Antique Toy Trains

YA-- A comprehensive price guide to most O gauge model trains in the U. S. since 1900, focusing on Lionel, Marx, and American Flyer brands. In addition to the listing of trains and accessories with current values, the book gives historical background about the companies and the progression and development of American model toy trains. Chapters also cover the less successful model train manufacturers and their values. Black-and-white photographs appear throughout, with a full-color gallery included as a brief visual history of toy trains.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

This attractive, oversized book blends striking color photos with a history of the production of Lionel trains. For toy train enthusiasts, the photos will be the most interesting facet of the book. Most illustrated books of collectible toy trains are fairly straightforward, with endless pictures of locomotives and cars viewed side-on to show what they really look like. By contrast, commercial photographer Milne has produced almost impressionistic photographs. They feature selected details, limited depth of field, dramatic lighting, unusual angles, and train layout backgrounds. Given the large page size and high-quality paper, the pictures are particularly attractive. Fun to read, the text by dealer and collector Ponzol covers very familiar territory, but with the addition of comments on the interrelationships between the toys and their times. It also has occasional errors, and it's sometimes uncritically enthusiastic, perhaps reflecting the role of the current Lionel company in the packaging of the book. Still, Lionel trains have a wide nostalgic and collector appeal, and Lionel should therefore have a large public library audience. Frederick A. Schlipf, Urbana Free Lib/GSLIS, Univ. of Illinois
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Roger Carp is an associate editor for Classic Toy Trains magazine. Over the past decade, he has studied the history of Lionel trains and the Lionel corporation, interviewing dozens of former employees.

Thomas W. Holland is a Los Angeles-based television executive and long time electric train and toy collector.