December 2012

December 2012

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

BUILD AN EASY CHRISTMAS LAYOUT

By James Lowell Fry

This plan for Lionel FasTrack offers compact figure-8 fun.

BIG BUD’S LITTLE TRAIN

By James R. Flynn

How a Marx O gauge prewar windup set found a new home.

STANDARD GAUGE FUN ON A BRAND-NEW LAYOUT

By Bernard J. Bisciotti

An 80-year-old family tradition comes alive in a new setting.

TWO TRAINS ON ONE LOOP WITH AN AUTOMATED CHRISTMAS PIKE

By Don Miller

Trains alternate on this hands-off FasTrack layout, thanks to the magic of infrared controllers.

MAINTAIN LIONEL AIR WHISTLES

By Peter H. Riddle

With this handy guide to whistle repair and maintenance you’ll know what to do when the whistle stops working.

30 YEARS BETWEEN LAYOUTS

By Roger Carp

Jack Wright’s scenic 18 x 28-foot layout was a journey of rediscovery.

LIONEL’S D-146 DEALER DISPLAY LAYOUT – REBOOTED!

By Kent Johnson

This action-packed 4 x 8-foot O gauge scheme is conventional and cool!

BUILD AN OPERATING DUMP CAR

By Joseph Rampolla

A retro-style O gauge car re-created with modern circuitry.

PATIENCE PAYS OFF IN SEEKING A LIONEL POSTWAR GENERAL SET

By Gary Worthman

A multi-day auction and plenty of persistence yield a great toy train.

MEET THE LAST LIONEL INSIDER

By Roger Carp

Ronald Saypol shaped the postwar line.

Departments

Editor’s Desk

TRADITIONS START HERE

Questions & Answers

News & Notes

Correspondence

Photo Album

News

Tips, Tools, & Techniques

Reviews

SUBSCRIBER ONLY ONLINE EXTRA: RAILKING TURBINE FROM MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

SUBSCRIBER ONLY ONLINE EXTRA: GG1 ELECTRIC FROM READY MADE TRAINS

Collectible Classics

Flyer’s no. 5210W set

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