Lionel Corporation

Lionel Corporation was an American toy manufacturer, specializing in toy trains and model railroads. Its trains, produced from 1901 to 1969, are the most famous toy trains in the United States and among the most famous in the world.

Identifying Lionel Equipment

With very few exceptions, all Lionel products can be identified by a four-number identifier, printed either right on the side of the car or locomotive, or stamped on the bottom.

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Contrary to popular belief, not all Lionel trains are worth large sums of money. A Lionel 1110 Scout locomotive, for instance, typically sells for around US$40 in good condition—very close to what it would have sold for in 1949-1952. A rarer and/or more versatile locomotive from the same time period can sell for several hundred dollars, or, occasionally, more than $1,000.

Related Topics:
1949 - 1952

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Lionel's O-gauge tracks actually came in two different profiles: O and O27. O scale is supposed to approximate 1/48-1/55 scale, while O27 is supposed to be 1/64 scale. In practice, O27 cars are shorter, making them better able to handle sharper turns in the track. O track tends to ride slightly higher than O27 track and come in longer sections. The two types are easily identifiable with a ruler: a straight section of O27 track is 7/16 inch high and about 8 3/4 inches long, while a straight section of O track is 11/16 inch high and 10 inches long. A circle of 8 pieces of curved standard O track measures 31 inches in diameter, while 8 pieces of O27 curves make a circle 27 inches in diameter, hence the name O27.

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O27 trains will run without trouble on O track, but longer O locomotives and cars can struggle on the tighter curves of O27 track, coming to a stop or derailing.

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The easiest way to identify the vintage of Lionel equipment is to examine the train couplers. Lionel trains made before World War II use toy-like couplers that resemble a hook. The cars tend to be made of metal and have colorful paint schemes, somewhat similar to those of a holiday tin. Lionel trains made after World War II use two types of couplers. The less common (and less desirable) couplers, used in Lionel's entry-level Scout series, are longer and resemble a capital 'G'. Scout couplers do not open. The more common couplers open when you pull a peg on the bottom of the coupler. These couplers are compatible with modern O-scale cars from Lionel and other manufacturers.

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Toy trains manufactured by Louis Marx and Company between 1938 and 1978 often resemble Lionel trains and are largely compatible with them, but most Marx locomotives and cars are slightly smaller and have less detail than their Lionel counterparts. Many Marx locomotives had three-number identifiers, which helps distinguish them from Lionel, and many Marx cars had no identifiers at all. Marx couplers also differ from Lionel and are usually more toy-like.

Related Topics:
Louis Marx and Company - 1938 - 1978

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