Claus &
Co. R.R.
Five Hallmark ornaments — the complete Claus & Co. R.R. train set from 1991, inspired by the trains of the 1860s. Locomotive, Gift Car, Passenger Car, Caboose, and the Train Trestle Display Stand that holds all four in formation. Sculpted by Don Palmiter. The complete set is 10.5 inches wide when assembled on the trestle. Each car dated 1991 on both sides. All five pieces here.
The Train Trestle Display Stand — The Fifth Piece That Completes the Set
The Train Trestle Display Stand (XPR9734) is a purpose-built display piece measuring 1 inch tall × 10.5 inches wide × 3.5 inches deep — designed to hold all four Claus & Co. R.R. cars in train formation on the trestle. On the secondary market, the complete five-piece set with the original trestle commands a significant premium over individual cars. The stand is available here alongside all four cars, meaning the complete 1991 Claus & Co. R.R. set can be assembled from this collection. Without the trestle, the four cars are individual hanging ornaments; with it, they become a complete Christmas railroad display.
"The Trains of the 1860s" — Hallmark's Most Complete Ornament Train Set
The Claus & Co. R.R. collection launched in 1991 — five pieces, released together as a single coordinated set, the complete train available from day one. Artist Don Palmiter designed all five pieces: the Locomotive (XPR9730, 1½" H × 2¼" L, #1 in series), the Gift Car (XPR9731, #2), the Passenger Car (XPR9732, 1⅝" H × 2⅜" L, #3), the Caboose (XPR9733, 1¾" H × 2¼" L, #4), and the Train Trestle Display Stand (XPR9734, 1" H × 10.5" W × 3.5" D). The year 1991 is printed on both sides of each car. The design aesthetic is explicitly historical: the trains of the 1860s — the era of the transcontinental railroad, the wood-burning steam locomotive, the ornate Victorian passenger car — provide the visual template.
The 1860s railroad context is rich: the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, connecting the coasts for the first time. The era's locomotives — wood-burning, with their distinctive balloon stacks, pilot cowcatchers, and elaborate brass work — have become the visual shorthand for American railroading nostalgia. Don Palmiter's Claus & Co. R.R. captures that aesthetic at approximately 1½ inches tall — the Locomotive with its period-correct detailing, the Gift Car loaded for the season, the Passenger Car carrying holiday travelers, the Caboose bringing up the rear. All four cars snap into the trestle display for a tabletop Christmas railroad scene approximately 10.5 inches wide. Santa's railroad. All five pieces. One display.
"Collect all four 1991 Claus & Co. R.R. ornaments and their specially designed train trestle for a festive holiday display. The trains of the 1860s draw the inspiration for these nostalgic Claus & Co. R.R. train set ornaments. This handcrafted Hallmark ornament set is dated 1991."
— Product descriptions, 1991 Claus & Co. R.R. ornament set · Artist: Don Palmiter · Locomotive XPR9730 / Gift Car XPR9731 / Passenger Car XPR9732 / Caboose XPR9733 · Trestle Display XPR9734 · 10.5" wide assembled
Tips for the Complete Set
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01The complete set is all five pieces together — four cars on the trestle creates the display Hallmark designed. The Claus & Co. R.R. collection was designed as a five-piece unit from the outset. The Train Trestle Display Stand (XPR9734, 10.5" wide) holds all four cars — Locomotive, Gift Car, Passenger Car, Caboose — in the correct train sequence. On the trestle they create a tabletop Christmas railroad scene approximately 10.5 inches wide. This is the intended display: not four ornaments hanging separately on a tree, but a complete train on its trestle on a mantel, bookshelf, or table.
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02The cars are small — approximately 1½" to 1¾" tall — plan for a display surface where that scale works. The train cars are miniature: Locomotive 1½" H, Gift Car 1½" H, Passenger Car 1⅝" H, Caboose 1¾" H. On a full-size Christmas tree they will be very small. On the 10.5" wide trestle on a mantelpiece or shelf, they read as a complete train at the correct scale for the display. The trestle is the right viewing context.
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03All 5 Claus & Co. R.R. pieces — Locomotive, Gift Car, Passenger Car, Caboose, and Train Trestle Display Stand — are at Already Christmas. The 1860s-inspired complete train. Don Palmiter. 1991 dated on every car. The complete set is assembléd here. All five pieces, all aboard.
The Complete Claus & Co. R.R. Set
Locomotive · Gift Car · Passenger Car · Caboose · Trestle Stand. Click to shop.
Don Palmiter designed five pieces in 1991, inspired by the trains of the 1860s — the era of the transcontinental railroad, the wood-burning balloon-stack locomotive, the ornate Victorian passenger car. The Claus & Co. R.R. Locomotive, the Gift Car loaded for the season, the Passenger Car, the Caboose. The year 1991 printed on both sides of every car. And the Train Trestle Display Stand — 10.5 inches wide, holding all four in formation, the complete Christmas railroad assembled. Santa's railroad, running on time, all five pieces here.
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