The American Toy Train

This chronological history of the toy train celebrates the wares of all prominent American toy train manufacturers from the turn of the century to the present, with special focus on the big three: Lionel, American Flyer, and Marx. All scales are discussed, and the trains themselves are richly illustrated with specially commissioned color photography, archival black-and-white shots, and classic print advertisements. Sure to appeal to collectors, hobbyists crafting sophisticated layouts, and those legions of former pint-size engineers.

The photographs in this oversize publication are magnificent. They include prototypes and models, catalogs and layouts, and portraits of the industry giants. Most of the photographs are in spectacular color--enhanced by the coated paper.

The text is authoritative and a pleasure to read.

Most toy train books focus on one manufacturer. Hollander's All Aboard--The History of Joshua Lionel Cowen and His Lionel Train Company-- is a good example. The Souters seem to have used Hollander's excellent blend of text and photos as a template. Their chronological history starts in 1830 and 160 pages later ends in the late 1990s. Along the way they cover every major manufacturer including Lionel, American Flyer, Ives, and Marx as well as many of the lessor known companies. Their up to date treatment includes MTH, Williams, Weaver, and New Marx Trains.

Surprisingly, they didn't include a bibliography, although they refer to several of the classics in the text.

Every toy train collector and enthusiast should have Souter's The American Toy Train on their bookshelf.