Name: Peter Martens Forum User Name: Peter_J_M Railroad Name: Lionel Lines Location: The Silver Rail Club’s home based layout Scale: O gauge Theme: Classic Lionel colors on the high-rail! Description: Classic orange and blue colors make up these highly collectible train sets! Released individually during the 80’s and 90’s, each freight consist made up an […]
Charles Angelo Irace GarGraves Phantom Line flexible track is manufactured with the middle rail chemically treated to a deep black color. The wood ties are also more realistic than the stamped-metal ones found on traditional track, but I like to paint the GarGraves ties to better resemble the creosote-treated ones found on real railroads. In […]
Forget your prewar Standard gauge electric-outline locomotives. I don’t care how large or flashy or colorful those slab-sided toasters are, they can’t hold a candle to the King Salami of big trains – the No. 400E 4-4-4. The size, look, and color of this model set a standard in its day for power and authority. […]
Anyone who thinks that S gauge starts and ends with American Flyer should take a look at the S-Helper Service line. For years the crew at S-Helper Service has been in the vanguard of manufacturers rising above postwar levels of detail, regardless of train gauge. Out are the cast-in handrails and roofwalks; in are add-on […]
In popularity, the postwar Lionel gang car is exceeded by only the trolley car in terms of Auto-Pilot fun on the tinplate rails. Lionel’s release of the 1950s favorite lives up to its reputation. Both the gang car and trolley operate on the same concept. The car runs in one direction until it hits an […]
MTH brings us a B-class switcher. As Al Staufer noted in his book Pennsy Power, few electrified railways could dedicate electric locomotives simply to the task of switching cars. But the Pennsylvania Railroad, with its vast network of yards and terminals under wire, could. In 1926, the Pennsy’s Altoona, Pa., shops began producing these little […]
Cab units are a staple of O gauge model railroading. They are crowd pleasers and are updated every few years with new features or improvements. A corollary of that statement is the increased expectations on the part of hobbyists. The greater the level of detail you see, the more you expect. The better the low-end […]
It’s been written about a lot before, but here are some more ballasting tips for tubular track. It can make your right-of-way look more realistic, but the bottom line is have fun and don’t stress about it. Don’t overdo It is pretty common to completely fill in the area between two tracks with a bed […]
Stepping into the “wayback” machine, Lionel’s 0-4-0 steam switcher is a model of the Pennsylvania Railroad’s B6-class 0-6-0. Just before World War II, Lionel made several variations of its B6 switcher, two of which – Nos. 1662 and 1663 – used 0-4-0 instead of 0-6-0 wheel arrangements. The model was in and out of the […]
The Lionel operating milk car’s chute is made so that the milk barrels can only be put in the correct way. However, once inside the chute, the barrels can become jammed if the car tips over. Here are some tips for keeping this car in service. Classic Toy Trains file A version of this article […]
It isn’t an exaggeration to observe that the CTT staff is frequently asked basic questions such as “How do I connect my power and lockon to the track?” However, we get even more questions related to adding operational capability beyond running one train in a circle – taking a step beyond the starter outfit. Aside […]
Creating the scene The examples shown here are from the backdrops on my O gauge layout, which is set against distant hills. I broke each sketch down to three levels of scenery: the foreground (tree line), the intermediate level (nearby hills), and the background (mountains). I needed to use only three colors, one for each […]
