Disney® Holiday Villages and Trains

Note: Although your children may love these sets, the Disney® villages are not toys, but heirloom-quality collector's items - in other words, they're "toys for big people." I post this only because small fry find them irresistable, so you need to be careful to keep them out of reach of small children, or anyone likely to wander off with the figurines or accessories, as my kids were prone to do when they were little.

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 and the Lionel ® trains, however, are sold as single-purchase packages.

Every piece is exquisitely detailed and warranteed for one year against manufacturing defects by Hawthorne Village®.

Update, 2016 - As of September, 2016, Bradford Exchange who distributes the Hawthorne Village products shown on this page has not ordered any new Disney village or train collections for several years. The products on this page were first introduced by 2009, so I don't know how much longer they'll be available. In fact, one sold out just before I typed this note and has been taken down. Other companies may eventually fill the gap, but if you're an avid Disney collector who thinks any item on this page will be rewarding to own, don't wait too long.

In addition, Bradford Exchange, who distributes the Hawthorne Village products shown on this page has recently been forced by the attorney generals of several states (including Ohio where I live) to stop letting folks like me recommend these products. So they have sent out an e-mail asking me (and hundreds of other people) to cease and desist recommending products we like.

It will take us a while to get things on these pages reconfigured to reflect the new requirements, but in the meantime, please consider the rest of this page an archive of past recommendations, for informational purposes only. We would never dream of continuing to recommend Hawthorne Village products that we liked in 2014 and still think highly of! 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.)

Note about Deadlines: These issues arrive about once a month, so the earlier you get started the more you will have to display this holiday season.

The Magic Of Disney Express Electric Train Collection celebrates all of your favorite Disney® characters, including Mickey Mouse (as the Sorceror's Apprentice), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and many more. Each issue in this collection has exquisite detail and charming features that will attract attention and interest for years to come. The locomotive headlight and the coaches are lighted as well, making this train a real "attention-grabber" when it runs around an illuminated holiday village such as the ones shown on this page.

Editor's Note: This train is made by Bachmann, and - except for the paint job - is an On30 model of a real train with all sorts of detail. It's also been available longer than the other trains on this page, which is a hint not to wait too long to order. When this train sells out, it will not be replaced by a train of similar quality.

Please click on either photograph for more pictures and details.

The Disney Movie Magic Express Train Collectionis an HO scale train celebrating Disney movies. Issue One is the Disney Magic Diesel Locomotive. Next to arrive will be Issue Two, the Snow White Movie Magic Combine Car with FREE 14-piece Track Set, Power Pack and Speed Controller. Soon, your collection will continue with Issue Three, the Bambi Movie Magic Combine Car and additional Disney art-embellished train cars as they become available, each a separate issue to follow.

Please click on the photograph for more pictures and details.

The Disney Holiday Celebration Express Train Collection is an HO scale train featuring Disney characters. Issue One is Mickey Mouse's Holiday Celebration Locomotive. Issue Two is a Holiday Celebration Tender and your FREE 14-Piece Track Set, Power Pack and Speed Controller. Issue Three is a Holiday Carolers Flat Car. After that, about every four weeks, you're receive an additional Disney Holiday Celebration Express train cars with removable, fully sculpted scenes of your Disney favorites.

Please click on the photograph for more pictures and details.

Note: If you buy a collectable train with the idea of running it around your Christmas tree, you might want to take special precautions so that someone who missteps near the tree doesn't accidentally kick an irreplaceable locomotive across the room. (Don't ask me if this warning is based on personal experience.) One possible solution might be to start a subscription of the Hawthorne Village train you like the most, and at the same time buy a Bachmann On30 train set that you can afford to leave on the floor or let the kids run. (And when the kids go to bed, and everyone else leaves the house, you can get out your Hawthorne Village train and run it--they run on the same track.)

I know, the Disney Halloween Harvest Village Collection is not exactly a Christmas village. But I'm posting it here because it IS Disney. That said, Disney village collections go very fast. I've had a couple sell out within days of their listing. So if you want this collection, don't wait until Halloween approaches to get your order in.

Please click on the photograph for more pictures and details.

Where to Go for More Trains and Towns

• www.HalloweenTrains.com - A whole new page devoted to spooky railroad collectible fun. Start your collection now.

• Hawthorne Village Collectible Trains and Villages - Describes the most popular trains and towns, including designs by Thomas Kinkade, Al Agnew, Norman Rockwell, and many more!

• Trains and Villages for Every Season - Describes On30 (indoor) display trains for St. Patricks' Day, July 4, Halloween, and more!

• More Holiday Villages - Includes very limited-edition villages and accessories inspired by movies, television shows, vintage 50's-era businesses, and many others.

• Big Trains Store™ - Describes On30 and O gauge model trains for building indoor model or display railroads - most of the trains and accessories would go great with the villages and trains on this page.

• Big Christmas Trains™ - All about choosing and setting up holiday trains and villages. Includes a description and catalog of Christmas Trains for Large Scale and Christmas Village users.

Where to Go for More Holiday Decorating and On30 Model Railroading Ideas

• BIG Indoor Trains™ Primer Pages Our sister site Big Indoor Trains™, lists many ideas for decorating with holiday villages, as well as setting up On30 and O gauge railroads.

• New for 2008!: Introducing Spook Hill™. Our sister site Big Indoor Trains™, now features a series of free, 100% original Halloween building projects in O or S scale, enough to give you a complete Halloween village that you can build yourself from inexpensive materials. In addition, most of these structures will complement any train or town on this page.

• What Is a Glitterhouse?: Our sister site Big Indoor Trains™, also features a series of free, 100% original articles on collecting and building those cardboard Christmas houses that were popular between 1920 and 1965. Supplement any Christmas village with your own vintage-style structures that you can build yourself from inexpensive materials.