What toy train locomotive means the most to you? It just has to be Lionel’s famed 2-6-2 Prairie type locomotive that is still in my collection. How did you acquire it? This adventure started in 1947 at the early age of 5 years old, when Dad unpacked the Lionel train set he’d purchased downtown. We […]
USA Track LLC has been in business for 15 years, manufacturing Standard gauge track. Owners Kirk Lindvig and Chris Bogus offer four diameters of curve track and four lengths of straight track. All components of USA Track are made in the U.S. Classic Toy Trains received four pieces of the Super Standard gauge track. It’s […]
One of the great things about having a model railroad is that you can populate it with things that evoke happy memories. Menards has tapped into this with buildings that touch both the nuts and bolts of railroading (manufacturing firms, oil wells, and power plants), and the lighter side as well with hobby shops, cow […]
Editor’s note: Kirk Lindvig reached out to Classic Toy Trains offering to send product samples for review. When he emailed photos of his U.S.-based manufacturing process, it reminded me of the behind-the-scenes manufacturer profiles CTT used to do years ago. I felt our readers would find the process interesting. I present this Q&A interview with […]
Editor’s note: I’ve found a number of unpublished manuscripts in our file cabinets. This one dates from around 1999. Does it still apply today? Do you think that simplifying or finding a new aspect of the hobby can re-invigorate your love of toy trains? Leave a comment and let us know. As railroad enthusiasts go, […]
In July of 2024, Lionel Trains’ long-awaited Base3 arrived in stores, homes, and our own Firecrown office here in Brookfield, Wis. This new command control takes all of the manufacturer’s previous systems in a backwards-compatible manner and centralizes them into one package. Out of this sole setup, you can control Lionel Legacy, TMCC, LionChief, LionChief+, […]
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 […]
Lionel No. 2245 Texas Special F3 Diesel A and B Units celebrate their 70th anniversary this year. The beautiful O gauge locomotives made their debut in the noteworthy year of 1954 as separate-sale items priced at $39.95 ($470.63 in today’s dollars) and as the motive power in a pair of outstanding O-27 outfits: the Nos. […]
The idea for building this small disappearing O-27 layout came to me after reading an issue of Lionel’s Inside Track magazine from 2009. This track plan brought back for me memories of a similar O-27 layout at a department store during the holidays in the 1950s. – Bob Espenschied Download the track plan for this […]
Name: Art Volz’s O-27 gauge layoutDimensions: 10 x 20 feet Track and switches: Lionel (diameters range from 27″ to 31″)Motive power: Lionel (postwar, modern)Rolling stock: Lionel (postwar, modern), MenardsControls: Lionel Nos. 1033 and 1034, type-ZW transformersAccessories: Lionel, MTHStructures: Atlas O, Lionel, Menards, MTH, scratchbuilt, Woodland ScenicsVehicles: Ertl, Lucky Die Cast Products, MTH, SpecCast CollectiblesFigures: Bachmann […]
Name: Tom Kaiser’s O gauge layoutDimensions: 10½ x 11 feetTrack: Lionel FasTrack (diameters range from 31 to 60 inches)Motive power:Atlas O, K-Line, Lionel, MTH Electric Trains, Ready Made Trains, WilliamsRolling stock: K-Line, Lionel, Menards, MTH, Ready Made Trains, WilliamsControls: MRC transformers (2)Accessories: K-Line, Lionel, MarxStructures: Bachmann, K-Line, Lionel, MTH, Plasticville U.S.A., scratchbuiltVehicles: American Heritage Models, […]
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