The Lionel Trains in the History of Hobbies
We've all seen those big Lionel O gauge trains running around a Christmas tree, or at a model train show, but how did it all start? Joshua Lionel Cowen, in 1900, started a company that was going to go down in the history books as the one that ushered in the most famous train set, the Lionel Trains from the Lionel Corp.
These were not intended to be sold to customers; they were to be used as window displays and they did this quite well for a while.
The main problem was that they were just too good and they were just too detailed for hobbyists to stay away from! This presented the company an opportunity to make a few to see how they actually would sell.
The rest is history! They hit their first high point in the fifties when they were under the Christmas trees of many kids.
They did not stay under the direct care and attention of the children, either! The dads of these kids were right there, spread out on the living room carpet, setting up tracks, depots, trees and all of the rest of the scenery that flooded the market within a very short amount of time.
The name Lionel Trains became synonymous with fun and quality and a way of life! There were other train sets out there, but they just did not have the right - something- to make the grade.
The concept or the idea of model trains had its genesis in the (relatively) romantic nature of the first commercial mode of transportation.
People sometimes looked at the trains, with their long line of cars, and they think about just hopping on that car and going somewhere far away and a million miles from where they are.
Anything dealing with Lionel Trains had their attention and many of these people, adults as well as kids, began a lifelong obsession with this very active collection craze! One of the things that accounted for the attraction of the old Lionel Trains, instead of any other brand, was the quality of the construction and the sharpness that was present in every detail.
People, even people who have never seen an actual locomotive, could see themselves sitting by the engine, stoking the fire, pulling the cord for the horn to blast or other activities that this type of toy, that is now not really a toy to them, represents to them for living the dreams that many of them have had all their lives.
Clubs have been formed, associations that would not have been possible before were started and organizations came into being that had, as a unifying idea, the purpose of collecting, classifying, valuing, repairing, buying and selling this popular train.
These clubs are not populated by kids that are dealing with their first train set, primarily; they have, as their main membership, men that have grown up in the model railroad world! Yes, grown men are the primary purchasers of the train set that started this entire craze.
These men are following in their Fathers' and Grandfathers' desire to make a better world for themselves, if only on the track that Lionel Trains travel on, visiting all of the scenery they so painstakingly and lovingly set up.
These were not intended to be sold to customers; they were to be used as window displays and they did this quite well for a while.
The main problem was that they were just too good and they were just too detailed for hobbyists to stay away from! This presented the company an opportunity to make a few to see how they actually would sell.
The rest is history! They hit their first high point in the fifties when they were under the Christmas trees of many kids.
They did not stay under the direct care and attention of the children, either! The dads of these kids were right there, spread out on the living room carpet, setting up tracks, depots, trees and all of the rest of the scenery that flooded the market within a very short amount of time.
The name Lionel Trains became synonymous with fun and quality and a way of life! There were other train sets out there, but they just did not have the right - something- to make the grade.
The concept or the idea of model trains had its genesis in the (relatively) romantic nature of the first commercial mode of transportation.
People sometimes looked at the trains, with their long line of cars, and they think about just hopping on that car and going somewhere far away and a million miles from where they are.
Anything dealing with Lionel Trains had their attention and many of these people, adults as well as kids, began a lifelong obsession with this very active collection craze! One of the things that accounted for the attraction of the old Lionel Trains, instead of any other brand, was the quality of the construction and the sharpness that was present in every detail.
People, even people who have never seen an actual locomotive, could see themselves sitting by the engine, stoking the fire, pulling the cord for the horn to blast or other activities that this type of toy, that is now not really a toy to them, represents to them for living the dreams that many of them have had all their lives.
Clubs have been formed, associations that would not have been possible before were started and organizations came into being that had, as a unifying idea, the purpose of collecting, classifying, valuing, repairing, buying and selling this popular train.
These clubs are not populated by kids that are dealing with their first train set, primarily; they have, as their main membership, men that have grown up in the model railroad world! Yes, grown men are the primary purchasers of the train set that started this entire craze.
These men are following in their Fathers' and Grandfathers' desire to make a better world for themselves, if only on the track that Lionel Trains travel on, visiting all of the scenery they so painstakingly and lovingly set up.
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