Ready Made Trains O gauge Mini-F units

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If you’ve been in model railroading long enough, you may recall back in the 1960s seeing ads from the Wm. K. Walthers Co. showing some cute little heavyweight passenger cars all resting on a single truck. Even though dyed-in-the-wool rivet counters might scoff,  you could tell by the crook at the corners of their mouths […]

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Lionel O gauge Vision Lionel 700E Hudson

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In the toy train world, there is no mightier locomotive than the New York Central Hudson. Turbines and Berkshires or Pacifics and Challengers might turn heads, but they’re country cousins compared to the Hudson. Today we examine the “Lionel Vision line 700E Hudson.” Pairing the terms “Vision line” and “700E” is a bit confusing, because […]

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MTH O gauge Premier Line 3GS21B Genset diesel

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GenSet diesel locomotives are revolutionary in that they have multiple lower horsepower prime movers that kick in as more power is needed. A GenSet seemingly upsets the conventional wisdom of four or five decades that a switcher needs to have at least 1,000 horsepower for one-size-fits-all switching duties. A GenSet has the same concept, but […]

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Readers’ Choice RR FasTrack plan

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Layout designer: Kent Johnson Scale: O Layout size: 4 x 8 feet Track type: Lionel FasTrack Minimum curve: O-36 Originally appeared in the September 2009 issue of Classic Toy Trains. Click on the link to download a PDF of this track plan. Track plan Parts list […]

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Readers’ Choice RR extension template

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Just like the original section of our project railroad, our preferred method of transferring a track plan to a flat tabletop uses a computer to download and print out the full-scale template of the Readers’ Choice Railroad so we can easily tell how track, accessories, and some scenery elements work on our 3 x 8-foot […]

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Craft store finds for toy-train enthusiasts

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By the letter (and number) Vinyl letters with self-adhesive backing as well as dry transfers can be used straight from the package or as masks to letter structures, rolling stock, and locomotives. Alphanumeric sets are typically located with the drafting supplies. Additional self-adhesive and dry-transfer letters can be found in the scrapbooking supplies. Mark it […]

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REVIEW: O GAUGE NO. 255E BY LIONEL CORP. TINPLATE

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Let us go back to those thrilling days of yesteryear before rivets were counted, numbers on the side of a train meant anything, and the color choices for a train were totally at the mercy of the marketing department. Yes, I’m talking about the pre-World War II toy train era. The trains were made as […]

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