Lionel No. 2240 Wabash F3 A-B duo

blue and silver model train

Overlooked during the prewar era and for the first decade of the postwar, it inspired four O gauge diesels and an operating boxcar in the space of four years in the second half of the 1950s. Let’s focus on the No. 2240 F3s. Introducing the Wabash The Wabash Ry. was one of several lines crossing […]

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Lionel no. 2460 crane car

black and silver model crane

Lionel no. 2460 crane car During the prewar decades, crane cars became one of the hallmarks of the Lionel roster, with the No. 500 derrick car added to the 2 7/8-inch gauge roster in 1903. However, the Standard gauge line that followed did not boast a crane until the No. 219 made its debut in […]

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Lionel No. 44 missile launcher

blue and white model missle launcher

Lionel’s engineers reached greater heights in 1959 when the firm introduced the No. 44 U.S. Army mobile missile launcher. Lionel offered an example of motive power that could pull cars and carry out a task worthy of a separate toy. To this moment in Lionel’s history, the best that its locomotives could offer were lights, […]

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Greg Hurd’s Central Division of Glacier Gorge RR in S gauge

A toy train layout trackplan

Greg Hurd’s Central Division of Glacier Gorge RR Gauge: SDimensions: 14 x 31 feetTrack and switches: Gilbert American Flyer, GarGraves, K-Line (diameters range from 40 to 62 inches)Motive power: American Models, Gilbert American Flyer, Lionel American Flyer, Rex Engineering, S-Helper ServiceRolling stock: Ace Trains, Ambroid, American Models, Gilbert American Flyer, JC Models, Kinsman, Lionel American […]

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Steve Metken’s O gauge layout

A toy train layout trackplan

Dimensions: 9 x 17½ feetTrack: Lionel tubular (diameters range from 31 to 72 inches)Switches: K-Line, LionelMotive power: Atlas O, K-Line, Lionel (postwar, modern), MTH Electric, Trains, WilliamsRolling stock: K-Line, Lionel (post-war, modern), MTHControls: Lionel postwar type-ZW transformers (3)Accessories: American Flyer, Colber, Lionel, MTHStructures: Lionel, Menards, MTH     See the layout in action on Trains.com […]

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Lionel No. 3672 automatic refrigerated milk car

Lionel’s no. 3672 Bosco automatic refrigerated milk car

Lionel’s automatic refrigerated milk car model No. 3672 is an updated version of the path-breaking car that Lionel enthusiasts of all ages loved when it debuted as the No. 3462 in 1947. The evolution of the milk car that culminated with the 3672. It is known among collectors of postwar trains as the “Bosco car.” […]

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News & Products for the week of December 4th 2023

Two model freight cars in a red paint scheme

News & Products for the week of December 4th 2023   Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of December 4th […]

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Repurpose kitchen containers for your layout

model car with cardboard roll loads on it

Did you ever look to your kitchen as source for free items to make your layout more visually appealing? With just a little paint and some imagination, items like pudding cups, freezer packaging rolls, and fast-food condiment containers can become stock tanks, flatcar loads, and much more! If you are looking for scale items, some […]

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Classic Toy Trains new products for December 2023

purple boxcar on track

Locomotives & rolling stock Metropolitan Division of the Train Collectors Association (METCA) has several custom-run products. The first is a Lionel 2-8-0 Consolidation in New Hope & Ivyland livery. They also have two Lionel Legacy engines, an SD50 Reading & Northern (red head paint scheme) and two SD70Aces, one in Lionel Lines and one with […]

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Model Railroader After Hours | November 30th, 2023

Model Railroader After Hours | November 30th, 2023. After Hours is an informal livestream hosted by Trains.com staff members… after the “work” of the day is done, there’s aways something else fun! In this episode, Bryson Sleppy and Rene Schweitzer look at the progress on the N scale T-Trak module construction (arriving on Trains.com Video […]

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Lionel brass hybrid Strasburg 90 2-10-0

black model steam engine on layout

Lionel brass hybrid Strasburg 90 2-10-0 The history of Strasburg RR No. 90 starts with the Great Western RR, which purchased the standard light 2-10-0 Decapod from Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1924. After 40 years of traveling through the mountains of Colorado, the steam engine was sold to the Strasburg RR in 1967 for $23,000, […]

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Tangent O scale brass tank car

Photo showing two O scale three-dome tank cars.

Tangent Scale Models, known for its line of highly detailed N and HO scale injection-molded plastic freight cars, is now offering a General American Transportation Corp. (GATC) 1928-design 6,000-gallon, three-compartment tank car in brass. The tank cars, available in two-rail O scale (5’-0” gauge wheels) and Proto:48 (4’-8” gauge wheels), were produced by Sam Model […]

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