Classic Toy Trains May 2002

COMMAND CONTROL BASICS. Toy train operation has entered the digital age. In user-friendly terms, CTT editor Neil Besougloff explains the basics of digital command control, Lionel's TrainMaster Command Control system, and what you need to bring your layout into the 21st century.

POSTWAR LIONEL OPERATING BOXCARS. Top toy train collector Joe Algozzini of Munster, Ind., examines Lionel's popular postwar line of operating boxcars.

VISIT A WELL-DETAILED O GAUGE LAYOUT. CTT staff member Jim Riccioli travels to Highland Park, Ill., to visit Bob Porges and his hi-rail layout created by Florida professional builder Michael Hart. You won't want to miss the detailed scenes on this O gauge pike, nearly all of them snapshots of the lives of the layout's owner and his wife.

CARLISLE & FINCH PREWAR LAYOUT. Carlisle who? Carlisle & Finch was a big player among the electric toy train fraternity a century ago. Stuart Shuster of Birmingham, Mich., has built what some might think impossible: an operating Carlisle & Finch prewar layout.