Antique Toy Lionel Trains
We can hardly start a discussion of antique toy trains without bri9nging up the cornerstone name in the toy train industry... Lionel. So, take a look at the history of both the inventor and his toys.
The Inventor:
Joshua Lionel Cowen was an inventive guy from New York and had always been very interested in trains. When he was seven, he whittled a miniature locomotive from wood. It exploded, however, when he tried to fit it with a tiny steam engine. Joshua had never forgotten his childhood experiment. Years later, he fitted a small motor under a model of a railroad flatcar, and the electric train was born. He gave his middle name to the invention, and called his product, which at first consisted of the electric flatcar and thirty feet of track, the Lionel train. It cost six dollars.
By the 1920s Lionel was the king of the toy train world. It was during this period that Lionel produced some of their most beautiful (now antique Lionel trains) pieces. The locomotives and rolling stock were highly detailed. Ives and Flyer were also producing wonderful trains. This era is referred to as the "Golden Age of Toy Trains". Financial troubles forced the sale of Ives in 1928, and Lionel and American Flyer purchased it. The partnership was short lived, and in 1930 Lionel became the sole owner of Ives. Ives continued as a separate corporation, but was managed by Lionel. The merging of these companies resulted in the production of some very unusual trains under the Ives name. These interesting pieces are some of the most wanted items today.
The United States also has a long history of tin toy manufactures dating back to 1850, when there were at least fifty toy makers in the United States and these did -- to some extent -- get in on the toy trains boom.
The best and early electric toy trains were those by Lionel and American Flyer. By the early 1920s Lionel even surpassed the Ives company -- then bought the Ives company -- to become the world's largest producer of toy electric trains. This was Lionel's expertise: not just toy trains, but "electric toy trains" with literally all the bells and whistles included!
A more concise history of the late Lionel company and it's trains is simply this: Lionel absorbed Ives in 1931 AND Gilbert (American Flyer) in 1968. After 1953 the company went into steep decline, paralleling that of the American railroad industry, and closed in 1969. Fundimensions, a Michigan subsidiary of General Mills, now reproduces replicas of many of the 1950s models.
A Great Piece of Antique Electric Train Triva...
An American, Murray Bacon, patented the first electric toy train in 1884 -- NOT Lionel. As a toy train collector, keep this in mind because it makes a heck of a good trivia question around train buffs.
A Few Recommended Sources for More on Antique & Collectible Trains...
Lionel Collectors.org is a solid place on the internet to search for a few antique and collectible Lionel trains. The Train Barn Hobby Shop is also an interesting find and worth a visit. The usual sources still apply -- you know the eBays of the world, but be careful. Great sources of information on toy trains, but you have to check out the sellers closely.
Antique Train (Lionel) Layout Photos
is a great place to see a few professional trains layouts.
|
