Toy Trains was a fine magazine that covered tinplate to a "T"! The other model magazine, RMC, in my opinion always topped "That Other" model RR magazine. If wishes were peanuts, I'd be a goober patch, and White River would revive Toy Trains! They do a real good job covering the classic HO market with HO Collector. Like many Senior Citizen model railroaders, I switched from tinplate (O27) to HO in my teen years, however, Lionel Lines remained in my heart.
My late best friend (RIP Robert, 4-22-2006) stored his O gauge in favor of HO, ironically making the change about the same time I did (1960). I didn't meet Robert until my stepdad moved us from TX back to FL, the second time in 1961. When I joined the USATC in August 64, I predented my HO to Robert with all my blessings.
I collected some HO after returning from duty in Germany in the lates 60s, only to discover O scale again when I purchased my first copy of O Gauge Railroading off the magazine rack at Hall's Hobby House in Dallas. I well remember when OGR featured Atlas when they entered the O scale market in the 70s with their two rail program. I have a hunch a lot of HO modelers (former 3-rail O gaugers) made the conversion back to O, albeit with Atlas, instead of rediscovering the Lionel and Marx trains they had played with in their pre-teen days.
