For more than a quarter of a century, Classic Trains was one of the leading publications devoted to the history of North American railroading. First published in 2000 as a quarterly spin-off from Trains magazine, it specialised in the steam era, the early diesel years, famous passenger trains, fallen-flag railroads, and the photographers who documented them. Its pages combined first-hand accounts, historical research and high-quality photography, making it an invaluable resource for railway historians, modellers and enthusiasts alike.
In March 2026, publisher Firecrown Media announced that Classic Trains would cease publication as a standalone magazine after 26 years. Future coverage of railroad history would instead be incorporated into the monthly Trains magazine, bringing the title’s run to a close with the Spring 2026 issue.
Correct as of 06/06/26.
| Season | Year | Vol. | No. | Collection | Articles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 1999 | – | – |  | … |
| Spring | 2000 | 1 | 1 |  | … |
| Summer | 2000 | 1 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2000 | 1 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2000 | 1 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2001 | 2 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2001 | 2 | 2 | (02.11.20) | … |
| Fall | 2001 | 2 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2001 | 2 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2002 | 3 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2002 | 3 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2002 | 3 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2002 | 3 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2003 | 4 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2003 | 4 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2003 | 4 | 3 | | Ball Signals Of Vermont by Jim Shaughnessy. |
| Winter | 2003 | 4 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2004 | 5 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2004 | 5 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2004 | 5 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2004 | 5 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2005 | 6 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2005 | 6 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2005 | 6 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2005 | 6 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2006 | 7 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2006 | 7 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2006 | 7 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2006 | 7 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2007 | 8 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2007 | 8 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2007 | 8 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2007 | 8 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2008 | 9 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2008 | 9 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2008 | 9 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2008 | 9 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2009 | 10 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2009 | 10 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2009 | 10 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2009 | 10 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2010 | 11 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2010 | 11 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2010 | 11 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2010 | 11 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2011 | 12 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2011 | 12 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2011 | 12 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2011 | 12 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2012 | 13 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2012 | 13 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2012 | 13 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2012 | 13 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2013 | 14 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2013 | 14 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2013 | 14 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2013 | 14 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2014 | 15 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2014 | 15 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2014 | 15 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2014 | 15 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2015 | 16 | 1 | | F Units, T to 9 by Preston Cook |
| Summer | 2015 | 16 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2015 | 16 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2015 | 16 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2016 | 17 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2016 | 17 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2016 | 17 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2016 | 17 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2017 | 18 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2017 | 18 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2017 | 18 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2017 | 18 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2018 | 19 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2018 | 19 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2018 | 19 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2018 | 19 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2019 | 20 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2019 | 20 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2019 | 20 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2019 | 20 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2020 | 21 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2020 | 21 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2020 | 21 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2020 | 21 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2021 | 22 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2021 | 22 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2021 | 22 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2021 | 22 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2022 | 23 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2022 | 23 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2022 | 23 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2022 | 23 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2023 | 24 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2023 | 24 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2023 | 24 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2023 | 24 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2024 | 25 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2024 | 25 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2024 | 25 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2024 | 25 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2025 | 26 | 1 | | … |
| Summer | 2025 | 26 | 2 | | … |
| Fall | 2025 | 26 | 3 | | … |
| Winter | 2025 | 26 | 4 | | … |
| Spring | 2026 | 27 | 1 | | … |
Classic Trains Special Editions
| No. | Year | Title | Collection | Articles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 2007 | Steam Glory 2 | 02.11.20 | ||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 | 2009 | Fast Trains In The Golden Years Of Railroading | | |
| 8 | 2011 | In Search Of Steam Volume III:1955 | | |
| 9 | Working On The Railroad | |||
| 10 | 2011 | Fantastic 4-8-4 Locomotives | | |
| 11 | 2012 | Steam Glory 3 | | |
| 12 | ||||
| 13 | ||||
| 14 | 2014 | Trains Of The 1960s | | |
| 15 | 2014 | Trains Of The 1940s | ||
| 16 | Trains Of The 1970s | |||
| 17 | More Trains Of The 1950s | |||
| 18 | 2016 | Great Trains West | | |
| 19 | 2016 | Great Trains East | | |
| 20 | Great Trains Heartlands | |||
| 21 | Great Trains Freight? | |||
| 22 | 2018 | Steam’s Lost Empire | | |
| 23 | 2018 | Mountain Railroads | | |
| Trains Go To War | ||||
| Great Train Stations | ||||
| More Trains Of The 1940s |
Collection
Wanted For Sale/Exchange