1901:
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Lionel produces its first
electric train, built initially only as a store window display.
Shoppers are more interested in display itself than the store's products. |
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| 1920's: |
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Toy electric trains blossom in popularity in what today is known as the
"Golden Age." However, most are large and expensive |
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| 1930's: |
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Accurate model trains in O scale and later HO scale, more realistic in proportion and detail than "toy" trains, come into
existence. They are primarily kits built by adult craftsmen. |
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1934: |
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First issue of Model Railroader magazine. |
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| 1942-45: |
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WWII halts toy production, including production of electric train sets. |
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| Early 1950's: |
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Toy trains are the No. 1 toys for boys, as
pervasive in American culture as video games are today. Lionel
for a time is the largest toy maker in the United States. |
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Mid 1950's: |
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There is a clear split between scale model
railroading for adults and toy trains sold to children. Plastic
takes over as the primary material used to produce model trains. |
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| 1965: |
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Ever improving electric motor technology and
manufacturing techniques lead the introduction of N scale trains, about
half the size of HO trains. |
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| 1968: |
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On the opposite end of the spectrum, LGB of
Germany introduces large scale, "G" scale trains, which today
predominate in the hobby of garden railroading. |
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| 1970's: |
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Z scale, half the size N scale, is introduced
by Marklin. Developments in the field of electronics begin
to influence
how electric trains are designed and controlled on the track. |
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1980's: |
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Digital control systems and realistic sound producing systems are developed. |
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