This morning we are treated to Greg Hurd’s Part II on the inner working of toy trains. As a side note, Greg reports that the temp this morning in Estes Park was extremely cold.

Toy Trains and technology Part 2.

Patents and technological improvements drove the toy train industry to more realistic and detailed models. These helped to trains operate and improve the experience for a new generation of kids and enhance the experience for adults. Toy train manufacturers American Flyer and Lionel drove this technological advancement. The president of American Flyer had 152 patents himself. Lionel President had 4 patents but Greg believes he may have had many more. The race was on to add smoke, and sound. 1st smoke unit was invented in 1941 and patented. Greg presents a slide showing the smoke/choo-choo

generator. What follows is the most ingenious invention that Greg has seen for the toy trains. In addition to the advancements in how the trains were made technology also helped reduce the cost from the original version. There were 2 patents on that invention alone. The original Lionel Smoke unit was similar but more complex and was taken off the market a year after it was introduced. After the redesign, the 1948 version went much better.

In the 1960’s German manufacturer came out with a new bell feature, which was further improved in the 80’s. With regard to whistles, each company had their own design with its own advantages. Lionel and American Flyer each competed with the other to improve and appeal to the consumer. Lionel used a battery to power its whistle. Another feature was reverse unit to make the train go backwards on the track. Motors were huge component for the trains, Greg thinks this is the most important aspect of the train. The ability to reduce the size of the motor were key to having the size of the train reduced. Technology changed and it allowed the size of the trains to be reduced. Marklin was the German company that produced another version of these trains. Fast forward to the motors that are now used and you can see where the improvements have been made. Greg shows some pictures of the accessories that were made to accompany the trains, and they are impressive. Also displayed are the controls used to operate the accessories, some were done via buttons, while others were operated automatically. Digital technology has had a major influence on the operation and performance of the trains. Models have become much more detailed because of the digital capability that has evolved. It truly is amazing how much technology goes into the model trains of today. If you are interested in getting your child a model train, start out with the O Gauge model, Greg recommends.