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Business district: The Watkins City Block by Menards

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
Create a focal point for your downtown with the new Watkins City Block building from Menards. The 7 1/2 by 13-inch structure features three commercial venues – a Red Owl grocery, a J.R. Watkins store, and an attorney's office. While Red Owl needs no introduction, check your spice shelf or even your medicine chest for some of the products from Watkins. The no. 279-3971 building costs $99.99 plus shipping, or go to www.menards.com and select free shipment to you local Menards store. ...
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On the Test Track: MTH SD60E

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
Just wrapping up July reviews and wanted to take one more spin around the loop with our O gauge Norfolk Southern "Honoring Veterans" SD60E by MTH. ...
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Book signing event

Posted 7 years ago by Rene Schweitzer
Mark your calendars! On Wednesday, April 26, CTT's Roger Carp will be at the National Toy Train Museum, 300 Paradise Lane, Ronks, Pa., to talk about, and autograph copies of, his latest book! ...
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Brand new book about Lionel's postwar trains

Posted 7 years ago by Roger Carp
I'm delighted to share the big news with you about the latest addition to my family. This is the sixth or seventh new member we welcomed over the past 25 years.  Wait, don't get confused and imagine I have a new son or daughter. Nope, much too old and too tired for a little one in diapers. I'm thrilled to announce my latest book from Kalmbach Publishing Co.: Collectible Lionel Classics: Treasures from the Postwar Era. Note: Click on any of the images to enlarge. Readers of Classic T...
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The new Santa Fe flatcar with Santa Fe Trailways bus load from Menards

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
Go off the beaten patch with the now no. 279-3948 Santa Fe flatcar with and intricately decorated Santa Fe Trailways bus (yes the railroad did have a bus line). The flatcar has a wood colored deck and a removable vehicle and costs $19.99 plus shipping. The no. 279-3949 is s four-pack of Santa Fe flatcars with Santa Fe Trailways bus for $69.96 plus shipping. Order from www.menards.com and select free shipment to your local store. ...
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Suburbs here we come! A new ranch style home from Menards

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
Commuters need a place to commute from, and the no. 279-3970 Ranch House $69.99 is designed for your 1:48 scale suburban residential needs. The structure is a typical mid-century ranch, the house has windows, window treatments, a garage, and the lawn is decorated with grass and greenery. In the front driveway you have two figures washing down an automobile. Of course, Jack the German shepherd is nearby as well. The structure costs $69.99 plus shipping. Order online at www.menards.com and sel...
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Troop train a'rollin!

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
When the Second World War commenced, the United States had had a few years to begin a period of re-armament and an expansion of the military. When war actually arrived on our doorstep in December 1941 the logistical challenges were multiplied by having to fight a war on two fronts, with equipment, supplies, and personnel needing to be moved to both east and west coast ports. America’s railroads had less passenger equipment available than when the First World War began. While railroads cou...
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A HUMONGOUS new trackside industry from Menards

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
The mightiest industrial building from Menards since the American Power & Light building is the new no. 279-3847 Morton's Salt Plant for $99.99. The structure has a footprint of approximately 10 1/2 inches by 11 inches and measures approximately 15 1/2 inches tall. I have no idea what a salt factory looks like (well, except for 1940s postcards) but this looks like it will be a major loading facility for all those covered hoppers in your fleet. The size, the blue color, ...
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Milwaukee Road 3-dome tanker from Menards

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
Menards has added a Wisconsin favorite, the Milwaukee Road, to its line of three-dome tank cars. I've tossed in the previous Milwaukee Road coal hopper since they are still available. The hopper and tank car are $19.99 each plus shipping, or go to www.menards.com to order and select free shipment to your local menaces store. ...
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Flarp versus Dust Dabber: Battle to clean the dirty hopper

Posted 7 years ago by Rene Schweitzer
Recently, Woodland Scenics sent in a box of new products. Inside was a small jar of something called "Dust Dabber." Bob Keller pointed it out to me. It was quite similar to the kids' putty called Flarp. You might remember I mentioned Flarp in an earlier blog post because of its unusual cleaning properties. If not, please see this post. NOTE: Click on any of the photos to enlarge. I thought it would be fun to test Flarp versus Dust Dabber on another cleaning project. Let's see what happens. ....
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Tubular-to-FasTrack transition section from Menards

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
Menards has added its first special track section to its line of traditional tubular track: The no. 279-3868 2-Piece O Gauge FasTrack to Tubular Conversion piece. The section snuggly mates with FasTrack and you get two sections per order for $9.99. Buy it online at ww.menards.com and select free shipment to your local Menards store. ...
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All about CTT's Track Plan Database

Posted 7 years ago by Rene Schweitzer
Do you know about a great subscriber benefit: The CTT Track Plan Database? There are 127 track plans (most with either schematics and/or parts lists) you can download for FREE, anytime you like! Here's a walk-through for those of you who haven't used it. First, find "Track Plan Database" by going to either the "Subscriber Extras" or "How to" areas in the black bar at the top of the website page. You'll be taken to the section and see a patterned gray box. You can search by a number of option...
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Still more recent gear from Menards!

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
Menards continues to crank out rolling stock and here are some of the latest O gauge items released from the Wisconsin-based home improvement chain.    As always, prices do not include shipping. Order online at www.menards.com and opt for free shipment to your local Menards store....
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What do you buy your train-loving husband for Valentine's Day?

Posted 7 years ago by Rene Schweitzer
Valentine's Day is right around the corner! Jim and I don't get extravagant for this holiday but we do exchange small gifts. Want to know what he got? (Don't worry, he received them (and watched them) already, so there's no spoiling the surprise.) Both items I bought were DVDs. The first was the 20th Century Limited, produced by Trains magazine. I give this DVD a big thumbs up. Even if you aren't into trains, this is an interesting program. It's narrated by Michael Gross and is about an hour ...
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BLOG: Union Pacific and Shell cars from Menard's

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
Two new pieces of gear were rolled out by Menards this week. The no. 279-3874 Union Pacific covered hopper ($19.99) and the 279-3436 Santa Fe flatcar wth Shell fuel container load ($24.99). Both cars feature die-cast trucks and couplers.  Prices don't include shipping. Order online at www.menards.com and select free shipment to your local Menards store. Keeping fuel a flowing, Menards adds another car to its line of Shell equipment. ...
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Model Railroader celebrates publishing 1000 issues

Posted 7 years ago by Rene Schweitzer
UPDATE: Watch a video of the event on MRVP. Watch for cameos from me at 11:38 (in pink jacket) and Roger at 18:40! Our sister publication, Model Railroader magazine, will soon be celebrating the publishing of its 1000th issue. Quite a milestone! The MR and MRVP staff are setting up a special video in which they are setting out ALL of the issues, one after another, in a continuous line around the building. It's a pretty amazing set up, seeing decade after decade of magazines down the hallways...
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UPDATED: New Menards gear: USAF flat and WP boxcar

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
If you had worried that Christmas had come and gone and that Menards would be backing off on production, don't worry. On Monday we received two large boxes of upcoming as-yet-to-be-announced goodies from the home improvement chain - both rolling stock and a knock-your-socks-off ... oh well, can't quite tell you about that yet. You'll just have to wait. And it WILL be worth the wait. Suffice it to say that the flatcar with Air Force fuel container load announced by Menards this week was i...
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On the test track

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
I was down the hall running MTH's Amtrak AEM7 locomotive this morning.  We last reviewed one in the February 2000 issue and it was a blast to run this little "Toaster" around the track. The locomotive has two can-style motors, the ProtoSound 3.0 command and sound system, and coil couplers. The sound system wasn't the typical transformer hmm, but sounded more like a gentle flow of running water! The model is available in two Amtrak paint schemes as well as SEPTA and NJ Transit liver...
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What do O-gauge railroaders do on New Year's Eve?

Posted 7 years ago by Rene Schweitzer
UPDATE: Please see the first article CTT published about the club in 1997. It's available as a PDF to download. My hubby, Jim, is a member of the Milwaukee Lionel Railroad Club. He runs trains weekly on Friday nights, when they have operating sessions. Does the club name sound familiar? They've been in CTT twice--most recently in September 2006, when we ran an article about their HUGE Hell Gate Bridge that's part of their club layout. Toward the end of December, Jim told me the club was havi...
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First train buys of 2017

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
Well, 2017 is  here and four days in I've made a few purchases … a 300% over this time in 2016! First up are two of the New York Central covered hoppers from Menards. Yes, I picked free shipping to my local Menards store! The cars have good weight and die-cast metal trucks. One of the hoppers had an assembly glitch that I was able to fix in no time at all (it took more time to find the right screwdriver than to correct the error). Graphics were well done. My other ...
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Holiday movies that include trains

Posted 7 years ago by Rene Schweitzer
NOTE: We have republished this article for your viewing pleasure.  'Tis the season for holiday movies! Holiday movies with TRAINS in them--even better! Here are some movies to enjoy with your family and friends this holiday season (in no particular order). 1. A Holiday Affair (1949) Department store clerk Steve Mason (Robert Mitchum) meets Connie Ennis (Janet Leigh), who is what would be called a "secret shopper" today. Connie buys a Lionel train set and takes it home. Her son assu...
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Holiday toy-train photos

Posted 7 years ago by Rene Schweitzer
'Tis the season to enjoy some holiday photos! Click on any photo to enlarge! ...
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New military flatcars with loads from Menards

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
Put some olive drab on your Christmas tree layout with four new US Army flatcars from Menards. Shown are the nos. 279-3473 flat with truck mounted missile launcher load, 279-3474 flat with truck mounted cannon load,  279-3475 flat with cargo truck , and 279-3478 flat with covered tarp load for $19.99 each plus shipping,  or available in a four-pack of one of each car type for $69.96 plus shipping. See them at your local Menards or order online at www.menards.com and select free...
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New die-cast metal ONLINE-ONLY construction gear from Menards

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
I received a box from Menards yesterday with three of their new die-cast metal construction vehicles in it. They are the nos. 279-3920 Mega Crane for $39.99, the 279-3931 Forklift loader for $29.99 and the 279-3927 Crawler excavator for $19.99. These are online only they won't be in stores, and they are available now. So get over to www.menards.com to check them out.    We've posed some Arttista and Scenic Express figures with them for a size reference. If not 1:48, they a...
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Just recorded BTB 64

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
What treasures from the CTT workshop will be previewed? ...
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TrainFest 2016

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
Last weekend was Trainfest 2016 in Milwaukee. The massive model train exhibition is held in West Allis at the State Fair Park. The event gathers club layouts from around Wisconsin and Illinois, manufacturers, and vendors to basically showcase how much fun model railroading is. ...
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Changing of the wall of covers

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
The advance copies of the January issue arrived (the printer is about 30 minutes from our location) and that means (Drum roll please) the annual changing of the covers. Rene drops the oldest year of covers, moves the middle two years down, and plops the brand new year, 2017 in this case, on top! Yes, indeed, it is a slow Friday because everyone else is down at the State Fairgrounds getting ready for Trainfest!...
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The new Red Owl grocery and train station from Menards

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
This holiday season two structures from Menards stand out: The Red Owl grocery and the train station. The newly released no. 279-3472 Red Owl store salutes the departed Red Owl chain which at one time had more than 400 stores in the upper Midwest. The structure is illuminated, has interior and exterior decoration, and costs $99.99 plus shipping. The Menards no. 279-3846 O gauge train station has exterior decoration, extensive illumination, and details such as advertising on the station platf...
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Have you used the Magazine Index yet?

Posted 7 years ago by Rene Schweitzer
UPDATE as if 2/21/18: We recently learned that the Magazine Index's search function isn't working. We have alerted the correct department about this problem, but aren't sure when functionality will be restored. We will update this post once we know more. I was asked recently if CTT has any indexes available. The answer is a resounding YES! We have both annual indexes and a comprehensive online index. If you haven't used them before, I'm here to help. If you're interested in searching a parti...
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New Menards flats with heavy-duty loads

Posted 7 years ago by Bob Keller
The latest flatcars from Menards have two industrial strength die-cast vehicle loads: A cement mixer and and an excavator that his light and sound action. The cars are the no. 279-3178 Chesapeake & Ohio flat with die-cast metal cement mixer and the no. 279-3476 Pennsylvania RR flatcar with die-cast metal excavator with lights and sound. The cars cost $24.99 each plus shipping (ship free to your local Menards). Visit your neighborhood Menards to g to www.menards.com. ...
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