In 2010, Lionel decided to remove RailSounds from train sets, using basic TrainSounds instead. The latest addition to Visionline is the GS series of steam locomotives. This was a golden age for Lionel, but like the Roaring Twenties, it wouldn't last. Fundimensions, a division of General Mills Fun Group, assumed responsibility for the Lionel train production and revitalized the ailing brand. In 2009, Lionel launched a series of the most highly detailed model trains they have ever made called Visionline. Working accessories - including crossing gates, highway flashers, and traffic warning bells - became more and more lifelike. 840 Power Station - grew ever more elaborate. General Mills continued to produce Lionel trains to 1986, but its train- making arm was then known as Fundimensions. 402 electric engine, the Hellgate Bridge, and the No. ![]() Meanwhile, Lionel's fabulously illustrated catalogs became children's cherished "wish books." The products they portrayed - like the No. Slogans such as "Lionel: The Father and Son Railroad," and "Real enough for a man to enjoy - simple enough for a boy to operate," were the first of many to pitch family themes. Lionel ads appeared nationally in newspapers, boys' magazines, and "Grown-up" publications like The Saturday Evening Post.Ĭowen got endorsements from celebrities, and even started a Lionel radio show. Cowen was among the finest practitioners of modern advertising. ![]() People wanted to forget the war and indulge in life's pleasures - and more of them could afford luxuries like toy trains, thanks to easy credit. Following a brief recession, Lionel entered an era of unprecedented growth.
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