Classic Lionel Trains, 1900-1969

Book excerpt: From 1900 through the late-1950s, Lionel went from a wooden cheese box on wheels to expensive toy trains that flew off shelves at the height of the Great Depression to one of the world's most recognizable brand names. In the 1960s, the company found itself in a fight for its life; only a buyout from General Mills would save the name from relegation to the dust heap of time. More than 80 modern color photographs help break Lionel's "classic" rags-to-riches-to-rags period into five distinct eras, and a fascinating history examines the design and marketing of the company's most significant -- and dubious -- products, placing them in the context of contemporary competition, real-life railroads, and world affairs.