Duplainville, Wis., about 18 miles west of Milwaukee, was developed around 1848. A predecessor of the Milwaukee Road began building a new main line west toward Portage, Wis., running through Duplainville about 1855. The Wisconsin Central (Soo Line) built south from Rugby Junction to Chicago in 1885, crossing the Milwaukee Road at Duplainville. The crossing […]
Facts & features Name: Richard Shutt’s O gauge layout Dimensions: 21 x 24 feet Track: GarGraves (diameters range from 42 to 72 inches) Switches: Ross Custom Switches Motive power: Lionel (postwar, modern), MTH Rolling stock: Atlas O, K-Line, Lionel (prewar, postwar, modern), Marx, Menards, MTH, Ready- Made Toys Accessories: Lionel (prewar, postwar, modern) Controls: Lionel […]
Facts & features Name: Herb Lindsay’s O gauge layout Dimensions: 25 x 26 feet Motive power: Atlas O, Lionel, Weaver Rolling stock: Weaver, Wm. K. Walthers Controls: Lionel’s TrainMaster Command Control Structures: Scratchbuilt Download a PDF of this track plan! […]
Modelers with small spaces, please consider the above Colorado Joint Line short train as one prototype you might want to model. Back in 2017, I was chasing trains from Denver south to Colorado Springs and Pueblo along Colorado’s famed Joint Line before a rail industry conference began. I was told something like “trains run like […]
BNSF covered hopper variations are easy to spot if you live near or have railfanned along the BNSF Railway anytime in the past 20 years. If you have, you’ve most likely seen one of the railroad’s 100-plus car grain shuttles. These trains, dubbed “earthworms” by railfans because of how the long string of mineral red […]
In the October 2000 issue of Classic Toy Trains, photographer William Zuback and I photographed performer Mandy Patinkin’s layout. We spent a couple of days with he and his family. Joining us was Rich Roman, whose highly successful layout building firm, East Coast Enterprises, was responsible for much of the design and look of Mandy’s […]
Industrial switcher locomotives add realism to any layout. Don’t believe me? OK, time for a show of hands. When you pass by a rail-served industry, do you take a quick glance to see if there’s a switcher on the property? That’s what I thought. I’m guilty of this, too. Today, thanks to satellite images on […]
Vintage toy trains in winter holiday scenes bring feelings of nostalgia. Relive the nostalgia with this selection of both current and vintage holiday-themed photos in O and Standard gauge scales. If you have a photo you’d like considered for a future gallery, contact editor@classictoytrains.com […]
Model a boxcar storage scene to add realism to a model train layout. I’m a fan of shortline railroads. One of the many things I admire about these operations is how resourceful they are. I came across an example of this when I visited Twin Cities & Western (TCWR) subsidiary Sisseton Milbank Railroad (SMRR) in […]
Facts & features Name: Richard and Mary Kay Doolittle’s O gauge layout Dimensions: 51/2 x 201/2 feet Track and switch: Lionel FasTrack (diameters range from 42″ to 54″) Motive power: Lionel (postwar, modern) Rolling stock: Lionel (postwar, modern), MTH Controls: Lionel no. 22983 180- watt PowerHouse power supply with Legacy command control Accessories: Department 56, […]
Facts & features Name: Milwaukee Lionel Railroad Club’s O gauge layout Dimensions: 30 x 54 feet Track and switch: GarGraves, Lionel (diameters range from 72 to 120 inches) Motive power: American Flyer, Atlas O, Ives, K-Line, Lionel (all eras), Marx, MTH, Weaver, Williams Rolling stock: Atlas O, Ives, K-Line, Kusan, Lionel (all eras), Marx, MTH, […]
Grade crossings you can model are scene enhancers that you should consider adding to your list of projects. “Why a grade crossing?” you may ask. “I’d rather work on a locomotive, freight car, structure, or [fill in the blank with your favorite aspect of the hobby.]” I get it. Grade crossings you can model introduction […]
