Lived in NY, Never Saw Layout

[gottcent]

After looking through Roger Carp's fine special publication on the Lionel Showroom Layouts, I began wondering why I'd never seen any of them live. I grew up in New York in the '40's, '50's, and '60's, and had Lionel trains since 1947. My dad worked in Manhattan, about a mile from Lionel headquarters. Yet we not only never saw the layout, we never knew it existed. My dad was very devoted and I'm sure he would have taken my brother and me at least once if he'd known about it. (Same with Madison Hardware--never knew of it either until many years after its demise.)

Are we the only ones who were out of the loop, or are their other New Yorkers with similar stories? I'm wondering how the layout was advertised in those days. I don't recall seeing it mentioned in any of the catalogs from that era (all of which I still have). Was this perhaps another example of out-of-towners seeing all the "sights," while natives pass by everyday unawares?

                                                         John Gottcent

[Major]

I grew up on the north side of Chicago.  There was a Gilbert Hall of Science on Michigan Ave. In Chicago.  Like wise I never knew it existed or visited the place.  My dad was purchasing American Flyer from the late 40's until 1964.  We would go to the Museum of Science and Industry and see the large O scale layout there. So he may not have known about it either!   Part of it may have to do with advertising or the location was just not convient for the common person.  Michigan Ave was for visitors with Its hotels and high dollar stores.  The average person in Chicago normally shopped in their local neighborhoods and only ventured downtown a few times a year and that was to the stores on State Street.  It wasn't until I was in the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle in the late 60's that I explored more of Chicago and by then the Hall of Science was long gone!  I  did however find dozens of other hobby stores that met my desires!   I understand completely how you could miss iconic stores and toy landmarks that Lionel and American Flyer created.

[Train-O]

John,

My family lived in Mann., N.Y.C., I and then my brother, were born and partially raised in the City, from the early '40's., until '56, when we moved out of the area.  Our father, my brother and I, all had a Lionel train set each, of our own.

My brother and I never knew of Lionel's Layout existence, or Gilbert's Hall of Science, whether by billboard, catalog, magazine, newspaper, radio, T.V., or word of mouth.  
For some unknown reason, there were no advertisements, or public notices about it, in N.Y.

Many years later, as an adult really getting into the hobby, did I find out and I asked my father about it. 
He, never told my brother and I, or took us there, as we didn't have much money and he did not want us boys to get us too excited, or upset.

My father mentioned that he saw the late 1930's Lionel Layout. 

Ralph

 

[balidas]

I was borne in NJ in the mid 50's, maybe not 20 minutes away from NY. Among all my cousins, I was the only one who had trains. I also never knew of the existence of any of the showroom layouts until much later.

[lynbrookyankee]

I dont know how they advertised the layouts but at least once a year my father took me to Lionel and then the Gilbert showrooms. I also remember going with him to Lionel to have our gang car repaired. The only thing I remember about the layouts was the underground station on the Lionel layout. Maybe because we took the subway everywhere. I do remember the mock up of the steam turbine at the entrance to Lionel showroom.

[Roger Carp]

Thanks, John, for asking this question. It is one I wondered about when researching and writing "Lionel's Showroom Layouts." 

 

I learned that guidebooks for tourists coming to New York City mentioned that the Lionel showroom and the Gilbert Hall of Science were open throughout the year. Also, "Model Builder" magazine mentioned this in the late 1930s and into the 1940s before it ceased publication in 1949.

 

But I never saw any mention of the showroom in various Lionel catalogs or other widely circulated publications. So I also have to wonder how much was word-of-mouth. Fathers took sons because they may have visited the showroom as boys.

 

Here, I'd appreciate learning from readers who went to the Lionel showroom how they heard about it. 

 

Thanks,

 

Roger Carp

Senior Editor

[traindaddy1]

John (gottcent).....You are not the only one.  Born and raised in Manhattan through the 40's and 50's, I was aware of Madison Hardware and Polk's on 5th Avenue  but not the Lionel Showroom.  Would certainly have gone to see it.