Donald Shaw, lifelong train collector and founder of the Train Station in Mountain Lakes, N.J., died on February 28, 2025 at the age of 94. Don established in 1974 what has grown to become one of the top Lionel dealers in the country as a way to share his passion for Lionel trains. Classic Toy […]
I found this manuscript from the late John Grams in our manuscript files. There was no date on the envelope but it’s likely from the early 1990s. The article discusses 12 Lionel products that, while great inventions, were fraught with problems or didn’t work exactly as advertised. He included the following disclaimer: “Lionel trains were […]
Currently residing in South Plainfield, N.J., an area that was once served by the Lehigh Valley RR, three-rail enthusiast Robert Gwiazda just couldn’t wait to add the Lionel No. 2122070 Lehigh Valley Asa Packer set to his roster. The streamlined 4-6-2 Pacific with Legacy command control and Odyssey II Speed Control is being checked and […]
Are you searching for inspiration for your next model railroad project? Whether you’re just starting out, have some experience, or are an advanced modeler, we’ve gathered a collection of creative track plans for every skill level to get your creative juices flowing. Based on designs from our staff and fellow model railroad enthusiasts, these plans […]
I found this manuscript from the late John Grams in our manuscript files. There was no date on the envelope but it’s likely from the early 1990s. The article discusses 12 Lionel products that, while great inventions, were fraught with problems or didn’t work exactly as advertised. He included the following disclaimer: Lionel trains were […]
The late 1950s and early 60s were a time of the Cold War, Sputnik, and the Mercury and Gemini space programs. Lionel’s entry into space-related toys was a sign of our nation’s early endeavors with space exploration. One of the first space train accessories appeared on the cover of the 1958 Lionel catalog. Towering over […]
Scranton, PA will host the 55th annual Lionel Collectors Club of America’s Convention & Toy Train Show. From July 20 to 26, 2025, train enthusiasts will pour into the Electric City to delight in the magic of railroad history in a city that was built on trains. Curt Camoni, the Executive Director of the Lackawanna […]
Christmas means so much to Jerry and Cathy Landsman, dedicated O gaugers and builders of this terrific three-rail layout at their home in Boonsboro, Md. Electric trains are a big part of their holiday celebration, and so they’ve combined their talents to assemble this 4 x 24-foot display. Department 56 figures almost begin breathing when […]
The array of locomotives pulling trains for the Erie RR and its eventual partner — the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western — make the two fallen flags popular to model in just about every scale. Mike McGovern prefers to focus on the merger of the Erie and the Lackawanna when operating trains from the 1960s on […]
Marx trains of every vintage, along with a few junkers repainted in green or red and then highlighted with Polar Express graphics, always take center stage during the holiday season on the 5 x 16-foot O and S gauge layout belonging to Ed Clousher. A resident of Chesnee, S.C., he never tries to conceal his […]
Tommy Rhoden considers himself another huge fan of the Angela Trotta Thomas illustrated locomotives and rolling stock cataloged by Lionel. As a lifelong three-rail operator and collector, he has a blast laying FasTrack under his Christmas tree in Evans, Ga., and running everything from his boyhood Marx set from 1959 to some of the latest […]
Atlas recently sent us one of their new “Dash 9” diesel-electric locomotives from the Premier line: the C44-9W. Cody Grivno, in a 2019 Model Railroader review, wrote a nice summary of the prototype Dash 9 series in a review of a ScaleTrains HO scale model. GE built more than 3,500 of these diesels between 1993 […]
