The Lionel Legacy 2-6-0 makes a comeback

Lionel Legacy 2-6-0 in Strasburg paint

The Lionel Legacy 2-6-0 “Mogul” type locomotive graced the company’s 2022 Vol. 2 catalog. It’s a welcome re-release as the previous 2016 models were struck with gearing issues. These caused many of them to run poorly at slow speeds. Many were returned to Lionel and never made it to the the second-hand market. This new […]

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Going big: the MTH Premier SD24

MTH Premier SD24 side view of cab with crew figure

The MTH Premier SD24 is a massive model of a historic locomotive more widely used than its initial owners list would indicate. Many units found second and third lives on other railroads after their initial stints. Like all of MTH’s newer offerings this wasn’t in a catalog. Instead, it was announced in 2022 as a […]

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The Lionel Legacy H-15-44

Lionel Legacy H15-44 long hood and builder plate

The Lionel Legacy H-15-44 accurately captures in O gauge a transitional model for the locomotive builder. With help from industrial designer Raymond Loewy of Pennsylvania Railroad S1 and GG1 acclaim, Fairbanks-Morse built a road switcher that could, for a time, be found pulling passenger trains. The Wisconsin-based company would continue with this same profile through […]

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Sneak peek: Broadway Limited Imports T-1 4-8-4

Color photo of N scale steam locomotive

After looking at the photos, you might be asking, “Hey, where is the paint and lettering?” Well, this isn’t a production model. Instead, Broadway Limited Imports sent us a pre-production sample of its N scale Reading Co. class T-1 4-8-4 steam locomotive. The model, scheduled for release this fall, features a dual-mode Paragon4 sound decoder, […]

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Menards Rocket Launching Tower blasts off

Menards Rocket Launching Tower side view

The Menards Rocket Launching Tower is out and I have to say, it’s a lot of fun. Commencing countdown, engines on.” The words from the David Bowie song Space Oddity got stuck in my head when I saw this accessory.  It harkens back to late 1960s Lionel when the race was on to put satellites […]

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Menards Cripple Creek County Jail

Menards Cripple Creek County Jail

The Menards Cripple Creek County Jail is a place where your O scale folks can do the time if they’ve committed a crime. It has a sort of dark demeanor of a place you can take your 10-year-old who filched a candy bar to and scare them straight! This building has what the movies call […]

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The Lionel SD40T-2 ‘Tunnel Motor’

Front pilot details on the Southern Pacific Lionel SD40T-2 Tunnel Motor

The Lionel SD40T-2 ‘Tunnel Motor’ is now on the rails. For those of us with a few SD40s and SD40-2s in our collections, this model provides a great variation and a touch of color in a consist. It’s safe to say these are popular engines with hobbyists. Lionel offered the SD40T-2 in its 2022 Volume […]

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The MTH Erie 0-8-8-0 Angus

MTH Erie 0-8-8-0 Angus side view

The MTH Erie 0-8-8-0 Angus models a steam engine in the railroad’s L1 class. Three were built in 1907 and numbered 2600-2602. These were the only articulated camelback locomotives ever made. In that year, this was the largest locomotive in existence. Weighing in at 410,000 lbs., these behemoths could develop 94,000 lbs. tractive effort. This […]

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The Lionel F40PH

Lionel F40PH Panama Canal front end

The Lionel F40PH is a great model of a locomotive that has quietly become one of the true diesel success stories in railroad history. The F40PH saw construction in various phases by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division between 1975-92. Its purpose was initially short-haul passenger service for Amtrak. This mission was quickly revised to add long-distance […]

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Last Train Home poems book review

Last Train Home book cover.

Try reading “Last Train Home” on your next rail journey, especially if you don’t normally enjoy poetry. Last Train Home is a compilation of haiku, tanka and rengay poems from authors around the world and has a head of steam going for it. The austere style of the poetry forms means that the best will […]

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