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Collectors Weekly

Model railroad trains first became popular when department store owners incorporated them into their Christmas window displays in the 1920s, and they've been a fixture of childhood and beyond ever since. Today model railroading is an extremely popular hobby, with both collectors and modelers who focus on every imaginable aspect of railroad history and operations.

Model trains have been available since the beginning of the railroads, but they weren’t considered a hobby until the 1880s and boomed in popularity in the 1930s.

Vintage model train collectors and hobbyists tend to specialize by scale or gauge (O scale, HO scale, N scale, Z scale, G scale), by type (brass, tinplate, steam, etc.), or by manufacturer (Lionel, American Flyer, Marx, Märklin). Until the National Model Railroad Association was formed in 1935, there were no standard gauges and a train from one manufacturer wouldn’t necessarily run on a track from another. The NMRA developed the standardized gauge system that is still in place today...

O scale model trains, built to a 1:43, 1:45, or 1:48 scale reached a height of popularity before World War II. True O scale trains ran on a two-rail track and were built to scale. Companies like Lionel and American Flyer made O gauge trains, but these ran on a three-rail track and are not as collectible as O scale.

HO scale model trains were introduced in the 1930s and became popular in the 1950s. HO, short for "Half O," is scaled to a 1:87 size and has the widest available range of rolling stock and accessories of all model railroad scales. Most HO scale trains run on a two rail track.

N scale is built to a 1:160 scale, much smaller than O and HO. First introduced in the 1960s, N scale model railroads are in demand because they don't require a lot of space to set up a layout. An even smaller scale, Z scale (built at a scale of 1:220), was first introduced in Germany in 1972 and became common in the U.S. shortly after.

G scale trains are the largest model trains and can be used for either indoor or outdoor (aka 'garden') model railroads. G scale trains, built at a scale of 1:22.5, are the largest electrically-powered model trains.

HO scale trains are currently the most sought-after, although O scale was most popular in the 1930s and '40s.

The earliest model trains were mostly made of tinplate. Tin trains, which were cheap and efficient, were produced until shortly after World War II, when other materials took the lead. After WWII, soldiers returned to the U.S. with brass model trains from Japan, sparking an interest in brass railroad sets. Although still made today, the most collectible brass model trains are those produced in Japan up through the 1970s.

Until the 1950s, steam locomotive models were more popular than diesel, and they continue to be desirable among collectors today. Steam model trains are categorized by wheel configuration and railroad name.

Some people tend to collect more by the railroad than the manufacturer, even creating railroad layouts that are historically accurate. Some of the most popular railroads to collect and recreate are the Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central, Chicago and North Western, Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Santa Fe, and Great Northern.

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Top eBay Auctions

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Marklin Ho Ccs 800 Crocodil Vintage With Box And Paper.Large N Scale Custom Layout Two Train Operation6464-300 Lionel Rutland (type Ii)New(10) Condition Lionel Sears Set No. 9655 C&o Space & Military From 1962Southern Pacific 1949 Shasta Daylight Ten (10) Car Passenger Car SetBrass O Precision Rio Grande L-76 2-6-6-2 F/p No Reserve New Lionel Trains Engines,locomotives Cars,buildings In Original BoxesLionel Bsa 2010 Boy Scouts Legacy Engine Es44ac + CabooseMarklin St 800 Train-set 5-piece Ac, 1954 - 55Lgb 22872Lionel 6-11218 Nyc Vision Gray Hudson 700e Steam Locomotive And Tender LegacyLionel 6-21786 Santa Fe F3 A-b-b-a And 7 Passenger Car Anniversary SetBoo Rim Erie K-5Super Rare Lionel 6464-500 Orange Timken Boxcar With "mpc/9200 End Plates" C-10!Division Point Brass Ho N&w Y6 2-8-8-2 2136 With Dcc Sound Decoder Installed Nib773 1950 Hudson Absolutely Beautiful Ln Marklin St 800 3 Piece Streamline Railcar Electric Express Train 1950sLionel Standard 400e Blue Comet Steam Locomotive Tender Three Passenger Cars SetLionel Vision Line Ethanol Tankcar Set & Matching 3-car Add-on Set 27410 & 27411 Overland Omi 6225.1 Union Pacific E-9 Executive Set Ho Factory Ptd Accucraft D7rgw K-36 2-8-2 Train Model# Al88-232New Condition Lionel No. 926 Dealer Master Carton Lube W/ship Box From 1951Aster Fulgurex Ger Live Steam Locomotive EngineLgb 22892Lgb 21812 Dampflock 2-10-2 Steam Locomotive W/sound Ex/box Overland Omi #3402.1 Brass Union Pacific Power Car #208 Ho Ptd Lionel Trains 140l Tunnel Original 1920s 1930s Standard Gauge Prewar Rare Overland Omi Iais Es44ac Road #513 Rock Island Heritage HoW&r Sp&s O-3 2-8-2 #531 Steam Locomotive Brass ModelNew(10) Condition Lionel No. 6557 Smoking Caboose From 1957Ho Brass Overland Union Pacific U-50d F/p No Reserve 1957 Original Postwar Lionel 2037-500 Girls Pink 2-6-4 Locomotive, Ln/obOriginal Lionel #409e Standard Gauge Train Set (#408e, #431, #418, #419, #490) Mth Premier 20-3127-1 Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 #4014 Pomona W/ps2 Dcs C8Lionel 6-38075 Union Pacific Big BoyLgb 27182 Christmas Mogul Steam Locomotive & Tender Ln/boxAmerican Flyer 21234 (234) C&o Chesapeake & Ohio Gp7 Gp-7 Diesel Short Step Overland Omi # 3354.2 Union Pacific 89' Wing Gondola #229586-87 Ho Ptd Lgb Trains Santa Fe Mikado Steam Locomotive Engine Loco, Sound5 Sunset Models O Scale Brass Passenger Cars Nyc StyleMth Premiere Bnsf Gs-4 Steam Engine W/tender 20-80003aS Helper Service #01786 Union Pacific #1 2-8-0 Dcc Sound Code 110 Steam EngineHo Brass Overland Santa Fe Mk1200g F/p No Reserve Mth 1/32 Scale / Gauge1 Railking 4-6- J3a Hudson Steam Engine Wt Proto-sound 2.0Original Lionel Service Station Tool No. St350 Rivet Press/block/rivet & Cup SetMth Trains - Ep-b3 Electric Locomotive New Haven Brand New W/ BoxOverland Ultra Rare Up Sd 70 M 4747 And 4637 And Up Ca- 9 Caboose 25669Ho Scale Intermountain Cn Sd40-2w And Other Locomotive BrandsLionel Prewar 700e Scale Hudson Display Board W/t-rail Track/boxOverland Models/ajin Up 7002 Streamlined 4-8-2 "forty-niner", New In Box, SuperbBuddy L Outdoor Railroad Steam Shovel - Original, Not Reproduction - 1928-1930Sn3 Colorado & Southern Pbl B4f Foreground Model 2-8-0 # 75Lionel Postwar 746 N&w Steam Locomotive W/746w Short Stripe Tender In ObLionel Norfolk Southern Dash 9 Tank-train Set Nib!Precision Scale Ho Brass Milwaukee Road F-6 Hudson 4-6-4 Steam LocomotiveHlw Walt Disney Carolwood Pacific Lilly Belle Train Disneyland / World Lgb ScaleLionel 6517-75 Erie Caboose W/ob (rare) 1966 Mint31021 Marklin Ho Unique Steam Loco Train Set Stuttgart Station - Limited 2000 PcMccoy Cascade E-2 W O/b Black / Yellow Mth Premier 20-2452-1 Illinois Central E-6 Aba Diesel Engine Set; New In Box!

Recent News: Model Trains

Source: Google News

Model Train Show an annual tradition for 24 years 0
Midland Free Press, May 23rd

GISELE WINTON SARVIS The Free Press. Thursday, May 23, 2013 12:18:15 EDT PM. This Midland District Railroad Club layout will be on display at Saturday and Sunday's 24th annual Model Train Show at the North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre...Read more

Clarksburg Model Railroad
Exponent-telegram, May 16th

Clarksburg Model Railroad. Thursday, May 16th starting at 6:30 PM. Details. Club monthly meeting, 6:30 p.m., new clubhouse in Friedlander Center, 4th and Main streets, Clarksburg. New members welcome. Gene Larosa, (304) 842-3677. cost...Read more

Frank Hornby: Meccano and model train creator celebrated in Google Doodle
Irish Independent, May 15th

Frank Hornby: Meccano and model train creator celebrated in Google Doodle. Comments. Email; Print; Font Size. Frank Hornby's 150th birthday. 15 May 2013. THE creator of Meccano and Hornby model railways has been celebrated in a Google Doodle to...Read more

Connellsville next May can declare 'All aboard' when model-railroad train ...
Tribune-Review, May 10th

On May 10, 1869, crowds gathered at Promontory Point, Utah, to watch a gold spike be hammered into a steel track, completing America's first transcontinental railroad. The 2,000-mile railroad project began 150 years ago — in 1863 — in Omaha, Neb...Read more

Spirit Railroad Express model train museum opens in Marion
TriCities.com, May 10th

The train is just one of many that make up the Spirit Railroad Express model train museum in Marion. Set up under Copenhaver said she agrees, and hopes to get more in the community interested in expanding and showcasing the model train collection...Read more

RD Moses T&P Model Railroad anniversary
KETK, May 7th

Jefferson's Cypress Bayou Model Train Club operates and maintains the model railroad layout for the Jefferson Historical Society and Museum. Since its opening day May, over 2,000 visitors of al ages have enjoyed this model railroad exhibit which is...Read more

Model train show rolls through Brown County
Green Bay Press Gazette, April 28th

Roger Hildebrandt, president of the Waupaca Area Model Railroad Club, said serious hobbyists looking for deals tended to visit Saturday, and families with a general interest came on Sunday. Trains have become more computerized over the years, he said...Read more

Model train clubs being railroaded at Union Station
Denver Post, April 26th

It sounded great in 2011 when officials with the Union Station Alliance said they wanted to keep the large and elaborate model railroad displays in the basement of the building that have lit up the eyes of children of all ages for nearly 80 years. "We...Read more