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Menards recently sent Classic Toy Trains a box of sample products. At the bottom was a small package I almost overlooked because of its size. It was marked “O Scale Telephone Poles” (No. 275-9417). I was heading to the workshop to test another product, so I added the telephone pole box to my pile. Before […]
Join Classic Toy Trains Editor Rene Schweitzer and Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as they share essential tips for restoring a vintage toy train. They address a viewer’s request for help with his father’s old Ives train set, which is in poor condition with bent metal, rust, and poor paint. Their discussion covers key […]
Join Classic Toy Trains Editor Rene Schweitzer and Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as they share essential tips for restoring a vintage toy train. They address a viewer’s request for help with his father’s old Ives train set, which is in poor condition with bent metal, rust, and poor paint. Their discussion covers key […]
Come along with CTT and Trains.com staff members, as they visit the Milwaukee Lionel Railroad Club in New Berlin, Wisconsin! In this video, you’ll see views of the enormous 30 x 54-foot O gauge (3-rail) train display in operation – along with equally impressive scenery and structures! Read more about this layout in the December […]
In the waning months of World War I, the USRA worked to develop a locomotive that would provide mixed service to railroads across the country. The 4-8-2 Light Mountain, with its longer wheelbase and lighter build, can navigate railroads with light-weight track where its heftier cousins can’t. These locomotives were built between 1918 and 1930, […]
Travel with CTT Editor Rene Schweitzer and the Art Crew, as they work the angles at the Milwaukee Lionel Railroad Club in New Berlin, Wisconsin! That’s where they went on assignment to capture a photos for use in the forthcoming special issue (SIP), Great Layouts You Can Visit, coming soon to the Trains.com Store. Watch […]
My son was quite proud of the Lionel FT diesel (No. 2334110) he purchased for me as a birthday gift. Unfortunately, the newer locomotive is LionChief, which needs a constant 18 volts of DC (Direct Current), with the center rail being positive. My layout was exclusively AC (Alternating Current). Here’s what I did to be […]
Len Carparelli knew The Lionel Story very well. This talented artist, who made a career from restoring trains, primarily locomotives, built by Lionel during the post-World War II era of production, understood deeply the heritage that had shaped him. Len respected greatly the painters and designers who had come before him, and he aimed with […]
According to a 2023 article from U.S. News & World Report, approximately 73% of Americans celebrate Halloween. In recent years, there’s been a boon of Halloween product releases from manufacturers like Lionel, MTH, and Atlas. Menards is jumping on the bandwagon with a lighted Halloween boxcar. This boxcar features orange sides with a black roof […]
Follow Rene Schweitzer, Editor of Classic Toy Trains magazine, as she visits the Lionel Trains LLC headquarters to chat with Parts Manager/Customer Service Manager Aaron Fraser. In this exclusive video, get an inside look at how Lionel catalogs and manages its extensive inventory of over 35,000 unique parts, plus more than 2 million on-hand items! […]
In its heyday as “The Standard Railroad of the World,” the Pennsylvania Railroad had thousands of trackside industries systemwide to service. Each needed regular switching, and many were located in industrial complexes with tight clearances and sharp curves. The PRR developed the 0-6-0 switcher, or as they called it, a “shifter.” The first model B6 […]
Name: Norm Jurgen’s O gauge layout Dimensions: 16 x 18 feet Track and switches: Lionel FasTrack (diameters range from 60 to 72 inches) Motive power: Lionel Rolling stock: Lionel Controls: Lionel Nos. 22983 180-watt PowerHouses (9), CW-80 transformer (5) with TrainMaster Command Control Accessories: Lionel, MTH Structures: Department 56, Lionel, MTH, Woodland Scenics Vehicles: Altaya, […]
