Lionel and the war?

[Anonymous]

Hello, I know, i am in n scale but i have a question for all the o gage and lionel collectors out there, i hear that lionel stopped making trains during WW2 and made something for the Navy , what was it that they made?

[Anonymous]

Generally what Lionel produced for the Navy during WWII was different kinds of electronic navigation and communication instruments. In 1942, the US passed a law banning the manufacture of metal toys during the war, as all the materials were vital to the war effort, so all the other train manufacturers at the time also went to producing war materials. Lionel actually did produce one train set during the war. It was a set made entirely out of cardboard that you assembled yourself. It was extremely complicated to put together and was very flimsy and so it's production didn't last very long.

[lionelsoni]

You can see a picture of a Lionel binnacle at
http://www.antiquesofthesea.com/binnacles.html

I have seen Lionel Geiger counters for sale at a train shows.