2019 Redford Theatre Christmas Layout

[SantaFe158]

I neglected to share my updates about the 2019 version of my Redford Theatre Christmas layout here. If you don't remember, each year for the past nine years, I've constructed an O gauge train and Christmas Village display in the orchestra pit at the historic Redford Theatre in Detroit, MI. It's a 1928 neighborhood movie theater that's been preserved and restored by the non-profit Motor City Theater Organ Society who's all volunteer staff have worked tirelessly since purchasing it in the mid 1970's. Their main goal was to preserve the Barton Theater pipe organ in its original location, a very rare thing to have in the theater organ world. The organ was meant to be used to accompany silent films although it was built right at the tail end of the silent era.

I condensed most of what I have as far as photos into the video below. Roger Carp also did a nice writeup on the 2018 layout for the January, 2019 issue of Classic Toy Trains if any of you subscribe to that magazine.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOsuCNL091U&lc=z23gsbswkofgf1okyacdp43atbnxt1pygsw4xkenlyhw03c010c

[Jim K]

Very nice video as was that article in CTT. Nice to see good things continue to happen at the Motor City. Thanks for sharing.

Jim K

[SantaFe158]

Very nice video as was that article in CTT. Nice to see good things continue to happen at the Motor City. Thanks for sharing.

Jim K

Thanks Jim. Things are definitely happening in the Motor City, more so in some areas than others, but progress.

[rogruth]

Lots of variety. Very nice.
I am also impressed with the speed that you run the trains.
Many train layouts if this type have trains running, IMHO, too fast to see very well.
On the other hand, I have seen some rather nice layouts with impressive trains that being run at scale speeds.
The general public has little interest in scale anything, they want to see things, in this case trains, that are not boring.

[webenda]

Thank you Jake.

The lights under the table covering always impress me. This year is no exception. I was particularly intrigued wtih the flashing blue lights representing harbor waves this year. Very inventive.

Layout from 2017 with a lady playing the Barton organ.


The theater is impressive also. The grand style (Japanese motif in this case) is a thing of the past.







Reference: https://redfordtheatre.com/history/

[SantaFe158]

Lots of variety. Very nice.
I am also impressed with the speed that you run the trains.
Many train layouts if this type have trains running, IMHO, too fast to see very well.
On the other hand, I have seen some rather nice layouts with impressive trains that being run at scale speeds.
The general public has little interest in scale anything, they want to see things, in this case trains, that are not boring.

Thanks Roger. We mix it up quite a bit, sometimes scale trains run when we're hanging out there and feel like running some of our nicer stuff. Normally I just let the conventional stuff do its thing. I try to keep a happy medium between flying off the rails fast and putting everybody to sleep slow

[SantaFe158]

Thank you Jake.

The lights under the table covering always impress me. This year is no exception. I was particularly intrigued wtih the flashing blue lights representing harbor waves this year. Very inventive.

The theater is impressive also. The grand style (Japanese motif in this case) is a thing of the past.


Reference: https://redfordtheatre.com/history/

Thanks Wayne. The "harbor" area was a spur of the moment decision. Those flashing lights were part of the bright lights I normally place under the main "downtown" area, but one of my strings didn't work this year and I was too cheap to buy more. I wanted to do a better job with the water area and figured they might bring it to life. My dad did all the detail work with the snow/cellophane covering over the lights for me and it turned out great.


The theater is definitely impressive. The Japanese motif was its original appearance, which it's now worn in preservation longer than it ever did between it's construction and when it was all covered up during the beginning of World War Two. There's still much more to be done restoration wise, but it's still a great looking place from a time when the theater itself was part of the overall experience of seeing a movie. There's not much of an experience at modern theaters unless you consider overpriced food and boring theaters to be an experience

[rogruth]

You forgot the boring, plotless movies that are being shown in the "modern" movie theatres.