ScaleTrains S gauge wood reefer

Color photo showing B end details of S gauge wood refrigerator car painted yellow-orange, mineral brown, and black on white background.

The fourth model to join the ScaleTrains S-Helper Service lineup is a 41-foot wood refrigerator car. The model, based on an American Car & Foundry prototype from the 1920s, features plastic construction; factory-installed and painted wire grab irons; and sprung, die-cast metal trucks. Prototype history The review sample we received is decorated as Santa Fe […]

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Classic Toy Trains new products for November 2025

black model diesel locomotive

Locomotives & rolling stock MTH Electric Trains, 7393 Washington Blvd. Ste. 101, Elkridge, MD 21075, is selling an O scale Offset Steel Caboose as part of the Premier line. The caboose will be available in seven roadnames with two car numbers each, and features O-31 operation (20-91871 shown). Expected delivery in April 2026. Price: $94.95. […]

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Scuff pads for scenery

Color photo showing scenicked section of model railroad with trees in foreground and scuff pad in background and sky blue backdrop

Q: I’ve been trying to find the video Cody Grivno hosted a few years ago where he showed how to make a low-profile forest background using, I think, a furnace filter. I’m not talking about making furnace filter pine trees. This was more like cutting a continuous row of tree tops out of filter material […]

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Trains.com Insider Exclusive | Interview with Rich Foster and Bradley DeLeon of MTH Trains

Hear about the future of MTH Electric Trains directly from company principals Rich Foster and Bradley DeLeon. Even as MTH founder Mike Wolf annouced his retirement, Rich had a plan to keep the company going. Today, custom/specialty products now account for about 30% of the business. MTH has also made commitments to its RailKing One Gauge […]

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How to use servos on your layout

A cemetery on a toy train layout

I enjoy animating scenes on my O gauge layout, and have come across a great way to get slower, more-precise realistic action: using servos. A servomotor, or servo, is a small, inexpensive device that provides control over the position, speed, and acceleration of a mechanical system. The device is readily available, easy to program, and […]

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How do I find toy train part numbers?

Classic Toy Trains magazine logo

Thanks for the list of sources for parts in the Fall 2025 issue of CTT. I have nine prewar and postwar engines awaiting attention; I’ll need parts for some of them, and your list will be invaluable. But some sources don’t do searches for parts, which raises the question: Where do we find part numbers? […]

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Working with 3D-printed parts

Color photo showing HO scale 3D printed truck bed attached to the support structure on white background. A metal sprue cutter is also visible in the image.

Q: I’m excited by all the new 3D-printed figures and details that have become available. Lately, however, I’ve received some figures that are still attached to the support structure. I work in HO scale, and I’m not sure how to safely remove all this material without damaging the details or figures. Do you have any […]

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ScaleTrains S 40-foot wood refrigerator car

Color photo showing B end of S scale wood refrigerator car painted orange, brown, and black with white graphics on white background

ScaleTrains S 40-foot wood refrigerator car Scale: S (1:64) Price: $59.99 Manufacturer: ScaleTrains, 4901 Old Tasso Road NE Cleveland, TN 37312; 844-987-2467; scaletrains.com ScaleTrains S 40-foot wood refrigerator car features: Detailed brake system Equipped with American Flyer-compatible wheels and operating couplers Fish-belly underframe Freestanding vertical brake staff Injection-molded plastic body Metal handrails and grab irons […]

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Tips for restoring a vintage toy train

Join Classic Toy Trains Editor Rene Schweitzer and Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as they share essential tips for restoring a vintage toy train. They address a viewer’s request for help with his father’s old Ives train set, which is in poor condition with bent metal, rust, and poor paint. Their discussion covers key […]

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Tips for restoring a vintage toy train

Join Classic Toy Trains Editor Rene Schweitzer and Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as they share essential tips for restoring a vintage toy train. They address a viewer’s request for help with his father’s old Ives train set, which is in poor condition with bent metal, rust, and poor paint. Their discussion covers key […]

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Awe-inspiring track plans for a Santa Fe-themed layout

Santa Fe 1951

From Midwest farmlands to the Pacific Coast, and the mountains and deserts in between, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway offers a buffet of modeling opportunities. This popular former Class I railroad has captured the hearts of model railroaders, and there are many modeling products and materials readily available to help modelers go “Santa […]

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