Build a layout that highlights 1950 Lionel

CTTM0518_trackplan

Collectors concentrating on the outfits, locomotives, and accessories offered by Lionel during a single year in the post-World War II era will find inspiration in the compact O gauge layout developed by Robert Banks. He has designed an 11 x 11-foot three-rail display capable of letting three trains operate simultaneously. Build a layout that highlights […]

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Build a better layout

Build a better layout

A decade ago, Dick Christianson, the founding editor of Classic Toy Trains, and I began work on what became the O gauge Lionel Lines/Santa Fe layout. With help from CTT staff members, who dutifully ventured to Dick’s suburban basement every Tuesday night, we spent countless hours planning, thinking, changing our minds, and making false starts […]

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Where diesels go to the doctor

NorfolkSouthernJuniataShopAltoonaPennsylvania

Home for the heaviest rebuild, repair, and repaint work on the Norfolk Southern system is the sprawling former Pennsylvania Railroad Juniata Shops in Altoona, Pa. The backshop is the heart of this operation in the Keystone State. Alex Mayes Diesel locomotives are amazing. They are built to withstand the rigors of service, running 24 hours […]

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A layout for all seasons

S & O gauge layout with multiple themes

Name: Richard Foltz Forum User Name: Richard Railroad Name: American Flyer-Lionel All seasons Location: Sykesville, Maryland Scale: S & O Theme: All seasons Description: Garden for all seasons, circus, Halloween, Christmas, summer […]

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Bob’s Train Box: Episode 67

Bob Keller

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Bob Keller of Classic Toy Trains magazine is back with a bounty of new toy trains and related products to share with you! In this episode of BTB, you’ll also get a good look at a powerful new release from Menards! […]

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MRVP Layout Visit: Michael Schrier’s O gauge layout

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page MR Video Plus subscribers will get to enjoy the highly detailed scenes on Michael Schrier’s fabulous O gauge (3-rail) layout. One look at the expansive urban and industrial sites on this extraordinary 40 x 50-foot display, and you’ll be hard pressed to call […]

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O gauge U.S. Air Force SW8 switcher by MTH Electric Trains

blue model switcher

O GAUGE SW8 DIESEL FROM MTH Price: $329.95 (no. 30-20408-1) Min Curve: O-27 Cmd Low: 2.9 smph Cnv Low: 3.1 smph High: 73.6 smph Drawbar pull: 1 lb., 2 oz. Features: Two can-style motors, ProtoSound 3.0 command and sound system, coil couplers Current-production road names: Chicago & North Western, GM Diesel Division (Canada), Nickel Plate […]

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Woodland Scenics O scale mobile homes

model trailer house

O SCALE MOBILE HOMES BY WOODLAND SCENICS Price: $94.99 each Features: Fully assembled and decorated, interior decoration and illumination, made for the Just Plug lighting system The three Built-&-Ready mobile homes from Woodland Scenics prove that astonishing things can come in relatively small packages. I will confess to some confusion with the idea, but when […]

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Positive Train Control: Beyond the basics

UPCajonPassCA

Positive Train Control Tick, tock. U.S. railroads have collectively spent decades and billions of dollars on positive train control research. Tick. Public outcry after a 2008 commuter crash that killed 25 people — a crash that a Federal safety panel says PTC could have prevented — pushed Congress to act. Tock. With a Congressional deadline […]

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All the way with Santa Fe

Lionel's hybrid Santa Fe Mikado

Name: Peter Atonna Railroad Name: Seligman and Paulden Lines Location: Paulden, AZ Scale: O Theme: Railroading through the Southwest Description: The arrival of Lionel’s new hybrid Santa Fe Mikado triggered an idea to do a video featuring all Santa Fe trains. We start at downtown Chicago at Union Station (I know, a bit far from […]

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