Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, event organizer Menard’s has made the decision to cancel the International Toy Train Expo, which was to be held in July in Eau Claire, Wis. For more information see the official announcement on the Menards website. […]
Type of Train: Rolling Stock
New model trains for the week of April 9, 2020
HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP18 diesel locomotive. Baltimore & Ohio (blue and yellow, one road number), Illinois Central (black and white), Norfolk & Western (black and white), Burlington Northern (Cascade Green and black in three numbers, Northern Pacific patchout in one number), Nickel Plate Road (black and yellow), and Northern Pacific (black and yellow). […]
News Wire Digest Second Section for Saturday, April 4 NEWSWIRE
Set up to be transported like a trailer, a donated Black Mesa & Lake Powell hopper car prepares to leave the Navajo Generating Station in Page, Ariz., for its trip to the Arizona Railroad Heritage Park and Museum. Arizona State Railroad Museum Foundation More Saturday morning rail news: — Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee has […]
News Wire Digest Second Section for Friday, April 3 NEWSWIRE
More Friday morning rail news: — The driver of the train was killed and three others were injured Thursday night when a freight train collided with a portion of a bridge that had fallen onto the tracks at a construction site in Augen, Germany. Railfreight.com reports the train operated by the Swiss company BLS was […]
How to maintain Lionel toy train operating cars
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 […]
New model trains for the week of April 2, 2020
Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale Electro-Motive Division SD24 diesel locomotive HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD24 and SD26 diesel locomotives. New paint schemes. SD24 (low short hood unless otherwise noted): Burlington Northern (Chicago, Burlington & Quincy patchout with high short hood), Southern Pacific (scarlet and gray, three road numbers), and Union Pacific (Armour Yellow […]
News Wire Digest Third Section for Friday, March 27 NEWSWIRE
Friday afternoon rail news: — The National Transportation Safety Board will make the performance of DOT-111A, DOT-117, and DOT-117R tank cars one of the focal points in its investigation of a Feb. 13 derailment of a CSX train in Draffin, Ky. The preliminary report on the accident, released Thursday, also indicates the agency will look […]
How to use Z scale couplers to make N scale equipment more realistic
In N scale, oversized, truck-mounted couplers are still a de facto standard, but body-mounted scale-sized couplers aren’t exclusive to larger scales. Micro-Trains Line sells N scale freight cars with pads and mounting holes for easy installation of body-mounted couplers. For an even more in-scale appearance, I install Z scale couplers instead of N scale couplers. […]
News Wire Digest Second Section for Wednesday, March 25 (updated) NEWSWIRE
More Wednesday morning rail news: — Bombardier is suspending production at its Canadian rail and aircraft plants, sending 12,400 workers home on unpaid leave, the Canadian Press reports. The shutdown was to begin Tuesday evening and last through April 24. The Montreal-based company will idle 9,000 workers in Quebec, with the rest in Ontario, and […]
New model trains for the week of March 26, 2020
HO scale freight cars American Car & Foundry two-bay Center Flow covered hopper. New paint schemes: BNSF Ry. (gray with black circle-cross herald, five road numbers) and Cemex Mexico (gray with reporting marks only). New road numbers: Burlington Northern (Cascade Green with large herald), Chicago & North Western (yellow), CSX (tan), Norfolk & Western (gray), […]
Perishable pioneer
Fruit Growers Express helped pioneer mechanical refrigerator cars. This 55-foot, 60-ton car was built in 1957 and just had a new refrigeration unit installed before this 1975 photo. Jeff Wilson collection […]
Truck’s Toy Trains: Episode 9 Lionel Flatcar Loads
Classic Toy Trains Senior Editor Roger Carp rejoins show host John Truckenbrod to inspect Lionel Corporation flatcar loads, namely Allis-Chalmers bulldozers and earth scrapers. For even more coverage of this topic, be sure to read the May 2020 issue of CTT! […]
