Athearn HO scale 2-8-0 steam locomotive Model Die Casting’s HO scale old-time 2-8-0 was a common sight on model railroads for decades. Through its Roundhouse division, Athearn has brought this classic model back, upgraded with new details, directional lighting, modern electronics, and an improved drivetrain. Tracking its heritage. The Consolidation 2-8-0 was one of the […]
Section: Reviews
Kato N scale Silver Streak Zephyr
Kato N scale Silver Streak For the first time in N scale a plastic model of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy RR’s Silver Streak Zephyr is available as a ready-to-run train set. The passenger cars and locomotive feature all-new tooling, including the distinctive fluted sides of the Electro-Motive Division E5A diesel-electric locomotive. The Kato model […]
HO scale Canadian covered hoppers by North American Railcar Corp., a subsidiary of PWRS
HO scale Canadian covered hoppers by North American Railcar Corp. This distinctive Canadian model of a modern Hawker-Siddeley 4550-cubic-foot cylindrical covered hopper is part of a series of 15 ready-to-run cars. Each model is individually detailed to match a specific prototype, and there are 12 car numbers in each version. The prototype. A shortage […]
Wheels of Time N scale Piggy Packer
Wheels of Time N scale Piggy Packer Price: $59.99 Manufacturer Wheels of Time P.O. Box 846 Mountain View, CA 94042-0846 wheelsotime.com Era: late 1960s to present Road names: CSX/Seaboard shown, see website for available roadnames Comments: If you’re into N scale and the modern era, you’ve recently had a lot of intermodal containers, maxi-stacks, and […]
Walthers HO scale coal gondola
Walthers HO scale coal gondola Price: Single car, $21.98; 6-pack, $129.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc. P.O. Box 3039 Milwaukee, WI 53201 www.walthers.com Era: 1975 to present Road names: Single car and two 6-packs each: Burlington Northern, Cajun Electric, Consumers Power, Detroit Edison, Fayette Power Project, and Southern Ry. Undecorated single car also available. Features: […]
O gauge brass New Haven I-4 4-6-2 by Weaver Models
The New Haven was an essential partner in the commerce of the Northeastern United States. In addition to connecting the New England states through freight and passenger service, the line was a powerful conduit for travel between Boston and New York City. Fast and frequent trains served businessmen as well as people seeking to cool […]
O gauge Menards steam freight set
Though this train set from Menards arrived too late to get it into a pre-Christmas issue, I’m still tickled to review it because I believe it is a first for Classic Toy Trains: This may be the first chain store exclusive set we’ve ever reviewed. While sets of that nature were common in the 1950s […]
Video: O gauge Menards steam freight set by Lionel
This may be the first chain store exclusive set CTT has ever reviewed! The set is powered by Lionel’s 0-8-0 and pulls four cars decorated for the Chicago & North Western, three of them unique to Menards. See the set in action here! […]
Video: O gauge brass New Haven I-4 4-6-2 by Weaver Models
One of the best New Haven designs was the I-4 class of 4-6-2 Pacifics. The railroad and the manufacturer worked together to build an engine that could handle the heaviest passenger traffic on the line – and which could be a fill in for freight power. See this O gauge model in action! […]
Video: Bachmann Trains HO Sound Value Alco S-2
See and hear the Bachmann Trains Sound Value Alco S-2 as it switches cars on the Model Railroader train layout. You’ll also get a look at the Fox Valley Models HO scale Baltimore & Ohio M-53 wagontop boxcar. […]
O gauge Blue Streak passenger set by Lionel Corp. Tinplate Line (MTH)
This is a reproduction of a clever bit of marketing from back in the mid-1930s. Take the then-popular Commodore Vanderbilt steam locomotive (the swankiest engine on the New York Central at the time) and pair it with a streamlined vividly colored train set. Profits will surely ensue. To get the job done, Lionel used its […]
O gauge RailKing GG1 by MTH
The traditionally sized GG1 is popular in O gauge, as illustrated by the fact that MTH, Williams by Bachmann, and RMT by AristO have comparable models in their current catalogs. Where vintage models may have the advantage of being collectible, they may also have chipped paint, faded stripes, and five decades of iffy maintenance (or […]