Lionel: America's Favorite Toy Trains
Throughout its 100 years, Lionel has been a fixture in the toy train marketplace; its supremacy has been continually challenged by makers such as American Flyer, Ives, and Marx. The Great Depression swallowed most of the competition and almost broke Lionel, but the company—then under the command of founder Joshua Lionel Cowen—was a survivor.
Lionel's pre- and post-World War II lifetime was highlighted with memorable feats of design brilliance: the Blue Comet, the M-10000 streamliner, the New York Central Hudson, the Pennsylvania Railroad GGI, and a vast collection of clever accessories that buzzed, zapped, tooted, and percolated along the three-rail track. But in the 1950s and 1960s, Lionel hit a wall as America's railroads crumbled and the Space Race and Cold War became the focus for new toys. Through this tumultuous era, Lionel changed hands several times—including a period under cereal-maker General Mills—until today's Lionel L.L.C. became the keeper of the flame in a market driven by baby boomers who had grown up with Lionel.
Lionel: America's Favorite Toy Trains looks at the manufacturer's history from a historian's point of view. Authors Gerry and Janet Souter have' interviewed Lionel experts and collectors as well as studied the vast body of collector-oriented literature to produce this book. Over 200 illustrations of Lionel products complement the entertaining text. When you think of toy trains, you think "Lionel."
Softback, 156 pages, colour photographs
Condition: Very Good
ISBN: 9780760319307
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Updated: 7 April 2025