This free 15-page PDF download is packed with interesting city and country HO and N scale layouts for small to mid-size spaces. Complete with full-color schematics and operational details, all of the track plans featured in this download placed in the top three! […]
Building a layout is the ultimate expression of the hobby of model railroading. In this free 14-page PDF download, we provide you with step-by-step instructions for one HO scale layout and one N sale layout. Perfect for beginners, this free download includes complete track lists, tips for building simple table benchwork, wiring instructions, laying and […]
Click on the links below to listen to these vintage recordings. In the late 1970s Austrailian model railroader Stuart Wrightson hired legendary layout planner the late John Armstrong to design an HO scale railroad based upon the Clinchfield RR. Stuart ended up building the railroad, but he flipped the plan to better suit his needs. […]
Take your next layout to the next level with this free 15-page PDF filled with design concepts. In this free download we cover: Layout schematics and how to think of your track plan as a railroad. Effective and efficient layout shapes. Sectional layouts and building your railroad so you can take it with you. And […]
Kent Johnson and CTT’s Bob Keller lay it all on the line, as they work to assemble the main line using Lionel FasTrack O gauge components. Watch to see how they plot the course from the plan (printed in the pages of Classic Toy Trains magazine) to the pink foamboard tabletop, and then wire the […]
Kent Johnson and CTT’s Bob Keller lay it all on the line, as they work to assemble the main line using Lionel FasTrack O gauge components. Watch to see how they plot the course from the plan (printed in the pages of Classic Toy Trains magazine) to the pink foamboard tabletop, and then wire the […]
These simple calculations will make it easy and safe to take your trains to new heights on an O or S gauge model railroad. John Rusterholz The Lionel no. 110 trestle set from the postwar era brings additional operating enjoyment to any O gauge layout. Almost every layout featured in Classic Toy Trains has track […]
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 […]
This booklet contains five National Train Show track plans, along with a bill of materials for constructing each one and some operational possibilities. The 4 x 8 dimensions are time-tested – that’s the size of a sheet of plywood, plenty of track and broad-enough curves can fit on it, and, most important, filling those 32 square […]
Download a PDF of the article here. […]
Nearly all of us have dreamt of building a large toy train layout. The stark reality is that many of us lack the real estate, resources, or time for such an endeavor. But there’s no reason to be disappointed. This free guide from the experts at Classic Toy Trains includes a salute to the small layout, with […]
For those entering the hobby, this free guide from Model Railroader offers 14 pages of advice and inspiration. We provide tips on getting started, a guide on scales and gauges, and inspiration to build your own model railroad. […]
