Happy Halloween

 

Happy Halloween

 

Happy Halloween

 

TRAIN TIME: Amityville Horror House, Haunted Abandoned House #1, IT Well House, Psycho House Flats from PTF Designs

Nick Futules from PTF Designs is a well known YouTuber and maker of  'flats' for use on HO scale, S-scale, and O-gauge train layouts. 'Flats' are - as their name suggests - flat profile buildings for use as backdrops when one doesn't have room for a full fledged 4-sided structure. Some flats are made with details on the front, both sides, and top while Nick's flats are detailed on the front only (but the sides are colored). He makes his flats with 1/5" high-density foam, a photo overlay on top, and the perimeter cut out precisely to match whatever graphic is used for that particular structure. 

I started buying flats from PTF Designs a couple of years ago for use on my O-gauge train layout and then started fleshing out the Halloween collection with his expanding series of movie-based and fictional horror or haunted houses. While not all of his flats are equipped with LED's, these four are but I have yet to place them into a permanent type setting with all electrical hookups. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Here's an example of a flat with detailing on front, sides, and top. Some firms offer more detailed pieces than this Menards warehouse.

Here's the four houses I currently have on this year's Halloween train layout. I now have another house on order and plan on getting yet another as funds allow. None of the lights are hooked up.

PTF Designs Amityville Horror House

8"W x 8 7/8"H

PTF Designs Haunted Abandoned House #1

8"W x 9 3/8"H

(There is a Haunted Abandoned House #2 in the series, but I don't yet have it.)

PTF Designs IT Well House

10 5/8"W x 8 1/4"H

PTF Designs Psycho House

8 1/4"W x 8"H

This shows one way of connecting the LED's - a battery box with ON/OFF switch (the switch is on the underside of the box in this photo)

TRAIN TIME: 2023 Halloween Train Layout - Pt 3 Ruh-Roh! It's Scooby Doo

I have two Lionel Halloween-themed train sets. An earlier post highlighted the Lionel Set #2123060 Hallow's Eve Limited Graveyard Route from 2021 which was on the track for a week and a half or so. Then it was swapped out with Lionel Set #6-85241T Scooby-Doo The Mystery Machine Set from 2018. I have to say that of all my train sets, the Scooby Doo is among the favorites. It has a spooky bell and dialogue featuring the voice of Scooby and an assorted ghoul or two - a very fun set indeed! Enjoy! Opa Fritz

The set includes an engine, gondola with a ghost chasing Shaggy and Scooby, a boxcar, and a lighted caboose.

The large box has the track, the small one is just a filler piece.

Target Brands #96817 Paperboard Halloween House (2023)

I would have liked to build another downloadable cardstock house for Halloween but my get-up-and-go got-up-and-went! So I bought this instead. The same day we went to Spirit Halloween - where some of my latest Harry Potter finds were bought - we walked next store to Target and I found this. It's missing a detail piece in front (a pumpkin maybe??), but it was the only one they had and I liked it. There's a narrow slit in the back to stuff a thin LED candle but it's not wide enough to accept an LED tea light / votive candle. The house measures  5 3/4" (14.60cm) W x 4 1/2" (11.43cm) D x 7 1/2" (19.05cm) H. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

TRAIN TIME: 2023 Halloween Train Layout - Pt 2 The Details

Over the years I've been buying figures, cars, and assorted details to add to the Halloween layout and most of them are shown here for the first time (although to be fair, I've posted them on my facebook groups). The cardboard buildings have all been posted here on the blog in past years and many of the individual detail pieces have also been blogged. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

I'm slowly getting more Harry Potter toys in so this corner has the new Lego Carriage pulled by Thestrals set.

One of my favorite Dept 56 pieces - imagine a near-sighted witch flying her broom into a tree! 😄

My pumpkin patch

The pumpkin patch farmer driving his tractor

This started life as a plastic Banner tractor from the 1950s. It was part of a set I bought but his head had had been broken off and lost by the seller. A small pumpkin bought off of fleaBay provided me a head to use and now the tractor is suitable for Halloween.

Those 'flats' are from a series of classic horror movie houses by PTF Designs and are equipped with LED lights

If there's something strange
In your neighborhood
Who you gonna call?
Ghostbusters!

If there's something weird
And it don't look good
Who you gonna call?
Ghostbusters!