Classic Toy Trains – Vol 39 No 01 Spring 2026 – Classic Toy Trains (1)

The earth- tone color was a reasonable match for this car as well as the VIA Rail Business Class coach I’d model too (Photos 18 and 22). The VIA Rail Standard Class coach (not pictured) I modeled required a blue or teal marker. I used Elmer’s Painter No. WA7335 Blue (available from Walmart), but No. WA7380 Turquoise would have worked well too. After allowing the paint to dry over- night, I finished all three cars by adding yellow electrical tape or pinstriping where appropriate, including the thinnest of safety striping under emergency-exit windows.

From my stash, various HO scale VIA Rail decal sets (Microscale Nos. 87-1359 and 87-1153) proved to be all I needed to apply the essential branding. Finally I used a black permanent marker to outline window gaskets and other details, before spraying a light coat of clear, semi-gloss lacquer over the entire carbody. I considered adding a full complement of interior details (seated figures, carpeted floors, stored luggage, and more), but that would have to wait for yet another Week- end Workshop! 32 Classic Toy Trains • SPRING 2026 2020, MTH Electric Trains President Mike Wolf announced his May 2021 retire- ment and the subsequent closure of the company after 40 years in business.

It’s now 2026, and MTH remains alive and well, continuing to make products for the model railroad and toy train industry at a more modest pace in O, Standard, and No. 1 Gauge scales — both the HO and S scale tooling were sold to ScaleTrains in 2021 Rich Foster, Vice President of Sales, and Bradley Deleon, a member of MTH’s staff, e e e t e t Rich Foster and Bradley Deleon discuss the company’s new chapter joined Classic Toy Trains Editor Rene Sch- weitzer and Trains.com Writer Lucas Iver- son to chat about the firm’s new chapter.

CTT: What were the factors in deciding to keep MTH operating and producing model/toy train products? RICH: [Mike Wolf’s initial retirement] was obviously within the early days of COVID-19, which left a lot of uncertainty about whether any business could survive. So, we had some inquiries from people he was looking to sell the whole business to, if possible.

We didn’t have a whole lot of tooling in HO or S scale, so that got [sold] fairly quickly because the total dollars required were fairly low. But we probably had more O gauge tooling than the rest of the mar- ket combined, so everybody was unsure about making that kind of commitment, dollar-wise. As it turned out, we sold some of that to Atlas and Lionel. Meanwhile, I’d been working on a plan in case somebody did buy the business, as Trains.com 33 I was hoping to keep [my] job.

That led toward me working on a new business plan.

LCCA Kid’s Club turns 15, new items from Menards, MTH, Trainworld, and more Reviews Sunset Models/3rd Rail Seimens Charger, Atlas O SD70MAC, Bar Mills billboard kits, and more Ad index/On Trains.com Tips & tricks Update a tender load; new use for a barrel loader figure Focus on Lionel’s No. 8030 Illinois Central GP9 diesel Something special for General Mills BY BRENDON DEATRICH How to upgrade trackwork Use components from Ross and GarGraves for smooth operation and more realism BY STAN TRZONIEC Marx layout showcases decades of collecting Explore this colorful and enter- taining display BY WALT HITESHEW Lionel Trains: meet me at the fair!

Lionel’s presence at the St. Louis World’s Fair of 1904 BY ROBERT J. OSTERHOFF Focus on decals A deep dive into Lionel postwar decals on F3s, FMs, Alcos, and other popular engines BY LEN CARPARELLI LOCOMOTIVES WE LOVE American Flyer 4-4-2 Atlantic S gauge steam engine helped launch a distinguished career in journalism BY ROGER CARP AND KEVIN KEEFE 16 18 24 26 28 32 35 36 38 42 46 50 54 CLASSIC TOY TRAINS (ISSN 0895-0997, USPS 005-466) is published quarterly in January (Winter), April (Spring), July (Summer), and October (Fall) by Firecrown Media Inc., 405 Cherry Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402.

Periodicals postage paid at Chattanooga, TN and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Classic Toy Trains, PO Box 850, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. SPRING 2026 VOL. 39 NO. 1 IN EVERY ISSUE 4 6 8 12 56 63 66 COVER PHOTO BY CHARLES STOIA 50 42 COLLECTIBLE CLASSIC Brennan’s Ob Long Box Co.

O gauge structure kit Launching the Frank Ellison Tribute Series BY ROGER CARP COVER STORY Clem’s layout keeps him rolling How one O gauger uses what he’s learned BY ROGER CARP MY GREATEST FIND An uncommon Lionel boxcar in a common set My greatest find is a Lionel No. 6464 car BY DAVID BRUNETTE My Madison Hardware memories Visits in the 1970s and ’80s built a great collection BY WAYNE H.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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