Since 1901, when Joshua Lionel Cowen launched his company by creating a small number of electrified toy trolleys for department store window displays, Lionel has been the leader in toy electric trains. Lionel's success is based on excellent engineering, durable construction, numerous accessories, and great play value. This colorful volume illustrates the history of Lionel electric toy trains. See how Lionel stayed alive during the Depression when they teamed with Disney and marketed electric Mickey Mouse handcars, and learn of Lionel's greatest years in the 1950s and 1960s. Lionel's resurgence in the 1990s was just in time for the company's 100th anniversary celebration in 2000.