American Model Trains
Pop quiz: what are the three most widely recognized American toy trains makers? I bet you’ll remember them when I remind you. The answer is: “Lionel, American Flyer and Bachmann Trains”. You may not have known that Bachmann was American, but it sure is. And American Flyer was a creator not just a line of trains. Here’s a little bit more about these American model train makers that you might find compelling:
Lionel Trains:
Until the fifties Lionel was the front runner in the model training world. Thanks to perfect marketing Lionel out flanked its competitors. It was Lionel’s marketing campaign that placed model train tracks around Christmas trees. Their O [scale|gauge] trains which were one 48th the size of [regular|real world|actual] [trains|locomotives] ruled the roast up until the 1950’s when HO scale trains started to take over the market. Lionel began to have problems in the 1960’s and went through several rebirths before coming back in it current incarnation. Now Lionel is making a comeback, again offering its O scale and some G scale models to a new audience of model train hobbyists. We are happy to have them and their big glorious trains.
American Flyer:
We mostly recognize American Flyer trains as a line of trains now, but they were their own manufacturer until 1966 when they were bought out by Lionel. American Flyer was born in Chicago around 1900. They were bought out by A C Gilbert who also popularized the famous “erector sets” of the early 20thcentury. American Flyer was the most robust national competitor to Lionel and its trains are perhaps the most popular collectible trains to this day. After World War II the company slowly failed as its trains switched to S scale. When Lionel bought American Flyer in 1966, they kept and refurbished much of the equipment. Lionel’s newly produced American Flyer trains are a great success since the turn of the millennium.
Bachmann Industries:
This is actually the oldest of the three companies, started way back in the 1830s but was the the latest of the three to get into the toy train business. Descendants of the original founders of the company, the Carlisle’s and the Bachmann’s, are still on the company board, though the company is now based in China, not in Philadelphia. Bachmann rose up after WWII by marketing starter kits to a middle class audience. Their success continues to this day and they remain one the leaders in HO model trains in the world.
We now have more choices than ever before when it comes to the model train hobby. The web has really transformed the model training hobby into a buyer’s market. You can choose from almost any scale and from any era of train at just the touch of button. The three American pioneers that I just mentioned can now be fully appreciated for what they are: American jewels.
Here is more information on Toy Model Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.
