The holiday season is when many people get introduced to model railroading. It usually starts with a train set that contains a locomotive, a few freight cars, a caboose, some track, and a power supply. Eventually, you’ll probably want another locomotive or some new cars. Here are some ideas on where to buy model trains. […]
You may have heard the term “zinc pest,” or maybe “zinc rot” or “zamak pest,” but what is zinc pest? And how does it affect toy trains? In the earlier days of toy train manufacturing, trains and their parts were diecast with alloy metals, made from zinc, aluminum, magnesium, and copper. It was an inexpensive […]
Design a toy train layout — O, S, or Standard/Wide gauge — it requires above all making one fundamental decision. Each operator must decide what sort of look he or she wants the layout to have. To be specific, each modeler has to figure out the extent to which the layout, regardless of size or […]
In a press release sent to Kalmbach Media, Great American Train Shows has confirmed the dates and location of the 2024 Trainfest show. The event will be held from November 23-24 at the Baird Center, located at 400 W. Wisconsin Ave., in Milwaukee, Wis. According to the GTS website, consumer tickets will go on sale […]
According to a document saved by Maury H. Romer, who supervised production of the postwar S gauge line, the A.C. Gilbert Co. intended to make a No. 24068 Mr. Peanut boxcar in 1962. It received a five-digit catalog number on Sept. 7, 1961. For unknown reasons, the project was abandoned after two prototypes were created. […]
American Flyer No. 971 lumber unloading car So much of the joy that we hobbyists associate with toy trains comes from our love of illusion. Like children watching a magician, we suspend all belief and forget that electricity is responsible for moving our O or S gauge trains. Time after time we want to believe […]
American Flyer No. 636 depressed-center flatcar with reel Even before World War II, the A.C. Gilbert Co. had experimented with loads for its flatcars. Of importance were the models with a small civilian or military vehicle, which could be unloaded via remote control. These models returned after the war. Lionel decided against competing with Gilbert […]
My first train set (or locomotive) was…? I got my first train set for Christmas in 1948 — I was 3 years old. I had no idea I was going to get a train. I remember my mom coming into my bedroom and waking me up not too long after I went to bed. She […]
My longtime friend Bill Phalen is working on an HO scale layout depicting the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minn., and Superior, Wis. Though his motive power fleet features many railroads from the area, one line wasn’t represented, the Lake Superior Terminal & Transfer. Bill wanted models of four of the LST&T’s six end-cab diesels, so […]
Toy train firms selling miniature versions of steam locomotives knew the full-size versions of those models needed to fill their boilers with cool water on a regular basis so their firebox could heat the water until it boiled. Then it could produce steam to move the rods and pistons that kept the drive wheels moving. […]
Christmas tree train set The history of the “putzen” In as early as the 18th century, Protestants immigrating to America were making miniature Nativity scenes in their homes around Christmastime. The Moravians, who at the time settled in the Lehigh Valley (eastern Pennsylvania), are recognized for consistently doing this activity. The term “putzen” is a […]
A two-bay, fish-belly hopper with peaked ends is the first entry in the ScaleTrains S gauge product range. The manufacturer, who acquired the S gauge tooling from MTH Electric Trains in February 2021, is marketing the cars under the S-Helper Service banner, complete with green and yellow packaging similar to that of the former manufacturer. […]
