Polar Express five-day layout build

scene of toy train on holiday layout

The Classic Toy Trains staff built the Polar Express layout over a five day period, from benchwork to final scenery. The layout features scenes from the beloved movie, including the Hero Boy’s house, the train crossing the frozen river, and the city scene where the First Gift of Christmas is given. Staffers Hal Miller, Roger […]

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Polar Express five-day layout build

scene of toy train on holiday layout

The Classic Toy Trains staff built the Polar Express layout over a five day period, from benchwork to final scenery. The layout features scenes from the beloved movie, including the Hero Boy’s house, the train crossing the frozen river, and the city scene where the First Gift of Christmas is given. Staffers Hal Miller, Roger […]

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American Flyer store display photo from early 1950s

vintage photo of a train store display

Isn’t amazing how a single vintage photograph of a store that stocked electric trains can serve as a time machine to carry us back several decades. Pictures like this one are scarce, and so we at Classic Toy Trains know how fortunate we are to be able to share it with you. Our gratitude goes […]

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To upgrade to DCC, or not to upgrade, that is the question

A man holds a model train throttle in front of two blue model locomotives.

Digital Command Control, or DCC, is one of two ways most modelers control their trains. Instead of sending current directly to the rails, and making any train that’s receiving that current move, DCC sends packets of information through the rails and to individual locomotives to tell them what to do. For a DCC system to […]

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Clean up your 2400-series Lionel passenger cars

Lionel 2400 passenger cars catalog image

The 2400-series Lionel passenger cars have always been popular with operators and collectors. In the postwar era the plastic streamliners have been run in green with yellow trim, yellow with red trim, and silver with black trim and gray roofs. Q: I bought a great set of 2400-series Lionel passenger cars. They look fine and […]

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Guide to HO scale couplers

Color image of HO scale Kadee No. 148 coupler.

Although small, couplers play a big role in smooth, reliable operation. If couplers function properly and are installed per the manufacturer’s instructions, you should have few, if any, problems. In this guide to HO scale couplers, we’ll explore some of the different offerings on the market today. The evolution of  HO scale couplers   When […]

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A beginner’s guide to rock-garden plants

flowers in a rock garden

Do you need a beginner’s guide to rock-garden plants? Plants that are typically suited to rocky places are tough characters. Understanding their characteristics will help you select plants for the railroad garden that will work well in the crevices of rocks, creeping along cliffs, or draped down rock faces. They often come from mountainous origins […]

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The people who work on trains

TEH1319635

The people who work on trains have a variety of jobs. A Norfolk Southern flagman inspects a train near Marion, Ohio.  Dale A. DeVene Jr. The people who work on trains have a variety of jobs. Each member of a train crew has a specific function. Since train crews do most of their work beyond […]

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LEGO City 60197 Passenger Train – Part 1: Building the locomotive

Model Railroader‘s Bryson Sleppy and Rene Schweitzer review the LEGO City 60197 Passenger Train set. Follow along as they build the station platform, signal, and the train’s locomotive. They go through the set book by book, bag by bag, and show tips, tricks, and building techniques along the way. This is Part 1: Building the locomotive. Look […]

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Kid-friendly garden railroading

adult watching two children on garden railway

Kid-friendly garden railroading: We all know that garden railroading is a magical hobby, one that we enjoy sharing with other adult enthusiasts. But have you considered inviting a child to share in the fascination? Kids of any age (and adults too) aren’t given to stand by and idly observe a garden railway. Rather, most would […]

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