Lionel’s 2025 Catalog Volume I celebrates the 125th anniversary

catalog page with blue, red, black, and gold locomotives

Lionel’s 2025 Catalog Volume I updates some landmark prewar and postwar locomotives individually and in incredible sets certain to delight operators and collectors. While exploring the brand-new 252-page full-color catalog as legwork for developing the upcoming edition of Greenberg’s Pocket Price Guide to Lionel Trains, 1901-2025, I discovered several impressive and desirable new models. Frankly, […]

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Lionel Racing Aquarium Car for LCCA

black and red model car

Lionel first introduced its No. 3435 Aquarium Car in 1959. This freight car featured a simulated aquarium with “swimming” fish, accomplished with a loop of decorated plastic, a Vibromotor, and a lightbulb. Over the years, dozens of variations of this car have been released, including those with stingrays, sharks, mermaids, and koi. The Train Collectors […]

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Lionel LionChief O gauge Hogwarts Express set

Lionel Hogwarts Express locomotive

Nearly 20 years after the initial review in Classic Toy Trains’ Feb. 2008 issue, the O-gauge Hogwarts Express remains a steady set for Lionel, along with the accompanying Harry Potter-branded products. But with a reboot of the franchise planned as a future streaming series on HBO Max, it’s time to return to Kings Cross’ Platform […]

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Locomotives we love: Lionel No. 773 4-6-4 Hudson steam engine

black model steam engine on layout with fall foliage

The Lionel No. 773 4-6-4 Hudson steam engine and tender from 1950 did much to revive the passion dedicated O gauge modeler Walt Urban Jr. has for toy trains. He reminds us that hobbyists who grew up during the 1950s will remember the annual holiday shopping season as being particularly nostalgic. Like him, many of […]

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Knights of Columbus Lionel boxcars raise funds for charity

two men shaking hands with Lionel boxcar

Frank Kotnik was introduced to toy trains as a child. Someone gave his father a secondhand Lionel set and accessories from the early 1950s. When Frank was three, around 1963, his dad surprised him with a simple tabletop layout. The engine captivated the young tot, sparking a lifetime interest in the hobby. Frank is a […]

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Lionel Legacy U28C diesel locomotive

side view of camouflage locomotive

Lionel has reissued the U28C diesel locomotive for the first time since 2012. The model was announced in the 2024 Volume 1 catalog. This six-axle unit was not that common on prototype railroads, and its unique appearance will allow it to stand out on your layout.  The prototype was produced by General Electric between February […]

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Lionel City of Miami train set

yellow and green model train on track

The City of Miami was a vibrant orange and palm green streamliner of the Illinois Central Railroad. Operating between 1940 and 1971, the train provided service from Chicago to Miami, and was powered by a single EMD E6 diesel locomotive. The first jaw-dropping feature of Lionel’s latest rendition of the set isn’t the locomotive  itself, […]

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Lionel’s 2024 Catalog Volume II honors the past and present

catalog page with three model engines

Lionel’s 2024 Catalog Volume II honors the past and present with some superb sets and locomotives operators and even collectors are sure to like. I discovered a number of impressive and desirable new models when I finally found the time to devote an entire evening to exploring the second and shorter catalog from 2024. By […]

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Wesley E. Swartz’s O gauge track plan contest submission

My submission to the contest has five basic features: A double reversing loop Multiple loops for simultaneous operation of several trains Interconnections between the multiple loops Two levels of track A ramp connecting the two levels of track Classic Toy Trains and the Lionel Collectors Club of America congratulate Wes Swartz as the second-place winner […]

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Steve and Barbara Tapper’s O gauge layout track plan

Name: Steve and Barbara Tapper’s O gauge layoutDimensions: 8 x 16 feetTrack: Lionel, MTH (diameters range from 27 to 42 inches)Switches: MTHMotive power: K-Line, Lionel, MTH, WilliamsRolling stock: Atlas O, K-Line, Lionel, Menards, MTH, Weaver, WilliamsControls: MTH Nos. Z-750 (3), Z-4000 (2) transformers with Lionel TrainMaster Command Control and MTH Digital Command SystemAccessories: K-Line, Lemax, […]

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