Lionel Model Train Collectors

The holiday train layout at the home of LCCA member Ken Morgan includes “O” and “Standard O” vintage trains.

Members of the Lionel Collectors Club of America are folks from all walks of life who love to operate or collect toy trains from all eras. For many, that joy in model railroading began in childhood when a Lionel electric train was the toy of choice and Lionel was one of the most recognized trademarks in the world. Many club members still vividly recall a childhood memory of that special Christmas when Santa (with some help from dad and mom) placed a Lionel train set under the holiday tree.

Train Hobbyists

A scene from the “high rail” home layout of LCCA member Jim Richardson

LCCA members are hobbyists who actively seek and find Lionel toy trains and operate or display them at home or in the office. Many members create fascinating train layouts that take advantage of today’s exciting technological advances. Thanks to digitally reproduced sounds and modern control systems, many of today’s toy trains sound like the actual prototype locomotives.

Some LCCA members enjoy other train-related pursuits: railroad history, period architecture and historic preservation; or a yearning to ride real trains aboard Amtrak or tourist excursion railways. Some are loyal to a favorite railroad, the line that served their hometown, for example, so they collect Lionel model trains exclusively of that railroad. Others are focused on a certain era of railroading—Old Time Railroads, the Steam Era, Electrified Trains, First Generation Diesels or the Modern Era—and as craftsmen they plan their model train layout appropriate to the specific technology of that era.