Lionel heavyweight observation cars make their debut

Drumhead on rear of Lionel observation car

It’s hard to believe we’re just now seeing Lionel heavyweight observation cars from the 2021 Volume II Lionel Catalog. Such are the cycles of production! These models were cataloged alongside brass hybrid Strasburg Rail Road 2-10-0 No. 90. They resemble two different paint schemes on a prototype car that belongs to the Pennsylvania tourist line. […]

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Lionel Vision Line Stock Cars squeal into stores

Lionel Vision Line Stock Cars door and deck detail

The latest Lionel Vision Line Stock Car sets are now hitting the market. You might call them a squeal of a deal. Car sets aren’t new to the orange-and-blue. We were introduced in 2014 to these three-packs with steel-sided reefers. Since then, the train maker has expanded on the theme. In 2020 the train maker […]

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Looking at the MTH Premier 36-foot Woodsided Reefer

MTH Premier 36-foot Woodsided Reefer

Chris Montagna of Chris’s Trains and Things is checking out some of the latest releases from MTH Trains: the most recent run of its 36-foot Premier line refrigerated cars. These were delivered in early 2023. MTH cataloged cars decorated for Pioneer Valley Ham; White Rock Water; Fox River Butter; and Fruit Growers Express. The billboard […]

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See the Lionel Union Pacific rocket train in action

Chris Montagna with Lionel Union Pacific rocket train

The Lionel Union Pacific rocket train has caused quite a stir in the toy train world! Chris Montagna has another exclusive product review of it for Classic Toy Trains and Trains.com. It comes in a great big, nicely decorated box weighing 24 lbs.! Inside are 13 cars and a modern locomotive. The set, formally known […]

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O and S gauge building flats round-up

O and S gauge building flats Menards Patriot Lighting

Classic Toy Trains’ O and S gauge building flats round-up showcases manufacturers producing low-profile structures. These building flats mimic a full-size building but are generally only an inch or two deep. They may fit against a backdrop, or, if large enough, may actually be the backdrop. Modelers can use these at the edge of a […]

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Riding the rails with the Lionel Hobo Sound Boxcar

the Lionel hobo boxcar side view with figures

It’s time to go riding the rails with the Lionel Hobo Sound Boxcar. Initially offered in the Lionel 2021 Volume II catalog, it was confined to half of page 47. Perhaps uncertain of how the product would be received, the manufacturer only offered it in two road names: Erie (pictured, No. 226010); and Rock Island […]

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The Atlas O Premier Snow Plow rolls out

Atlas O Premier Snow Plow

The Atlas O Premier Snow Plow is here, and just in time for winter! It seems like whenever a fresh delivery of blue Atlas boxes hits the hobby shop shelves it’s like Christmas morning. I feel this way for two reasons: first, Atlas produces some of the finest rolling stock in the industry; and second, […]

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The Lionel Union Pacific Rocket Booster Train

Lionel Union Pacific Rocket Booster Train

The Lionel Union Pacific Rocket Booster Train is finally out, and as an aerospace engineer formerly employed by NASA, this set hit home! I knew I had to have it the second I saw it advertised in the Lionel 2022 Volume 1 catalog! The set isn’t a work of science fiction, either. The prototype Rocket […]

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Getting small: the Bobber Caboose comes to Lionel

Bobber Caboose comes to Lionel side view

The Bobber Caboose comes to Lionel with the 2022 Volume I catalog. Although new to the Orange & Blue, these models aren’t an entirely rare site on O gauge layouts since they were previously produced by MTH Electric Trains. Lionel purchased the tooling for these cars from MTH during the latter’s sell-off a few years […]

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The Lego City Passenger Train Set

LEGO 60197 City Passenger Train set

The Lego City Passenger Train Set (No. 60197) might be a fantastic way for you or a youngster to get into the growing brick train hobby. I missed the whole Lego “thing” when I was a kid. Lego blocks were building toys back in the 1970s. I bought a small set for making bunkers, hard […]

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Lionel Vision Line Norfolk & Western Class A

Lionel Vision Line Norfolk & Western Class A front right view

The Lionel Vision Line Norfolk & Western Class A has finally arrived, fresh from the Volume 1 2022 Lionel catalog. I have to say, this beautiful steam locomotive does not disappoint! This isn’t a rehash of the previous 2-6-6-4 model available in the Volume 1 2000 catalog. Thanks to all-new tooling, this engine is fresh […]

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