![]() ![]() Some Lionel fans were angry simply because the trains had been made in the United States for more than 80 years, while others criticized the quality of the Mexican-produced trains. The year 1982 brought General Mills' ill-fated move of train production from the United States to Mexico. To this day, Lionel markets American Flyer S gauge in limited quantities for the operator & collector markets. American Flyer products by Gilbert made after World War II are scaled roughly to a 1:64 proportion and are known as S gauge their most distinctive feature, however, is that they operate on two-rail track as opposed to Lionel's three-rail trackage system.Īfter a period of time of absence in the market, Gilbert American Flyer S gauge trains were no longer considered a direct competitor to Lionel's 1:48 proportion O gauge trains. ![]() Gilbert Company of New Haven, Connecticut). In 1979, General Mills resurrected the American Flyer brand and product line, which Lionel Corporation had originally purchased in 1967 from its bankrupt competitor (The A. Although Lionel's tenure with MPC was relatively short, "MPC" is the most commonly used term for the 1970–1985 era. The experiment's failure is generally blamed on MPC's lack of a 1:48 locomotive and caboose to go with the cars when it was repeated again in the 1980s with locomotives of appropriate size, it proved more successful.Īn internal reorganization after 1973 caused Lionel to become part of General Mills' Fundimensions group. Also starting in 1973, MPC experimented with a line of cars it called "Standard O," which were scaled to 1:48 (most postwar Lionel and MPC production was undersize for O scale). A number of MPC's changes to the product line endure to the present day, the most noticeable being the use of needlepoint axles and trucks made of Delrin, two changes made to reduce friction and allow longer trains. Detail was often sacrificed, and most of the remaining metal parts were replaced with molded plastic. The lease was renegotiated in 1974.ĭue to General Mills' cost-cutting measures, production of Lionel-branded toy and model trains returned to profitability, but sometimes at the expense of quality. ![]() The balance of the tooling was purchased on December 31, 1969. This deal included the purchase of a portion of the Lionel tooling and as part of the agreement, production & sale of the 1969 train product line would be handled by the Lionel Corporation. The Lionel Corporation became a holding company and invested in a number of ventures, including what would eventually become an East Coast chain of toy stores known as "Lionel Leisure World".Īccording to Lionel: A Collector's Guide and History, volume IV, 1970-1980, Lionel struck a deal with General Mills to lease the Lionel name for ten years starting in 1970. General Mills did not buy the company, however. ![]() Lionel Corporation sold the tooling for its then-current product line and licensed the Lionel name to General Mills in 1969, who then operated Lionel as a division of its subsidiary Model Products Corporation or MPC beginning in 1970. List of Lionel Corporation Presidents/CEO's (1900 - 1993)ĥ - Ronald Saypol 1968 - 1993 List of Modern-Era Lionel Presidents/CEO's (1970 - Present)Ĥ - Martin Davis Investment Group 1995 - 2000ĩ - Howard Hitchcock 2014–Present Lionel ErasĢ - World War 2 Era: 1941 - 1945 (only train produced was the Lionel Wartime Freight Train made from cardstock, also known as the "paper train").ĥ - Future Era: 2006–Present The MPC/General Mills era (1970–1986) 7 Lionel Trains Inc/Richard Kughn era (1986–1995).2 List of Modern-Era Lionel Presidents/CEO's (1970 - Present).1 List of Lionel Corporation Presidents/CEO's (1900 - 1993).The plan estimated that about US$70 million worth of O gauge trains are sold each year, and that Lionel accounts for about 60% of that market, making it the largest manufacturer of O gauge trains. in 1995 and renamed it Lionel LLC.Īlthough Lionel, LLC now owns all of the trademarks and most of the product rights associated with Lionel Corporation, the original producer of Lionel trains founded in 1900, there is no direct connection between the two companies.Īccording to its reorganization papers filed as part of its bankruptcy plan on May 21, 2007, about 95% of the company's sales come from O gauge trains. The Martin Davis Investment Group (Wellspring) bought Lionel Trains, Inc. Its roots lie in the 1969 purchase of the Lionel product line from the Lionel Corporation by cereal conglomerate General Mills and subsequent purchase in 1986 by businessman Richard P. Lionel, LLC is an American designer and importer of toy trains and model railroads that is based in Concord, North Carolina. ![]()
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