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Trains Video › Toy Trains ›

How-To

Tips for restoring a vintage toy train
Sep 30, 2025·Repair Restoration

Tips for restoring a vintage toy train

Join Classic Toy Trains Editor Rene Schweitzer and Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as they share essential tips for…

Read more
Polar Express five-day layout build
Sep 22, 2023·Beginners

Polar Express five-day layout build

The Classic Toy Trains staff built the Polar Express layout over a five day period, from benchwork to final scenery.…

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Install the LionChief app on your smartphone or tablet
May 27, 2022·Beginners

Install the LionChief app on your smartphone or tablet

Learning to install the LionChief app on your smartphone or tablet is nothing to fear. Years ago, there was only…

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Budget Christmas train layout for about $60 in scenery
Dec 13, 2021·Beginners

Budget Christmas train layout for about $60 in scenery

Looking for a budget Christmas train layout? Look no further. Classic Toy Trains Production Editor Rene Schweitzer and Digital Editor…

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How to keep rust off your trains
Aug 27, 2021·Repair Restoration

How to keep rust off your trains

Those little packets of silica gel that come in model train and other boxes are there for a reason –…

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Toy train smoke: Lots of scents available
Jul 30, 2021·Beginners

Toy train smoke: Lots of scents available

Toy train smoke hijinx (and a minor train wreck) abound as Hal Miller and Rene Schweitzer try a variety of…

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How to clean old, rusty, and dirty track
Jul 12, 2021·Repair Restoration

How to clean old, rusty, and dirty track

Bought or inherited a load of tubular track? CTT editor Hal Miller shows his method of cleaning it up and…

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How to lubricate your locomotives
Jun 29, 2021·Repair Restoration

How to lubricate your locomotives

In this Workbench Minute video, CTT editor Hal Miller shows the basics of locomotive lubrication with O gauge diesel. The…

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Cleaning up Lionel’s no. 97 Coal Elevator
May 31, 2021·Repair Restoration

Cleaning up Lionel’s no. 97 Coal Elevator

Hal Miller continues his Workbench Minute series showing how to clean a Lionel no. 97 elevator. He uses a cleanser…

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How to make roads stick on your model train layout
May 19, 2021·Repair Restoration

How to make roads stick on your model train layout

Hal Miller repairs peeling roadway material on the City Transfer & Terminal, an O gauge layout showcased in Classic Toy…

Read more
Budget railroading: dollar store finds
May 10, 2021·Beginners

Budget railroading: dollar store finds

Classic Toy Trains Editor Hal Miller prowls the dollar store aisles in search of inexpensive items that are useful on…

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How to rewire a Lionel RCS controller
May 3, 2021·Repair Restoration

How to rewire a Lionel RCS controller

In this Classic Toy Trains How-to Minute, editor Hal Miller replaces the crumbling 3-conductor cable on a postwar RCS controller…

Read more
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