The November 2021 issue of Classic Toy Trains features a Lionel collection that contains such gems as the no. 2296W Canadian Pacific outfit and some of the finest examples of the rarest sets in the postwar era. You’ll also visit an O gauge homage to the Reading Lines in Pennsylvania, and an S gauge layout […]
Water is the enemy of toy trains. But we have tools to fight back. In fact, they might already be in your train box, and if they’re not, they should be. You can prevent rust and mold with silica gel. Science to the rescue What I have here is a locomotive that sat in a […]
On this Episode of Train Box, Bob Keller and CTT editor Hal Miller put a new Legacy Lionel Soo 4-6-0 through its paces. Then Bob shows part of his collection of colorful tinplate O gauge Marx locomotives and rolling stock. Finally, he discusses railroad timetables and other paper memorabilia that make interesting and informative reading […]
On this Episode of Train Box, Bob Keller and CTT editor Hal Miller put a new Legacy Lionel Soo 4-6-0 through its paces. Then Bob shows part of his collection of colorful tinplate O gauge Marx locomotives and rolling stock. Finally, he discusses railroad timetables and other paper memorabilia that make interesting and informative reading […]
Crowds for Big Boy 4014’s 2019 and 2021 tours have been immense. I haven’t taken part in any concerted effort to chase for these tours, but I got a taste of the madness back in 2014 when Big Boy moved from Southern California to Cheyenne, Wyo., for restoration. I covered it for two days with […]
My garden railroad, the Snake River Railroad, is named after my interest in the Union Pacific. This has been my favorite railroad ever since I saw the Big Boy. The 200 by 300-foot railroad is shaped like a mirror image of Idaho, because of large Ponderosa pines in the backyard. There are two separate […]
BIG BOY HOT SPOT Location If you’re for Union Pacific Big Boy Hot Spot this summer, don’t miss the Dexter, Missouri, community. Dexter is situated in the rural southeast corner of Missouri in Stoddard County, about halfway between St. Louis and Memphis. It is surrounded by fertile soil, vast row-crop farmland, and straight, high speed […]
On Dave Abeles’ HO scale Conrail-inspired layout, locomotive fleet operations warrant the same careful attention as it does in 1:1 scale. Follow along to see how he and his crew ready the motive power for smooth and reliable performance at the head-end of his trains! […]
On this episode of Bob’s Train Box, Bob and CTT editor Hal Miller have a look at Menards’ new O gauge Santa Fe F3 locomotive and find a lot to like about it when they run it on a layout! Bob also examines the visual advantage of controlling trains using apps on tablets and smartphones […]
On this episode of Bob’s Train Box, Bob and CTT editor Hal Miller have a look at Menards’ new O gauge Santa Fe F3 locomotive and find a lot to like about it when they run it on a layout! Bob also examines the visual advantage of controlling trains using apps on tablets and smartphones […]
What was your first train set (or locomotive)? My first train set was the Lionel 1434W Burlington GP diesel with three passenger cars from 1955 or 1956. Being a passenger set, it had limited play value for me. I also had a no. 52 fire car. My trains are primarily from this era (i.e. prewar, […]
Mergers or acquisitions of two or more railroads always bring a blending of motive power rosters. Kansas City Southern, like all Class I railroads today, relies on its fleet of A.C. (alternating current) traction locomotives for most of its operations, similar to both Canadian National’s and Canadian Pacific’s motive power philosophies. Kansas City Southern’s grade-intensive […]
