Thanks to everyone for their kind words about Classic Toy Trains, which is about to start its 25th year of publication. We on the staff appreciate your support and contributions.
So now let’s start a thread in which you select your all-time favorite articles in CTT. We’ll pay close attention and publish something in an upcoming issue on the articles you like most and your reasons why.
Thanks,
Roger Carp
Senior Editor
May 99 Control Panels by Mark Horne. Explains how to wire for dual cab control better and easier to understand than any other article I have ever read. I have wired my layout from this article. Thanks
The Retro Railroad construction series was the impetus to backdate my layout. It was not so much the specifics as it was it’s general appeal and yet it had a certain simplicity about it that made the trains themselves the stars, and accessories… rather than realistic scenic details.I suspect this article was influential to others as I see more of these layouts being produced as affordable and fun…
Another was the essay on the Lionel Electronic Set, which was really a revelation to me.
In my view the educational aspect of the magazine is it’s bedrock. Whether it’s wring as appreciated by Dennis or it is the history that incites us explore expanding aspects of the hobby. From there, everything falls into perspective. The layout pictorials are the icing on the cake…
You’re kidding me, right? There’s way too many to just pick “one.”
Too many good ones to choose from, but the one I re-read the most is “Chuck Brasher’s Standard Gauge Layout” in the Spring 1989 issue. The “retroness” of the controls is just so cool! And the trains are magnificent!
Second place is a tie. “Build Lionel’s Disappearing Layout” in the November 2001, and “Wire Track Switches For Quick Routing” in the October 2005.
I didn’t get into O gauge toy trains until 2007, when I got a Polar Express set to run around the Christmas tree, but that didn’t stop me from picking up the magazine occasionally when the local magazine store started handling it. Childhood memories of my American Flyer set and my buddy’s Lionels kept me interested, somehow.
Until I read that 2005 article I had no knowledge of the non-derailing feature of O22 switches or that it could be used for automatic train routing. Now I’m making a small postwar display type layout in the garage with classic tubular track, still my favorite, and as many action accessories as I can fit.
Thanks for the magazine and the inspirations.
Pete
It would be very difficult to pick my favorite article, there are many. Where I go to first when I open up the magazine is the Photo Album. I always enjoy looking at other folks layouts.
Roger,
My favorites now are anything that deals with Lionel Postwar or old Marx.
Several years ago when I was dreaming about setting up a small layout I came upon the January 2003 CTT . The cover photo and article are the inspiration for my current layout. So if I had to pick one issue of the magazine, this would be it.
I’ll go with the 12/95 Automatic Gateman’s 60th anniversary article. That one is the one that made me pick up this new to me train magazine called “Classic Toy Trains” for the first time.
I can’t wait to see what some of the other replies are. There have been a lot of great articles through the years.
J White
Roger,
There are many subjects to choose from, all are interesting and informative, but I mostly enjoy Lionel articles and products reviews.
Ralph
I liked the Cascade and Timber Trail project layout series. One of the reasons I enjoyed this series was because the logging themed layout began with a train set (Lionel Cascade Range), similar to the way my mining themed layout started with a train set (Copper Range). I also like how the names of the railroads on the CTT project layouts “Cascade and Timber Trail” and the latest “Coal and Turbine Technologies” on the Reader’s Choice layout have the initials “CTT”.
Karl
I’ve loved at least 99% of everything that I’ve read over the years. I particularly love articles about display layouts. But I also love in depth looks at variations and the Collectible Classics feature.
But if I had to pick one, I’d have to say the article I enjoyed the most was the story about Chuck Brasher’s layout because it was the first issue of CTT I ever saw. I’ve subscribed on and off over the years mostly based on wether or not I was getting to my LHS monthly. But I always tried to get CTT magazine even if I couldn’t afford anything else.
Becky
I have kept a index of articles I thought I may want to refer back too. Here are some highlights for me after a quick look
Summer 88 2nd issue Tuning up Lionels Rock Island northern, also March 02.
Fall 89 Maintain and general fix 675, 2025, and 2035.
Aug. 90 Dallee electronic reverse reverse unit.
Oct 90 Sifting for ballast.
Mar. April 92 Make Fundimensions GP’s run better.
Nov. 95 Improving vehicle looks for layout.
Jan. 96 Motor and E unit recondition.
Feb 98 How to fix couplers.
Jan. 99 and Oct. 03 Transformers all about.
May 00 783 Hudson dissassembly and lube and a three times around track plan.
Nov 05 Straightening a bent steam cab roof.
Dec. 05 Trees from artificial Christmas trees.
Jan 06 Modify sets of people so they don’t all look the same.
July 06 How to build better Plasticville structures.
March 09 Plasticville coal tower made more realistic.
Dec 09. Multiple trains on the same track.
Like I said this is only a few.
The Richard Kuhn interview/article (way on back) is the one most memorable to me. At the time, he was breathing new life into LIONEL (and O-gauge as a whole). To me, that is where things turned the corner to where our hobby is today.
Happy 25th CTT!
“Aug. 90 Dallee electronic reverse reverse unit.”
Wouldn’t that be an electronic forward unit? [swg]
Pete
Pete,
Ive had a few reverse-reverse units although I dont think that was intended.
[(-D]
With, some of these new fang dangled, electronic contraptions, the darn things may shoot vertically straight up, never mind double reverse!
And, I enjoy all of the bells, horns, lights, motors, sounds, steam, voices and whistles, but…!
Ralph
Bill Noles Plasticville Layout, Bob Boards All Aboard Flyer Layout, Stan Roy’s Lionel Layout, and a few others…
Mark
If I had to pick one, it would be the article on Lionel’s Turbines that was in the Feb. 98 issue. That article made me get a 681, and I lost control after that.
Really, anyhting by Roger Carp, Terry Thompson, and John Grams/Ray L. Plummer were must reads for me. That’s not say that other authors weren’t great, but these are the ones that really inerested and ultimately influenced me.
I’m a charter subscriber, so there’s a lot of articles over the years that fascinated me. There was a HUGE Plasticville layout that had everything that was ever made. The trains were merely running on the outside of the layout. This must have been back in the 90’s. Brad Nelson’s Flyer layout was another favorite, the operating accessories I’ve always loved were used in a realistic setting. Neil Young’s layout was another eyecatcher. The Collector’s Corner articles are the first thing I look for (why did you move them from the last page?). And of course the repair articles have always come in handy. Whew! 25 years, huh? One of us must be getting old!
Anything on American Flyer. [bow]
A.C. Gilbert