Classic Toy Trains is a magazine that provides information, tips, advice and inspiration for collectors of old-time model toy trains produced by the craftspeople of companies like Lionel, Märklin and Hornby.

You can subscribe to this publication in order to obtain updated information for serious collectors and enthusiasts of all kinds who love vintage toys.

Miniature trains have been around since the end of the nineteenth century; these are manufactured in various countries with a tradition of precision engineering and modelling, like Germany, the UK, Japan and the United States.

These have always been costly toys, but over time they became somewhat more affordable for the average citizen.Before WWII, the scale used more commonly was 1:32, known also as I-scale.

This is a good scale which allows for a lot of precise detailing of each model; however, they tend to be really expensive and in order to form a collection or build a layout railroad at home, a lot of space is needed.

After the war, smaller scales became popular, like HO, N and Z; these finally allowed most people - especially in Europe - to build small layouts at home. In more recent times even train simulators that run in PCs have appeared in the market, but they are still being frowned upon by many model railroaders; perhaps more time will be needed in this department.

The advantage of train simulators is their low cost, allowing anyone to simulate full railroad operations, but there is no craftsmanship involved, other than programming.

Model railroading is now part of our culture; miniature trains are not just toys but collector's items, and they can even be considered as investment assets.

Companies that produce them generally present from time to time special limited editions of their products; over time these acquire a value much higher than when originally sold, and in this way they make their products more attractive in a financial sense.

But these manufacturers also produce special editions which are limited geographically: some German manufacturers sell very unique models that never appear in their commercial catalogues just in the city where they have their address, and a few surrounding it.

In Munich, Augsburg, Ingolstadt, etc. you can find many of these models due to the presence of a couple of well-renowned toy train manufacturers.

So, if you want to know what happens in this miniature world, you will have to read these magazines, or travel a lot around.

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