The SD40 could well be the most recognized face of second generation diesel power. Whether in the original version, or the Dash-2 with the extended front and rear pilots, or the Dash-2T tunnel motors with their extended body for air flow, they could be seen just about everywhere coast-to-coast. The Lionel Legacy No. 82276 SD40, […]
As a child, I had done the typical progression from Marx wind-up trains to Lionel O-27 to HO. As a teenager, I put them away. Then in 1993, I saw a French JEP Toy Train set similar to Lionel and Marx. When I saw the JEP running, it reminded me how much fun the Lionel […]
The station scene is in front. It gets its postwar look from the vintage accessories, starting with the Lionel Nos. 133 Passenger Station, 157 Station Platform, and 356 Operating Freight Station. Flanking the stations are a No. 138 Water Tower and a No. 128 Operating Newsstand. Two spur tracks are behind the station. One features […]
Name: Greg Bird’s O gauge layoutDimensions: 6 x 16 feet Track and switches: Lionel FasTrack (36-inch diameter) Motive power and rolling stock: Lionel, MTHControls: Lionel 180-watt PowerHouse power supply with Legacy command control Structures: Atlas O, Korber, Lionel, scratchbuiltVehicles: Diecast DirectFigures: Arttista Download the track plan for this layout! Buy the Classic Toy Trains Spring […]
Name: Neal Mayer’s O gauge layout Dimensions: 12′-0″ x 27′-3″ Track and switches: Lionel FasTrack (diameters range from 27 to 36 inches) Motive power: K-Line, Lionel, MTH, Williams by Bachmann Rolling stock: K-Line, Lionel, MTH, Williams by Bachmann Controls: Lionel No. CW-80, MTH No. Z-1000 transformers with MTH Digital Command System Structures: Atlas O, Korber, […]
Please note: Due to a technical glitch in our software, the camera angles for this track plan did not appear in the Spring 2024 issue. We’re sharing that image here. We apologize for the omission. – Ed. Name: Jack Hedge’s O gauge layout Dimensions: 23 x 24 feet Track: GarGraves (diameters range from 72” to […]
You’ve learned a few things about toy trains, and maybe even bought a few items or pieces of track. You have a spare room and would like to build a layout. What’s next? Before you start building, we’ve got a list of what to consider first. No. 1 Consider your space Consider the room or […]
Q I noticed rust on the trucks of my Lionel No. 646 steam engine. When I tried to run the postwar locomotive, operation was sluggish. The engine needed an unusual amount of transformer voltage to go around the track. I removed the cab and discovered the aluminum crosshead guide, where the valve gear linkages are […]
Locomotives and rolling stock Burlington Northern (1991 scheme), Montana Rail Link (blue 2009 scheme), TTX (gray patchout with TOFX reporting marks, yellow-and-black as-delivered scheme, and yellow-and-black with Forward Thinking patch), and York Rail (brown) are the new paint schemes on the Atlas O Premier line Gunderson 50-foot high-cube boxcar. The paper-hauling boxcar, priced at $79.95, […]
One of the joys of modern model railroading is incorporating new technology. Using a familiar mobile device, for instance, can add more life and realism to a layout. About five years ago, as I was building my 4 x 8 O gauge layout, I read about Lionel’s No. 84611 Bluetooth Radio Tower and its functionality […]
The Lionel No. 3474 Western Pacific Operating Boxcar upgrades any collection of postwar trains. It was another great model introduced in the outstanding year of 1952, which is covered in detail in Lionel Trains of the 1950s, a special interest publication from Classic Toy Trains. Over the past few years on Trains.com, I’ve been suggesting […]
There’s never been a shortage of large industrial structures for three-rail layouts. Many of them could have been coal-powered. You need not go broke buying high-dollar hoppers or high-side gondolas to carry the rivers of black diamonds needed to keep commerce humming. Back in the postwar days Lionel made a wide variety of scale and […]
