My daily commute to our former Kalmbach Media offices at 21027 Crossroads Circle in Waukesha, Wis., conveniently crossed the Union Pacific, Canadian National, and Canadian Pacific. Most days I didn’t encounter a train. If I did, I was usually stuck too far back in the cue of traffic to get any meaningful photos. But the […]
Q: While thinking through the operating scheme for my World War II-era (1944) model railroad, I wondered where troop trains sat in timetable priority. Obviously they were extras, but were they bumped up in priority to first class due to the war effort? — Callum Day A: I reached out to our former On Operation […]
Having to disassemble a train layout is always frustrating, thinking about the time and effort I put into building it. But alas, many model railroads eventually run their course, and the space is needed for other uses. In my 40s, I began thinking about a layout that could be preserved yet be flexible enough to […]
Please enjoy this selection of holiday-themed photos of toy trains from Lionel and American Flyer in O gauge, S gauge, and Standard gauge. If you have a photo you’d like considered for a future gallery, contact editor@classictoytrains.com See even more holiday photos! […]
A holiday toy train photo gallery is just the thing to get you in the Christmas spirit. Please enjoy this selection of holiday-themed photos of toy trains from Lionel and American Flyer in O gauge, S gauge, and Standard gauge (with some bonus N and large scale trains). If you have a photo you’d like […]
Frank Cerauli built the magnificent 15 x 30-foot O gauge layout that fills part of his home on dreams. In that important respect, he hardly differs from so many of the creative and hard-working men and women who derive great satisfaction and pleasure from operating miniature trains, whether they be toys or scale replicas. To […]
Q: In the May 2025 Ask MR, the answer to a question about early diesel power for the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy included this statement: “For road power, the MR&T would most likely turn to four-axle units, such as the Alco RS1 through RS3 and EMD GP7 and GP9. It’s possible the MR&T could have […]
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: How do Tightlock couplers work? — Thor Clemens A: Longtime staff member Jim Hediger provided an explanation of the Type H, or Tightlock, coupler in a sidebar that appeared with his article “HO knuckle coupler guide” in the November 2007 Model Railroader. He wrote, “The need to reduce slack and improve passenger train safety […]
Q: I’m curious why I’ve never seen four 20-foot intermodal containers in a single well car, stacked two on top and two on the bottom. I’ve only ever seen two 20-foot containers in the well and a 40-foot (or larger) container on top. — Benjamin Stewart A: David Lassen, senior editor at Trains magazine, put me […]
Q: I’m building a layout based on the early Burlington Northern in Idaho. I’ve seen a number of photos of renumbered locomotives and cabooses. Most have white numbers and reporting marks, but I’ve seen a few prototype photos online with the data in black. Did BN have a standard font and size for renumbering equipment, […]
Q: In your special issue Best of Industries, Harold W. Russell wrote about the R.B. Crowell & Son Grain Co. He stated that the rail-served industry received grain in bulk loads, but in the photos and drawings it seems to me that they would ship grain instead of receiving it. What are your thoughts? — […]
