Designing the LCCA Krispy Kreme Boxcar

model boxcar with Krispy Kreme graphics

Have you ever wondered how a new boxcar is designed? When the Lionel Collectors Club of America (LCCA) product development team worked with Lionel to create the assembled-in-the-USA Krispy Kreme boxcar, the team encountered a new level of required detail.   The team has always been sensitive to making sure brand logos met the companies’ design […]

Read More…

Lionel postwar military switch engines

black and white catalog page

Kids of the 1950s loved Lionel’s little switch engines. The stubby proportions and whirling drive rods of these classics give them an industrious appearance as they scoot around a layout. Lionel produced them in a number of colorful and collectible variations. Did the prototypes really exist? Yes, at least in their initial releases. Lionel was […]

Read More…

Locomotives We Love: Lionel No. 2245 Texas Special F3

red and cream model engine

Joe Algozzini, perhaps the preeminent expert on Lionel trains and accessories manufactured during the post-World War II era (1945-69) has been contributing deeply researched and thoughtfully written articles to Classic Toy Trains since its second issue hit newsstands in the spring of 1988. To be honest, Joe was laying the groundwork for what became the […]

Read More…

The Louise Express Christmas layout

overview of Christmas train layout

Verlyn Noring received his first train set when he was 5 years old. Today, he still admires that Marx No. 999 set, which is proudly displayed on his fireplace mantle. In 1982, Verlyn and Louise attended the LCCA convention in Dearborn, Mich. They spotted a custom painted postwar Christmas train set for sale. Like many […]

Read More…

Classic Toy Trains new products for July 2024

blue and yellow model trolley

Locomotives & rolling stock E-Z Catch Train Shop has announced a custom-run MTH D&H hopper (20-95691) as part of the Premier line. The car is decorated in pink cancer awareness graphics. Estimated delivery this fall. Price: $74.99. Website: https://e-zcatch.square.site. Pat’s Trains, 142 29th St., Wheeling WV, 26003, is offering a custom-run MTH AC6000 engine in […]

Read More…

The American Flyer Freedom Train

red, white, and blue toy train engine

The concept of an American Freedom Train arose after WWII. It was a chance for Americans to reflect on their citizenship at a time when the United States was finding new roles in world affairs. The project was funded by donations and not at government expense. The American Heritage Foundation was created in 1947 to […]

Read More…

Lionel No. 11131 Union Pacific 4-8-4 steam engine

steam locomotive model on gray background

Rarely does a locomotive capture both the elements of power and beauty. As train enthusiasts we love the power aspect, but often the result is boxy, odd, or bland. The Union Pacific’s ten FEF-class steam locomotives set a standard for rugged beauty, and one in particular has had an operation life of 79 years. That […]

Read More…

Locomotives we love: Lionel No. 41 switcher

scene on toy train layout with military train

My early “trainhood” was 1955 to 1968. I had an uncle who gave me a train the year I was born, and he added to the Lionel fleet on birthdays and Christmas for many years. All the trains were Lionel, but when I unboxed them in the early 1990s, I discovered the track, switches, and […]

Read More…

Charlie Bailey’s O gauge layout

A toy train trackplan which appeared in the Classic Toy Trains magazine Summer 2024 issue

Name: Charlie Bailey’s O gauge layoutDimensions: 42 x 49 feet Track and switches: Atlas O (maximum diameter 96 inches)Motive power: Lionel, MTHRolling stock: Lionel, MTH, WalthersControls: Lionel transformers with LegacyAccessories: American Flyer, Lionel, Marx, Miller Engineering, Millhouse River StudioStructures: Lionel, Menards, MTH, Plasticville, scratchbuilt, TW TrainWorx, Wm. K. Walthers, Woodland ScenicsVehicles: Diecast Direct, Menards, Woodland […]

Read More…

Installing figures in Lionel’s 21″ passenger cars

Scaled figure being placed onto plastic molded seat with tweezers

Lionel Trains’ 21″ passenger cars have been a staple in the manufacturer’s lineup of O-scale, 3-rail products for some time. A common censure though has been the lack of previously installed passengers upon purchase, leaving empty seats that need to be filled. From disassembly to reassembly, this project is easier to accomplish than I initially […]

Read More…