Lionel’s Standard gauge Blue Comet, considered by some to be the legendary train manufacturer’s finest steamer, stands out for its two-tone blue paint scheme. 800 x 600 wallpaper1024 x 768 wallpaper1600 x 1200 wallpaper […]
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Room Service? Can you send up a 6300?
A supplement to the Classic Trains Online Look Back e-mail newsletter In modern-day Toronto, Ontario, I’m told the Skydome Hotel occupies what was once the site of Canadian National Railway’s Spadina Avenue engine terminal. Back on September 4, 1958, I spent part of a warm, late-summer night at Spadina, lugging cameras and a tripod and […]
Passing through Boca Raton, Florida
Florida East Coast train No. 218 passes Boca Raton, Fla., on April 11, 2008. The railroad, now a sister to RailAmerica, depends on intermodal and aggregate shipments to sustain its Miami-Jacksonville, Fla., route. Thomas J. Nanos photo […]
Toy train insurance
If you live in a house, condominium, mobile home, or anywhere else, including a rental property, you have – or should have – homeowner’s insurance. Further, you may assume that your policy covers your collectible toy trains.But homeowner’s insurance wasn’t developed to cover losses pertaining to collectibles. Too often, policyholders learn the hard way that […]
Virginia & Truckee
V&T 11 and 27 with a railfan special on the 2 percent grade at Moundhouse, Nev., June 5, 1938. T.G. Wurm V&T 11 and 27 run light into Virginia City to turn on the turntable after pulling a railfan excursion from Carson City to Gold Hill on June 5, 1938. T.G. Wurm Last train from […]
McKinney Avenue Trolley’s fleet
In Historic Trains Today, we bring you “Unburied Treasure,” the story about the McKinney Avenue Trolley Authority in Dallas. In 2010, MATA has six streetcars cars listed as in service, two undergoing restoration, and five more awaiting work. Learn more about these trolleys below. McKinney Avenue trolley No. 122 Rosie, Dallas. Ken Fitzgerald 122: RosieThe […]
Bachmann N scale GP40 diesel locomotive
Bachmann N scale GP40 diesel locomotive I purchased this locomotive to replace an F9-A that came with my N scale starter set when the coupler broke off the F9. It runs at low speeds with my DC power pack, but could derail if placed on anything sharper than a 9¾-inch radius curve. In order to […]
Web exclusive: St. Kitts Scenic Railway
Click the image to download a PDF of this article as it would appear in TRAINS magazine. Mouse over photos in the PDF for bonus information and click hyperlinks to go to websites. While on a Caribbean cruise a few winters ago, my wife and I discovered a remarkable tourist railroad that operates on 18 […]
Build a 1:22.5-scale drop-bottom hopper car PDF
Download the PDF of this project here. This PDF is formatted to print on your home printer. Most pieces are formatted to fit on a 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper. For larger parts of the plan, you will see “break lines.” Line up the break lines to create the larger piece. Despite our best […]
South Bend Signal Co. automatic semaphore signal
Kevin Strong 1:26 scale, automatic semaphore signalSouth Bend Signal Co.2303 Creek Rd.Niles MI 49120Price $60Website: www.sbsignal.com Large-scale semaphore; actuated by infra-red light; no wiring necessary. Dimensions: Height, 10″; width, 1″; length, 2½” Pros: No wiring necessary; easy installation on any railroad Cons: Cabinet may not be waterproof for permanent outdoor installations Kevin Strong I recently […]
Video: Bachmann Spectrum HO scale 2-6-6-2 Mallet
The Bachmann Spectrum HO scale class H-4 2-6-6-2 features a SoundTraxx Tsunami Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder. Watch this steam locomotive run on our model railroad, and listen to a demonstration of some of its sound effects. […]
Video: Bachmann Spectrum HO scale 2-6-6-2 Mallet
The Bachmann Spectrum HO scale class H-4 2-6-6-2 features a SoundTraxx Tsunami Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder. Watch this steam locomotive run on our model railroad, and listen to a demonstration of some of its sound effects. […]