Atlas has released the C44-9W locomotive as part of the Premier line. Chris Montagna sent us videos of this engine in action on his layout. Read a review from Editor Rene Schweitzer. […]
Atlas O Premier C44-9W locomotive
Magazine: Classic Toy Trains
An interview with Jack Sommerfeld of Sommerfeld’s Trains & Hobbies
If you ever find yourself in the Milwaukee area, you may want to take a quick drive north to Butler, Wis., and visit Sommerfeld’s Trains & Hobbies. Don’t let its small size fool you — this brick-and-mortar store is a one-stop shop for a vast range of O gauge products. Owner Jack Sommerfeld, Chief Repair […]
Trains.com Insider Exclusive | Mid-2025 Interview with Howard Hitchcock, CEO of Lionel
Rene Schweitzer: I’m excited to be sitting in Howard Hitchcock’s office at Lionel Trains’ headquarters. Thank you for meeting me today. Howard Hitchcock: Welcome! I’m glad you were able to make it. RS: You’re nearly halfway through your 125th anniversary celebration. How is it going? What have you heard from your customers? HH: It’s going […]
Classic Toy Trains Photo of the Day: Robert Buenzly’s O gauge layout
This scene on Robert Buenzly’s 4½ x 12-foot O gauge layout display reflects his creativity and motivation. He arranged some of the porcelain structures he had purchased around two loops of Lionel FasTrack and then fired up this MTH New York Central 4-6-4 Hudson and Lionel 0-8-0 switcher for his pleasure. Classic Toy Trains’ Photo […]
Classic Toy Trains Photo of the Day: Michael Nowicki’s O gauge layout
The bustling scene on Michael Nowicki’s model railroad resembles any number of O gauge layouts from the 1950s, when families had a ball gathering their trains and operating cars to display around their Christmas tree. Lionel stalwarts, including the No. 671 Turbine engine and whistle tender leading the way on Mike’s layout in Newark, N.J., […]
Lionel’s postwar No. 97 Coal Elevator
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 […]
Classic Toy Trains Photo of the Day: Mark and Shirley Childress’ O gauge layout
It’s a snowy December 24th in Swansea, Ill., under the beautifully decorated tree at the home of Mark and Shirley Childress. Officials at the Southern Ry. decided to shift the 4-6-4 Hudson steam engine and tender usually assigned to passenger service over to freight duty. With residents of the tiny village Shirley set up with […]
The history of Model Railroad Heaven in Rochester, New York
We are working on a new special issue! Classic Toy Trains’ next special interest publication features 14 layouts you can visit across the United States, from the The Choo Choo Barn, the Chicagoland Lionel Railroad Club, the Virginia Museum of Transportation, the Illinois Railway Museum, and much more. Plus, find a handy reference map and […]
Classic Toy Trains Photo of the Day: Gary King’s S gauge layout
Visitors to the King residence in Albany, N.Y., get a kick out of watching the postwar No. 343 Nickel Plate Road 0-8-0 switcher drop off tankers at refinery Gary designed for his 10 x 24-foot railroad. Classic Toy Trains’ Photo of the Day features a toy train image from our archives. For full access to […]
Classic Toy Trains new products for July 2025
Locomotives & rolling stock The Train Loft, 4007-B Country Club Rd., Winston-Salem, NC 27104, is selling a custom-run MTH Boxcar as part of the RailKing line. The car features holiday Cheerwine graphics and O-27 operation (30-71259). Expected delivery in October 2025. Price: $69.96. Website: trainloft.com Atlas Model Railroad Co., Inc., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ […]
Classic Toy Trains Photo of the Day: Ed Berry’s O gauge layout
Ed Berry is just one of the many current layout builders who use a section or two of the O gauge layout they have recently finished as a way to display some of the die-cast metal vehicles they collect. On his three-rail display in Kinston, N.C., he specializes in miniature Corvettes, and so has arranged […]
Introducing Classic Toy Trains Photo of the Day
The guys holed up in the shack by the main line on David Brown’s O gauge layout caught a break today when the temperature climbed above the freezing mark. On a whim, they decided to set up their checkerboard outdoors for a few games before their fingers get numb or the noise of that passing […]
