On this installment of Bob’s Train Box, Bob and CTT editor Hal Miller do a quick review of Lionel’s new Legacy GP30 (Read the full review in the December 2021 issue of CTT). Then Bob explains various track cleaning techniques and reveals his favorite thing to keep the rails shiny. The last stop is modern […]
Ready for a long-awaited return to Toy Train Mecca – otherwise known as the Eastern Division TCA York Train Meet in York, PA? Even if you can’t make it to the York Fairgrounds for the October 21-23, 2021, O and S gauge event, you’ll appreciate a glimpse at the fun enjoyed by Kent and Carl […]
Where can I sell my trains? How to sell toy trains might be one of the most-asked questions we get at Classic Toy Trains. I first refer people who want to know how to sell Lionel, MTH, Marx, and American Flyer trains to the advertisers in Classic Toy Trains and even Model Railroader. There are […]
Classic Toy Trains’ Professor Carp looks at the history of Kusan boxcars. He shows some examples and details the company’s manufacturing in Tennessee and Mexico, where a number of interesting variations of the company’s “K” Series cars were produced. Those produced south of the border fetch a premium. […]
The latest special issue from Classic Toy Trains! If you’re looking to build your first toy train layout, or maybe just something more manageable, Toy Train Layouts for Small Spaces has you covered! It’s full of plans for layouts under 100 square feet that will fit in a spare room, including island and around the […]
CTT’s Hal Miller has a look at Lionel’s no. 11739 Santa Fe “The Super Chief” set that was the first one in the modern era to feature an Alco locomotive. This O-27 outfit is still available and affordable on the auction and swap meet market along with its add-on cars. It’s great to run or […]
Here’s a bold idea: Ask some 200 people to take a chance on a new product, test it on their three-rail layouts, and then report what the maker got right – and more importantly, wrong. It’s something I’ve never heard being done in model railroading. But that’s what Midwest-based home-improvement chain Menards has done, releasing […]
Also in this issue: EDITOR’S DESK, pg. 4 LETTERS, pg. 6 MODERN ERA NOTES, pg. 8 PHOTO ALBUM, pg. 10 NEWS & PRODUCTS, pg. 14 Atlas O rolling stock and buildings, club cars, books, a special issue QUESTIONS & ANSWERS, pg. 20 VIEWS FROM THE UNDERGROUND, pg. 23 S GAUGE THEN NOW AND THEN, pg. […]
Stockcars are among the types of rolling stock some railroads had a lot of. When it was time to move livestock to market, railroads would often make up entire trains of these or string together long blocks of them in their speediest freight trains. Since they were dealing with live animals, it was imperative they […]
When Classic Toy Trains Editor Hal Miller told me next up for review was a 4-6-0 steam locomotive, I remember scrunching up my eyebrows. My first thought was that it would be a frilly Ten-Wheeler worthy of an episode of the old Petticoat Junction or Gunsmoke TV series. I mean the wheel arrangement arrived in […]
Facts & features Name: Len Smith’s O gauge layout Dimensions: 24 x 27 feet Track and switches: Atlas O (diameters range from 54 to 99 inches) Motive power: Atlas O, Lionel, MTH Rolling stock: Atlas O, K-Line, Lionel, MTH, Weaver Controls: Lionel types KW and ZW, MTH no. Z-4000 (2) transformers with MTH Digital Command […]
Facts & features Name: Bill Clark’s S gauge layout Dimensions: 9 x 20½ feet Track and switches: Gilbert American Flyer Motive power: American Models, Gilbert and Lionel American Flyer Rolling stock: American Models, Gilbert and Lionel American Flyer Controls: American Flyer nos. 12B (2), 30B (2) transformers with Lionel FlyerChief and Legacy command control Accessories: […]
