November/December 2023

The November/December 2023 issue of Classic Toy Trains

Here comes the Polar Express!

A skill-building compact holiday layout project

Lionel’s No. 19288 Conrail boxcar

O gauge tribute to the formation of a notable railroad

Discover Sakai freight sets from Japan

Postwar copies of a basic Marx set

A big Christmas toy train mystery

Memories of displays made me wonder, “What happened to them?”

A Christmas layout you can visit

Ron Siebler built a nostalgic S gauge display in Dallas

Lionel treasure survives a century!

Discover Scenic Railway No. 177 from 1923

A Lionel train and its great story

Santa Fe set, boxes, and loads of family memories

A South Carolina club builds a great layout

Bringing O gauge talent together

EDITOR’S DESK, pg. 4

LETTERS, pg. 6

MODERN ERA NOTES, pg. 8

PHOTO ALBUM, pg. 10

NEWS & PRODUCTS, pg. 14
Atlas O offerings, club cars, railroad books, calendar, and more

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS, pg. 20

S GAUGE NOW AND THEN, pg. 22

VIEWS FROM THE UNDERGROUND, pg. 24

REVIEWS, pg. 56
Lionel hybrid Challenger, Menards gas station, and more

AD INDEX, pg. 65

TIPS AND TECHNIQUES, pg. 66
Helpful uses for silica packets, temporary winter scenery, and more

PLUS: THE MENARDS FALL CATALOG
36 pages of new toy train products from Menards