put the track without it being in the way.

I recall a 1980s Iarnrod Eireann/ Irish Rail Christmas advertisement which had two 1:76 or OO scale trains on a circle underneath a Christmas tree. One model train was an 8100 DART EMU with the other being an InterCity train with an EMD 071 class loco with mark 2 carriages. There was another version of the advert with the 8100 by itself.

I grew up in midtown Manhattan when the airlines had retail ticket offices. At Xmas the int’l airlines would display fabulous winter HO layouts with multiple trains and elevations, wintertime towns and tiny lights. I was in awe. I’m Trying to bring it all back in Z gauge now on a small display.

I did a double take on the Lego train at 3:56, turns out I know the guy 😂(the layout looks great @mpersand!). A huge thanks to AmtrakGuy for crediting the sources at the end of the video, not all creators take the time to do that 👍

Great video! Just want to add that the simplicity of early electric toy trains made them very durable. I run both O gauge and standard gauge tinplate trains - most of what I run was made in the 1920s and 1930s and still works as well as when it was new.

I am from Britain and we have a fixation with trains as well here in our own homes. We don't follow this practice of putting our train sets under our Christmas trees. I prefer to build my trainset as a big layout that dominates the living room floor for all the family to see. You Americans have a good way of making use of your Christmas tree with a beautiful train set. I think British kids didn't engage in having their trainsets running around the Christmas tree in a circle track because we didn't have many homes with electricity supplies in the 1900s. Most toy trains available then were clockwork operated so we didn't need it to be near a plug socket like that for our Christmas tree.

A Christmas tree is NEVER complete without a train of some kind running underneath it. Whenever I go to someone's house and I see no train under it, I just shake my head. It looks so bare without it. I don't care if it's some cheapy battery powered one you can get at Target, it needs to be under there.

I have my American Flyer trains running around my tree again this year. Using a 293 New Haven loco from the 1950’s and it runs and smokes like a champ.

Great Video ! I remember my FIRST American Flyer Train set under our tree . That was 70 YEARS ago . I STILL collect "Model" trains . It should be mentioned here however, THAT the Train sets etc. you depict in your video , are NOT Model trains , but are "Toy" trains, there is a BIG Difference : ) Loved your video , No Matter , Thanks for sharing !

this is pretty cool and i never knew this! i have a g gauge train (small little loop tho) that goes around my tree. so yeah. pretty cool.

I saw a few model trains running loops in shop windows, the shop wasn't actually train-related, it was just decor. Certainly got my attention though as someone who likes them.

I have a Lionel RTR G-Gauge polar express model that runs around my tree every year. It will continue till it dies, and even then, it’ll be a nice display around the tree!

As a Teenager who loves trains and buses, well... I have had wooden trains running around my christmas tree for years, and I still honour the tradition thanks to my Grandmother. She was the one who encouraged me to play with the wooden trains, and I still do to this day. It started out as a simple Thomas & Friends figure 8 track, but then grew to an entire city, then an entire municipality, connected by trains. Even though it's not a model train, I don't care and I still enjoy what I have. The oldest set I first got, is still with me, set up in my room, in memory of my Grandmother. Merry Christmas everyone!

I haven't been keeping up too much with your videos lately, and for a second, I had misread the title as if you had literally built a literal layout, but it had turned out to be yet another informative video about railroad enthusiast history. Thank you very much for making these high quality mini documentaries. Keep it up! (BTW, ever since purchasing the new Super Mario Wonder game, I'm proud to call myself a Nintendo fan now.)

i've got my grandfather's American Flyer pacific set running under my tree this year, its such a great smoker and that chuffing sound is fantastic

This year, I decided to reimagine the Lionel O-gauge layout that I used to have under my Christmas tree by remaking it in HO scale. Instead of using Lionel HO, as their HO stuff is crap, I did it with newer Bachmann and Walthers equipment. It had Bachmann ez-track (that’s just what I had on hand), a Bachmann HO scale J3a Hudson, several pieces of Walthers freight rolling stock, and a little red proto 2000 N&W caboose (I don’t have any New York Central cabooses).

Thank you for this great model railroad history lesson. I also got a kick out of seeing the cat towards the end. Just found your channel and am a subscriber now. Merry Christmas... from someone who had a Lionel train set back around 1962 (think it was called O27 size back then) and is about to build an HO scale, 4x16 layout.

Two days before Christmas my daughter excitedly calls and says, “ Dad , the trains only go fast not slow “ . I’ll be over . A little gentle track , locomotive wheel and pickup cleaning with a rubberstone and good to go . Son-in -law asks ,” what I do wrong ? “ Nothing I replied , just a little pre- Christmas maintenance 😎 . I’m used to it . Yeah , always had trains under the tree .

Because it's the one item you can have that can move by itself and keep going 'round, everything else just stays still. It's something that goes round and round, we have them too at christmas time, and put lights on it, oh he just said that, that's nice footage. Amazing at night, the long shadows, the dreams

Excellent job, I remember my first Lionel train set that I got from Santa when I was younger, and I still have that same train. Plus, I sometimes get new train cars to add to my collection.

Fun fact: similar to the car modification scene, if you can get the young people into the model train hobby, they'll never have enough money for drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, gambling, etc. Keep the youth on the straight & narrow path: give 'em a Lionel.

my dad's lionel train from the 1930's went around the christmas tree this year and will again for years to come.

I built my first N scale layout as a 2 piece module placed within the tree. Had a heck of a lot of fun making it!

I love the tradition of putting a train under a tree and watching it run and I hope this tradition doesn’t go away anytime soon in the future! Merry Christmas by the way! 🎄🎁

There were a lot cats supervising railroad operations around the tree. Cats must enjoy trains as well Or they are just planning their attack on them.

What a nice video! My first train was a Marx set that my Dad mounted on a piece of plywood. My sister made all of the buildings out of cardboard. I loved it, but at 5 years old, had no clue how to run it. Always running it off the rails! But that started it. Today, at age 62, I have a comprehensive set of Lionel and MTH trains that, when the mood hits, make for a wonderful running platform.

I set up my Lego trains under our christmas tree every year. The best part is driving the trains that I've designed myself. There's an extra source of pride in that. 😎

4:06 That is my Polar Express!

I got into the model train hobby and a general interest with trains because of three things. Various train documentaries on VHS such as there goes a train, a National Geographic train documentary, and all about trains. The second thing was the I love Toy trains, VHS series and the second was my brothers and eventually me getting toy trains for Christmas, I got the polar express the Pennsylvania flyer and the Harry Potter Hogwarts express train sets during the 2000s. In terms of technology, the majority of the stuff I had pretty much was postwar levels of technology, since there was only puffing smoke and whistle sounds that sounded like how they did in the postwar era. We didn’t really have any diesels until about the time we stopped doing it, and while they were supposed to be bell sounds in the locomotives, they never worked. The only O gauge diesel we ever had was an MPC era, Santa Fe, blue bonnet, freight set, and I don’t think that had any sound effects.

Merry Christmas, this is a great video. Nice to learn about the history of the tradition and see model trains in action.

1916 being the year with most train riders is news to me and, thanks for that 👍🏿

Thanks for the memories. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

What a nice post! Brought back memories. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas, I’m glad you made topic about this subject. 😊

If I could get a model train set and put it around my Christmas tree, I would, but I can't. Jokes aside, excellent fitting video for the holiday season!

I've done the train under tree and once it's set up, it becomes tricky to arrange gifts so the train isnt blocked from running.😂

Wow, your video and expert narration made my Christmas extra special. Thank you ATG360, and Merry Christmas to you.

On my mother's side of the family, we never used Lionel trains to circle around the Christmas tree. This was because my family couldn't afford them before eBay. Instead, my grandfather had a collection of LGB trains from Germany, which we used to circle around the Christmas tree every year. However, my grandfather passed away in 2014, and I decided to acquire his entire collection. Every year, during Christmas, I set up an LGB train set to circle around the tree. Unfortunately, the most famous LGB train from their lineup, the Stainz locomotive, didn't work. Some parts of it were stuck due to years of not being used, and it accidentally got exposed to the weather. As a result, I used a spare instead of using the family heirloom.

Love this ❤, thanks! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sitting a in my living room watching my n scale metra goin around my Xmas tree right now. Perfect video 😂

I'd heard rumors that the 'Lionel train circuit around the Christmas Tree' tradition was also a factor in the push for larger trees during the 20th Century. I guess the logic to this theory is that the sense of scale compared to the toy train is more aesthetically appealing. Up until at least the 1920's, most Christmas Trees were tiny things you'd put on a tabletop or in the corner of a small room, which would look a bit out of place with an O-scale train doing laps around it. By comparison, nowadays it's more common to see trees at a MINIMUM of four feet tall, which look considerably better with a Lionel-scale train running around it.

We had a train set when I was growing up as a kid every year at my grandparent's place. Christmas was never the same after it stopped working a few years ago.

I remember when I was younger my parents would help me set up is ho Thomas underneath the tree or a Lionel Polar Express underneath the tree

Really enjoyed the watch, thank you!

Funny seeing other cats than mine that love watching trains go by

I wonder if you noticed the prominent "UNION PACIFIC 2023" on the engines at the end! It waited over 70 years to be the CURRENT DATE. ;-) And yes, I have that set.

Christmas 1965, age 5. What a joy to wake up to the Lionel set my father (or Santa) surprised me with under the tree!

I guess thats part of the reason i still love trains today. They are just so concrete because they've always been around as long as me.

I got a Hornby Santa's Express for Christmas now and for the last 2 years it's a tradition for me to put the train and run it around the tree

Yeah its a long time Christmas tradition. Model trains and Christmas trees are the perfect pair

This was a cozy video! And speaking of model and toy trains, have you ever seen “I Love Toy Trains” or its spinoff “I Love Big Trains”?

Awesome video. Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!!

I just got the I love Toy Trains switcher locomotive. I wanted it ever since I was a kid!

I always thought it was because the flying reindeer set didn't have enough vertical space.

2:28 I love how Lionel "reinvigorates" their brand with a new logo that just MIGHT be a little bit inspired by the 1975 NASA "worm" logo.

Happy Holidays Amtrak!

Always happy to help have a merry Christmas

I love your history content on your channel Amtrakguy365 😁👍🚂

Ya ya!

As a kid Plarail used to make Thomas engines in the states and in Toys R Us (which isn't here anymore) Now that I'm older and that there aren't any stores that sell Plarail anymore I import them and I collect an engine or two a year and set them up around the tree and with them being based on real like Japanese trains (I have currently a JNR C12 and a Shinkansen with the Evangelion livery) They are quite nostalgic yet always catch people's attention lol, Merry Christmas Love your videos!

Hey! Thanks for including my video at 4:42, (I changed my channel name) Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

AmtrakGuy365, I have a recomendation for your Next Engines of Amtrak. You could talk about all of the different locomotives Amtrak Inherited when it formed. Like the EMD E & F units, as well as the GG1's and other engines.

I can’t believe my footage was shown! Merry Christmas Amtrakguy

You know, History in the Dark made a good video about this as well!

Merry Christmas to you and yours! My wife got me a rapido mystery box! I don't know what I have yet, but I'm excited!

0:44 FEC mentioned, Floridamen rejoice

You're answering questions people didn't know they needed the answer to

Now Jared you have 40 Million Views and almost at 100K hopefully 2024 will be a good year for your Channel

Wife and I saw a cute tik Tok video with a kitten and a train under a tree and because we got a kitten earlier this year, I ordered a basic one from Amazon the next day and it was so cute and funny watch our kitten watch this thing go around the tree 🎄

I really like these informative trail related videos

AmtrakGuy365, one thing I love about some of your videos are the TF2 references.

Thomas is a favorite to put around the tree

Good video, have a Lionel train going around the tree!

Years ago, me and my parents set up a figure eight, with an oval around the figure eight, with a small town scene in the open space of the figure eight. but due to covid and my mother getting an auto immune disease we just have a basic circle around the tree this year.

I love doing a train around the tree and always wonder why we did it but now i kinda know!

Love this fact of Christmas! Sounds important!

Great video

Merry Christmas AmtrakGuy365. I hope Santa brings you something that runs on tracks.

Thanks for the video! I’m actually getting a Great Northern NW-2, a model of ATSF 2926, and a Union Pacific Big Boy this year!

Proud Postwar Lionel owner here. Running around my family’s tree every year for 75 years.

2:54 - This guy looks like the person who was in an old safety video for the railroads I saw Hyce breakdown not long ago. I think it was for the Rio Grande or Union Pacific, but he did all kinds of demonstrations of the wrong things to do when working in a rail yard or just anywhere on a railroad. He threw himself off a moving train and tumbling onto the ground or into a a concrete platform that was up to his waist and all sorts of other crazy things like that. It may not be him, but it does seem to not be all that far off from the time that film was also made.

merry christmas jared

nice one, well done and thumbs up 👍🍀💯

It is always a banger with amtrakguy 365.

Man its so cool to know the history about the train around the Christmas tree