Berkshire 2-8-4 locomotive: When I was a kid, my dad once showed me his childhood Lionel set. He had a Lionel no. 726RR Berkshire set with a few extra pieces stored in a metal crate. I never got to see it set up or operate, unfortunately. I had no idea what a Berkshire was back […]
Lionel LionChief Amtrak Genesis locomotives represent the engines that, for years, were the backbone of Amtrak’s long-distance fleet. After some initial teething problems, the fast, powerful prototype General Electric P40 and P42 units have proven to be reliable and capable for more than two decades. Lionel has released a traditional sized LionChief Plus 2.0 version […]
Kitbashing a large-scale Pacific from a broken Aristo-Craft model wasn’t easy, but the result has been worth the work. My family has a history of model railroading spanning three generations. My grandfather modeled O scale as a child in the 1940s and passed that love along to my father in the 1970s, and who got […]
Overlooked Lionel postwar accessories? Yes, these stalwarts are well known but aren’t always top of mind when someone is asked to list the company’s greatest gems. Click here to see the 7 Lionel accessories that usually garner the spotlight. Read on to find out what the “Rodney Dangerfields” of postwar Lionel are. ZW transformer 1948-66 The […]
Menards Cripple Creek General Store is in the new product showcase for Bob’s Train Box 82. Then Bob and CTT editor Hal Miller have a show-and-tell about the types of track available for Standard, O, and S gauge hobbyists including tubular, integral roadbed, and scale-like. There are lots of choices if you’re just starting a […]
When choosing a command system, you may encounter starter sets from three current train makers: Lionel, MTH, and Williams by Bachmann. The Bachmann sets have conventionally controlled locomotives and are operated by a traditional power supply, where speed is manipulated with a dial or lever raising or lowering track power. Lionel LionChief sets feature locomotives […]
Modeling Background Trees – Can’t see the leaves for the trees? As noted modeler Kathy Millatt explains, that’s perfectly fine to when you’re modeling background trees on your layout. In this episode of Kathy’s Let’s Make a Scene video series on Trains.com, you can follow along as she shares her technique for shaping a distant […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Kathy shifts her attention away from trees to focus on modeling bushes. In this episode, she shares a variety of materials and techniques used to shape the vegetation that grows along the forest floor. Naturally, Kathy also shows where and how to place […]
This review of Atlas O High Cube boxcars is by Chris Montagna of the Chris’s Trains and Things channel on YouTube. I have two highly anticipated pieces of rolling stock from Atlas O: the Gunderson 50-foot High Cube Boxcars. Atlas announced these cars in its June 2021 catalog. Trains.com members can see a video review […]
Atlas O Gunderson High-Cube boxcars hit the spot for modern modelers. These 50-footers are a staple of modern railroading. Chris Montagna of the YouTube channel Chris’s Trains and Things has a review of this highly anticipated piece of rolling stock from Atlas O. The manufacturer announced these in its June 2021 catalog. They are Premier […]
The latest video by Roger Carp, senior editor at Classic Toy Trains magazine, focuses on one of the greatest and most celebrated toy trains ever produced in America. In anticipation of the release of Lionel Trains of the 1940s, the new special-interest publication from CTT, Professor Carp looks closely at the Lionel no. 700E O […]
Editor Hal Miller previews the July August 2022 issue of Classic Toy Trains! We’ll visit a large club layout in Nassau, N.Y., learn about Lionel’s no. 9141 Burlington Northern gondolas, solve a mystery behind a Marx set, and visit an S gauge layout owned by Tom Barker. Plus, the latest new products, and reviews of […]
