A visit to Len Smith’s O gauge Reading layout

Len Smith's layout and the cover of the November 2021 Classic Toy Trains

Take a ride on Len Smith’s O gauge Reading RR featured in the November 2021 issue of Classic Toy Trains. Modern locomotives and rolling stock plus great scenery make this layout a terrific tribute to his favorite fallen flag. Have a look at the track plan here. […]

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A fun, large-scale Halloween display

A Halloween display layout on a truck

I love collecting and displaying large-scale trains. I also love showing off my 1956 GMC pick up at car shows, or even at the front of my driveway at home. I decided to combine the two and make a mobile display layout! The layout is an easy build. My truck has slots on the truck […]

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Selling a house with a garden railway: Help or hindrance?

Front of house with part of garden railway

When I built my outdoor railway – on three sides of my house – I never intended to sell it. I thought I’d be teetering behind a walker at 90, running my live-steam engines over rails I had built to last a lifetime. I like building strong, “permanent” track, which gives me a feeling of […]

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Visit the Burlington Garden Center’s garden railroad

Scenic garden railway

Garden center owner Walt Uebele had an idea—build a garden railway to keep the husbands and kids entertained while the wives shopped. Little did he know that folks of all ages would love watching the trains run. Watch an interview conducted by Production Editor Rene Schweitzer about the railway and its beginnings, only on Trains.com! […]

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Steve Albee’s O gauge layout

Subway cars racing by on an O gauge layout.

Visit Steve Albee’s dual-level O gauge layout that fits in a spare room! This layout is one of many with plans that appears in the fall 2021 CTT special publication Toy train layouts for small spaces. Get your print or digital version here! There are freight trains and subways bringing light, action, and sound to […]

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Ken Cook’s O gauge layout

A traditional Lionel layout with modern scenery

Visit Ken Cook’s layout, featured in the September 2021 issue of Classic Toy Trains. Ken mixes postwar Lionel trains with modern track, structures, details, and scenery to create a one-of-a-kind display that entertains your eyes, ears, and imagination. Click here to see the track plan. […]

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Garden railroad inspired by Union Pacific and the Big Boy locomotives

Model freight train on a curve

  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 […]

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A visit to John Staschak’s O gauge layout

Overview of John Staschak's toy train layout with superimposed cover of September 2021 Classic Toy Trains

John’s layout appears in the September 2021 issue of Classic Toy Trains. It features tremendous trackwork and wonderful scenery (see the plan here), in addition to some spectacular modern trains. Watch and hear freight and passenger consists work their way around it. […]

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Motive power preparations on Dave Abeles’ Conrail Onondaga Cutoff

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! […]

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