Name: Norm Jurgen’s O gauge layout Dimensions: 16 x 18 feet Track and switches: Lionel FasTrack (diameters range from 60 to 72 inches) Motive power: Lionel Rolling stock: Lionel Controls: Lionel Nos. 22983 180-watt PowerHouses (9), CW-80 transformer (5) with TrainMaster Command Control Accessories: Lionel, MTH Structures: Department 56, Lionel, MTH, Woodland Scenics Vehicles: Altaya, […]
Name: Jim Steed’s Blairsville & Georgia Southern RR Gauge: O Dimensions: 8 x 21 feet Track: K-Line, Lionel, Menards (diameters range from 31 to 54 inches) Switches: Lionel Motive power: Lionel (postwar, modern), MTH, Williams Rolling stock: Lionel (postwar, modern), MTH Controls: Lionel type-Z, MTH No. Z-4000 (3) transformers Accessories: Hafner, Lionel (postwar, mod-ern), Marx, […]
Fun and fancy fill Lionel 2025 Catalog Volume 1. What am I writing here? You will recall that I recently explored for Trains.com the latest additions to the roster of O gauge sets, locomotives, and rolling stock presented in Lionel’s brand-new catalog. There, I focused on a handful of great trains that impressed me because […]
The three generations of farmers hard at work on Rick Borland’s O gauge layout are reminiscent of the three generations in his family who have been enjoying Lionel trains since the mid-1950s. Rick received his first outfit as a youngster, and it included the No. 2338 Milwaukee Road GP7 road diesel shown cruising along the […]
Also in this issue: EDITOR’S DESK, pg. 4 Solving a Marx mystery YOUR LETTERS, pg. 6 YOUR PHOTOS, pg. 8 NEWS & REVIEWS, pg. 12 Lionel U28C diesel, MTH Bump-N-Go trolley, Menards mine shaft, custom runs, and more COLLECTIBLE CLASSICS, pg. 18 Lionel’s No. 395 Floodlight Tower QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, pg. 58 Wire a signal […]
Every postwar enthusiast will admit to having a favorite kind of freight car. Pin down Robert Madison, and this resident of Westerly, R.I., will confess to a love of Lionel’s short and long transformer cars. He will occasionally put together a train consisting of half a dozen of the memorable cars, with a work caboose […]
One glance at the picture Joe Phillips has shared of his good friend Wayne Colabaugh’s O gauge layout, and you know they both like plenty of activity. Why, they couldn’t even wait for the MTH Premier line No. 22-20636-2 Norfolk Southern AC4400CW to slow down before snapping this terrific shot. Nearby on Wayne’s railroad in […]
Lionel’s No. 2159W GG1 Freight Set for 1950 often has received criticism from collectors for being less than outstanding. In fact, this O gauge outfit generally has been assessed as a disappointment because it came with some common items. Admittedly, the locomotive included with the five pieces of rolling stock outshines these freight cars and […]
MTH announced its latest run of Norfolk Southern SD60E diesel locomotives in November 2024 and they arrived in late summer 2025. This version, much like its predecessor, features DCS and Proto-Sound 3.0. After nine years (the last run was in 2016), these models have become challenging to find. For those with an affinity for the […]
Lionel trains rumbling over circular main lines erected at different heights and surrounded by operating accessories, including this No. 397 Diesel-Type Coal Loader, combine to bring Raymond Smith back to his youth in the 1950s. Long ago, this O gauger modeler residing in Bradford, R.I. recalls, life didn’t move quite as quickly as today, and […]
The history of the tank car dates back more than 150 years. Coworker Carl Swanson from Trains Magazine wrote an article about their history if you’d like to learn more. This car is a single-domed version, lettered for the East Broad Top Railroad (No. RMT-96899-12). I was surprised to learn that the EBT owned one […]
Photos of outstanding compact layouts in every gauge have flooded the Classic Toy Trains office ever since we finished our special-interest publication titled Toy Train Layouts for Small Spaces. The S gauge display built by Gerold Slotkin really tickles our fancy. He has filled the 6 x 9-foot two-level railroad in North Brunswick, N.J., with […]
