CTT reader Phil Lea of Athens, Tenn., is looking to re-create the old West on his layout. Postwar Marx plays sets just might be his best source for buildings and decorations that look at home on the range, looking the other way regarding exact scale, of course! Q: I would like to do my layout […]
The names Lionel and Disney have a unique history. Modern toy production techniques have made the most of Walt Disney’s colorful animated characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck. Q: I have a Lionel O gauge no. 18311 Disney electric-profile EP-5 locomotive. I would like to collect all the cars that go with […]
IN REAL RAILROADING, the wheel arrangement that probably came closest to perfection, in terms of either freight or high-speed passenger service, was the 4-8-4 Northern. Indeed, Alco built the first 4-8-4 in 1927, and by the end of the steam era, 36 railroads operated 1,126 of these machines. A surprisingly high number of Northerns – […]
NEARLY EVERY COLLECTOR and operator can appreciate the distinction between “wanting” and “needing.” As much as I wanted a Lionel no. 29168 Amtrak Superliner StationSounds diner when it was first cataloged in 2004, my wife’s car needed new brakes. A few years and countless other needs later, the wanting came to an end when I […]
TO ACCURATELY DESCRIBE the steam-era classic 4-6-6-4 Challenger, you’d have to use words right out of a luxury car ad: powerful, fast, sleek, and big. Conceived as a fast companion to the Union Pacific’s mighty 4-8-8-4 Big Boy, the Challenger was a heavy-hauling speed demon. Its success can be measured in numbers: 252 were built […]
Track plan at a glance Name: New York Central Ypsilanti Branch Scale: O (1:48) Size: 26 x 28 feet Prototype: NYC branch line Era: 1950s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 144 feet Minimum radius: 48″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 2 percent Originally appeared in the May 2007 issue of Model Railroader. Click here to […]
Q: What was the reasoning for the Lionel Corp. to produce two very similar track sizes – O-27 with a 27-inch-diameter circle and O with a 31-inch diameter circle? Wouldn’t production be a lot simpler and inventories less costly with only one? Since O-27 engines and rolling stock could run on O track, why retain […]
Q: I have a Lionel no. 257 freight station with diesel horn that is equipped with a D-cell battery to operate the horn. How do I convert the 1.5 DC voltage to 14-16 AC voltage so I can operate it like my other accessories from a transformer? – Peter Douglas Beam, Pasadena, Calif. A: Peter, […]
Q: Before I was born, my grandfather bought me a Lionel O-27 set, and over the years I’ve acquired many other O-27 items. I want to build a layout, but just about everyone I’ve spoken to has advised me against building my layout using O-27 track and switches. Instead, they advise me to upgrade to […]
IN THE MIDST of the Great Depression, America’s railroads turned to fast trains to draw the public back to rail travel. In the Midwest, the Chicago & North Western was preparing to launch high-speed service between Chicago and Minneapolis. The Milwaukee Road’s response was to create a fast, reliable, and stylish express train. The name […]
AS THE REVIEW of the locomotive noted, the first car set for Hiawatha service was built in 1935. A second series of cars was built in 1937, and demand for the Hiawatha service was so dramatic that in 1938 a third group was built and entered service in 1939. There were several significant changes between […]
YEARS AGO, before joining CLASSIC TOY TRAINS magazine, I was an Air Force transportation officer. I found myself on a staff-assistance visit to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and stumbled upon a weed-choked rail yard full of diesels in varying shades of faded Air Force blue. Baldwins, Whitcombs, Plymouths, Alcos, you name it. There they […]
