HE LION ROARS - Lionel Collectors Club of America

Bill Schmeelk
HM 6643
HIGHLIGHT:
“After Toy Fair,
Lionel revised
its line
according to
feedback (and
orders) from
dealers. “
The Lion Roars 24
S
tocking Stuffers for 2010
‘Tis the season for finding an
appropriate gift for that Lionel ® train
enthusiast or perhaps yourself. In
this column we’ll offer
several suggestions for
your consideration.
TRIVIAQUESTION
Best of Postwar
Roger Carp, senior
editor of Classic Toy
Trains magazine has
clearly stepped out on
a ledge with his new
book, “101 Classic Toy
Trains”, published by
Kalmbach Books. Roger has attempted
to list, in order, the top 101 postwar train
items. He did not restrict himself to one
manufacturer. In addition to Lionel and
American Flyer ® , his list also includes
items from a variety of manufacturers
including Marx ® , K u s a n ® ,
Plasticville ® ,
and more.
You can be
sure that no
two people
w o u l d
agree on
all the
i t e m s
to be
i n c l u d e d
on such a list, much
less the ranking each item should
receive. Roger readily admits he may be
subjecting himself to differing opinions,
but that’s exactly what this list is – an
opinion. The criteria for his list are
Lionel News
clearly spelled out in the introduction.
Regardless of differing opinions, I think
you’ll find this book of great interest.
Did you know that
Richard Smith
invented the Oil Drum
Loader that was first
offered by Lionel?
The first thing you might
do with the book in
your hand is to see
if your favorites
are on the list. But
don’t stop there.
Each item features
color photography
and a one- or twopage
discussion
of the history of
the item and why
Roger feels it qualifies for placement in
the top 101. These discussions make the
book worth reading. This is definitely
NOT a reprint of articles culled from CTT.
I consider myself fairly knowledgeable
in the area of postwar Lionel and was
pleased to find much information that I
was not previously aware of. I found it
especially interesting to see the history
and discover the leaders regarding certain
pieces of rolling stock and accessories.
My bias is certainly towards Lionel, but
in several cases Lionel was a follower.
Did you know for example that Richard
Smith’s invention of the Oil Drum Loader
was first offered to Lionel? Lionel turned
it down, a barrel loader was already in the
works. So Smith sold it to Gilbert, where
it became a most popular and dependable
accessory in the American Flyer line.
Did you know that Lionel went to famed
industrial designer Raymond Loewy to
develop one of their accessories? You’ll
find the whole story in this book along
with many others that I found fascinating
to read. In many cases, the name of the
actual inventor or designer is provided.
These discussions also provide more
insight into the way Lionel and others
ran their businesses. Lionel and Flyer
could not possibly provide all the
needs and desires of postwar model
railroaders. What they didn’t provide
or failed to identify as a market niche
left an opening for smaller companies to
take advantage. Some of the items in this
category are included in the list and their
stories provide interesting insights. The
book also provides approximate values
for each of the 101 items.