A triple-headed shower wets down the hogs riding in Union Pacific triple-deck cars at Dry Lake, Nev., on a hot July day in 1977. The train is the California Livestock Special, bound for Los Angeles. Steve Patterson photo […]
Watering hogs on the UP
Tag: 1971 – 1999
Adventures of a railroad station agent
I’d been hired as second-shift railroad station agent at Channing, Mich., for the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad in June 1980. The railroad had taken over operation of the Milwaukee Road’s lines north of Green Bay, Wis., three months earlier. I was 23 years old and had no qualifications for the job, other than I […]
O gauge realism is Herb Lindsay’s legacy
O gauge realism is Herb Lindsay’s legacy. One of the landmark layouts featured in Classic Toy Trains over the years has been the O gauge model railroad designed and built by the late hobbyist and his talented wife and fellow modeler, Dagmar Lindsay. How articles about Herb’s realistic tribute to railroading in central Pennsylvania during […]
General Electric passenger U-boats — Diesels that didn’t
The General Electric passenger U-boats filled a niche in the 1960’s locomotive market. Santa Fe, like many Class I railroads at the time, was still proud of its passenger service. But its roster of suitable diesel locomotives was getting old and any thought of Amtrak was still years away. Keeping its aging fleet of silver […]
BNSF covered hopper variations
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 […]
How to troubleshoot and disassemble an HO scale brass steam locomotive
Senior Editor Eric White evaulates and troubleshoots an HO scale brass steam locomotive from Sunset Models to figure out why the gearbox isn’t turning. […]
How to troubleshoot and disassemble an HO scale brass steam locomotive
Senior Editor Eric White evaulates and troubleshoots an HO scale brass steam locomotive from Sunset Models to figure out why the gearbox isn’t turning. […]
Visit an amazing 4′ x 8′ O gauge layout featuring Lionel, MTH, and K-Line trains
John Cunius is truly the “Chairman of the Board” when it comes to his O gauge layout. The display, in a corner of his train room, puts the “fun” in “functional.” It has shelves underneath that hold his collection of locomotives, cars, and other equipment. See this and many other space-saving designs in Classic Toy […]
Visit an amazing 4′ x 8′ O gauge layout featuring Lionel, MTH, and K-Line trains
John Cunius is truly the “Chairman of the Board” when it comes to his O gauge layout. The display, in a corner of his train room, puts the “fun” in “functional.” It has shelves underneath that hold his collection of locomotives, cars, and other equipment. See this and many other space-saving designs in Classic Toy […]
Action at Union Avenue, Chicago
The location is Union Avenue interlocking at the east end of Burlington Northern’s “racetrack” to Aurora in about 1980. Amtrak train 380 from Carbondale, Ill., comes off the St. Charles Air Line (left) as a BN “dinky” from Aurora in push mode heads for Chicago Union Station (right); between them, is a BN E unit […]
Moloco announces HO scale American Car & Foundry 50-foot hi-cube double-plug-door boxcar
Moloco, a manufacturer of HO scale freight cars and detail parts, is now accepting reservations for its latest car, an American Car & Foundry (ACF) 100-ton 50-foot hi-cube double-plug-door boxcar with exterior posts. The HO scale model is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2022. The boxcar, based on a prototype used for […]
Some of your favorite toy train Christmas scenes
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 […]
