Lionel Model Trains at George's Trains

A world leader in manufacturing model trains and the best known brand in North America, Lionel makes a full range of model train cars and locomotives, sets, and individual pieces. Known for their consistent, dependable, and long-lasting performance, Lionel trains are designed and made to the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship.

For the recreational model railroader or the avid collector, George's Trains offers a wide range of Lionel locomotives, rolling stock, and accessories. Lionel products are popular and in demand, contributing a significant proportion to George's Trains business.

Durable and reliable, even Lionel trains, like all things mechanical, need maintenance and repair at times. George's Trains is a certified Lionel repair centre. With decades of experience servicing and repairing Lionel and other model trains, knowledgeable staff takes care of all repair and service needs.

For model railroaders keen on Lionel, this web page will soon include a resource for Lionel trains. Through the coming resource link, Lionel enthusiasts will be able to access a variety of information, articles, and expert opinions about Lionel trains. As well, the resource link will be interactive - public comments and input will be welcomed. (Check back soon.)

Lionel Model Trains - More Than a Hobby

Lionel has so much to offer everyone, but what may even be more important is the family tradition that Lionel represents. More than a hobby, Lionel model railroading is an institution which dates back to 1901. From the time Joshua Lionel Cowen ran the first electrically-powered car on a track, individuals, fathers and sons, and entire families together have experienced the magic of Lionel model railroading. Whether for occasional hobbyists or devoted collectors, for novices or seasoned model railroaders, for individuals or families, Lionel trains truly have something special to offer everyone.

While there have been many developments in Lionel's journey from the beginning to today, some of the milestones include:

	In 1901 Joshua Lionel Cowen created a window display for his shop. Hoping to attract the attention of passers-by, he placed a small electric motor in a model railroad car and ran it on a track in his shop window. Cowen had hoped the interested passers-by would stay to buy his products. The train did attract people, but what they wanted to buy was the train! Cowen was soon selling the trains to individual customers and other stores.
	In the first decade of the 1900s, the increasing number of homes wired for electricity meant that the trains no longer had to be powered by dry cell batteries. Cowen developed a transformer that reduced household current to a safe level for use with Lionel trains.
	During the 1920s "classic period" for Lionel, the company created several sets of highly authentic model cars and engines with an amazing attention to detail, including many models with brass and nickel trim. These have since become collector's items.
	Lionel began producing diesel engines in 1948 and used plastic in its trains for the first time that same year.
	By 1953 Lionel was the largest toy manufacturer in the world and employed 2,000 people.
	In 1988 a new line was launched, Lionel Classics, that directly reproduced the metal Lionel trains of the 1920s and 1930s.
	In collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, Lionel created a collection of museum-quality 'O' gauge engines. The first engine produced was an exact replica of the 1938 New York Central Dreyfuss-Hudson locomotive, and offered in a limited edition run of only 500.

Since the early 1900s and through today, Lionel remains one of the world's best known and highly regarded makers of model railroad trains.