Lionel No. 97 Remote Control Coal Elevator

Roger Carp with Lionel No. 97 coal elevator

Professor Roger Carp discusses the origin and evolution of the vintage Lionel Trains motor-driven coal conveyor accessory. CTT Editor Hal Miller also chimes in with operating insights and helpful tips. Learn even more about this unsung classic in the May 2021 issue of Classic Toy Trains magazine. […]

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Back on Track: Track planning with a helix, Episode 2

Gerry Leone sitting at his computer desk

Off the Rails host Gerry Leone has re-railed and is gaining traction in this Trains.com exclusive series, Back on Track. From his new home in the Upper Midwest, members can follow Gerry as he walks, talks, and works his way through planning and building an all-new, double-deck model railroad in HO scale. First order of business? […]

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Welcome to the new home of Classic Trains!

Man gesturing before a gray-white graphic background.

Welcome to Trains.com, the new home for Classic Trains Magazine online and for all the content we publish on BIG trains from the 1920s through the 1970s. In this video, Trains.com Executive Producer David Popp talks about how to log-in to the new Trains.com website so you can get the most out of a Classic […]

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Taking it easy in O gauge

Fred Laubie’s O gauge Buckeye Central RR

This 35 x 56-foot layout features postwar and modern Lionel power pulling impressive trains made up of Atlas O, Golden Gate Depot, Lionel, and MTH cars. It’s constructed with GarGraves track and Ross Custom Switches controlled by Circuitron and NJ International machines. Scenic highlights include a number of bridges and tunnels, a roundhouse, yard, coal […]

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Visit Ed Berg’s compact Marx layout

Ed Berg Marx layout

Realistic scenery, modified Plasticville structures, a Marx tunnel, and a loop of three-rail track with a single spur inject the Edge of Town Layout with visual appeal and operating activity. Ed Berg has been refining this Marx compact display for about 20 years. […]

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Off The Rails: The Missing Kinks, Episode 53

Gerry Leone standing in front of this HO scale model railroad

Just when you thought there couldn’t be any more Model Railroader Construction Kinks left on the planet, host Gerry Leone just unearthed the final remnants — a.ka. The Missing Kinks! Learn from these timeless workbench and layout building insights, and enjoy Gerry’s helpful demonstration of their usefulness. […]

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