World of Lionel Displays

The cover of CTT's latest special issue.

Excuse me if I seem out of breath and slightly exhausted. I have just finished writing and editing what may be the best special-interest publication Classic Toy Trains has ever assembled for you. I'm referring to Lionel Trains: Best Layouts & Store Displays, the fifth in our ongoing series of special-interest publications devoted to spotlighting the long and memorable history of Lionel. Not counting the many years of research I have conducted on these remarkable relics from the prewar and postwar periods of Lionel history, I have devoted the past year to putting together some outstanding articles--all newly written and filled with incredible photographs and artwork. I have learned so much from writing what amounts to a short book on a fascinating subject and have no doubt every reader will gain significant knowledge.

Lionel developed a variety of fascinating displays between the 1920s and early 1960s. Operating layouts, static displays for store counters and windows, and artwork to be hung on walls—everything aimed at using actual or suggested movement to sell trains and accessories.

Displays--what were compact operating model railroads with a loop of track and various accessories--occupied key spots in the line of products developed by Lionel from its earliest days well into the second half of the 20th century. The central role of movement in selling miniature trains to vast audiences dominated thinking at the company. Meaning, if Lionel hoped to increase its overall sales while assisting its dealers in boosting sales, it needed to demonstrate to children and adults alike how its trains and related items moved. Folks wanted to be mesmerized--they wanted to see locomotives pull railcars, signals flash, lights go on and off, loaders handle miniature freight, and more. Displays proved to be ideal for this purpose.

I have shared some of what I learned in recent articles in Classic Toy Trains. Material I saved for the regular magazine included the article we published in the October 2015 issue on the no. D62 layout and the home furnishings store in Ohio that purchased one from Lionel in 1952. There was also the article in the November 2015 issue about the hidden features of the cool no. D-103 countertop display offered in 1953.

Lionel established a separate department at its factory in northern New Jersey where displays could be designed and built before being shipped to authorized dealers. Skilled carpenters worked under the direction of Joseph Donato Sr. and later his son and namesake.

Good as those articles were, we have reserved the best and most informative material for our brand-new special-interest publication, which will be out by October of this year. What am I talking about? Well, in specific terms, here are a few things readers will learn--decade by decade--from reading Lionel Trains: Best Layouts & Store Displays :

1910s: Lionel established at its factory a special department for designing displays.

1920s: Consumers could buy their own Standard and O gauge layouts from Lionel.

1930s: Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck were the stars of countertop displays.

1940s: Lionel worked with an outside firm to create a 45-foot-long complete train department.

1950s: Three amazing operating layouts were brought out virtually every year for dealers to order.

1960s: Displays with as many as three different kinds of track were available.

Have I got you wondering about the stories behind those tidbits? You will learn all about them and so much more. Better yet, you will gain the knowledge necessary to build re-creations of a number of amazing postwar display layouts from the pages of Lionel Trains: Best Layouts & Store Displays. 

Time to order your copy by going to www.kalmbachhobbystore.com. You can order the print version, a digital version, or both!

Be sure to let us know what you think and what you learn. Meanwhile, I'll be relaxing for a few minutes before starting work on our next special-interest publication.