Is your locomotive struggling to produce a good amount of smoke, even after cranking up the smoke volume and adding fluid? While it’s not the one-and-only culprit, a charred smoke wick is a common problem. The wick is a strand or braided fiber glass material in the smoke unit’s heating chamber. It generates the smoke […]
In the Spring 2025 issue of Classic Toy Trains, there was an article about figures for O gauge, which ended by asking for readers’ suggestions of other ranges of figures. My layout includes figures from a number of sources not included in that article, so I thought I’d share some with your readers. My trains […]
When designing their layouts, many model railroaders gravitate towards the 1960s. It’s easy to understand why — to many in the hobby, the 1960s represents one of the most dynamic decades in American railroading, as the last vestiges of steam power faded and diesel locomotives began their reign over America’s rail network, a reign which […]
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 […]
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 […]
Facts and features Name: Brush Creek & Western Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 21 x 45 feet Prototype: freelance Locale: St. Louis, Mo., to Oklahoma City, Okla. Era: 1935 to 1975 Style: peninsula Mainline run: 300 feet Minimum radius: 28″ Minimum turnout: No. 5 Maximum grade: 2% Benchwork: open grid Height: 16″ to 72″ Roadbed: lauan […]
Facts and features Name: Boston & Maine Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 13′-0″ x 34′-9″ Prototype: Boston & Maine Locale: Five villages of Wakefield, N.H. Era: 1909 Style: around-the-walls Mainline run: approximately 90 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: No. 4 Maximum grade: Less than 1% Benchwork: manufactured truss joists with 1 x 4 L-girders and […]
For well over a century, copper mines and their structures dotted the landscape in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I was born there and several generations of my family worked in the mines. The last one closed in the late 1960s, marking the end of an era for thousands of people. Most of the facilities were removed […]
Q: I’m researching methods to power turnout frogs on my N scale layout. I’m using Atlas code 55 flextrack and Digital Command Control. The majority of turnouts will have manual throws. I’ve read that electronic frog juicers should be used judiciously as they place a continuous load on the power supply. I think single-pole double-throw […]
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 […]
In 2020, I purchased Lionel’s No. 2028310 Milk Car With Platform. Unfortunately, I was never happy with this car’s operation. It kept shorting circuiting on my layout, especially when going through switches. I sent it to several repair centers, but the problem was never found. After running the car at a low speed around the […]
Adding scale people to your layout can be as simple as opening the box and gluing them in place. Manufacturers such as Preiser, Merten, Woodland Scenics, among others, offer a selection of realistic, factory-painted plastic figures for model railroads. However, if you have a railroad that requires a large population, it can be more economical […]
