Lionel Model Trains, during the time when they were at the peak, were renowned all across the world for the detail of their models and their quality of work. They are still very popular, and Lionel offers a wide range of trains very closely related to the original, such as the Hogwart’s Express much adored by fans of Harry Potter, or the Polar Express.
As a matter of fact, one of the first two electric toys selected for the National Toy Hall of Fame was a Lionel electric train. This was a title of great honor for the company, and soon other ideas were put forward for future developments. Soon, electric motors were used in toy trains, and the introduction of the 2 1/8” gauge three rail track became a standard of this toy train market, and marked its dominance in this field. This was the Standard Gauge, and subsequently Lionel model trains were also manufactured in O-gauge, which was 1:48 of the actual railroad standard. There was also the post-war introduction of electric couplers.
The company’s work declined after 1956, when its ‘golden decade’ ended, as people started taking more interest in the HO scale, and children in toy cars. The latter were also less expensive for parents to buy for their kids, as compared to toy trains.
The company was bought by General Mills in 1969, and in 1986 it passed on to Richard Kughn, a Lionel collector, and was then known as ‘Lionel Trains’. Its quality of work improved again, but in 1995 it was taken over by Wellspring Associates LLC. Currently, prices of genuine trains range from below $100 to over $1,000, and the company trades under the name Lionel LLC.
Now operating in Ohio, Lionel toy trains still retain their penchant for originality.
