Lionel’s Nos. 2257 and 2357 cabooses changed the line of toy trains in notable ways. The all-but-identical models, first cataloged in 1947, introduced three-rail enthusiasts to a type of caboose that looked different from what Lionel had been showcasing during the final years of the prewar period and the first two years of the postwar […]
Locomotives & rolling stock MTH, 739 Washington Blvd., Ste. 101, Elkridge, MD 21075, has FM Erie-built Diesel Locomotives as part of the Premier line. Engines will operate on O-42 curves, feature Proto-Sound 3.0, and will be available in six paint schemes (20-21852 shown). The engines will be sold as unpowered A units or as an […]
Manufacturers come and go in model railroading, and the O gauge market is no exception – 2 or 3 rail, scale or semi scale. From vast offerings to specific products, let’s find out who is producing today for the customer. If you know of a manufacturer not on this list, please contact us at editor@classictoytrains.com. […]
America’s largest operating model railroad show returned to Milwaukee over the weekend. After a 2023 hiatus, Trainfest 2024 was held Nov. 23-24 at the Baird Center, located in the downtown area. The center itself was recently renovated and featured 300,000-contiguous sq. ft. of exhibit space, with highlights from the show that included the following: Dozens […]
Are MTH Premier SD60M shells interchangable I have the MTH No. 20-2595-1 Premier Line Harley-Davidson SD60M freight set from around 2005. I ran it a few times before the circuit board fried. At the time, it was already out of warranty. I looked into having the board replaced, but it cost too much. More recently, […]
David Shaw, the friendly and knowledgeable man behind the counter and in the management chair of The Train Station in Mountain Lakes, N.J., died in August of 2024 at the age of 61. As owner and president of the business since 1986, he had overseen every aspect of its operation, notably sales and repair. But […]
The Lionel Collectors Club of America (LCCA) will be celebrating their 55th anniversary at their annual convention set for July 21-26th in the historic railroad town of Scranton, Penn. The tours will include the famous Steamtown and the Electric City Trolley Museum just to mention two. Convention activities will include multiple running train layouts, seminars, […]
Many of us have memories of visits to Grandma’s house from when we were kids. Menards is offering a way to recapture those memories in O gauge form with the release of Grandma’s House (2959376). This prebuilt structure is a two-level single family home measuring 8 11/16” wide x 8 ⅜” deep x 6 ¾” […]
Every year, a group of toy train hobbyists host an event during the Fall Train Collectors Association (TCA) York Show in York, Penn. The purpose of the event is for guests to hear from members of the hobby that have a strong social media presence. This year I served as emcee, Eric Seigel from Eric’s […]
In January 2022, when Lionel released the Volume 1 Big Book, a few pages beyond the Visionline Class A you’d find an old, but familiar locomotive, the A5. Tooling from K-Line became the skeleton for this small 0-4-0 switching locomotive. However, even with good bones, it took Lionel two and a half years to deliver […]
Traditionally, the hobby we all know and love was typically sequestered to our basements, spare bedrooms, or the occasional pole barn. Publications like Classic Toy Trains began to bring those of us in the hobby together, allowing us to see layouts and collections from all over the country. While CTT continues to be a staple […]
Perhaps you don’t have the space to build a layout but still want to build “something.” Maybe your layout is already built but you’re looking to renovate a scene or section. Or there might be a show coming up and you want to highlight a scene or show off an animated feature. The solution to […]
