Host John Truckenbrod and Classic Toy Trains’ Roger Carp share collector insights regarding P&H construction machinery that Lionel Corp. paired with their O gauge flatcars. Plus, they’ll also examine one of the most unusal, yet prototypical, freight cars Lionel produced! […]
Era: 1946 - 1970
Modeling the mighty Pennsy in a small space
A version of this article appeared in Model Railroader’s special issue from 2018: Build a Small Railroad. Pursuing my hobby concurrently with my military career meant I needed a portable model railroad that could still suggest the scale and intensity of a gigantic prototype in an impossibly small space. I found what I needed in […]
The N scale Milwaukee Road North Montana Line
When I cut a hole in the living room wall in order to expand my N scale railroad into the hallway beyond, I thought that was as large a model railroad as I would ever own. I was just happy that my wife agreed to my bizarre suggestion (see “Harlowton, Montana, in N scale,” Model […]
Timeless Tennessee Pass
Running behind three Rio Grande GP40s and a GP30, this eastbound was working up the west side of Tennessee Pass near Red Cliff, Colo., on April 30, 1967. Out of sight are two F7 helpers on the rear. In the late 20th century Tennessee Pass had eight or more heavy trains climbing its 13 miles […]
Roosevelt Road revisited
Baltimore & Ohio train 6, the eastbound Capitol Limited, picks up orders as it departs Chicago’s Grand Central Station bound for Washington, D.C., in July 1968. Philip A. Weibler photo […]
Passenger power
Passenger cab units, like this twin-engine New York Central EMD E8, rode on six-wheel trucks with the center axle unpowered, denoted as A1A-A1A. EMD built 421 E8A units and 39 E8B units making it the second most popular model in the line behind the E7. Pictured is a late production E8, with stamped-metal grill along […]
Pullmans for Penn Station
Heavyweight Pullman cars trail Pennsylvania Railroad train 72, the eastbound Juniata, at Marysville, Pa., in 1952. The train, which is about to cross the famed Rockville Bridge over the Susquehanna River, is en route from Detroit to New York City. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
Classic railway preservation
Colorado Railroad Museum founder Bob Richardson moves a three-way switch at the Narrow Gauge Museum south of Alamosa, Colo., in the mid-1950s. This was the initial gathering point for the collection before it moved to Golden in 1958. The Mears Junction sign is from the place where the Rio Grande’s Marshall Pass and Valley narrow […]
Double trouble
After doubling its train together at Clare Yard in Cincinnati, train 78 prepares to depart east for Portsmouth, Ohio, over the Peavine in December 1959. Doubling the train blocked the Pennsylvania’s main line diamond at Clare. Tom Smart, J. David Ingles collection […]
Remembering Pere Marquette passenger trains
In April 2020, Classic Trains is celebrating the history, heritage, and splendor of the Pere Marquette Railway. Enjoy this photo gallery, originally published online in October 2017, as the perfect salute to the PM. Return each week for another salute to the railroad of the month! See what we did last week for the Pere […]
How to maintain Lionel toy train operating cars
The Lionel operating milk car’s chute is made so that the milk barrels can only be put in the correct way. However, once inside the chute, the barrels can become jammed if the car tips over. Here are some tips for keeping this car in service. Classic Toy Trains file A version of this article […]
Boston & Maine transition-era, freight train photo gallery
Our sister magazine, Classic Trains, named Boston & Maine the railroad of the month for October 2019. Please enjoy this photo gallery of images from the David P. Morgan Library archives at Kalmbach Media that include B&M steam-powered freight trains through time. […]
