Lionel mth-10-1197-0
# 200 WOOD GONDOLA - AN ACCURATE REPRODUCTION OF THE FIRST LIONEL TRAIN EVER MADE
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Here's an accurate reproduction of the first train ever made and sold by LionelThe first Lionel train was not a toy, but an "electric novelty." The twentieth century had just begun, electricity was still a technological wonderJoshua Lionel Cowen was in his early twenties when he started selling shopkeepers the battery-powered Electric Express with a circle of trackThe idea was that storeowners would put goods - jewelry or flowers, for example - in the self-powered wooden gondola, and the novelty of the electric car running in a store window would attract shoppers. Customers, however, came in and wanted to buy the train. Then, everyone began playing with the Electric Express, so Cowen added a trolley to the line and went into the toy business - tentatively. The earliest catalogs were titled "Miniature Electric Cars with full accessories for Window Display and Holiday Gifts." Cowen also felt it necessary to reassure customers that electric toys were safe to play with: "The word 'electric' does not always stand for a power dangerous to handle. It is true of current sufficiently powerful to operate large street cars and big machinery but as applied to our models (only a few dry batteries or in connection with the house lighting circuit) it is totally impossible to experience the slightest shock." The new model, produced in 2004, accurately recreates Lionel's first train, the 1901 version (Type I) of the No. 200 Electric ExpressThe body is a simple wooden box about 15" long with a motorman's controller; not until the following year would the Type II version feature brass corner braces and end steps, as well as a longer body. (Some of the few surviving No. 200's bear Cowen's initials on the bottom in his own hand, making it likely they were assembled by the young entrepreneur himself.) Like the original, this model rides atop a cast metal frame housing the motor, and is supplied with a circle of 2 7/8" gauge track. Unlike the original, however, this Electric Express can be powered from any standard AC transformer. Precision AC Motor Brass Trim Metal Wheels, Axles and Gears Wooden Body Reversing Lever Unit Measures:17 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 4 1/8 Metal Chassisk |
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