During its heyday, Lionel trains are famous worldwide for its attention to detail and quality workmanship. Still are: Hogwart's Express for fans of Harry Potter to the Polar Express or simple Pennsylvania freight steam train, Lionel offers a wide range of trains that are faithful to the original, real or imaginary.

In fact, a Lionel electric train was one of the first two electric toys to be inducted into the Hall of Fame Toy (the other was the Easy Bake Oven). This was a great honor for a company that was launched in the latter part of 1900 by Joshua Lionel Cowen, an engineer with a fondness incredible skill for marketing. It was their marketing expertise that led to the phenomenon of model train collection in the early 20th century.

His idea began when devised marketing gondolas movement using a small electric motor that had developed, and when he found that people were more interested in gondolas in products carrying around who had the idea of using his electric motor toy trains. Through fabulous Christmas displays Cowen department gave time rise to a public interest in toy trains, and soon found themselves among the country's most popular toys.

Introducing Cowen of the 2 1 / 8 "width of three railroads became the standard, noting its dominance in the market for toy trains. This was known as the gauge standard, and then Lionel model trains were also made in O gauge, which was 1:48 real railroad 4ft standard 8.5 ". An innovation curious item was the O-O27 scale. The O standard makes a circle 31 inches in diameter where the curved come together, while the O27 only 27 ". The O27 was OK running in O gauge, but not vice versa, because the 27 "curve was too sharp for regular scale trains O.

After Lionel golden decade covering 1946 to 56, the company denied that a growing number of people who went to the smaller HO scale (which they joined Lionel a) and the interests of the children changed their toy trains toy cars. This was expected since the age of the car had arrived, and although the car had existed for many decades, only now that the number of models that have proliferated to the extent that manufacturers of toys considered worthwhile to produce them. Toy Cars were less costly to parents who trains the necessary rolling stock and tracks to go with them.

The company was sold to a company known as General Mills, who directed since 1969, but never touched the heights of previous years. Then in 1986 he became a Lionel collector Richard Kughn, and became known as Lionel Trains. Quality, but quickly rose again in 1995 the company was sold to a consortium known as Spring Associates LLC. One of the investors was Neil Young, who was an enthusiastic model train and a rock musician. The company now trades under the name of Lionel LLC, but will always be known by fans as Lionel Toy Trains.

Original vintage Lionel trains can be identified from the couplings. Before the Second World War, links Lionel seemed hooks, while after war, there were two types of coupling: the couplings of the series and the latest Scout PEG couplers. The series Scout with entry-level G-series links so that do not open. The most advanced links have pins that can be pulled at the bottom to open.

Post-war also saw the introduction of the hooves electric. The first version, immediately after the war, was operated by two additional lanes on each side of the middle lane. Each truck is in contact these shoes using contact rails, and when a change occurs power operates a solenoid in the coupler. The guy later participate in an induction coil in the center the third lane of reacting with a corresponding coil on the truck to supply electricity to the coupling. This was better than the first version since there were no shoes Contact points for switch hooked.

The Lionel toy trains are usually the hallmark of four numbers, identifying each element. These can be found either below or beside each car and the locomotive. Original Lionel trains sell below $ 100 to over $ 1,000, to ensure that the seal is there when you buy one and check the coupler because it can give a rough indication of their age.

The company now operates in Ohio, and the new 2009 catalog offers many new features, including the New York Metro Transit set, Dewitt Clinton and Heritage steam passenger set, and there a large number of new rolling stock. Lionel toy trains are still alive and kicking, and the new catalog shows that it has lost its taste for innovation.

Oscar Salcedo writes on a variety of subjects. To learn more about how to start collecting Model trains visit Lionel Model Trains

Lionel Model Trains History

Sideshow Collectibles at New York Toy Fair 2007