If you’re like me, you put a lot of work into your model railroad scenery, and the last thing you want to see is an operator putting his paperwork on the layout during an operating session. This situation was a concern for me, so I turned to hook and loop fasteners and piano hinges to […]
Q: I’m familiar with where the water filler is on more modern steam locomotive tenders. But I don’t see a similar place for water to be taken in on the old wood burning engines, like The General. Can you enlighten me? — Robert Taunt A: The General was a 4-4-0 American-type steam locomotive belonging to […]
Large language models (LLMs) or as they are colloquially known, AI, have made impressive progress since I last explored possible use cases relating to model railroading last summer, in the form of both chat-based programs and image generation. With a year having passed between then and now, I thought it would be worth revisiting this […]
“Christmas in July” is always a fitting time for Lionel Trains to release their Volume 2 catalog, and the 2024 edition continues to hold tradition. Much like the Classic Toy Trains team and contributors, I’ve decided to throw my hat into the ring with some thoughts and a fun, little wish list from Lionel’s 2024 […]
Q: Did short line railroads use timetables for such loads as logs, lumber, cattle, grain, merchandise, and the like for short distances such as 100 miles or less? For example, is a timetable necessary for a train running back and forth between a log landing site and a small lumber mill? — Russell Brenchley, Cottage […]
Joe Algozzini, perhaps the preeminent expert on Lionel trains and accessories manufactured during the post-World War II era (1945-69) has been contributing deeply researched and thoughtfully written articles to Classic Toy Trains since its second issue hit newsstands in the spring of 1988. To be honest, Joe was laying the groundwork for what became the […]
Q: What are the bars on top of Pennsylvania RR diesel locomotives for? Are they for radio? — Damien Bouchey A: Those aren’t for radio, though they served the same function — communication. Those are Pennsylvania RR Trainphone antennas. In the mid-1930s, the Pennsy was looking for a more efficient way for dispatchers and towermen […]
Q: I have heard of some of the uses for alcohol in model railroading, such as cleaning parts, removing paint, and track cleaning. Are there other uses I’m not aware of? And at what strengths would be used? — Ron Buddemeier A: Isopropyl alcohol is a fairly strong solvent, and as such, there are a […]
When people think about building a model train layout on a hollow core door, they most often envision an N scale layout, like our Red Oak project (which was published starting in MR’s January 2015 issue). Admittedly, hollow core doors are a convenient size for small N scale layouts, since nested 9.5” and 11” radius […]
Q: I am modeling the Milwaukee Road’s Beer Line in HO scale. Which trains worked the Beer Line, and what were the train numbers they used? I can’t find any information on the internet. They didn’t just call them “Midnight Beer Train” or “Elevator Job,” did they? — Jerry Lane A: The Beer Line is near […]
Lionel Trains’ 21″ passenger cars have been a staple in the manufacturer’s lineup of O-scale, 3-rail products for some time. A common censure though has been the lack of previously installed passengers upon purchase, leaving empty seats that need to be filled. From disassembly to reassembly, this project is easier to accomplish than I initially […]
Q: I’d like to know how trains turn around at the end of a branch line in the caboose era. I have great affinity for turnaround operations and am designing a new N gauge layout that might feature several of these operations. How do the crews manage to reattach the caboose on the end of […]
