My dad passed a few months ago - a beautiful man and father. He owned the above. I played with them when I was 10 as he did when he was 10.. I see FB sites and the like dedicated to these trains, but I trust this group more. Can anyone recommend a site that can tell me about the trains. This is not about selling them. Thank you.
Way, way off topic: 75 year old Lionel Trains
- Thread starter TonyL
- Start date
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Woodchipper
Member
Had one that I got when I was about three years old. Years later, kept it in a box in the basement. Cat peed on it. Trashed it.
Maybe these sites can help…
Five Useful Websites for Researching Old Lionel Trains
1. Lionel Trains Library — https://postwarlionel.com/
2. Lionel Collectors Club of America — https://www.lionelcollectors.org/lionel-connection/lionel-links
3. Tandem Associates — https://tandem-associates.com/lionel/lionelident.htm
4. Train Collectors Association — https://www.tcatrains.org/library/digital-archives/
5. The Train Database — https://trains.thepreservationnetwork.org/
Five Useful Websites for Researching Old Lionel Trains
1. Lionel Trains Library — https://postwarlionel.com/
2. Lionel Collectors Club of America — https://www.lionelcollectors.org/lionel-connection/lionel-links
3. Tandem Associates — https://tandem-associates.com/lionel/lionelident.htm
4. Train Collectors Association — https://www.tcatrains.org/library/digital-archives/
5. The Train Database — https://trains.thepreservationnetwork.org/
Terrific! thank you.
its_virgil
Member
Search Facebook for model train groups.
egnald
Member
This isn't an answer, but here is a little history about Lionel. (I find it interesting because my entire career was with Vishay Dale Electronics, owned by Lionel from 1961 to 1982, around the time I started working for them.
Lionel was founded in 1900 by Joshua Lionel Cowen as a way to repurpose electric fan motors. He advertised with a cigar box train he built for a store window. The customers were more interested in his cigar box train than they were in the shop's merchandise.
In 1906, Lionel introduced the three-rail Standard Gauge track and in 1915 they added the O gauge.
In the 1930's they almost went under because of the great depression. They were saved by going into a partnership with Walt Disney to produce a Micky Mouse wind-up car that sold by the thousands. Cowen is also responsible for the nostalgic train around the Christmas tree.
By 1953 Lionel hit it's financial peak and held about 2/3 of the American toy train market, but in 1959 the company went to an investor, Roy Cohn, Cowen's grand-nephew. This set them on the path of diversification which included science kits, phonographs, and a host of other products and manufacturing companies, including Dale Electronics in 1961. (Dale was founded in Columbus, Nebraska in 1951 by George Risk as Dale Products, Inc.) Lionel bought Dale to help produce transformers for their trains along with other electronic components.
Between then and 1982, most of the businesses had failed and Lionel was in trouble again. In February of 1982, Lionel filed for Chapter 11, while Dale Electronics remained as their only profitable asset as we were the largest wire-wound resistor maker outside of Japan. In 1983 to pay off creditors, Lionel sold off Dale Electronics to Peabody International which in turn sold it off to Vishay Intertechnology, a Pennsylvania based electronics company (owned by Dr. Felix Zandman, inventor of electronic strain gauges). While Dale Electronics ultimately became a brand of Vishay, I was fortunate enough to work a short stint while it was still just Dale Electronics.
Before the complete collapse, in 1986 a train enthusiast, Richard Kughn bought the Lionel brand with a complete focus on toy trains. In 1992, rock musician Neil Young partnered with him to bring some innovations like rail sounds and remote control systems to the company so he could share his train enthusiasm with his son who had cerebral palsy. The company then changed hands a few times ultimately evolving into Lionel LLC. Lionel is now headquartered in North Carolina and they continue to thrive by focusing on the model train collector market and by licensing with NASCAR, Warner Brothers, Coca-Cola and other companies.
Dave
PS The Lionel 700E Hudson, introduced in 1937 is considered the "Holy Grail" of model trains and is thee most famous locomotive that Lionel ever produced. Number 5344 was modeled as an exact replica of the New York Central J-1E class 4-6-4 steam locomotive. When it was released it sold for $75 -- roughly worth $1600 today. Production of the Hudson only stopped when Lionel shifted its manufacturing to support the World War II effort. Because they were so expensive even in their time only a handful were sold which makes these originals both prized and incredibly rare today. (I hope you have one in your collection!) - Dave
Lionel was founded in 1900 by Joshua Lionel Cowen as a way to repurpose electric fan motors. He advertised with a cigar box train he built for a store window. The customers were more interested in his cigar box train than they were in the shop's merchandise.
In 1906, Lionel introduced the three-rail Standard Gauge track and in 1915 they added the O gauge.
In the 1930's they almost went under because of the great depression. They were saved by going into a partnership with Walt Disney to produce a Micky Mouse wind-up car that sold by the thousands. Cowen is also responsible for the nostalgic train around the Christmas tree.
By 1953 Lionel hit it's financial peak and held about 2/3 of the American toy train market, but in 1959 the company went to an investor, Roy Cohn, Cowen's grand-nephew. This set them on the path of diversification which included science kits, phonographs, and a host of other products and manufacturing companies, including Dale Electronics in 1961. (Dale was founded in Columbus, Nebraska in 1951 by George Risk as Dale Products, Inc.) Lionel bought Dale to help produce transformers for their trains along with other electronic components.
Between then and 1982, most of the businesses had failed and Lionel was in trouble again. In February of 1982, Lionel filed for Chapter 11, while Dale Electronics remained as their only profitable asset as we were the largest wire-wound resistor maker outside of Japan. In 1983 to pay off creditors, Lionel sold off Dale Electronics to Peabody International which in turn sold it off to Vishay Intertechnology, a Pennsylvania based electronics company (owned by Dr. Felix Zandman, inventor of electronic strain gauges). While Dale Electronics ultimately became a brand of Vishay, I was fortunate enough to work a short stint while it was still just Dale Electronics.
Before the complete collapse, in 1986 a train enthusiast, Richard Kughn bought the Lionel brand with a complete focus on toy trains. In 1992, rock musician Neil Young partnered with him to bring some innovations like rail sounds and remote control systems to the company so he could share his train enthusiasm with his son who had cerebral palsy. The company then changed hands a few times ultimately evolving into Lionel LLC. Lionel is now headquartered in North Carolina and they continue to thrive by focusing on the model train collector market and by licensing with NASCAR, Warner Brothers, Coca-Cola and other companies.
Dave
PS The Lionel 700E Hudson, introduced in 1937 is considered the "Holy Grail" of model trains and is thee most famous locomotive that Lionel ever produced. Number 5344 was modeled as an exact replica of the New York Central J-1E class 4-6-4 steam locomotive. When it was released it sold for $75 -- roughly worth $1600 today. Production of the Hudson only stopped when Lionel shifted its manufacturing to support the World War II effort. Because they were so expensive even in their time only a handful were sold which makes these originals both prized and incredibly rare today. (I hope you have one in your collection!) - Dave
DennisJans
Member
Check your local library. They very probably have a section of model trains.