- Steam Engines in the Snow
- Stations and Platforms
- Toys and the Tree
- Dining Car and Sleeper
- Journeys and Travellers
- Background Papers
- Lined Writing Pages
- Frequently Asked Questions
A christmas train junk journal brings together everything cozy about old fashioned holiday travel: steam engines crossing snowy viaducts, small stations trimmed with wreaths, dining cars warm with teacups and toy trains circling the tree. This kit has 22 scene pages full of these moments, 5 seamless background papers for pockets and covers, and 5 lined writing pages for your own holiday memories.
Print everything on heavyweight paper so the colour stays rich and the sheet does not curl when you glue it in. A home inkjet on its best photo or heavyweight setting works well, and a paper trimmer gives cleaner edges than scissors for the borders and lined pages.
Using these images: free for personal projects such as printing, coloring, cards, journals and gifts. Handmade items that include them may be sold up to 30 pieces per design. More than that is commercial use and is not permitted, and neither is selling or sharing the images themselves or passing them off as your own. Please ask before any other use.
Steam Engines in the Snow
A red steam engine crosses a high snowy viaduct, pine trees climbing the hillside behind it and soft smoke trailing from the stack against a pastel winter sky.
Pair this one with the railway track and snowflake background paper behind it, letting the pattern peek out along one edge like a border of falling snow around the mountain scene.
Tear the top edge of this page before gluing it in, so the water tower and signal lamp seem to rise out of a rough, hand torn line of snow.
A train crosses a covered bridge thick with snow, a small church visible nearby and the whole village scene painted into a quiet winter dusk.
Leave a little blank space at the base of the page for a date or a line about the journey itself, since this one reads well with a short caption tucked beneath it.
A common mistake here is leaving the lake plain white: paint a soft blue grey wash across the ice so the skaters and evergreens sit inside a finished winter scene.
Stations and Platforms
Tuck a tiny printed train ticket or luggage tag onto this page before gluing it in, resting it against the trunks on the platform as if just set down.
A warm waiting room holds a pot belly stove, wooden benches and a small decorated tree, every surface painted so nothing on the page feels unfinished.
A good gift journal page for someone who loves flowers more than trains: the poinsettias take the lead here, with the waiting steam engine just visible behind the cart.
A girl sits on a platform bench holding a wrapped gift and a small puppy, snow falling softly around her as a train waits at the edge of the page.
Toys and the Tree
What to write here: the name of a childhood Christmas morning, or a note about a toy train your own family once set up under the tree.
A wooden toy train set with painted carriages sits on a rag rug, the floorboards and a strip of fringe painted in behind it so the page never feels empty.
The five minute version of this page: sketch just the tin train and the candle, skip the teddy, and still have a complete little shelf scene.
Place this page in a spread facing the toy train circling the tree, so the two toy scenes sit side by side before the journal moves on to the dining car and sleeper pages.
Dining Car and Sleeper
A dining car table is laid with a white cloth and teacups, snowy window views framing the whole carriage behind the china and silverware set for two.
Write a short hot cocoa recipe along the edge of this page, or a line about the best cup you ever had on a cold afternoon.
A sleeper compartment holds a plaid blanket folded over a pillow, a frosty window behind it showing the faint shapes of passing pine trees.
Pair this page with the gray plaid travel blanket background paper as a facing sheet, so the folded blanket on the page echoes the pattern beside it.
An observation car with velvet seats looks out on snowy peaks, the whole carriage interior painted warm against the cold mountain view beyond the glass.
Journeys and Travellers
A family waves from a train window trimmed with a holly garland, the platform and a soft wash of winter light painted in behind the whole carriage.
Stack a few printed luggage tags beside this page, since vintage suitcases with ribbons and a hatbox give plenty of room for small added paper treasures.
A conductor’s cap rests beside a closed pocket watch and a lit lantern on a wooden bench, the platform fading into soft evening shadow behind them.
A mail car holds sacks of parcels and wrapped gifts stacked high, the carriage walls and a narrow window painted in behind the whole pile.
A luggage rack holds wrapped presents beside a fur muff and a bowler hat, the carriage ceiling and a hanging lamp painted in above the whole rack.
Background Papers
A small repeating pattern of steam engines and pine trees works well under a travel photo, as a pocket lining for tucked tickets, or wrapped around a plain journal cover.
Railway tracks and snowflakes repeat across this sheet, ready to sit behind a station photo, line the inside of a pocket, or wrap a small gift tucked into the journal.
Bold red and navy stripes echo an old train carriage, useful under a portrait photo, as a journal cover, or lining a pocket that holds a folded letter.
Small suitcases and holly sprigs repeat across this sheet, a good choice under a travel photo, as a pocket lining, or wrapped around the journal’s front cover.
A soft gray plaid in the style of a travel blanket fills this sheet, equally at home under a cozy photo, lining a pocket, or forming a quiet journal cover.
Lined Writing Pages
A small steam engine with trailing smoke sits along the top border, leaving faint ruled lines below for a packing list, a travel wish or a line about the year’s journey.
A narrow railway track runs along the bottom edge of this page, well suited to a gift list, a holiday menu, or a short letter written to next year.
A train carriage window frames the whole page, snowy scenery painted just outside the glass, leaving the lined centre free for a note, a recipe or a memory.
A small station lantern glows in one corner of this page, the faint ruled lines beneath it ready for a holiday wish, a toast or a packing reminder.
A toy train and a short stretch of track run as a band down one side of the page, leaving the lined centre open for a letter, a list or a line about the tree.
What to Do Next
Print the set, trim the edges you like best, and start gluing the steam engines and station scenes into your journal in whatever order feels right. For more holiday pages to round out the journal, take a look at the Christmas junk journal pages in burgundy velvet and antique gold, the Christmas baking junk journal pages, the Christmas lights junk journal pages or the retro Christmas junk journal pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What paper works best for a christmas train junk journal kit?
Heavyweight matte paper around 24 to 32 lb works best, since it holds the colour without curling when glued. Cardstock suits the background papers and lined pages if you want them sturdier for covers and pockets.
What printer settings give the best colour on these pages?
Set the printer to its best photo or heavyweight paper setting for the richest colour and sharpest lines. Draft or normal settings often wash out the pastel palette and leave the ink outlines looking faint.
What size should I print the pages at?
Standard US letter or A4 both work well, and either size trims down easily for a smaller handmade journal. Print a test page first to check the border fits your chosen journal size before printing the full set.
What do I use to cut and glue the pages into a journal?
A paper trimmer gives the cleanest straight edges, and a glue stick or double sided tape holds pages flat without wrinkling. Keep small scissors nearby for trimming around the torn edge technique on certain scene pages.
Can I color or add to these printable pages by hand?
Yes, fine tip pens or coloured pencils work well over the printed watercolour for extra shading or added journaling. Many pages also leave room for a glued in ticket, photo or tag alongside the painted scene.