LEDs for American Flyer, Lionel, and Marx trains
A frequent, sometimes heated topic of debate is upgrading to LED lighting in the headlight of vintage American Flyer, Lionel, or Marx trains. It shows how sometimes a little knowledge can be a...
View ArticleScale vs gauge: Not quite interchangeable
Wondering about scale vs gauge? You’re not alone. It’s a common question, and I’ll try to provide a simple answer. The two terms may appear interchangeable, but they aren’t quite. Gauge is the distance...
View ArticleWhy have Marx toys dropped in value?
“Why have Marx toys dropped in value?” you ask? Blame Millennials. Well, actually, my generation bears more of the blame for this one. Blame Gen X. The value of vintage toys tends to follow trends, and...
View ArticleWhat happened to Tyco RC and trains?
Tyco is a name I certainly remember from my childhood. If you’re wondering what happened to Tyco, or what happened to Tyco RC, Tyco trains, or Tyco slot cars, read on. When I think of Tyco, I think of...
View ArticleThe Lionel KW transformer
The Lionel KW transformer was the second largest transformer Lionel made in the postwar era. It delivered 190 watts of power and provided two handles to control two trains. Internally, the design is...
View ArticleWhere to buy Lionel trains in St. Louis
If you want to know where to buy Lionel trains in St. Louis, you have a lot of choices. It’s more than possible to make a day of train shopping in St. Louis. I’ve never seen a comprehensive list of...
View ArticleCleaning NES games and consoles
Anyone old enough to have played with an original Nintendo NES knows the problem: You plug in the cartridge, turn on the system, and get a blank screen and the power light blinks at you. The schoolyard...
View ArticleK-Line trains
K-Line was a manufacturer of O gauge electric trains and accessories from approximately 1980 to 2010. Its scrappy, value-oriented approach to the hobby endeared K-Line trains to many of its customers....
View ArticleSkyline tin buildings
In the 1940s and 1950s, Skyline of Philadelphia manufactured and marketed a line of toy train-oriented building kits. Actually, there were two lines: One was a line of building kits made of cardstock...
View ArticleHow does a Lionel e-unit work?
The Lionel e-unit was a wonder of ingenuity in the 1930s. But how does a Lionel e-unit work? Open-frame electric motors like the ones Lionel used in its glory days have two major parts: a field and an...
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