Lionel Pennsylvania Flyer
The popular Pennsylvania Flyer Ready-to-Run Starter Set now features an 0-8-0 locomotive. With a boxcar, searchlight car, and caboose in tow, the train travels around an oval of FasTrack, and passes a billboard and telephone poles, which are all included.
With everything you need to get started in this great hobby – trains, track, and a safe, powerful transformer – this set is guaranteed to provide you and your family with hours of fun.
Product Features
- Transformer controlled forward, neutral, and reverse operation
- Air whistle in tender
- Locomotive has operating headlight and puffing smoke unit
- Operating couplers on rolling stock and on rear of tender
- Illuminated searchlight with adjustable position<
What are people saying about the Lionel Pennsylvania Flyer O Gauge?
Awesome Train Set
The quality of this train set is outstanding. Very few things match the expectations of my childhood memories but this set did just that. I had it under the Christmas tree and it will be there for years to come.
For more information, visit Lionel Pennsylvania Flyer
Caterpillar Train Set
Caterpillar Train Set
Caterpillar Train Set by Lionel is a limited edition ready-to-run, detailed O gauge set which includes everything you need for immediate set up and run.
This Lionel set makes the perfect gift or collectible for the avid railroader.
Product Features
- Features a steam locomotive with air whistle, powerful headlight and puffing smoke
- Flat car with two Cat 977 Traxcavators
- Large 40″ x 60″ oval track
- Powerful CW-80 transformer
- Set contains tender, box car and caboose all packaged in a deluxe presentation box
What are people saying about the Caterpillar Train Set?
Loving our Lionel
“My husband and I bought this for our 4 year old son for Christmas, and he loves it. I wouldn’t recommend it for younger kids normally, but our son has experience with other Lionel trains, and knows they need to be played with carefully…We use the train with Fast Track, which is much more durable than the old metal track. The transformer works smoothly, and it has a nice whistle sound. It comes with 2 high quality die cast Cat crawler loaders to haul on a flatcar. They tie down with 2 rubber bands for each loader that are attached to the car. Overall, this train has been a great toy and investment. We hope that with continued care, our son will be able to enjoy it for many years to come, maybe with his own kids someday…”
For more information, visit Caterpillar Train Set.
Santa Fe El Capitan Set
Santa Fe El Capitan with TrainSounds
The classic FT diesel locomotive, equipped with realistic sounds from the TrainSounds sound system, hurtles down the Route of the Warbonnets.
Three streamlined passenger cars, two illuminated coaches and an illuminated observation car follow the westbound locomotive. With the CW-80 Transformer and a loop of FasTrack track, you are ready to run one of the Santa Fe’ s best known passenger trains.
Set Includes:
- FT locomotive
- Two coaches
- Observation car
- CW-80 Transformer with accessory wire
- Three straight FasTrack track sections
- Eight curved FasTrack track sections
- One straight FasTrack terminal track section
- Replacement traction tire
- Owner’s Manual
- Service Center list
- Instruction DVD
Product Features
- Transformer controlled forward, neutral, and reverse operation
- TrainSounds sound system with diesel engine revving, diesel horn, bell, squealing brakes, and operator-controlled, multi-part crew dialog
- Operating headlight
- Front operating coupler
- 40” x 60” oval of Fastrack
What are people saying about
A Reissued Classic – May Soon Be Unavailable Again
“For this train, Lionel reintroduced the classic FT Santa Fe diesel locomotive, complete with the classic “Warbonnet” paint job and the realistic sounds of Lionel’s exclusive TrainSounds sound system. Lionel includes three illuminated, streamlined passenger cars, a CW-80 Transformer, and a loop their improved FasTrack track. A how-to instructional DVD for setting this train up is also included. The sound system includes realistic sounds of the diesel engine, horn, bell, squealing brakes, and even crew conversations. Other features include operating headlight, dual motors, and engineer and fireman figures. You also receive enough track to make a 40″x60″ oval.
This is one of trains that made Lionel “the standard” for toy trains over a half-century ago, and it isn’t available very often.”
Great Classic Set
“This is a great classic set from Lionel. For the money you can’t beat what’s in the box, transformer, highly detailed cars, track, etc.. Would have loved it if they were diecast cars, but for the price, not bad. I also grabbed an Vista observation dome car which now seem real hard to find. The ‘train sounds’ are very impressive & adjustable…”
To see all reviews or get more information, visit Lionel 30001 SF El Capitan Train Set.
Lionel Polar Express Train Set
Lionel Train Polar Express Train Set
Model trains are magical and have captivated model train hobbyist for years. One of the current bestselling train sets is the Lionel Polar Express Train Set.
With beautiful craftsmanship and styling that evokes a bygone era, the Polar Express Train Set will appeal to everyone in your family. Designed for children ages eight and older, this train set is based on the Caldecott Award-winning book “Polar Express,” and the movie that followed in 2004. The gorgeous train set is relatively easy to put together, although parents will probably need to supervise. Even kids younger than eight can enjoy the Polar Express, if parents help them with it.
Product Features
- Transformer controlled forward, neutral, and reverse operation
- Locomotive has operating headlight and puffing smoke; air whistle in the tender
- Locomotive features die-cast metal locomotive body and frame, powerful maintenance-free motor, two traction tires, and separately applied metal handrails
- Operating couplers on rolling stock and on rear of tender
- Passenger cars feature interior lighting and silhouettes in windows
The Lionel Polar Express Train Set in Motion!
What are people saying about the Lionel Polar Express Train Set?
Perfect, Perfect, Perfect!
“…This was my 6 yr old son’s first “real” electric train. What a special train it is. The details are fantastic. Lionel out did themselves! The engine is sooo heavy and very well built. The passenger/observational cars were surprisingly light, but incredibly detailed, quite beautiful! Transformer is powerful, track easy to put together. The characters are to scale and he has placed in the train and they ride around sticking out the end of the cars and in the engine. Smoke stack works perfect. Everything is just great. I guess we have a train enthusiast now. He runs it every day… and is soooo proud of it. He is so careful with it and teaches all his friends all about it. Worth every penny.”
No Hype, Just Quality and Fun
“This is a solid first-quality train set that would be well worth the asking price even if it wasn’t affiliated with a popular book and movie. In fact, the locomotive is a scaled-down model of a real locomotive, a Berkshire that was used by the Pere Marquette railroad that ran near the author’s home when he was growing up. It is a lucky coincidence that the locomotive the author painted in the book is one that Lionel has been modeling since the 1950s, and all they had to do is change the “paint job” to create this fine model. In case you wondered, this is the best steam locomotive that Lionel includes in any of its train sets. The passenger cars are also based on the same class of real-world cars that the author painted for the book…”
For more reviews and additional information, visit Lionel Polar Express Train Set .
Constructing Model Train Scenery
Constructing model train scenery is a large source of joy for model train hobbyist. Making realistic landscapes is a relaxing and very creative aspect of your model railroad. Here are a few of the basics of model train scenery and tips about the first steps to building a railroad model.
The benchwork is the foundation of your railroad. Train hobbyists have two choices for benchwork: creating your own or buying a premade benchwork kit. Buying a benchwork kit has quite a few advantages. Precut and predrilled, benchwork kits are sturdier then a piece of plywood lying on two sawhorses. Kits also have the option of being easily taken apart, which makes moving them to a different area in the house or taking it to a show much simpler.
Constructing your own benchwork is more complicated and is more time consuming however, you have the opportunity to achieve your perfect image for your trains. The first step is to prepare a design for your layout.
To do this, you’ll need to figure out how large your benchwork will be. Is it likely you might be adding to it at a later? Take into account the area available for your model train display.
Next step is to decide upon the shape you want for your benchwork. There are several options including oval, square, circular or rectangular. The table legs are usually 28 inches in height, but can be adjusted to better fit your design concept.
The most important thing in benchworking is making sure that your benchwork is solid and will support the weight of your model railroad. {Keep in mind the best platform is 3/8 inch or 1/2 think plywood|The best platform is a 3/8 inch or ½ inch thick piece of plywood.}. The benchwork must be solid and have the ability to support the weight of your railroad model. If you want your benchwork to be moveable, here’s a suggestion — cut the plywood into sections prior to you build your benchwork.
Perspective is a main factor when creating your model train scenery. The relationship of the objects will make your model train scenery realistic. Try using different levels of scenery to help with this.
For example, placing larger trees in the front of the model and smaller trees to the back or on the tops of mountains will help create this illusion. When choosing the items for the scenery, remember the theme you selected for the landscape. For example, a freight train pulling into a freight yard with the city in the background would have different items than a train passing through a rural town.
There are many options for landscaping features in your model train scenery: tunnels, farm lands fields, bridges and roads. You can also feature cities or villages filled with houses and buildings. Don’t forget about the fine details of your scenery such as signs, telephone poles, fences, rocks or boulders, hedges, pedestrians and animals. It’s even possible to include ponds, rivers or waterfalls.
Building model train scenery is an art form. It takes persistence, thought and attention to detail to make a lifelike model. The imagination is the only limit to design possibilities. So enjoy constructing your model railroad and take pride in designing spectacular and realistic scenery and landscapes.
