Joshua Lionel Cowen who was born in the year 1877 is the founder of Lionel trains. He was very much interested in playing with mechanical toys than attending school. Once when he was going on a walk via lower Manhattan, he happened to see a toy train made of wood in a store and envisioned that toy trains would be propelled around tracks all by themselves and this vision led to the foundation for building Lionel trains. The First ever Lionel train “The electric express” was actually intended as a toy that would be displayed in toy stores. It was built for the toy store owner who had showcased the wood train, Cowen saw.
In the year 1900 Cowen along with a partner called Harry Grant started a Manufacturing company for producing electric fans powered by small batteries. The Lionel train used the same motor which was used in the Lionel company’s fans. After that 110 volt electric transformer replaced the battery. Many products were created including the two foot suspension bridge and a trolley called the “City Hall Park”. In the year 1906 Lionel introduced a third rail that had outer rails with an altered spacing and carried the current. This innovation was adopted by others too very quickly.
Lionel and Lionel trains become very famous that he started building coal cars, tunnels, train stations and passenger cars. He started calling his model Lionel trains as the “standard of the world” and become a huge business. Even during the World War II and great depression the company survived but the revenues started dropping from 1950s. Even now the company survives and despite various ownerships change, “Lionel trains” were chosen as one of the top ten toys of the twentieth century in the year 1999.