The Pennsylvania Railroad was a coal-hauling road if there ever was one. Lists of heavy trains were pulled by a major fleet of standardized freight locomotives. There were 475 of the 2-8-2 L-1 class erected and were a mainstay of the coal and general freight fleet for decades on the railroad. In 2014, MTH added […]
As a child I remember my parents buying me a big book filled with photos of the New York Central Railroad. The book cover featured a unique steam locomotive. I was too young to understand its significance, but I knew that this locomotive stood out from every other train I had seen. Its beauty left […]
3562-1 Operating Barrel Car (cataloged 1954): $190 (excellent) $65 (good) The No. 3562-1, the first of Lionel’s four operating barrel cars, helped make 1954 one of the most significant years in the company’s history. The trains offered then contributed to a line that stood out by promising innovation and complexity. To understand where the 3562-1 […]
Lionel Trains has released their 2024 Volume 1 catalog. The 228-page catalog features lots of new items, including new intellectual properties from Bob Ross, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and Barbie. Lionel celebrates several anniversaries in this catalog, including the 20th anniversary of The Polar Express movie, Batman’s 85th anniversary, and the Wizard of Oz’s 85th anniversary. […]
After 77 years in the model railway business, Hattons Model Railways has announced its upcoming closure. Hattons Model Railways opened in 1946 and has produced its own models, distributed other manufacturers’ products, purchased and sold pre-owned collections, and staffed a brick-and-mortar store. The exact date of closing is not known yet, but it will be […]
Lionel’s The Thunderbird toy train set features a Lackawanna locomotive and a Pennsylvania caboose. It’s obviously a toy train — with colorful cars that help it contribute to the pinnacle of Lionel’s post-World War II production. Lionel’s 1954 catalog that rosters The Thunderbird also features steam and diesel locomotives, freight and passenger cars, and operating […]
Thousands of different O and S gauge sets – cataloged and promotional – were developed between 1945 and 1969. Think of the one you received for your birthday or a holiday. Maybe you can say with pride it was Lionel’s No. 2211WS. An awesome responsibility From the time Lionel offered just one outfit for the […]
In December, we shared a story about students at Seaview Elementary School in Linwood, New Jersey building a toy-train layout. Dominick Andrews, the art teacher at the school, sent us an update with photos of the finished layout. We’re delighted to share the project with you. (Read the original item here.) Approximately how many kids […]
The near-scale single-dome tank cars were cataloged in 1946 and ’47. The No. 2855 Sunoco tankers offered no animation or action, except what kids might imagine. Then the great-looking and highly realistic models might be part of a fleet of oil cars hard at work in refineries located along the East Coast. The variations of […]
What toy train locomotive means the most to you? It’s a locomotive that’s not a childhood treasure, let alone having been part of my O-gauge collection for only 8 months now. And while being on my general radar for some time, it wasn’t a particular model I prioritized in searching for. Perhaps it was ultimately […]
My longtime friend Bill Phalen is working on an HO scale layout depicting the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minn., and Superior, Wis. Though his motive power fleet features many railroads from the area, one line wasn’t represented, the Lake Superior Terminal & Transfer. Bill wanted models of four of the LST&T’s six end-cab diesels, so […]
Model Railroader After Hours | January 4th, 2024. 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! This time, host David Popp, along with Bryson Sleppy, continue to make progress on their N scale T-Trak modules. Of course, the guys […]
