In this Trains.com exclusive, Lionel LLC CEO Howard Hitchcock fields interview questions from Classic Toy Trains Editor Rene Schweitzer at Lionel’s headquarters in Concord, North Carolina. Howard and Rene discuss the brand’s 125th anniversary, new products, NASCAR die-cast products, custom-run products, the future of the American Flyer line, and much more! You don’t want to miss […]
DERBY, England — Thomas the Tank Engine is the subject of a new documentary, An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact of Thomas the Tank Engine. The film will premiere at this summer’s The Greatest Gathering event in Derby, part of the UK’s Railway 200 celebration. Thomas began his adventures in a book published in 1945, the […]
Thomas the Tank Engine is the subject of a new documentary. An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact of Thomas the Tank Engine will premiere at this summer’s The Greatest Gathering event in Derby, England. Thomas began his adventures in a book published in 1945, the first in Reverend W. Awdry’s The Railway Series. These stories were […]
BALTIMORE — The B&O Railroad Museum has launched a new website, AmericanRail200.org, intended as a one-stop source of information on the bicentennial of American railroading in 2027. The site will serve as the central clearinghouse for events and news, with organizations and individuals invited to upload information so users can find information on events nationwide. […]
The Lionel Collectors Club of America has announced increases to their membership. In a recent LCCA email newsletter, the group announced that rising prices from vendors have affected expenses. Effective August 1, 2025, membership prices will change to: Regular Membership: $48.00 annually ($5.00 increase). Electronic Membership: $30.00 annually ($3.00 increase). Junior Membership: $30.00 per annually […]
One of the questions we receive quite regularly is where to find parts. Sooner or later, it’s likely you’ll need a part for your locomotive or rolling stock. It could be as simple as replacing traction tires or as complicated as a postwar rehab project. In either case, we’ve got you covered! For each retailer, […]
I began collecting O and 027 gauge trains in middle school. Like many toy train enthusiasts, the trains were eventually packed away for various reasons. Years later, I unpacked my Lionel and Marx collection. It had been a long time since I had seen these trains. I unpacked mostly postwar and modern 2-4-2 outline steam […]
Are you aware of any kind of commercial device that can prevent Lionel and MTH trains from running in reverse? Whenever any of my young grandchildren try to run a freight train in reverse, the cars inevitably derail and ruin our fun. This is an interesting problem to have! I can’t think of any device […]
Menards continues to release an interesting variety of structures for your O gauge layout, from industrial, to whimsical, and anything else you might see in Anytown U.S.A. This latest structure, called “O gauge Main Street,” fits squarely in that Anytown category. A sticker on the clamshell box states that this is part of the Main […]
Common name: Trailing lobelia, edging lobelia, annual lobelia Latin name: Lobelia erinus ‘Riviera Sky Blue’ Plant type: Annual Plant size: 8-10″ high and spreading USDA Hardiness Zones: 10-11 for overwintering, all Zones as an annual Cultural needs: Moist soil, sun or part shade, fertilize regularly for continuous blooming So few miniature plants have such a […]
The Lionel No. 773 4-6-4 Hudson steam engine and tender from 1950 did much to revive the passion dedicated O gauge modeler Walt Urban Jr. has for toy trains. He reminds us that hobbyists who grew up during the 1950s will remember the annual holiday shopping season as being particularly nostalgic. Like him, many of […]
What do I collect? I collect S gauge Gilbert American Flyer, as it’s the scale and brand with which I entered the model railroading hobby. I have always enjoyed S gauge, as the size is nice and Gilbert American Flyer enjoys a great history and loyal, albeit somewhat small, following. When did I start collecting? […]
