Lionel Model Trains and Model Train History
A great many model train enthusiast start out their hobby upon receipt of their first set made by Lionel. Model trains and the Lionel name brand have been associated for almost 110 years and some of their oldest models can still be seen cruising tracks and stopping for passengers.
This company helped to define the hobby of model railroading. They also helped to create the most common scales used in model trains today. Though there are many companies on the market at present, this name has endured for over a century and, in fact, it has endured through and past the time when trains where the dominant means of transportation.
Lionel model trains are most commonly purchased in the O and HO scales. The O scale is the largest scale commonly seen for model trains. This scale is excellent for smaller children.
The trains are large and durable enough to be handled by young ones but the detail is still impressive and the reproductions accurate. The track for these models is also easy to handle and the heavy weight of the trains means that they will handle twists and turns well, even if the person laying them out isn’t exactly up to snuff as a railroad engineer.
The HO scale is the size with which Lionel model trains are most associated. This is one-half the size of the O scale and usually represents the point where children’s toys end and serious model railroad enthusiasts start getting interested. This scale is small enough to permit long and complex runs of track. The models are still heavy enough that they’ll handle corners well but they’re not so small that children will have difficulty handling them. These come in all the well-known assembly options, as well, making them appropriate for beginners and masters of the craft.
Lionel model trains can be described as coming in three broad categories of complexity: Ready–to-Run; Shake-the-Box; and Craftsman. Ready-to-Run trains are essentially pre-assembled and require only the most basic set up to get rolling.
These are the best choices, by far, for children. Shake-the-Box is a rather amusing way of saying that the train needs assembly but that it requires no real skill to accomplish that task. Still, one may get some satisfaction out of having set up their own train. It’s a very good way to learn the more advanced techniques, as well.
The Craftsman kit represents the Lionel model trains that are made for the most accomplished scale model engineers. These trains require a great deal of precise labor to assemble and entail one of the true measures of those who have progressed beyond the title of a simple hobbyist.
It takes a true enthusiast to assemble these kits. Lionel trains are well-known for their durability and those who take on this task and do it well will be rewarded with a model train that will provide years, and possibly generations, of amusement and wonder.
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