Lionel Trains - Flash Back Friday
With the holidays approaching fast, (at least it feels fast around here!) one of the iconic toys of the season is a toy train. And who else do you think of when you think of toy trains? Lionel of course!
Some history on Lionel from Wikipedia:
Initially, the company specialized in electrical novelties, such as fans and lighting devices.
Lionel's first train, the Electric Express, was not intended for sale to consumers, but rather, as a storefront display. Delivered in 1901, it ran on a brass track and was powered by a battery and a motor Cowen originally intended to use in an electric fan. Cowen hoped to use the public's fascination with railroads and electricity to capture the public's attention and direct it to the goods for sale. Members of the public started approaching store owners about buying the trains instead, prompting Lionel to begin making toy trains for the general public. Lionel ended up selling 12 examples of the Electric Express.
Lionel's earliest trains were larger than the sizes commonly available today, running on two-rail track with the rails 2 7/8 inches apart. In 1906, Lionel began offering a three-rail track that simplified wiring of reverse loops and accessories. Its outer rails were 2 1/8 inches apart, which did not match any of the existing standards that other manufacturers had been using since 1891. Whether this was an accidental misreading of Märklin's Gauge 2 specifications or an intentional incompatibility is unclear, but Lionel named this non-standard track Standard Gauge, and then trademarked the name. When other U.S. companies began using Lionel's standard, they usually called it Wide gauge. Starting in 1915, Lionel followed most of its U.S. competitors and adopted the smaller O gauge standard for its budget-level trains.
By the end of World War I, Lionel was one of three major U.S. manufacturers of toy trains, and it grew rapidly due to shrewd marketing. Cowen began getting department stores to incorporate his toy trains as part of their Christmas tree displays, linking toy trains to Christmas and making them into popular Christmas presents. Lionel made its trains larger than anyone else, making them appear to be better values. When competitors criticized the realism of Lionel's trains--Cowen had been unwilling to invest in the equipment necessary for lithography, so its early offerings were simply painted with solid colors of enamel paint with brass detail parts--Lionel targeted advertising at children, telling children its products were the most realistic toy trains. Additionally, Lionel criticized the durability of competitors' products in ads targeted at parents"
Although the Lionel name might be the most recognizable, did you know that they were not the first to patent an electric toy train? that's right! Check out this piece of trivia: "An American, Murray Bacon, patented the first electric toy train in 1884 -- NOT Lionel." (From the Antique Train Site)
You can read more about the Lionel Story here, at the Lionel Train History Page.
Our top selling Lionel Train is the Polar Express O Gage Train from the movie of the same name. You can see more about this Holiday train here.
Enjoy your weekend!
--Laura McMullan
edh on October 18, 2009 at 01:37 PM
"And who else do you think of when you think of toy trains? Lionel of course!"
And Neil Young.
"Lionel changed hands again in 1995, when Kughn sold controlling interest in the company to an investment group that included rock star Neil Young and the holding company Wellspring Capital Management, which was headed by former Paramount Communications chairman Martin Davis (he had left the board of Viacom, which bought Paramount the previous year). The new company became known as Lionel LLC. The company continued marketing reproductions of its vintage equipment, and the trend towards producing new equipment that was ever-more-detailed (with a correspondingly higher price) continued.
"Additionally, Young, who at that time had a 20% stake in the company, helped finance the development of Trainmaster Command Control, a technology similar to Digital Command Control which permits, among other things, the operation of Lionel trains by remote control. In order to proliferate this standard, Lionel has licensed it to several of its competitors, including K-Line. This technology was the brainchild of Neil Young."
TubbyHubby on October 18, 2009 at 03:03 PM
Waiting for my child to get out of the latest Disney movie several years ago, I met a nice retired pharmacist who was also waiting for his child. Some six years earlier, he and his partner had decided to expand their business. There was a store front in Detroit that fit the bill nicely. They would have jumped at the opportunity for the building - but were a little reluctant to seal the deal because it was a package. Take the abandoned building and the warehouse that also had no owner since the passing of the heirless previous owner. They finally took the deal. And discovered, while cleaning the warehouse, an entire aisle of unopened vintage Lionel trains. Hence the early retirement.
Ray Rakubian on October 18, 2009 at 06:49 PM
Any outfit that can be run by Neil Toung AND Roy Cohn(JLC's nephew, who did a lousy job) must have somethin' going for it
TubbyHubby, they didn't buy CarRail, did they?
http://www.toytrainrevue.com/stout.htm
a big problem in the hobby is the aging of the prime demographic & the lack of interest by Gen Y & Millenials(no, "Thomas" & those little wooden jobbies don't count)
comatus on October 18, 2009 at 07:33 PM
Marx trains looked better, coupled better, smoked better, and ran forever. Many gimmicks and innovations credited to Lionel--especially during the "Cold War train" era--were done first by Marx. Louis Marx, "The Toy King," was an American success story to make the Cowan tragedy look as dysfunctional as it really was. Plus, we're all Marxists now!
chuckb on October 19, 2009 at 06:13 AM
I got my first Lionel train set for Christmas in 1959. My father and I set it up in the living room and I played with it all morning. Then my mother called us into the kitchen for lunch. I left the train running because I thought it was so cool. About fifteen minutes into lunch my mother ask if anyone smelled something burning. My father said he did and we all went looking for the source. It was the transformer that I had left on. It was burning its way through the rug.
Man, I loved that train set.
kevina on October 19, 2009 at 03:05 PM
I bought the Polar Express train for my kids last Christmas. Man did it bring back memories. I can’t tell how much fun it was watching my kid’s amazement at the working whistle and smoke stack, just like I was amazed some thirty plus years ago with my first Lionel. The train is now just as essential for the holidays as a Christmas tree at our house! Only drawback is the price, but if you can afford one, get it! Your children will love it (and so will you once they go to bed!).
change management on October 23, 2009 at 05:34 AM
Thank you for another great post. I look forward to many more entries with many interesting reviews.
polar express train set on September 16, 2010 at 07:46 AM
When you have kids, I think this train set is really an essential part of the holidays. My kids are just amazed watching the train rumble along the track and I also love how we have created a new tradition in our house with the polar express train. It just wouldnt be the holidays without this train.
carpet cleaners medford or on February 21, 2011 at 05:03 PM
Kids loved toys. This train would really make kids surprised especially when it moving along to its track. Your product is really new to the eyes of the kids. They would love it!