Ken Bianco Sr. and son Ken Bianco Jr., house owners of TrainLand in Lynbrook, New York are the most important retailers of Lionel trains within the nation.
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As children for generations have carried out, Landon Tennant appears to be like longingly at a streamlined Lionel Santa Fe engine because it chugs round a tiny show with homes, mountains and bridges at TrainLand, a pastime store on Long Island, New York.
“I feel I wish to get, like, one other one of many locomotives,” Tennant stated, barely containing his pleasure, “as a result of these look fairly cool, like that one.”
When you consider Christmas, you would possibly consider mannequin trains round a Christmas tree. And there is a good likelihood it is a Lionel. The iconic American toy practice firm is celebrating its a hundred and twenty fifth anniversary beginning this Christmas season and working by way of 2025.
“Everybody likes Lionel. It’s nostalgic,” stated Ken Bianco, Jr., who’s the third-generation proprietor of TrainLand and TrainWorld, the most important retailer of Lionel Trains within the nation. He factors in the direction of the mannequin trains.
“This format right here has three completely different Lionel practice units on it working and children may function the remotes over there. You see him urgent the horn?”
Caden Renna watches the Lionel format at TrainLand. He got here to the shop to purchase his first Lionel practice, a Christmas reward from his grandmother.
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An worker reveals a custom-made Lionel practice hat at Trainland on National Lionel Train Day.
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His dad, Ken Bianco, Sr., says Christmas has all the time been their greatest and busiest time of the 12 months, each in individual and mail order. In addition to their common objects, Lionel makes “Christmas units, Christmas engines, Christmas vehicles, Christmas equipment,” he defined. “You can do only a format of Christmas objects. And it is spectacular.”
The firm started making and promoting toy trains in 1900, a time when electrical energy in houses was new and never but widespread. Lionel CEO Howard Hitchcock says a younger man noticed potential in harnessing this new know-how.
“It actually all began with Joshua Lionel Cowan, who’s the founder and for which the corporate is known as,” Hitchcock says. “And he was kind of an inventor and a younger man, very entrepreneurial and, , actually was working with electrical motors. It was a reasonably whiz-bang kind of toy. It was not easy. It was not wind-up. It was purely mechanical.”
And technological innovation continues to this present day. For years, the corporate’s toy trains have supplied practical practice sounds, smoke and digital remotes. And now, you’ll be able to even function your Lionel practice out of your smartphone.
Customers at TrainLand on Long Island take pleasure in a particular Christmas format.
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The Lionel practice mascot Lenny holds particular version Lionel boxcar at TrainLand in Lynbrook, New York.
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“The younger children as we speak are on their cellphone 24/7,” says Ken Bianco, Sr. “So, Lionel stated if they’ll be on their cellphone, we wish them to play with trains on their telephones. So, now with the Bluetooth arrange Lionel has, they will play with their trains, a number of practice units on the format.
“And Lionel’s largest trains, referred to as O Gauge, attraction not simply to children as toys, however to severe collectors too. Benjamin Laremont, an aerospace engineer within the Atlanta space, has greater than 100,000 followers on his Instagram account, Ben’s Trains. He obtained his first Lionel engine when he was 8 years previous – and he nonetheless has it.
“My roster presently consists of about 47 engines,” he stated. “I do know there’s individuals who have far more than that, however for me, that is the place I’m at proper now. That’s topic to alter within the subsequent few weeks!”
Laremont invests within the excessive finish, extremely detailed fashions and makes movies of them working on the tracks in his basement. But he isn’t past a bit of caprice. For occasion, Lionel affords completely different smelling fluid for steam locomotives, which makes steam puff out of the smokestacks.
“I’m presently working gingerbread smoke fluid and in addition blueberry smoke fluid,” he defined. “But because it’s Christmas, I’m heavy on the gingerbread this time of 12 months.”
A Lionel Thomas the Tank Engine practice set enters a tunnel at TrainLand. It’s one of many many manufacturers Lionel licenses.
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Four-year previous practice collector Augie DiMartino watches the trains go by at Trainland on National Lionel Train Day.
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Laremont hopes to buy a Polar Express toy practice set this season – one of many many manufacturers that Lionel licenses.
Ken Bianco, Sr. of TrainLand notes that set is the most well-liked with prospects. “Polar Express, Christmas yearly. The different Christmas units do very nicely, too, however Polar Express is primary – and it has been for the final 20 years.”
Jack Martinek has been gathering for over fifty years, regardless that his Queens, N.Y. condo is simply too small for a everlasting format. But the place there is a flooring, he says, there’s a spot to run Lionel trains.
“I carry them out for Christmas time, Fourth of July, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day,” Martinek exclaimed, laughing. “I obtained bushes for each vacation!”
And he’s planning to purchase extra trains, perhaps one of many new units Lionel is placing out for its birthday bash – like some new Star Wars themed fashions.
