Halloween Trains and Towns

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Every item of this Halloween village was made by putz designer Howard Lamey, and we have instructions for making most of the pieces on our Primer page. The train is the original Dept. 56 On30 train, long since discontinued, but the ancestor of many other great On30 trains we've had the privilege of reviewing.

Written by Paul D. Race for HalloweenTrains.com(r)

Eerie October Fun - Holiday villages aren't just for Christmas anymore. In fact, many village fans think that setting up a Halloween village display is a good way to get a jump on the holiday season. Manufacturers are meeting the need with collectible villages and trains, but just as exciting, we have a growing collection of free, downloadable Halloween building and accessory projects to start or expand your Halloween village display.

We also provide links to Halloween trains and towns from manufacturers who permit us. Here's something to think about: collectible village manufacturers were stuck with full warehouses when the recession hit, so most of them scaled back between 2008 and 2010, preferring to let their warehouses empty out a little before investing in new products. Now that consumer confidence is somewhat recovering, new products are coming out, but there's not as much in the warehouses as there used to be. So both "old" and new products are "flying off the shelves." So whether you want to look for great Halloween village collectibles, or make your own, the earlier you get started on your Halloween village or railroad projects, the better off you will be.

Update, August, 2013: Since we moved HalloweenTrains.com to our new server, we've had room to add lots of features, including many ideas for building your own vintage-style cardboard or faux-tinplate houses. Also, we got so many requests to keep our novel Spook Hill Chronicles online that we kept it up.

The bad news is that you may encounter some broken links here and there. Please contact us if you find a broken link or otherwise have trouble finding something. In the meantime, check out the links below to get an idea of what this site has to offer.

Expanded for 2012: Halloween Trains and Towns Primer Page Since we started HalloweenTrains.com(tm), we have received many questions and project ideas for Halloween trains and towns - way too many to present here. So we've put together a primer page to help you:

Get the information you need to decide on the most suitable Halloween village and train for your family
Find inexpensive and (mostly) easy projects to expand a Halloween village or railroad. Examples include:
- "Spook Hill" - Howard Lamey's original, unique, inexpensive, and charming Halloween themed projects. Howard is a world-class designer of structures patterned after the cardboard "putz" houses that were the most popular "Christmas village" structures in the early to mid 1900s. For this series, Howard has featured distinctly Halloween themes.
- Bringing Autumn to Your Railroad or Display Village - How two easy crafts can make your model railroad or display village look like it is enjoying the fall season.
- Easy Indoor Lakes and Rivers - How to get the effect of waterfalls, rivers, lakes, and streams on both temporary and permanent indoor railroads and display villages.
- Easy Homemade Trees - How to make realistic and inexpensive trees using (mostly) natural materials.
Access other free resources for designing your own Halloween-themed buildings and accessories, including free downloadable patterned paper with shingle, brick, and siding graphics for making your own original Halloween-themed structures.

Visit our Primer pages if you have any questions about this rapidly growing hobby.

Buyers' Guides

When we started this page around 2006, there were only enough Halloween trains and towns available online to fill one page (a few of those are shown below). For 2012, we broke these out into separate Buyers' Guide pages by category. Unfortunately, the recent recession caused many manufacturers to cut way back on new factory orders. Products that were in stock in 2009 have sold out, and there isn't anything to take their place yet, so stocks are VERY thin.

In the next few days, I plan to comb the internet looking for products that will help you have Halloween Village display you need. In the meantime, most of the products we have currently listed have sold out, so please forgive us if you click on a link and nothing happens. Just remember to check back soon.

The categories we have so far are:

Halloween Villages and Accessories - We will be adding villages and checking links of the ones we already have between now and Halloween, so check back often.
O Gauge Halloween Trains - Lists some of the most attractive Halloween-themed products from Lionel(r), including a few that are "flying off the shelves," so don't wait too long.
On30 Halloween Trains - Lists On30 trains from Hawthorne Village and Bachmann. *Note: Several of the products on this page are in very short supply, so don't wait too long to shop!*

We have several other Buyer's Guides in the works. One holdup is that certain vendors don't like us linking directly to their products - they'd rather sell them to you directly or through brick-and-mortar store fronts. But we're negotiating with additional vendors, so I'm hoping to offer a lot more Halloween-themed train and products soon, so stay tuned!

A Family-Friendly Halloween Novel Just For Our Readers

Inspired by Howard Lamey's "Spook Hill" projects, we've done our best to imagine what it would be like to live in a town where it was Halloween all year 'round. Between now and Halloween, 2012, the Spook Hill Chronicles will be published in installments, one chapter a week. So check back often for some great Halloween reading fun. Right now, our plans are to take the book chapters down a few days after Halloween and making available as an e-reader download for a small fee. If we get a lot of response, we may "publish" a sequel next year.

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 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.)

Halloween Trains and Village Sampler

This is just a sampling of products you'll find featured in other pages as you check out our site. Please contact us if you need more information or have any questions about anythign on our pages.

Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas Black Light Village Collection

Join the most famous citizen of Halloween Town - the Pumpkin King Jack Skellington - and the rest of its weird and wonderful denizens in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Black Light Village Collection - the first-ever village with black light effect from The Bradford Exchange, Hawthorne Village Division. Inspired by the critically-acclaimed movie milestone, your fantastical journey begins with Issue One, Jack Skellington's House, a FREE Jack figurine and the 12" black light fixture. Soon, your collection continues with Issue Two, Dr. Finklestein's Lab and FREE Dr. Finklestein and Sally figurines. Additional Halloween Town buildings, each a separate issue and some with FREE figurines and accessories, to follow.‡These spook-tacular Nightmare Before Christmas collectibles are handcrafted and masterfully hand-painted to capture all of the eerie excitement of Halloween Town. Discover even more ghoulish thrills when you flip on the included 12" black light fixtures and the buildings glow! Strong demand is anticipated, so don't delay. Order now! Fine collectibles, not intended for children under 14.

Universal Studios Monsters Halloween Village Collection

Fire up a torch. Pack plenty of silver bullets. And, for good measure, bring along a sharp wooden stake. Under the eerie glow of the full moon, you'll be paying a pulse-quickening visit to the Universal Studios Monsters Halloween Village collection! The frights abound in this unique Halloween decoration, beginning with Issue One featuring Dr. Frankenstein's Castle and FREE Frankenstein figurine. Soon, the thrills and chills keep coming with Issue Two, Count Dracula's Castle, which includes a FREE Count Dracula figurine. Next, your decorative Halloween village collection continues with Issue Three, The Mummy's Tomb, and Issue Four, The Creature's Black Lagoon, each with select FREE accessories. Additional village buildings, each a separate issue and some with select free figurines and accessories, will follow.‡Now, you can pay a terrifying tribute to the classic monsters of the silver screen with this officially authorized Universal Studios collectible village collection. It's the perfect Halloween village decoration, handcrafted with the creatures and gothic castles that have been scaring young and old for over 70 years. Strong demand is expected for this screamingly scary exclusive. Order now!

The Death Valley Rally Gothic Village Collection

Enter Death Valley, a rowdy and rough village where skeleton bikers are sentenced to live out the rest of their death. Now you can take a ride through their biker heaven with this creepy gothic village collection, exclusively from Hawthorne Village. This collection begins with Issue One, Last Chance Gas & Madman Marty's Garage with FREE Madman Marty figurine. Soon, your collection will continue with Issue Two, Haunted Manor with FREE Old Lady figurine and additional creepy village buildings, each a separate issue and some with select free skeleton figurines, will follow.‡Each collectible building in this Death Valley collection is handcrafted of fine artist's resin and exquisitely hand-painted. Plus, each freaky building eerily lights up from within, spotlighting the activities of the walking dead! Makes a unique addition to your collections and perfect for Halloween decorations. But strong demand is expected. Order now!

Thomas Kinkade End of a Perfect Day Subscription Train

Thomas Kinkade Artwork Beckons You to the Fishing Trip of Your Dreams - The Hawthorne Village people don't call this an "autumn train," but the reds, blacks, and golds look right at home with any autumn display village. This heirloom quality On30 scale collectible express train set! It's fully illuminated and richly finished in rustic hues, embellished with heartwarming fishing slogans and glowing Thomas Kinkade artwork of warmly lit cabins nestled in pristine wilderness settings! Available only from Hawthorne Village, this Thomas Kinkade collectible electric train set is crafted with extraordinary attention to detail. Plus, it comes with a nickel silver 16-piece track set and power pack, a $60 value, yours FREE! Go ahead, relax and watch the old-fashioned steam engine chug around the track, hauling your every care far, far away! Order now! Click on the link below to purchase or for more information.
Thomas Kinkade End Of A Perfect Day Express Electric Train Collection

Others
I just invented a new category, because some of these are so unusual, I'm not sure where to put them.
Harry Potter's Hogwarts Express? - At long last, an model of the Hogwarts Express? that is big enough for small hands to operate. Fantasy lovers will enjoy a magical journey that is portrayed in J.K. Rowling's enchanting Harry Potter series. Train lovers will enjoy a truly historic event in the world of toy and model trains. This is the first European train ever modeled in O gauge by Lionel! It is also the only train on this page that runs on O gauge, 3-rail track, like the Lionel trains of old.
Okay, a "Harry Potter" train may not quite seem like a "Halloween" train, and it may be too big to go around your Halloween village. But this is such a neat product, I wanted all of my readers to have a chance to see it before it became impossible to get this year. To learn more about the Lionel Hogwarts Express click here

O Gauge Halloween Trains

Halloween Globe Operating Car

Halloween Globe Operating Car - Okay, you won't want to run this car on any railroad with bridges or tunnels, but if you want to put down a circle of track, turn out the lights, and watch this moving pumpkin lamp circle the room, to the accompaniment of spooky sounds, you'll get plenty of fun out of this purchase. Electricity comes from the track through a double pickup.

Hallow's Eve Express Conventional 4-6-0 Steam Locomotive #1313

Custom-painted Halloween Locomotive - These are almost impossible to find - I'm probably wasting my time posting this link but a couple lucky folks may be able to get this if they move fast. It is the locomotive from the Hogwarts' express with a special custom Holloween paint job. Click on the following links to check availability.

Click on the link at the right to check availability on Amazon.

Lionel O-27 Scale Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Flatcar

Lighted Halloween Car - This O-27 car will operate with just about any Lionel train set made since 1950. It is guaranteed to bring some fearsome fun to your Lionel railroad or Halloween Village - especially when you turn down the lights. Click on the following link to check availability on Amazon.

Lionel O-27 Halloween Boxcar

Custom-painted Fun - This O-27 car will add some October chills to your Lionel railroad or Halloween village. It will work with just about any Lionel train made in the last sixty years, including the Harry Potter set above. This has already sold out of Lionel's online store. Click on the following link to check availability on Amazon.

Lionel O-27 Work Caboose

Outfitted for serious Halloween work - This is a model of a Denver & Rio Grand work caboose, complete with crane and lighted cab, except that its paint job is designed for autumn cheer. Like the cars above, it will work with just about any Lionel train made in the last sixty years, including the Harry Potter set above. Click on the following link to check availability on Amazon.

Accessories for the Trains and Villages on This Page

Halloween Girder Bridge

A Classic Redefined - Most folks who grew up with Lionel or American Flyer trains remember the "through" bridge, the one you could put anywhere on your railroad just by raising and lowering the track. Here's a version of that old favorite redecorated to give your railroad a little autumn cheer.

Halloween Station Platform

Add a spooky stop for the ghosts and goblins to disembark on your layout. - Yet another Lionel classic repainted for October fun. If you collect Lionel, you'll want one of these. If you set up a Halloween village at all, consider one of these lighted platforms for your railroad - even if it's not a Lionel set. (It will require a 12-18 volt power supply to run, though. The accessory output of ANY toy train power supply should do.)

Halloween People Pack

Now you can populate your favorite Lionel operating accessories with Lionelville People Packs...

Bridgeport Train Display Wood Cabinet

Handsome Model Train Set Display Case Shows off Your Train Collection in Heirloom-quality Wood Cabinet with Glass Doors! - Provide an elegant home for your beloved model train collection in this heirloom-quality model train set display case, exclusively from Van Hygan & Smythe. Custom-designed in the tradition of fine European craftsmanship, its classic style is enhanced by solid hardwood construction with a rich walnut-finish. Hinged glass front doors reveal three 3-1/4" deep hardwood shelves, perfectly sized for your limited-edition train collections. Magnetic door closures minimize dust, and gleaming brass-finished hardware adds an elegant touch. Click on the link below to purchase or for more information.
Bridgeport Train Display Wood Cabinet

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