The story of Lionel trains, a great paper filled with factoids

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On a summer day in the 1860’s Joshua Lionel Cowen strapped a canteen to a homemade flatcar . Lighting a small fire under the canteen. Cowen waited for the water to boil. The water boiled, Joshua pulled a string releasing a cork shooting the flatcar down a wooden track. Thus the Lionel toy train was born. 

      Later with the advent of electricity Cowen got the idea to electrify his trains. Now, without the dangerous boiler their popularity soared. The first sale of a Lionel electric train was to a New York shopkeeper. The little electric flatcar brought many customers into his store.

    With in advances in die casting the first semi-realistic locomotive was introduced . It pulled 3 tin plate box cars and for 75 cents extra you got a tin plate caboose. All sporting the roadname of Lionel Lines. In the years following Lionel trains only grew in popularity. But Lionel had it’s competitors “American Flyer” and “Buddy L” to name a few. In the end Lionel prevailed and still brings joy to children (and adults) all over the world.

 

 

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