I think that the smoke feature was a major achievement.
Bob C.
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The operating coupler that at least looked like a coupler.
Railsounds 5.0. IMO, it revolutionized the hobby with intelligible crewtalk and more towercom.
Surviving for 116-years.
Magnetraction.
MPC Needle point axles.
Utilizing the third rail was a big one.
Lionel invented the genre, and popularized it in the U.S.
In my opinion, Lionel's greatest achievement was to mass-produce durable toy trains that potentially last for generations, and to remain in production for so long.
I agree with Ace. As for the third rail, Marklin did that first. I think they did the smoke unit first also. What Lionel was really famous for was a mass produced product designed to fit in the average American home and budget. That is why they lasted for a 116 years thus winning a place in American hearts and folklore. 
us
I vote for the air whistle ~ circa 1935 introduced on the Hiawatha. That had to be an awesome feature for kids back then, still is for that matter, albeit its even more powerful and fun with Legacy to play it.
ODYSSEY SPEED CONTROL • I feel this was my favorite feature, when it came out and I still like it today. I am a toy train layout, with tubular track.
Attachments
Way back when I would say smoke. Today; LEGACY!
I agree with Chris .......LEGACY is fantastic !!
Wasn't the middle rail basically a cop-out? It seems the other scales figured out the reverse-loop problem with electronics while Lionel just used a brute-force approach.
yankspride4 posted:Utilizing the third rail was a big one.
Martin H posted:Wasn't the middle rail basically a cop-out? It seems the other scales figured out the reverse-loop problem with electronics while Lionel just used a brute-force approach.
yankspride4 posted:Utilizing the third rail was a big one.
True, but the third rail dose more then just provide a smooth turn around through a reversing switch. It provides a far better electrical return for the engine and lamps in a train. The pick up surface can be improved by adding extra roller pick ups, the return path is on two sides and that can't be added to a two rail train other then to thither the cars together, not a cost effective alternative! This, to this day is a big cause for two rail prime movers to stop in the worst places for even the smallest tack ballast issue. For this reason, I chose Lionel as a kid. All my friends that had Flyers and HO where always dealing with what we called dead track. I admit it's not a big deal to an experienced two railer, but to a young kid it could be a very frustrating thing to deal with.
Not only that , it's a cheap and easy way to trigger accessories.
I would vote for the Lionel Santa Fe F-3. That was the toy to get for the baby boomer generation.
franktrain
Sarcastically, I would have to say getting tens of thousands of people to pay (relatively) lots of money for Post War reissues from worn out molds....with slightly better paint....during the MPC years.
Seriously, though, I would have to say their biggest accomplishment is their Brand Marketing, most notably post World War II.
Lionel marketed toy trains like no other. They made scale to reach the largest market share with superior workmanship and durability.
Surviving the Great Depression and WWII.......many companies didn't.
I think the support the company provided for their product - the service stations, the manuals, the availability of parts - is a great achievement. It is one of the main reasons why older Lionel is attractive even today: if something goes wrong, there is a book to tell you what to look for, a number to identify the exact part you need, and a repairman to either sell it to you or install it for you. When you buy a "mature" Lionel, you buy the entire service system that the Corp. created to back up their product - a system whose remnants are still able to provide knowledge, parts, and service, over 45 years after J.L.'s company gave up on trains.
AMCDAVE,
I agree 100%, staying in business thru all the tough times!
PCRR/Dave
Building more Pennsylvania S2 turbine locos than BLW! LOL
Making toy trains a ubiquitous and beloved part of American culture for 100 years.
Cheers!
Keith
The USA craftsmanship that could keep my 77-ish year old prewar trains going for another 77 years.
Tom
It's amazing most Lionel still runs and can be repaired easily. I love the NYC f-3s with the dual horizontal motors. Really well put together. I still have my KW from around 1950 . Yep! built in the USA .. we need more of that.
Durability. Being able to stand the test of time.
I just picked up a tin plate locomotive and after a little tlc it is running pretty good. It is pretty awsome that something made about 80 years can still bring joy to another generation. I wonder how many people have got to experience the joy of this locomotive through the years.
Being made in the USA probably helps too!
One more for vote Legacy and also the latest version of their sound system that goes with it.
I would say not Legacy, but TMCC. It came first, and was light years ahead of conv, control. To me Legacy is more of an update.
gg1man posted:........................Not only that , it's a cheap and easy way to trigger accessories.
This!
Though the new emphasis on using (much more expensive to boot!) IR detection devices, combined with it being more complicated (not impossible, just more pieces to buy) to do the insulated rail activation with FT is seemingly pushing this method of operation out of favor, at least in how Lionel recommends to do things.
-Dave
Making toy trains a part of the Christmas holiday season and becoming an iconic American brand and tradition.
I really think the thing that saved them was Legacy. Because without it we wouldn't see another feature that keeps them alive, Vision Line
I'll second the motion on original TMCC. While the idea for command control isn't strictly lionel's the implementation was fantastic, the system allowed for running conventional engines without having to do anything to them, and all in all it changed everything.
I'll place a second vote in for making the TMCC command protocol open and publishing it right in the user manual from day 1. This allowed third parties to develop devices compatible with the system that drove further innovation.
JGL
I would say the ubiquitous Lionel e-unit. Not sure if they invented it, but it's been serving as a stalwart transmission for decades. An ingenious little device.
Roger
I would say the vertical motor arrangement such as the 2028-100M motor used in the Geeps and the later F3's such as 2383, 2321-100M motor used in trainmasters, or the 623-100M used in the NW2's or GG1's. The vertical drive is simple, robust and allows for all the electronic goodies to be placed in the middle of the chassis between the two motors. The vertical drive invented by Lionel has been very influential. Not only does Lionel still use the vertical drive to this day, but also MTH, Weaver, Williams, K-Line and so on.
The horizontal motor drive used in 2333, 2343, 2353, 2334, 2344 and so on has been influential as well. American Flyer used a similar arrangement on some of their later diesels. In HO, Kato has used a similar arrangement in some of their locomotives.
let us not forget the multi volt transformer.
Bob .
both corporate and technical ideas come tomind
Corporate - surviving 100+ years through multiple ownership changes
Technical - Command control
Keith Levine posted:Making toy trains a ubiquitous and beloved part of American culture for 100 years.
Cheers!
Keith
Thank you! That's precisely what I meant by, "us."
FrankM.
Bob,
It is really nice to see you post again!
Making the transition from tinplate to diecast and plastic ranks pretty high as far as I'm concerned.
Norm
The operating coupler would be my number one choice BUT
look at all the great ingenious operating accessories Lionel has introduced in the prewar and going into the postwar eras. To design and operate these accessories without the help of computers back then, WOW!
The 45 gateman, the milk cars, oil derricks, 97 coal loaders, operating crossing gates and signals ect!
I think it kept the interest of the kids back then for a much longer period of time (years) then to watch a train pull some cars around a circle of track and loose interest.
