It's not really the same layout. I moved to Austin from Dallas back in 1983 and have seen the various evolutions of the Christmas layout over the last decades and its movements as it shifted from the now-vanished Dallas Federal Savings and Loan to Dallas' Galleria shopping center to its movements within Dallas' Northpark shopping mall during the last decade.
I know this isn't the same layout as last year. Last year's layout allowed for bigger curves and Ban Bywaters, then one of the major organizers for the Ronald McDonald House Christmas layout, used the opportunity to run bigger engines like UP 4-8-4s and SP cab forwards. This year's space isn't so large, and the biggest steam they can run are steamers the size of the Harry Potter 4-6-0s and four-axle diesels. Nor can they run full-length passenger cars on the current layout.
They have more spectacular scenery than we do. They also have a lot of things to admire, and good ideas well worth stealing.
Happy New Year,
Lee DeGolyer
From:
844bill@gmail.comDate: Sat, 1 Jan 2011 18:02:31 -0600
Subject: Re: Rondald McDonald House Layout in Dallas
To:
ttat-members@aoot.com
David,
Thanks! Gotta get up there and see it before it closes for the year.
I might well be wrong about this, but, I seem to remember that this layout started in the 1970's or 1980's in a bank lobby on Loop 12 in North Dallas. Was along the lines of our TTAT layout at that time. It then got the Ronald McDonald sponsorship and moved to North Park Mall and expanded. Stayed much the same for a looong time. Always great. And now this new version. Double Great.
Bill
On Sat, Jan 1, 2011 at 12:34 PM,
<dwayneg57@aol.com> wrote:
Took these pictures in Dallas when we stopped in at the Ronald McDonald House Layout. Enjoy!
David