What was your first train set (or locomotive)? In the second grade, I started reading Model Railroader in the school library. After a year of heavy lobbying, I got my first Tyco HO train set for Christmas in 1973. It had a powered Santa Fe F7A locomotive with a “dummy” F7B unit painted in the red-and-silver warbonnet […]
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Cody Grivno explains how to find a HO scale log car in this video of Ask Trains. Are you trying to find a certain piece of model railroad equipment, or would you like more information on full-size trains? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com If you know of any other resources for the Evans 100-ton […]
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Cody Grivno explains how to find a HO scale log car in this video of Ask Trains. Are you trying to find a certain piece of model railroad equipment, or would you like more information on full-size trains? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com If you know of any other resources for the Evans 100-ton […]
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Founding of the NMRA The National Model Railroad Association, 20 years ago, grew more or less spontaneously out of two basic needs of the fledgling hobby. The first was the need for standards to assure interchangeable equipment. The second was the social need for getting together with other followers of a hobby which was then […]
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How to buy a toy train is a subject I’m frequently asked about. My focus is on trains and accessories from the post-World War II era, but I venture into the prewar and modern periods, too. In the past 25 years, Atlas, K-Line, Lionel, MTH, Williams, Weaver, and others have produced locomotives and rolling stock […]
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Where to buy a locomotive air horn? Cody Grivno explains what where to look to find these more unique and perhaps rare items in this video of Ask Trains. Caution: These things are meant to be loud for airlines to pass a certification, and have to be between 96 and 110 decibels at 100 feet. […]
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Made in the USA? Cody Grivno answers the question: “What other model railroad manufacturers have products that are made in the USA? Check out the video to find out more. If you have other companies that come to mind, please let us know in the comments field below. If you have other questions about model […]
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Made in the USA? Cody Grivno answers the question: “What other model railroad manufacturers have products that are made in the USA? Check out the video to find out more. If you have other companies that come to mind, please let us know in the comments field below. If you have other questions about model […]
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What was your first train set (or locomotive)? My late father built an HO scale model railroad for my twin brother and I when we were about 6 years old. He called it Twinsville, and I remember playing with it. I had a steam engine and my brother had a Santa Fe warbonnet diesel. After a […]
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Stan Trzoniec’s modeling work has graced the covers and pages of Classic Toy Trains for a couple of decades. His eye for detail and excellent photography skills have made him one of the standouts in the toy train world. See his work in the in the September 2021 issue. We asked him a few questions […]
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WAUKESHA, Wis. — The humble train show may be the next institution a global pandemic transforms. One visible sign of that transformation in-progress is the World’s Greatest Hobby Online virtual train show held April 17 — in part because Covid-19 precautions have delayed or cancelled most public events for the past 12 months. Virtual […]
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MILWAUKEE — Despite a global pandemic, the world of model railroading is high-balled to roll on. And now, Walthers is offering builders of all ages and skill levels an opportunity to use this quarantine to show the world what they’re made of — and what they can make — in the model railroad company’s second […]
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