Earliest appearance on tv of electric train?

Lionel saw the value of TV and kids, and I believe aired ads during the late forties.

Toy trains also appeared in several motion pictures. I wonder if toy trains were used in any silent films?

Don

Buster Keaton in "The Electric House" released in Oct. 1922 and in "The Blacksmith" released in July 1922. Both had Lionel Standard Gauge trains.

These are the earliest examples that have been found to date.

Ron M

Gilbert (American Flyer) sponsored "The Roar of the Rails" that premiered on October 26, 1948. Lionel sponsored "Tales of the Read Caboose" that premiered on October 29, 1948.

Ron M

Regarding the original Addams Family TV show:
I wonder how many different train scenes were actually filmed. They seemed to reuse the same clips of the trains themselves over and over

There's also the famous toy train layout scenes in both Arthur (1981) and Risky Business (1983). As far as TV, I don't quite remember any other source other than the Addams Family having toy trains from years ago...

The following were movies made for TV that had toy trains in them:

The Gathering - 1977

The Man Who Lived At the Ritz - 1988

Holiday Affair - 1996

The Rat Pack - 1998

The Sopranos - 2003

Moonlight and Mistletoe - 2008

Ron M

The photo of President Eisenhower with Marx trains under his Xmas tree, was that just

a newspaper release, or was that on B&W TV?

I have always enjoyed the movie "People Will Talk" with Cary Grant.  They built a massive layout on the second floor of the house goin into three bedrooms...I believe it was about 1952...

Marty

Almost forgot these:

Ellery Queen Mysteries ca 1977 had one episode that used a toy train outfit as a major part of the plot.

Another series, "Banacek" ca 1972, used an 0 gauge train to illustrate how a theft of a very large item was stolen from a moving train.

Still another TV series on the FBI and the mob had one episode where an operating Lionel Standard gauge outfit was used.

Ron M

Ron M

Fours a Crowd 1938

I don't know the year or episode but "Leave It To Beaver" had a Lionel O gauge train that both Beaver and his friend used.

Lee Fritz

I Love Lucy had a set of Lionel Santa Fes

I know this is "weird: but I am dying to see that episode of "I Love Lucy" where little Ricky received a very nice passenger train set as part of his Christmas presents.

    I am pretty sure these trains were Lionel. Can anybody direct me to that episode, perhaps on YouTube?  I'll buy ya a beer or two at Thursday at Tuesdays this Rocktober (October) York.

Addams Family- The same clips were used over and over. Ive watched them all in hopes of recreating the layout. While the one you see most often is Super O, other clips you can clearly see tubular track in use. Copying clips by eye with Anyrail and SCARM, Ive found there are at least 3 layouts of tracks used, maybe more. Changes in the accessories occur too. If someone knows of exact written plans to copy the tv shows main layout, it would be great if you could let me know. I can only find one for the movie. Because I assembled my plan by eye, using video clips, I have doubts to accuracy of certain sections.
"Why else would a grown man play with trains?" Gomez Addams

Lucy and Ricky(no not from the trailer park boys.. yet.. keep reading)
-I think that was the first year at "the new house" wasn't it?

Oldest- I always thought B. Keaton & The Electric House was first. Never saw the Blacksmith. 

Newer-Trailer Park Boys & the Patrick Swayze Express. I just discovered these goofballs. 9 seasons worth of strange, but funny trailer trash. 

Dennis The Menace 1959 , season 2 episode 30 .

This brings to mind the 12 chapter "serial thriller" called "Hurricane Express" starring John Wayne.  It was released in 1932.  In the 60's, we ran an episode every Saturday afternoon and night at the theater I managed.  In the theatrical release, the train wreck was portrayed by having a model train on a tabletop falling over on its side as it sped around a curve.  They made no attempts to cover up the fact that it was just a toy train falling over on a table.

I bought a bargain DVD just recently of this film and the same scene was in that version.  However, I just found it on YouTube and watched episode 1.  The train wreck is at about 10:05, and an aerial shot sure looks like a well modeled layout.  Then the crashing of the engine into the passenger cars of an adjacent train at a siding certainly looked like models.  The engine bumped the last passenger car and it just kind of rocks a little bit, and then they cut right at that point and back to John Wayne finding his father lying in the wreckage.  Had they actually smashed two real trains, they certainly would have filmed the collision and the aftermath, which is missing.  The scenery looks pretty good - the train is coming out of a tunnel and getting ready to cross over a trestle.  Sure looks like a model layout, in my opinion.

We've come a long way in the film industry.  Thank goodness for that.

Mike

Reggie Van Gleason lll (Jackie Gleason) had a Lionel train come out of the wall with a martini on it in the early 1950s.

I know this thread is for television appearances, but I've been meaning to start a thread to cover television, film and animation - now that I'm in the hobby and more aware, I was surprised at how often you see trains depicted in these media.  Trains appear or are part of the story in: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Thin Man Returns, Holiday Affair, at least 3 Hitchcock films ("Strangers on a Train," "North by Northwest," and an older film (1939) - don't recall the name but the premise is a young woman is made to think she's crazy after getting on a train with a head injury and then searches for an older woman - who had cared for the younger woman early on in the train ride - after the older woman disappears), White Christmas, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, From Russia with Love, and even one of the Fleischer Superman shorts (Million Dollar Train) and Tom & Jerry in "Kitty Foiled"  

I believe that you are referring to 'The lady vanishes'. A thoroughly enjoyable film indeed. 

I'm not sure if this ever showed up on TV but a lot of Our Gang shorts did and I think you could say the last 10 minutes involve a toy train...

Somehow this thread is creeping into the appearance of real trains in movies and on TV.

One of Edison's films from 1903 was titled "The Great Train Robbery". Here is a link to an article about it.
Here is a link to the film on Youtube.

Batman and Robin 1949 was not on TV. It was a 15 chapter serial that played in theaters every week. Don

I don,t know why this was done.But when I was a kidthe local  pbs station would show late nighton the weekends.Movies such as the marx brothers,flash gordon.tarzzan bettyboop,and the superman cartoons done by the fleischer.I was impressed by the look of the cars and locomotive.And being a train nut even back then.I could tell they drew from life.Only they took out a few lines.As for trains on t.v. can anybody say captain kangaroo.

The Captain Kangaroo children's program would have an annual event known as

"Train Day" with lotsa Lionel.

     Hoppy

I think I saw one of those shows.He had all about trains toy and the real thing.

These are probably the earliest known done for TV appearances (not rerun films).  There could have been earlier live shots, but no record of them now.

thanks GG1... I am about to "hunting" for that episode.

why this piques my interest ...I dunno.....I MUST BE A TRAIN NUT!

BTW beer and size of stein is your choice

Nicole, "Stranger on a Train" I think is one of Hitchocks best films. Shot on location in Santa Rosa, California. The train station and track are still there.Don

Early 50's Jackie Gleason live had a Lionel Train bring his drink on stage. It was a big story at Lionel. Lionel Cowen was said to be mad at the promotion people for doing the stunt, but most would agree it was a great free ad for Lionel and Cowen only acted mad because drinking and kids didn't work for him.  Don

Thanks Don. I agree, that is an excellent film too. Hitchcock made some great films, and really knew how to use the atmosphere of any set or location to its best effect. 

How about Laurel & Hardy? I don't know the time frame for sure but it could be from around 1926 to 1938, they were on an island somewhere(maybe Cuba) and there were several hopper or coal cars. The coal cars showed the real car that Lionel made one of their dump car models after; in pre war and post war times. The coal cars or dump cars have a V shape and dumped to the side.

Lee Fritz

Elegy 1962 episode of the Untouchables had a nice standard gauge set running at the start of the program and it even crashes off the track....great show

indydanny