Monticello Railway Museum visit

A two-tone blue locomotive pulls a freight train past a railroad tower on a clear, sunny day.

  Join Trains for a 2021 visit to Illinois’ Monticello Railway Museum located in the central part of the state. The museum is home to plenty of rare Midwest gems including equipment railroads including the Wabash; Southern Railway; Illinois Central; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Chicago & Illinois Midland; and Illinois Terminal. […]

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How to clean old, rusty, and dirty track

Hal Miller in the workshop

Bought or inherited a load of tubular track? CTT editor Hal Miller shows his method of cleaning it up and getting it ready for trains to run properly on. This technique will help get rid of dirt and light rust, and help modelers avoid a few pitfalls that could be detrimental to operation. […]

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Back on Track: Fixing a few helix flaws, Episode 7

Series host Gerry Leone is definitely playing catch up in this episode, as he works to patch up a minor oversight. Watch to see how he corrects and simplifies the helix construction, and then presents a clever suggestion for looking back in time when building a new home or layout. […]

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Bob’s Train Box Episode 71

Hal Miller and Bob Keller

On this episode of Bob’s Train Box, Bob and CTT editor Hal Miller get an up-close and personal look at MTH Trains’ recently released Premier line SD24 (even more info on it here). Then Bob examines some Greenberg guides that are fun to read and helpful when it comes to collecting trains and accessories. Finally, […]

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Big Skies & Iron Rails, Summer, Episode 4

The summertime heat is hardly enough to keep western rail adventurer Tom Danneman away from the frontier he loves. Journey with him through the peaks, valleys, and plains of Montana, on his unique mission to find, focus, and capture the hard-charging railroads of the region. Season 1, Episode 4, playing exclusively on Trains.com! […]

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How to lubricate your locomotives

Hand lubricating a toy train locomotive

In this Workbench Minute video, CTT editor Hal Miller shows the basics of locomotive lubrication with O gauge diesel. The techniques are also useful on steam engines and locomotives in S gauge, too. He shows what to use (and where to get it), where to use it, and reinforces the idea that less is more […]

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