The story of Lionel is a one-hundred-year saga of the world's most famous model trains. Yet in 1967, the company filed for bankruptcy, and in 1969 Lionel licensed its electric train manufacturing to breakfast-cereal conglomerate General Mills. This book examines the five distinct eras of Lionel's history, placing them in the context of real-life railroads and world affairs. No gauge is overlooked in the details of founder Joshua Lionel Cowen's most significant products and his crafty business decisions. Excellent color photographs focus on Lionel locomotives like the 1903 Electric Express, the 1937 Hudsons, and the famous Santa Fe F3 diesels, with attention on rolling stock such as the animated Poultry Dispatch Car and historic sets like the Blue Comet.