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Written by Paul D. Race for ![]() ![]() |
Trains and villages aren't just for Christmas anymore! - Since companies like Hawthorne Village® /a>and Department 56® brought Christmas villages and trains back into style, many people have been sad to see their collectibles go back into the box after New Years'. Now they don't have to. Hawthorne Village® and affiliated companies have introduced villages and trains that can be used every month of the year.
Most of the products on this page are available by subscription, which means that you sign up for them like you would a magazine and get a package about every four weeks for the next four months. For more information on subscription trains, please refer to the "About Subscription Trains" article. The accessory packages, however, are sold as single-purchase packages.
All of the trains on this page are On30 in scale, just the right size for Holiday villages by companies like Hawthorne Village®, Dept. 56® and Lemax. That means that these trains are almost as big as the Lionel trains®, but they run on Bachmann HO gauge EZ-Track, which you can fit almost anywhere. Every train is exquisitely detailed and warranteed for one year against manufacturing defects by Hawthorne Village®. The mechanical parts of each train are manufactured and warranteed by the Bachmann company, the world's largest model railroad manufacturer, so parts, service, and accessories will always be available.
Update for 2013: Back when I started this page, Hawthorne Village was making trains and or villages for almost every holiday of the year. Unfortunately, the recent recession caused them to "retrench" so they're not offering nearly as many trains as they used to. Between 2011 and 2012, I removed twelve products from this page and had none to replace them. There are still nice fall and winter trains, but if you want to run a train with a spring or summer village, you may have better luck checking out the On30 and O gauge train sets on our BIGTrainStore.com site. I am hopeful that more products will be forthcoming soon. So if you click on a product link and just see a generic page, I apologize. But please check back - I will try to add any new products that belong on this page.
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.)
So take a good look now at the wonderful products available, and decide for yourself if you need to stop enjoying your collectibles just because Christmas is over.
Spring Trains and VillagesSpirit Of Ireland Express Subscription Train![]() Irish Blessings Express Train Set Shines with the Warm Spirit of Ireland! An Exclusive Heirloom-quality Irish Collectible! - Ride the rolling emerald green hills, lush meadows and misty glens of Ireland on the Irish Blessings Express Train! Each car is graced with the breathtaking landscape art of Irish artist Edmund Sullivan. Adorned with traditional Irish-themed accents, like shamrocks, Irish flags, golden Claddaghs, and the words of the cherished Irish blessing - "May the Road Rise Up to Meet You." In addition, every window of this limited-edition Irish On30 scale collectible express train set lights up with a welcoming Irish glow. FREE nickel silver 16-piece track set and power-pack - a $60 value! Click on the link below to purchase or for more information. |
Summer Trains and VillagesThomas Kinkade Lamplight Subscription Village
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Shoreline Pastimes Village Accessory
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Autumn Harvest Trains and Villages |
Winter (Not Christmas) Trains and VillagesIf you've visited any of our Big Christmas Trains pages, you know that we list Christmas trains and villages of all shapes and sizes. The products in this section are decorated for winter, but not for Christmas. Sure, they look great with Christmas trains and villages, but after the Christmas tree comes down you can still celebrate winter's frosty charms with these fine products. |
This train became unavailable in 2012, but is back, possibly in limited quantities. (Actually all of these trains are limited editions, but some are more limited than others.)
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Accessories for Trains and Villages on This PageHawthorne Village Train Accessories - As different as they may look, all of the Hawthorne Village trains on this page are mechanically interchangeable. They are On30 trains, built on frames made by the Bachmann Corporation, the world's largest model train manufacturer. The track they all use is the same EZ-Track that Bachmann sells for HO trains, so if you order more than one Hawthorne Village train, you can use the track from each set interchangeably. You can also always get extra Bachmann EZ-Track pieces as well as Bachmann parts and service on your Hawthorne Village trains. A few extra track pieces and other Hawthorne Village accessories you may find useful are provided below for your convenience.Summer Crossing Gate Train Accessory Set
Winter Crossing Gate Train Accessory Set
Track Multi-Pack Train Accessory Set
Crossing Track Pack Train Accessory Set
Bridgeport Train Display Wood Cabinet
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Note: Family Garden TrainsTM, Garden Train StoreTM, and Big Christmas TrainsTM are trademarks of Breakthrough Communications (www.btcomm.com). All information, data, text, and illustrations on this web site are
Copyright (c) 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 by Paul D. Race.
Reuse or republication without prior written permission is specifically
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