Collectible Toy Train Guides Train Set Books Model Trains Reference Lionel Trains American Flyer

Basic DCC Wiring for Your Model Railroad: A Beginner's Guide to Decoders, DCC Systems, and Layout Wiring Paperback – Illustrated, April 1, 2011

Get started with Digital Command Control (DCC)! This how-to guide covers the basics, with an overview of DCC, track wiring, cab bus wiring, and converting an existing layout to DCC. Written by Mike Polsgrove, Model Railroader s columnist on DCC.

Union Pacific's Big Boys: The Complete Story from History to Restoration Paperback – September 1, 2020

Union Pacific’s Big Boys: The complete story from history to restoration covers the who, what, why, and when of the 25 popular 4-8-8-4 steam locomotives. This book gives the historical background on the early 1940s development, explains why they were built, how they were used, and traces their history until they were retired in the 1950s. It also covers the much anticipated and well covered restoration of No. 4014 starting when it was recovered in a park in 2013 all the way through to its restoration and tour across the United States in the summer of 2019. Trains magazine has been published for almost 80 years, much of which has included extensive coverage of Union Pacific’s Big Boys since they were created. Everything you need to know about these popular steam locomotives can be found in this 224-page book.

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Why do grown men play with trains? Is it a primal attachment to childhood, nostalgia for the lost age of rail travel, or the stuff of flat-out obsession? In this delightful and unprecedented book, Grand Prix legend Sam Posey tracks those who share his “passion beyond scale” and discovers a wonderfully strange and vital culture.

Posey’s first layout, wired by his mother in the years just after the Second World War, was, as he writes in his Introduction, “a miniature universe which I could operate on my own. Speed and control: I was fascinated by both, as well as by the way they were inextricably bound together.” Eventually, when Posey’s son was born, he was convinced that building him a basement layout would be the highest expression of fatherhood. Sixteen years and thousands of hours later, this project, “the outgrowth of chance meetings, unexpected friendships, mistakes, illness, latent ambitions, and sheer luck” was completed. But for Posey, the creation of his HO-scale masterpiece based on the historic Colorado Midland, was just the beginning.

In Playing with Trains, Sam Posey ventures well beyond the borders of his layout in northwestern Connecticut, to find out what makes the top modelers tick. He expects...

HO and N scale illustrations and prototype and layout photos introduce modelers to the principles of designing, constructing and operating a realistic freight yard. Covers the operations of a prototype freight yard, including receiving, classifying, cleaning, and more; outlines the basic structures;...

In 1900, Joshua Lionel Cowen invented his first toy electric train, and within a few short years Lionel layouts became a part of American living rooms at Christmastime. In this officially licensed guide, veteran hobby industry writer Robert Schleicher presents an illustrated treasury of practical...

Freight cars are the backbone of any railroad -- in the real world or on your operating layout. Get a brief history of each type of North American freight car, then learn how car designs have changed from WWI to the present. Includes techniques for modeling realistic rolling stock in any scale.

This practical, photo-driven guide covers the principles and techniques of designing and constructing detailed, realistic model railroad scenes. The various projects include structure, scenery, and detailing techniques for both urban and rural settings. It's the essential information modelers need...

When it came to electric trains, no retail catalog could match the excitement generated by the latest Lionel catalog. Lionel's staff artists created images of shining streamliners racing across the Great Plains to the West Coast and smoking steam engines heroically dragging mile-long strings of freight cars from one city to another. The wonder of it all is that these amazing train renderings, though incredibly realistic, were still identifiable as toys. The Art of Lionel Trains features the grandest examples of Lionel catalog and advertising art along with captivating text on how the artwork reflected the culture and values of the times. It's a fascinating story, a delightful trip down memory lane, and a wonderfully colorful look at America's premier toy train manufacturer. The perfect reference for nostalgia buffs, antique lovers, and toy train fans everywhere!

This year the Lionel Train Company celebrates its 100th anniversary, and to commemorate the milestone comes a an updated second edition of ALL ABOARD!, the marvelous story of Joshua Lionel Cowen and the toy trains he created. Originally published in 1981, ALL ABOARD! brings back the classic electric trains for all those who remember them. The Santa Fe came in gleaming silver and shiny red. The New York Central was gray and white. World War I models carried seige guns, a 1957 engine came in pink for girls. There were Pullmans and steam locomotives, Lehigh Valley coal cars, lumber cars, and a design from 1964 that carried radioactive waste and the Mercury capsule. A&E Network named Lionel trains a "Top Ten Toy" of the century-#4 specifically.

But the story of Lionel trains is far from over. Co-owned by rock star Neil Young, who bought the company because of his autistic son's love for the trains, the Lionel Train Company is stronger than ever, and is evolving with the times by employing remote control, sound chips, and other technical innovations. With 32 all-new pages and scores of colorful illustrations from the archives of Lionel catalogs, ALL ABOARD! is the definitive collector's book on the subject.

From the basics of tracklaying, wiring, and maintaining locomotives to the finer points of scenery building, painting, weathering, and detailing models, every aspect of modeling is presented in this up-to-date reference. Packed with simple tips and techniques and instructions for building a basic 4 x 8 foot HO scale layout with scenery.

“Informative and colorfully illustrated....More than 200 color photos of trains and vintage ads make this a delight for collectors.”—Chicago Tribune. “A gloriously illustrated guide to the history of the American Flyer...this volume highlights the hardest-to-find, most valuable train cars, while exploring the fascinating evolution of American Flyer toy trains.”—From House to Home.

Toy Train Memories tells the captivating story of how toy electric trains were once the only Christmas gift children wanted. Throughout the 1920s, '30s, '40s, and into the mid-1950s, Lionel and American Flyer actively promoted the relationship between Christmas and toy trains, and kids everywhere eagerly awaited their fabulous fall gift catalog. During those years, families shared happy hours building railroad empires that began with a locomotive, boxcar, or operating milk car wrapped up in colorful paper and placed under the tree. Woven within this wildly entertaining gift book are over 100 stunning full-color photos of toy trains guaranteed to bring back happy memories of simpler times. But the stars of this book are the dozens of vintage black-and-white Christmas-morning snapshots of happy boys and girls with their brand-new trains—photos that will evoke fond memories of childhood, family, and the holiday season. For history lovers, nostalgia fans, and train enthusiasts everywhere, Toy Train Memories is an enjoyable celebration of the toys of our youth and a fabulous journey back to simpler, happier times.

Flammarion's Collectibles series continues with a wonderful selection of 400 tinplate trains including classic engines, passenger cars, elegant sleepers, and rolling stock in antique designs that will delight modelers and metal toy collectors alike. Here are the timeless, sturdy designs of Bachman, Hornby, Paya, Lionel, Bing, Märklin-revered US and European model train manufacturers who produced electric trains for children that now command high prices and instant nostalgia from adults.

Build your own historic Lionel postwar layout using the original display layout diagrams! Classic, small layouts are featured with parts lists, descriptions, wiring diagrams, and more. Now you can own a rare piece of Lionel history, too.

--Includes reproductions of more than 20 original Lionel diagram sheets from 1950--1970s

--Features all the details necessary to build these layouts, including wiring diagrams

--Includes a previously published article on how to build one of these small layouts using modern materials