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Pop quiz: which three American model train creators are the most well known? I bet you’ll remember them when I tell you.  They are: “Lionel, American Flyer and Bachmann Trains”.  You probably didn’t known that Bachmann was American, but it is. And American Flyer was a maker not just a line of trains.  Here’s a little bit more about these American model train makers that you might find fascinating:

Lionel Trains:  

Lionel was perhaps the gold standard of model train makers in your father’s day.  Thanks to great marketing Lionel out flanked its competitors.  One strategy it used was to embed model trains to Christmas traditions, making the circular train tracks around the Christmas tree a staple of the Christmas iconography.  Their O scale trains which were one 48^th the size of actual trains 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. Lionel O gauge is back and as hot as ever. Their great trains are well loved by all.

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 20^thcentury. American Flyer is partly still so popular as a collectible today because it offered such a strong alternative to Lionel’s O gauge trains. Switching to S scale, the company failed after World War II, even though the trains it produced turned out to be some of the most popular.  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:  

Although this was the last of the three toy train makers to enter the model train market, it is the the oldest of the three–having been started way back in 1833. Ancestors 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 really began to catch fire just after World War II when it began producing starter kits for middle class hobbyists. To this day Bachmann is still the leader in HO gauge.

We have never had more choices in model training. The World Wide Web has created whole new possibilities for model train hobbyists.  You can choose from almost any scale and from any period of train at just the touch of button. It is not overstated to say that these three companies are truly American treasures.

Here is more information on Toy Model Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.