Lionel Corporation was the designer of the beloved original Lionel train. The company made many transitions throughout the last 150 years, surviving mergers, lawsuits, bankruptcies, and corporate changes. Representatives from the company, however, maintain the company’s stronghold among train lovers is as strong as ever and they emphasize the electronic updates make the trains run like never before.
Lionel Trains Senior Director of Marketing, Michael Phillips, tells Fox News that the Polar Express is the most popular train set and the Frosty addition is another favorite. Lionel trains used to have transformers but now have remote controllers. There’s also better sound and owners can put more sounds into their sets. Lionel’s electric train was inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 2006. The company is currently running a sweepstake to win a ready-to-run train set.