Whether placed in large public displays, in living rooms, in basements, or around the family Christmas tree, a Lionel train truly has something special to offer everyone.Ī couple of important changes occurred in Lionel train design in the first decade of the century. From the time Joshua Lionel Cowen placed the first electrically-powered car on a circle of track, individuals, fathers and sons, and entire families have joined together to experience the ’ ’magic ’ ’ of Lionel model railroading. Lionel model railroading is not just a hobby, it ’s an American institution which dates back nearly 100 years. But what may even be more important than the products offered, is the American family tradition that Lionel represents. The company had also introduced tin lithograph stations and small human figures to aid in the creation of realistic scenes. In contrast, the 1910 catalog offered several different locomotives, an increased number of freight and passenger cars, and eleven trolley cars. The 1906 catalog offered a single locomotive, two electric trolley cars, two passenger cars, and seven freight cars, which included an oil tank, a coal car, a cattle car, a box car, a gondola, and a caboose. In addition to an increase in the sheer number of trains produced, the selection expanded rapidly as well.

Production quickly outgrew the company ’s New York manufacturing plant, and in 1910 Lionel moved to a new factory in New Haven, Connecticut. Caruso remained with the company until 1945. Soon a strict division of labor developed: Cowen handled the marketing of the trains, and Caruso ran the manufacturing plants. In 1905 Cowen hired Mario Caruso, a young engineer, to help with manufacturing. Designing and manufacturing reproductions for those interested in this new hobby would become a staple for Lionel.īusiness grew rapidly. locomotive powered by a wet cell battery, initiated a demand for small scale reproductions of real trains. A particular train in this catalog, a steel reproduction of a Baltimore and Ohio R.R. In addition to locomotives, the catalog offered a steel derrick car and a gondola car. The gauge refers to the width between the rails of the track. The first catalog, in 1903, featured 2 7/8-inch gauge trains and track. Within two years, the Lionel Manufacturing Company was issuing catalogs for the trains. The train did indeed attract the attention of people, but what they wanted to buy was the train! Cowen was soon selling the trains to individual customers and other stores. Cowen had hoped the train would grab the attention of passers-by, and they would stay to buy his products.

To showcase one of his small electrical motors, he placed one in a model railroad car and ran it on a track in his shop window.

In 1901 Cowen created a window display for his shop that would change the direction of his company. Cowen continued to experiment with electricity, and in 1900 he developed the first dry cell battery. The new enterprise, christened the Lionel Manufacturing Company, produced fuses, low-voltage motors, and electrical novelties. Cowen gained $12,000 from his subsequent contract with the Navy, which he used to open a small shop in New York City in 1900. Navy heard about the invention and contacted Cowen to build fuses to be used for exploding mines. About 1898 Cowen ’s tinkering led to his development of a fuse for igniting magnesium powder for photographers. However, Cowen ’s natural skill with electric devices and his desire to innovate led him to conduct electrical experiments after hours at work. Cowen dropped out of Columbia University and began work as an assembler at an electric lamp factory. Joshua Lionel Cowen, born in New York City on August 25, 1877, did not set out to create the electric model train or to found one of the most successful 20th century toy manufacturers in the United States. With 350 products and seemingly stable sales growth, Lionel enjoyed a resurgence of model train enthusiasm in the mid-1990s. Although the company suffered serious problems from the late 1950s through the 1960s, including bankruptcy proceedings, it recovered and regained much of the ground it lost by the 1990s. With almost a century of experience by the mid-1990s, Lionel held an established and respected name in the toy industry. is the world ’s leading manufacturer and marketer of model and toy trains. SICs: 3944 Games, Toys & Children ’s Vehicles Incorporated: 1900 as Lionel Manufacturing Company Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Wellspring Associates

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