CLASSIC TOY TRAINS BRINGS YOU O AND S GAUGE FOR THE OPERATOR AND COLLECTOR. SEE THE NEWEST TRAINS FROM LIONEL, MTH, ATLAS O AND OTHERS; LEARN ABOUT TRACK PLANNING, WIRING AND LAYOUT CONSTRUCTION; IDENTIFY AND REPAIR OLD LIONEL AND AMERICAN FLYER TRAINS; AND VISIT THE MOST INSPIRING TOY TRAIN LAYOUTS EVER BUILT.
Get your trains ready now for the holidays • It’s the hap-hap-happiest time of the year!
YOUR MAGAZINE TEAM
Classic Toy Trains
More musings on Lionel Santa Fe warbonnet of 1948
Comparing “scale” vehicles • Some may work; others may be way off base
PHOTO ALBUM YOUR PICTURES
News & products
CHOO CHOO BARN’S LEGACY CONTINUES
From KalmbachHobbyStore.com
Lionel’s No. 19288 Conrail boxcar • O gauge tribute to the formation of a notable railroad
Milk car blues • Smooth operation of a Lionel classic depends on the right parts
Early American Flyer ads • Beautiful artwork created to promote Gilbert’s train line
Hobbies add spice to life • Using your spare time wisely and enjoyably
HERE COMES THE POLAR EXPRESS! • A skill-building compact holiday layout project
SIMPLE BUILDING FLATS
EASY SNOW-COVERED TREES
Discover Sakai freight sets from Japan
A big Christmas toy train mystery • Memories of massive annual displays made me wonder, ‘What happened to them?’
A Christmas Layout You Can Visit • Ron Siebler built a nostalgic S gauge display in Dallas
Lionel treasure survives a century! • Discover Scenic Railway No. 177 from 1923
A Lionel train and its great story • Santa Fe set, boxes, and loads of family memories
BRINGING O GAUGE TALENT TOGETHER • A South Carolina club builds a great layout
Lionel Brass Hybrid Challenger • This powerful Legacy 4-6-6-4 is pure articulated muscle
The Atlas P42 locomotive • This O gauge Premier Line model sports great paint schemes
Menards Johnson’s Texaco Station • Gas, service, and two neat vehicles in a small footprint
MORE toy trains! Trains.com/ctt
Don’t throw away those silica gel packets • They may save your expensive locomotives from dampness
Let it snow!
QUICKLY IMPROVE A TREE