- We love to run trains on our modular layout!
  
  2018 Vancouver Train Expo operating group
- We love to run CP & CN passenger trains. Like these F7 and F3 diesels !
  
  Lionel Canadian National FP4 2005, K-line Canadian Pacific F7, 2000; Lionel Legacy CN F3, 2011
- We make great trains happen!
  
  Like this CTTA custom PGE train by MTH, lead by RS-3 #561 on Brian Beard’s layout.
- We love toy trains at Christmas!
  
  Gord Hall’s Christmas display at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park, Dec 2018
- We love to have Thomas around !
  
  Lionel’s O gauge Thomas is a hit with young train lovers on our modular layout.
- We love big steam!
  
  Like this 2001 Lionel Rio Grande Challenger on Gary Zabenskie’s layout!
- We love kitbashing to prototype!
  
  Like this custom built, painted and weathered CN F7 by Dan Gory.
- We love great scenery!
  
  Like this photo mural backdrop of Earl’s farm, with Lionel Postwar WP F3s running.

Welcome to the Canadian Toy Train Association

Upcoming Events

Presented by the West Coast Railway Association, the 37th annual Western Rails Railroadiana show comes Sunday March 24 to the Cameron Rec Ctr in Burnaby.

In case you missed it ! On January 19, CTTA Members enjoyed their annual bus trip to the Great Train Show in Puyallup, WA. Check out pictures and videos of the action here!

The next CTTA Club Meeting is Sunday, March 31, 2019.

See calendar for full details of ALL events.

Calendar

Toy Train Funny

Become a Member

Join us for a club meeting if you’re close by, or become a member wherever you are. Annual dues are $20.

About Us

Discover more about our club of model railroaders, toy train collectors and operators, the things we do as friends and how we have fun with our trains!

This happy group takes a break from shopping for trains at the TCA 2018 York meet to enjoy the Horseshoe Curve National Historic Site in Altoona, PA.

New & upcoming features

NEW! A History of New York City transportation – Thanks to Skyler Marcellino of New York for this interesting feature of the trains and subways of America’s biggest city.

Toy Trains of Yesteryear – The Trains of Lionel’s Standard Gauge Era. Thanks again to member Martin Howbold for this wonderful Carstens Publication from 1964, detailing the history and offerings of Lionel Standard Gauge in the early 1900’s.

World record length Lionel Train. This excerpt from Greenberg’s Guide to Lionel Trains 1970-1991 Vol 2, describes the 13 month odyssey to set the record with a 751-car train! Thanks John Warlimont for this one.

Fun with your Model Railroad. This 1949 Postwar gem from Popular Mechanics Press is jam packed with great info still relevant today!

Coming soon: Moving Port Moody Station down the tracks.

Coming soon: Backdrops and blackdrops – how to make your trains layout look great!

Coming soon: Double up a Lionel signal bridge for dual direction lighting.

Club Car Sales

Our exclusive limited edition Club Cars are available to members and hobbyists. Check out our production history here! Not a CTTA member ? Join now.

Our latest car is now SOLD OUT. 2018 MTH Premier Line White Pass & Yukon 36′ reefer.

Lionel 2019 Big Book catalog!

This is the biggest Lionel Catalog ever! Featuring the latest and best from Lionel. Including a Canadian Pacific FA-2 passenger set, CN ore cars and CN SD70’s in S gauge.

View or download previous Lionel catalogs here.

New MTH 2019 Volume 1 Catalog!

Check out MTH’s latest, including a Rocky Mountaineer GP40 and passenger train, and an Ontario Northland GP-38-2.

View or download previous MTH catalogs here.

Club Meetings

The Canadian Toy Train Association meets on the last Sunday of the month 9 times a year, every month except Summer vacation July & August, Winter vacation in December. Meets take place in Burnaby, BC.

Doors open at 11:00 am, lunch is served at noon. Business meeting starts at 12:30, and auction starts at 1:00 pm.

View Map

Canadian Flyer Club Newsletters

NEW – Here’s the March 2019 issue!

CTTA Front Page Video

Sante Fe Railroad fun in O scale – Colorado O scale modelers. Take a ride on some fine diesel powered passenger trains led by classic warbonnet livery.

Check out more of our member’s videos and lots more toy train fun on our Videos page and YouTube channel!

Train News & Club Activities

Dec 26, 2018 - Highlights of Mark & Laura Horne open house and operating session

For those of you who missed it, or are far away - I've captured some of the fun for you. Check out lots of pictures and videos from a great Boxing Day of model train operations on Mark's amazing layout.
Dec 13, 2018 - Major blow to Bombardier - Lego wins VIA bid!

In the latest setback for Canadian manufacturer Bombardier “You’ll Get It When You Get It” Incorporated, Via Rail has awarded the $989-million contract to modernize their aging rolling stock to: Lego.
Nov 15, 2018 - Alaska tourism train in need of renovation makes stop in Bellingham

A popular Alaska tourism train has made its way down to Bellingham for some rest and rehabilitation this winter.
Sept 12, 2018 - Lionel Corporation Tinplate deal with MTH to expire in 2019.

The latest and final Lionel Corporation Tinplate catalog has been released as an online interactive flipbook on the M.T.H. website.
Oct 22, 2018 - VIA trains chronically late

Despite twice lengthening its trip length and agreeing to cut out one of its three weekly transcontinental runs next summer, VIA Rail Canada’s Canadian is routinely running hours late all across Canada due to slipshod performance by Canadian National
Oct 24, 2018 - Host of errors blamed for Vancouver Island logging train deaths

Faulty equipment and a host of mechanical errors caused the 2017 logging train derailment in Woss that killed three people and injured two, WorkSafeBC has found.
June 23, 2018 - Honey, I bought a railway!

Learn how the Friends of the Battle River Railway are pulling out all the stops and keeping a train excursion on track in central Alberta.
June 6 - CN Rail invests in BC

CN Rail announced a 340 million dollar investment in the province today. Some of that money will be spent in the North to improve existing rails between Prince Rupert and Jasper and construct new ones.
June 7 - CP Rail orders 1,000 grain cars

The Calgary-based company has placed an initial order for 1,000 cars from Hamilton-based National Steel Car and expects to order a total of about 5,900 of the grain hoppers over the next four years.
June 4 - Amtrak to replace, rebuild national network locomotive fleet

Amtrak has issued a request for proposals seeking to rebuild its current diesel fleet or purchase a minimum of 50 to 75 next-generation locomotives.
The challenge to make trains go faster

As technology advances, transport gets ever faster, and trains are no exception. But with great speed come great drawbacks.
March 24 - Wakefield Train may have life

Wakefield train plan gets thumbs up from man who kept locomotive running.
Mar 2 - New Trains for VIA

Federal budget approves new fleet of trains for Via Rail, but dedicated tracks still under study.
Dec 22 - CN to purchase 200 new locomotives from GE

CN announced on Dec 21st it will acquire 200 new locomotives over the next three years from GE Transportation to accommodate future growth opportunities and drive operational efficiency across its system.
Dec 10 - A mile in 10 seconds for world's fastest train

The Japanese Maglev train crushed its own world record by traveling at 374 miles per hour for nearly 11 seconds. Check out the train in action. Source: CNN. Hopefully it will be operational by 2027
Sept 9 - BCR 1304 Connaught car launched in Cloverdale!

The 106-year-old car is back on the tracks after thousands of hours of refurbishment. BCER 1304 is finally back to work after years of restoration by the Fraser Valley Heritage Rail Society (FVHR). Built in 1911, 1304 was a B.C. Electric Rail car that took passengers from Vancouver to Chilliwack, stopping along the way in Cloverdale, Langley and Abbotsford.
CTTA member Fred Webb retires after 58-year career tied to navy

Fred Webb retired this week after a lifetime connected to the Royal Canadian Navy. He joined up in 1959, retiring as a master seaman in 1981 -- only to take a civilian job as a deckhand with the Queen’s Harbour Master days later.
June 22 - K&S Potash ready to serve with new railcars

HAMILTON, ON – Today, K+S Potash Canada (KSPC) is pleased to accept their first domestic rail cars built by National Steel Car (NSC) in Hamilton, Ontario, the same manufacturer that produced the company’s international fleet last fall.
June 5 - Inside China’s incredible high-speed rail network

See the view from the driver cabin of China’s super-fast trains, and take a tour of the control rooms running this massive operation.
Conductor fatigue causes model train crash

After surveying the dozen railcars and cargo of Lincoln Logs strewn haphazardly across the grass mat, investigators concluded Friday that a massive model train derailment was the result of conductor fatigue.
Chung collection of CP artifacts at UBC

Kyle just checked out this fascinating collection of Canadian Pacific artifacts collected by Wallace Chung over 60 years. You should too! It's free and its at UBC.

We love to run trains on our modular layout!

We love to run CP & CN passenger trains. Like these F7 and F3 diesels !

We make great trains happen!

We love toy trains at Christmas!

We love to have Thomas around !

We love big steam!

We love kitbashing to prototype!

We love great scenery!