Having to disassemble a train layout is always frustrating, thinking about the time and effort I put into building it. But alas, many model railroads eventually run their course, and the space is needed for other uses. In my 40s, I began thinking about a layout that could be preserved yet be flexible enough to […]
Please enjoy this selection of holiday-themed photos of toy trains from Lionel and American Flyer in O gauge, S gauge, and Standard gauge. If you have a photo you’d like considered for a future gallery, contact editor@classictoytrains.com See even more holiday photos! […]
A holiday toy train photo gallery is just the thing to get you in the Christmas spirit. Please enjoy this selection of holiday-themed photos of toy trains from Lionel and American Flyer in O gauge, S gauge, and Standard gauge (with some bonus N and large scale trains). If you have a photo you’d like […]
Frank Cerauli built the magnificent 15 x 30-foot O gauge layout that fills part of his home on dreams. In that important respect, he hardly differs from so many of the creative and hard-working men and women who derive great satisfaction and pleasure from operating miniature trains, whether they be toys or scale replicas. To […]
For well over a century, copper mines and their structures dotted the landscape in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I was born there and several generations of my family worked in the mines. The last one closed in the late 1960s, marking the end of an era for thousands of people. Most of the facilities were removed […]
Whenever children visit my O gauge layout, the operating accessories attract their attention more than any other feature. To accommodate them, I locate the controls for these toys nearby in the molding around the edge of the table, rather than on a central control panel. I have several industrial sidings, all close to viewers. Each […]
Display Layouts and Showrooms is the latest 100-page special or extra issue of Classic Toy Trains. The editors and artists responsible for the magazine are working overtime to make this unique publication the most informative and attractive it can be. The question, “Want a sip?” usually causes another person to ask about the beverage in […]
Editor’s note: This manuscript was purchased in December 1990 for Model Railroader magazine. Over the years, it made its way around the office and finally landed in my hands last fall. Dave Ingles was a friend of mine, and with his passing and my becoming editor of CTT, it seemed fitting to finally share his […]
Verlyn Noring received his first train set when he was 5 years old. Today, he still admires that Marx No. 999 set, which is proudly displayed on his fireplace mantle. In 1982, Verlyn and Louise attended the LCCA convention in Dearborn, Mich. They spotted a custom painted postwar Christmas train set for sale. Like many […]
Model railroading — in any scale — can be a challenging hobby for people with disabilities, whether caused by illness, accident, or age. In addition, visitors who use a wheelchair or walker may find it difficult to view distant points on a large layout. The pike shown here was built with such limitations in mind. […]
As a child, I had done the typical progression from Marx wind-up trains to Lionel O-27 to HO. As a teenager, I put them away. Then in 1993, I saw a French JEP Toy Train set similar to Lionel and Marx. When I saw the JEP running, it reminded me how much fun the Lionel […]
A version of this article appeared in the December 2017 issue of Classic Toy Trains. Whenever Classic Toy Trains features a layout distinguished by snowy scenes and Santa Claus plus his reindeer, readers naturally assume whoever built it did so while a blizzard raged and icicles formed on eaves and downspouts. They can’t help envisioning […]
