Toy trains Archives

Scale vs gauge: Not quite interchangeable

Dave Farquhar model railroading, Toy trains August 18, 2017March 3, 20221:64 scale, 1950s, 1960s, 1980s, 1990s, american flyer, HO, ho scale, lionel, Lionel 675, n scale, o gauge, o scale, s scale, Standard Gauge

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.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He has written professionally about computers since 1991, so he was writing about retro computers when they were still new. He has been working in IT professionally since 1994 and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He holds Security+ and CISSP certifications. Today he blogs five times a week, mostly about retro computers and retro gaming covering the time period from 1975 to 2000.

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Why do Lionel trains have three rails?

Dave Farquhar Toy trains August 10, 2017August 5, 20171950s, 1960s, american flyer, electric trains, lionel, Louis Marx, marx, o gauge, Quaker Oats, Standard Gauge

Why do Lionel trains have three rails? After all, real trains usually have two. This unrealistic feature is a legitimate drawback for Lionel and other makes of O gauge trains, but the decision made sense at the time.

Dave Farquhar

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A Lionel e-unit wiring diagram

Dave Farquhar Toy trains July 13, 2017July 8, 2017e-unit, lionel

Lionel’s e-unit is the most common cause of trouble in vintage Lionel trains. Sometimes people bypass them or remove them entirely to avoid dealing with the problem. Or maybe someone attempted a repair in the past and you just bought the remnants. If someone did that and now you want to replace or rewire it, you need a Lionel e-unit wiring diagram.

You found one.

Dave Farquhar

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Wiring a Lionel LW transformer

Dave Farquhar Toy trains June 2, 2017August 1, 2017american flyer, amps, KW, lionel, LW, marx, red wire

When it comes to wiring a Lionel LW transformer, there’s more to consider than just which posts to use. The size of the wires also matters. If you derail a train, 5.5 amps of power can run through the wire for 10-15 seconds before the circuit breaker kicks in. An LW has enough power to melt wire and make it smoke or even catch fire.

Proper wiring for the LW transformer is a bit of a safety issue. It’s not just about preventing voltage drop to keep your train running smoothly. A smooth running train is nice, but safety is a must.

Dave Farquhar

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Wire a Marx Girard station

Dave Farquhar Toy trains May 26, 2017May 19, 2022hardware store, marx, tin

Marx made several variants of its Girard station. One was just a tin building. The better one had lights. The best one had lights and a train whistle. Here’s how to wire a Marx Girard station with both lights and the whistle. This works on the Oak Park station too.

I wire it a little bit differently than Marx did in its instructions. Marx’s way works, but can cause the light to dim when you push the whistle button. My way doesn’t dim the lights.

Dave Farquhar

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Wiring a Lionel KW transformer

Dave Farquhar Toy trains May 4, 2017August 1, 2017american flyer, amps, KW, lionel, marx, red wire

When it comes to wiring a Lionel KW transformer, there’s more to consider than just which posts to use. The size of the wires also matters. If you derail a train 8 amps of power can run through the wire for 10-15 seconds before the circuit breaker kicks in. You don’t want the insulation to melt and catch fire.

Proper wiring for the KW transformer is a bit of a safety issue.

Dave Farquhar

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The copper piece on a locomotive

Dave Farquhar Toy trains April 5, 2017April 9, 2017american flyer, ives, lionel, marx, toy train, train show

I get a lot of inquiries about “the copper piece on a locomotive.” They mean a toy train locomotive. Depending on the make of the train, there may be one copper piece on the motor, or there may be two.

Here’s what those pieces are called, how to find them, and how to care for them.

Dave Farquhar

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Marx William Crooks locomotive

Dave Farquhar Toy trains April 4, 2017March 14, 20241950s, Classic Toy Trains, electric trains, greenberg, marx, marx trains, sears, tin

In 1959, Marx attempted to cash in on the popularity of TV westerns by creating an 1860s style locomotive. Today, the Marx William Crooks locomotive is one of the rarer and more desirable Marx locomotives. You don’t often hear the words “rare” and “Marx” together.

The Marx locomotive was a recognizable model of the real William Crooks locomotive, a St. Paul and Pacific 1861-era engine that still exists today.

Dave Farquhar

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Make a 3/16 scale Marx ore car

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 28, 2017August 1, 20171940s, american flyer, lionel, marx, NYC, Spare Parts

Marx fans often complain Marx didn’t make quite enough variety in its 3/16 scale line. Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to get a bit more variety out of it by making a 3/16 scale Marx ore car. And you can do it all with original Marx parts.

Dave Farquhar

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American Flyer 1275 circuit breaker instructions

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 24, 2017April 9, 2017american flyer, lionel, marx

In spite of being older and rarer than the Lionel 92 circuit breaker, the American Flyer 1275 circuit breaker usually sells for less. It performs essentially the same function and is easy to adjust.

Here’s how to hook it up.

Dave Farquhar

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The Silicon Underground

Toy trains

Scale vs gauge: Not quite interchangeable

Why do Lionel trains have three rails?

A Lionel e-unit wiring diagram

Wiring a Lionel LW transformer

Read more

Wire a Marx Girard station

Wiring a Lionel KW transformer

Read more

The copper piece on a locomotive

Marx William Crooks locomotive

Make a 3/16 scale Marx ore car

American Flyer 1275 circuit breaker instructions