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I spent 28 years wrenching on CTA cars at the Skokie Shops, so when I tell you that understanding your rolling stock matters, I'm not just blowing smoke. Whether you're moving passengers on the L or coal on a model railroad, the fundamentals stay the same: know your equipment, respect the standards, …

I spent 28 years fixing CTA rail cars at the Skokie Shops, and if there's one thing that career taught me, it's how to spot quality machinery and how to sniff out junk. My dad ran Lionel trains around our Christmas tree in Cicero when I was a kid, and I've been buying, running, and fixing model loco …

Look, I spent 28 years fixing things at the CTA's Skokie Shops. I know what it's like to stare at a pile of parts and wonder where to even start. Building your first HO scale structure kit can feel the same way, except nobody's going to fire you if you glue something backwards. Here's what I wish s …

I've watched this debate rage in hobby shops and online forums for forty years, and I'm going to tell you something that might tick off the purists: there's no wrong answer here. HO scale and N scale are both legitimate choices, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.But that doesn' …

Tony Marchetti grew up in Cicero, Illinois, watching his dad run Lionel trains around the Christmas tree, and he's been hooked on O gauge ever since. He spent 28 years working for the CTA-mostly as a car maintainer at the Skokie Shops-before taking early retirement in 2021. His basement layout runs …