I’m a huge fan of commuter services, and that definitely includes Chicago’s Metra. So when I heard that Atlas was releasing Metra Nippon Sharyo gallery cars in HO scale, I had to get my hands on some. Since Metra runs a push-pull operation, the Type 8500 cab car gets as much time leading trains as […]
I’m trying to troubleshoot a Lionel No. 624 Chesapeake & Ohio NW2 diesel switcher from the 1950s. The motor seems to short out, even after I spent time cleaning out the dried grease from long ago. All I get now is a grinding noise, and the locomotive barely moves. What do you think is the […]
Q: What website is best for finding prototype photos of freight cars to help with realistic weathering? — Jim Veronico A: Though some websites are certainly better than others, I’m reluctant to declare a single website as the “best” for finding prototype freight car photos. Over the years, I’ve found that using multiple sites helps […]
One of the questions we receive quite regularly is where to find parts. Sooner or later, it’s likely you’ll need a part for your locomotive or rolling stock. It could be as simple as replacing traction tires or as complicated as a postwar rehab project. In either case, we’ve got you covered! For each retailer, […]
I began collecting O and 027 gauge trains in middle school. Like many toy train enthusiasts, the trains were eventually packed away for various reasons. Years later, I unpacked my Lionel and Marx collection. It had been a long time since I had seen these trains. I unpacked mostly postwar and modern 2-4-2 outline steam […]
I recently bought a Lionel No. 2121060 American Flyer Baltimore & Ohio 4-6-2 Pacific locomotive and tender and would like to install Kadee couplers. I see holes on the bottom of the S gauge tender for mounting a scale coupler adapter, but I don’t know which adapter will fit there and how to mount it. […]
The Winter 1989 issue featured an 8 page (!) article on prewar American Flyer stations (96, 104, and 237). This comprehensive article included variation charts for each of the versions, photos of the different bases, catalog art, and more. It’s a great reminder that CTT has been the authority for toy train history for more […]
Do you have any suggestions for easily and safely removing the pins that hold the plastic body shell on various American Flyer freight and passenger cars from the postwar era? Using a pair of pliers has not worked. — Robert Lawrence You have to wedge a screwdriver or another tool between the body shell and […]
Lionel’s No. 671 Pennsylvania RR S2 steam turbine is one of the classic O gauge locomotives of the postwar era. Lionel released it for the first full product line of the post-World War II era in 1946. But the brilliant minds in the Engineering Department at Lionel were almost certainly taking their first steps in […]
Steam locomotive manufacturers and aftermarket sound companies have come a long way in producing realistic sound, to a point. These systems usually have a single speaker mounted face down in the floor of the tender. Projecting sound downward and bouncing it off the track and ballast results in heightened bass and low definition between the […]
A question many readers want an answer to is how to color bricks. Structures have been built with brick for millennia and material was very popular from the start of the industrial revolution through the advent of structural steel and reinforced concrete construction. Most railroads will pass by and serve multiple brick-built factories and warehouses, […]
I recently took out my old toy trains that have been packed away for about 25 years. The tubular track sections that were brand new back then now have black marks on them. How do I clean them and get them usable again? — Joe Rampe If it’s just dry corrosion, a Scotch-Brite pad will […]
