Project Roar Publishing

06/09/2026

Seeing the Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 in person is an incredible experience, but sharing it with my grandson made it truly special. As you can tell by his Thomas hat, he already loves trains! 🚂

At Project Roar Publishing we spend a lot of time documenting history, but it is just as important to pass this hobby down to the next generation of collectors. Trains are the perfect way to get kids away from screens and engage all their senses. Between the sheer size of the engine and having trains 360 degrees around us, he was on sensory overload but loved every minute of it.

Union Pacific did an awesome job hosting this tour and keeping steam history alive.

Who else got the chance to see the Big Boy on its tour?

06/09/2026

Stuck on what to get your dad, husband, or grandpa this Father’s Day? 🎁

If he loves history, pop culture, or trains, he will lose himself in "Lights, Camera, Lionel Trains!" It's a 12-time award-winning book packed with rare photos, mid-century ads, and pure nostalgia.

Father’s Day Sale—Save 20% at the Project Roar bookstore! Sale ends June 20th.

Shop the sale here: https://www.projectroar.com/books

👉 Order by 6/14 for delivery by Father's Day!

(Orders placed after 6/14 may arrive after the holiday).

Give him a gift he'll actually read and cherish—trust us, he has enough ties, socks, and cologne. 😅

05/02/2026

Our friend Vincent Frustaci just restocked our books over in the NY Electric Trains Live Sales Facebook group!

If you are looking to grab a copy of Inside The Lionel Trains Fun Factory or our Authoritative Guides, he has copies ready to ship today.

If you aren't a member of his group yet, just search for "NY Electric Trains Live Sales" up in the Facebook search bar, join the group, and scroll down to find his post to claim your copies before they sell out!

04/27/2026

Confessions of a Box Addict! 📦🚂

I have a confession to make... I have a serious addiction to 60+ year-old Lionel boxes that still look brand new! 📦🚂 …or are rare and seldom seen!

Honestly, when the cardboard is this crisp and the colors are this bright, it almost doesn’t even matter to me what’s actually inside them! I know it's a sickness, but it’s one that I will never cure. 😂. Luckily these boxes also had pieces in them that matched the condition.

These are my finds from York this week. Needless to say, it was an incredibly productive show!

John W. Schmid, Project Roar Publishing

04/23/2026

Hello from the TCA York Train Show in York, PA 🚂

We are officially set up and ready to go! Stop by our booth in the Orange Hall (Row J, Tables 8, 9, & 10) to talk trains, chat about Lionel history, and show us your latest finds.

Whether you need our award-winning reference guides to hunt for variations or want to check out our newest release, Lights, Camera, Lionel Trains!, we’d love to see you.

We’ve got something for the serious researcher and the casual historian alike.

Come say hi and let’s talk trains!

— John W. Schmid, Project Roar Publishing

03/21/2026

“Life is like a box of Lionel Postwar 6464s... you never know what you’re gonna find!" 🍫🚂

I always love seeing your weekend train finds, so here is my latest haul. I picked up this bin of common, well-loved cars purely for research!

I’m doing a deep dive into the Lionel 6464 series with Joe Algozzini and Manny Piazza. To document every microscopic manufacturing variation, you literally have to look at everything.

These might be standard runner-condition cars, but having them in hand to verify the data is absolute gold to us. The tiny details in this hobby never truly end!

What did you find this weekend? Let’s see your hauls below! 👇

03/20/2026

Hanging out with my train buddies at our weekly get-together tonight and had to snap a few pictures! 📸🚂

It makes me so incredibly happy to look around the workbenches and see copies of our Project Roar guides looking so well-loved. Knowing that the community truly sees the value in these books and uses them as go-to reference tools is the best feeling in the world.

Thank you for making us a trusted part of your hobby! Let’s see your well-loved copies in the comments! 👇📖

12/27/2025

And here is the star of the show! 🌟 As mentioned in my last post, this is the Lionel Thomas the Tank Engine set running on the layout.

My one-year-old grandson absolutely loved the Bluetooth control. It’s amazing to see the joy these trains bring to a new generation. “Playing” with the trains with him was the highlight of my Christmas. 🚂❤️

12/26/2025

12/26/2025

Finally nailed the point-to-point layout around the tree this year! 🎄🚂

It took some engineering with Lionel Wye switches and mixing lighted and gray FasTrack to get the curves just right, but it was worth it. The larger loops meant I could run a massive 9-car Polar Express consist along with a Christmas Vacation boxcar!

The real highlight, though, was my one-year-old grandson. He was absolutely mesmerized by the Bluetooth Thomas set and wanted to "help" run the "choo choos" constantly. It was a challenge keeping everything on the tracks with his “assistance”, but seeing his excitement was the best part.

Lionel truly brings generations together. ❤️