philips949's Full Review: Classic Toy Trains Magazine
Overview:
I have been collecting trains for many years and as such subscribe to Classic Toy Trains(CTT). The magazine focuses on S, O, O-27 and Standard gauge trains but does have information on other types as well as well. The focus is clearly on Lionel, K-Line, and MTH trains as these are considered the big three of toy trains. If you are into scale trains such as HO, N, G or others I would try some other magazines offered by the same publisher.
CTT is published by Kalmbach Publishing who is clearly the industry leader in Toy Train Publishing. They are well known for the Greenberg toy train price guides and the incredibly detailed Greenberg Price Guides.
This magazine is excellent for all levels of knowledge in the hobby. Articles are easy to understand. Complex topics are thorough, accurate, and easy to read.
Price
Subscription List prices:
$39.95 for 1 year
$74.95 for 2 years
$106.95 for 3 years
Old issues can easily be re-sold for $1.00 each at train shows if you decide not to keep them. You get 9 issues a year. I really wish you could get 12 issues but the train hobby is somewhat seasonal. So you can get something back after you read your copy. If you are like me you will read each issue several times but keeping every issue takes up space and I rarely dig back into the stack. I would rather sell off my old issues and use the money to but more trains.
General comments:
The material in CTT is covers a lot of areas of interest to the collector of toy trains. The honest reviews of products include detail information about performance, construction, and appearance. CTT often compares new products to older/vintage trains of similar type. Most of the time they will compare features, performance, and quality of at least 2 new products then use a vintage item in the comparison as well. Great articles about special collections or layouts and the usual how to type of stuff common in any hobby periodical. There are some nice "how to" articles for layout construction, operation, and common repairs.
Structure or common types of articles:
Product & hobby news
Releases
Reviews
Layouts & collections
Improve your layout
Collectible toy trains
Restoration & repair
Basics of toy trains
Resources
Forums
Schedule of events
Associations/clubs
Historical societies
Find a hobby shop
Train-watching hot spots
Photos, audio, & video
Tourist railroads/museums
Classified ads
I also use the ads as reference material for pricing. If you visit train shows you will see collectors with lists of missing issues looking to fill any gaps. The quantity and quality of adds in CTT is just right. Ads are an essential part of collecting trains. The advertisers are carefully selected. CTT will not just publish any add. Readers can be confident that ad information is correct(very important when buying antique trains). Dealers who are not reputable have their ads pulled in the past. Reputation is everything in this hobby and a subscription to CTT connects you to the right sources.
The articles are well written for all levels of skill and usually quite interesting. Articles often include stories about those who are major contributors to the industry, history, how to, great collectors/collections, and layouts. I often read each issue over several times finding something I might have missed on the first pass.
Photography is superb as well. Photos of layouts and trains themselves are clear and colorful. This is a key element of this magazine.
Final comments
Great fun to read and look at photos. It will stir memories for many older readers who had trains before 1970. I will also interest new collectors and operators as the Toy Train industry is still going strong. Even if you are not a train enthusiast you might enjoy picking up a copy to read. I left a few copies at my barber and when I went back 4 weeks later for a trim the CTT magazines were on top of the pile and heavily worn a testament to their appeal.
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Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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