Twin loops with a twist

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Layout designer: Terry Thompson Scale: O Layout size: 6 x 12 feet Track type: Lionel O Minimum curve: O-31 Originally appeared in the October 2011 issue of Classic Toy Trains. Twin loops with a twist track plan Twin loops with a twist schematic Twin loops with a twist components […]

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Focus On Classics with Roger Carp

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Our “Collecting” section of ClassicToyTrains.com is hosted by Senior Editor Roger Carp who is excited to share his knowledge and love of the classics, pre-and postwar trains, accessories, and the companies that produced them. Watch the video below for the latest Focus On Classics overview. […]

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Lionel O gauge EMD F3 diesel A-A set

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Cab units once roamed North America in epic buffalo-like herds, hauling freight and passengers from places like Syracuse and Montpelier to Cheyenne and Cucamonga. Whether they hailed from the forges of Alco, Baldwin, or Fairbanks-Morse, cab units were generally seen as the last vestige of the art deco era of streamlining. And no diesel was […]

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MTH O gauge ALCO RS-11 diesel

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In the first and second generation of dieselization, Alco was the perennial odd man out. Although legendary for its steam locomotive designs and one of the first builders to dabble with diesel power, its diesel locomotives never really attained more than niche status with America’s railroads. The company quietly exited locomotive production in 1969. But […]

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Ready Made Trains O gauge Mini-F units

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If you’ve been in model railroading long enough, you may recall back in the 1960s seeing ads from the Wm. K. Walthers Co. showing some cute little heavyweight passenger cars all resting on a single truck. Even though dyed-in-the-wool rivet counters might scoff,  you could tell by the crook at the corners of their mouths […]

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Lionel O gauge Vision Lionel 700E Hudson

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In the toy train world, there is no mightier locomotive than the New York Central Hudson. Turbines and Berkshires or Pacifics and Challengers might turn heads, but they’re country cousins compared to the Hudson. Today we examine the “Lionel Vision line 700E Hudson.” Pairing the terms “Vision line” and “700E” is a bit confusing, because […]

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