July 2011

July 2011

By Angela Cotey | October 19, 2020

| Last updated on November 3, 2020

In the pages of CLASSIC TOY TRAINS magazine you’ll find information about building, operating, and enhancing toy train layouts; track plans, repair and maintenance tips, profiles of collectible postwar and prewar trains, and more.

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Features

15 KEYS TO A GREAT RAILROAD

By Roger Carp

Peter Atonna shares tips gleaned from the construction of his detailed O gauge layout.

JOHN GRAMS REMEMBERED

By Dick Christianson

An appreciation of John Grams, toy train author and historian.

PROJECT RAILROAD: DETAILS THAT ADD CHARACTER

By Kent Johnson

We add details to our 4 x 8-foot Readers’ Choice RR – and plan for its expansion.

WHEN THE CUSTOMER SPOKE, GILBERT LISTENED

By Daniel A. Yett

An internal memo sheds new light on American Flyer in the late 1940s

RATING THE RARITY OF LIONEL’S POSTWAR 6464 BOXCARS

By Don Miller

Internet auction results shed new light on the value and scarcity of the cars in Lionel’s 6464 series.

FIVE RETRO-STYLE O GAUGE TRACK PLANS

Nothing says “O gauge trains” like a postwar-style layout.

A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES ON ONE O GAUGE LAYOUT

By Roger Carp

Doug Bloom’s 28 x 50-foot railroad shows how a layout can reflect a lifetime of places and experiences.

BETTER THAN THE ORIGINALS? LOOKING AT LIONEL CORP. REPROS

By Jeff Gamble

How well do the new Lionel Corp. reproductions of prewar tinplate trains stack up against the originals? The author compares and contracts.

2 projects: Add a cemetery scene and a scratchbuilt ladder

By Bob Keller , Peter H. Riddle

This month’s Weekend Workshop presents two fast, easy, and great looking layout additions.

Departments

Editor’s Desk

EXPANDING THE FUN

Questions & Answers

News & Notes

The Lionel Visitor’s Center layout has a new home, and an O gauge Amtrak cab control car from Lionel.

Correspondence

Photo Album

News

Tips, Tools, & Techniques

Enhance passenger car lighting

Reviews

SUBSCRIBER-ONLY ONLINE EXTRA: MTH O GAUGE PREMIER LINE U25B DIESEL

SUBSCRIBER-ONLY ONLINE EXTRA: O GAUGE PHASE II F3 DIESEL BY ATLAS O

SUBSCRIBER-ONLY ONLINE EXTRA: O GAUGE LIONEL TRACKMOBILE

SUBSCRIBER-ONLY ONLINE EXTRA: BALLAST KING O GAUGE BALLAST SPREADING CAR

Collectible Classics

LIONEL NO. 6822 NIGHT CREW SEARCHLIGHT CAR

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