The Mandy Patinkin Lionel layout collection

overall photo of layout with numbers in white

The Mandy Patinkin Lionel layout collection is loaded with realistic scenes packed with details. Trains, accessories, structures, and more from the post-World War II and Modern eras of Lionel production fill every square inch of an outstanding model railroad that fills much of a 17 x 42-foot room in the Patinkin household. Visiting Mandy and […]

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Get your old trains running again

Get your old trains running again steam locomotive from Lionel catalog

Get your old trains running again! It’s time to take them out of the boxes and have some fun. In this chapter from Beginner’s Guide to Repairing Lionel Trains, Ray L. Plummer offers advice on how to do it. Get your old trains running again “Old electric train” – that’s what it says on the […]

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Five details you can add to transition-era cabooses

Black-and-white photo of steel caboose with rooftop antenna

We’ll take a look at five details you can add to transition-era cabooses. Some details are railroad-specific, while others apply to many railroads. When in doubt, refer to prototype photos. The steam-to-diesel transition era, roughly 1940 to 1960, is the most popular modeling era. There are several reasons for this. Many people who model this […]

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St. Louis Car Co. City Cars from SilverLake Images LLC

A blue catalogue cover with black text and a black and white locomotive photograph

St. Louis Car Co. City Cars from SilverLake Images LLC Price: $35 Publisher: SilverLake Images LLC, available from Ron’s Books, P.O. Box 714, Harrison, NY 10528; 914-967-7541; ronsbooks.com St. Louis Car Company city cars feature: Softcover, 57 pages Reproduction of the St. Louis Car Co. catalog 105 (City Cars) from January 1927 Features a look at […]

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Freelance Colorado narrow-gauge branch line

Freelance Colorado narrow-gauge branch line: model steam train approaches buildings

Freelance Colorado narrow-gauge branch line The railway at a glance Name: Miller Creek & Moss Rock Railway Size of railroad: 30′ x 40′, approximately Scale: 1:24 Gauge: 45mm (no. 1) Era: Pre-WWII Theme: Freelance Colorado narrow-gauge branch line Age: 6 years Motive power: NiMH-battery-operated Delton Consolidation Length of mainline: 130′, (approximately) Maximum gradient: 3.5% Type […]

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Broadway Limited HO scale Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Blue Goose

a light blue model steam locomotive

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Blue Goose Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $899.99 Era: 1938 to 1956 (depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Broadway Limited Imports LLC, 9 East Tower Circle, Ormond Beach, FL 32174; 386-673-8900; broadway-limited.com Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Blue Goose Features: Synchronized puffing smoke with chuff sound Variable puffing smoke intensity and timing Dual-mode Paragon4 […]

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Lionel Legacy AC-12 Cab Forward review

Lionel cab forward side view of locomotive

The wait for the Lionel Legacy AC-12 Cab Forward has taken a little longer than the company’s normal 4-6 year re-release cycle. The TMCC version of the AC-12 was released in 2005 followed by a repop with whistle steam and Legacy control in 2014. In 2022 we’re receiving the latest version, first announced in the […]

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GATC 8,000 Gallon Radial Course Tank Car from Tangent Scale Models

A black tank car with yellow Deep Rock logo

GATC 8,000 Gallon Radial Course Tank Car Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $46.95 Era: 1917+ Manufacturer: Tangent Scale Models, P.O. Box 6514, Asheville, NC 28816; 828-412-3886; tangentscalemodels.com GATC 8,000-gallon tank car features: Circumferential riveted tank body and riveted underframe hazardous placards with hole detail Separately applied tank handrail & tank strap details KC- or AB- brake variations […]

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Whitcomb 65-tonner diesel locomotive from PIKO America

Navy blue locomotive with orange stripe; Piko whitcomb 65-tonner

Whitcomb 65-tonner Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct current, $279.99; with PIKO SmartSound 5.1 sound decoder, $389.99 Era: 1940s+ (depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: PIKO America LLC, 4610 Alvarado Canyon Rd., Ste. 5, San Diego, CA 92120; piko-america.com Whitcomb 65-tonner features: Diecast chassis and hood Metal handrails Factory-applied details Maryland Midland locomotives feature American-style end beams, fully enclosed around the […]

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EMD E7 from American Z Line

A black locomotive with white stripe

EMD E7 from American Z Line Scale: Z (1:220) Price: Contact manufacturer Era: 1945+ Manufacturer: American Z Line, 6142 Northcliff Blvd., Dublin, OH 43016; 614-764-1703; americanzline.com EMD E7 features: 7mm motor dual flywheels prototype specific details directional controlled light-emitting diode lighting optional front truck with mounted coupler blackened metal wheels AutoLatch couplers DCC ready Release date: […]

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American Z Line ALCO PA1

Model of dark green and gold streamlined diesel locomotive

American Z Line ALCO PA1 Scale: Z (1:220) Price: Contact manufacturer Era: Late 1940s+ Manufacturer: American Z Line, 6142 Northcliff Blvd., Dublin, OH 43016; 614-764-1703; americanzline.com ALCO PA1 features: prototype specific details 7mm can motor dual flywheels directional controlled light-emitting diode lighting six-axle trucks with blind middle axle blackened metal wheels traction tires optional snowplow, optional […]

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Wall-mounted billboard three-pack

Model of billboard on the side of a brick wall

Wall-mounted billboard three-pack Scale: N (1:160) Price: $17.98 Era: 1920s to present Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Wall-mounted billboard three-pack features: Newly tooled Parts to build three complete billboards Models a billboard without any lights Printed color signs Release date: Winter 2023 News & Products is a regular feature of Trains.com […]

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