Classic Toy Trains November 2020

I’m as guilty as anyone else these days of overconsumption of media. I get up in the morning, and I turn on my TV. After putting down the remote control, I pick up my phone and check my Instagram and Facebook accounts, and see what’s going on around the Internet. Now and again I check Classic Toy Trains’ social media accounts. Then during the evening maybe I’ll scroll through You-Tube and watch a few videos. I’m at my happiest, though, when I turn it all off and run trains, or lay track, or spend a few hours going through my rolling stock to clean and lube everything. Neither rust nor dust ever sleep. There’s a sense of calm that accompanies my time spent enjoying the hobby. I’m not worried about politics or a…

The article about Paul Ambrose’s collection in the March issue suggests his Lionel passenger car may be a one-of-a-kind. Not so! More than 25 years ago at a show, my wife, Diane, purchased a group of cars that included one that must be a twin to Ambrose’s. As shown, it has the same green body, the same red panel, the same two yellow stripes, and the same Norfolk and Western lettering. The sole difference is the name of the car: my wife’s car is labeled “Buchanan.” – Peter Kerr, Fredericksburg, Va. [Bill Rooney of Mount Prospect, Ill., reported seeing a pair of green cars with Norfolk & Western lettering at a recent show. The dealer selling the no. 2550-series aluminum cars, labeled Washington and Buchanan, said they had been painted by…

MIKE CIECIERSKI’S S GAUGE LAYOUT The realistic S gauge trackwork and attractive scenery that distinguish Mike Ciecierski’s 8 x 15-foot layout justify a return visit. The railroad, which features both postwar American Flyer trains and newer releases from American Models and S-Helper Service, starred in the November 2016 issue of Classic Toy Trains. The no. 283 steamer is a favorite of Mike’s, a resident of Gambrills, Md. Don’t overlook the photo backdrop that neatly blends in with the forests Mike modeled. ROBERT BARBUCH’S O GAUGE LAYOUT You can forgive the engineer at the helm of the Milwaukee Road freight train if he has tears in his eyes. He just discovered, thanks to the boxcar coupled behind the pair of diesels, that his beloved Milwaukee Braves baseball team has moved to Atlanta. It’s a…

Let me state the obvious: 2020 has been a traumatic year for us all. Lockdowns and business closures have the whole nation in a daze. The impact on our hobby is something I’ve been paying attention to. While our market has been getting smaller – the products have been getting better. Where the retailer base was the traditional corner store, since around 2000 it has been under assault from flux in the economy, closing manufacturers, and Internet-based dealers. For some of us, going to a local spot to check the latest trains out is just a memory. No doubt, each of us can cite a train store or a hobby shop that either dropped model railroading or closed altogether. Truly, those of us who love this hobby can see it as a…

LIGHTING THE SIGNS. Dwarvin Enterprises offers fiberoptic illuminated billboards suitable for S and O gauges. The billboard is available with advertisements for Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chevrolet Camaro, Ford, Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, Levi’s, Packard, Phillips 66, Schlitz Beer, Shell Oil, and Texaco Motor Oil. The billboards include 9 feet of 1mm fiber optic preinstalled and a drill template. The billboards require a Lamplighter box (sold separately). Flat-packed billboards are $23.90, and assembled versions are $29.90. To order, contact Dwarvin Enterprises at 717-350-1747 or visit dwarvin.com BUILD A KIT. The latest O scale release from Bar Mills Scale Models is the REA Depot at Cranberry. The laser-cut wood kit, based on a model from George Sellios’ HO scale Franklin & South Manchester layout, includes detail castings in resin and white metal as well as plastic and laser-cut…

Neil Besougloff, 1959-2020 Former Classic Toy Trains Editor Neil Besougloff died July 26 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He was 61. Neil was editor of CTT from 1997-2007. He was also the author of three books on the subject of toy trains: Command Control for Toy Trains, Command Control for Toy Trains: Second edition, and Creative Toy Train Track Plans. He built two large toy train layouts while working on CTT, and particularly enjoyed collecting tinplate-era equipment. He was also editor of CTT’s sister magazine Model Railroader from June 2007 to June 2017. Neil’s other passion besides trains was cars. He owned a wide variety of cars from performance models, such as a Mercury Marauder, a Pontiac GTO, and a Ford Mustang, to a 1920s Ford Model A. He also was a big fan of…