Real Railroads and Toy Train history

Lionel Trains were made in America. Lionel had factory locations in Irvington and Hillside, New Jersey.  Lionel Corporation manufactured their toy trains in New Jersey from  the early 1920s until 1969.  Like much of what the original Lionel corporation built, the old Lionel factory building still stands

  

Real world Erie Railroad Landmarks like this signal tower located in Bergen County N.J can still be found throughout the NY/NJ/PA area.

This one was part of a small rail yard installation in Waldwick, N.J. The tower was built in 1886 and operated until the late 1960's. 

The Erie Railroad which went through several changes as the D.L.W and then Erie Lackawanna RR and these Erie RR lines along with the "Pennsy" Rail Road, each had great  influence on the production and design of PostWar Era Lionel Trains. 

The historical tower above has been restored and still stands. Many toy train switch tower buildings are based on the design of these real world towers. These towers remain a common sight on both toy train layouts and in real life throughout NY, NJ and PA towns. The real Erie Locomotive below and to the left was taken in the Waldwick Yard around 1939 - 1940. The photo below to the right is a Postwar Lionel toy train from the 1940's and inspired by real world counterparts.