What was it like working at Lionel’s Hillside, NJ factory during the postwar electric train boom?
Working on the railroad: Vintage video footage
By Angela Cotey | February 20, 2013
| Last updated on February 11, 2021
What was it like working at Lionel's Hillside, NJ factory during the postwar electric train boom?
I love Lionel trains. To paraphrase a famous line from a classic movie, "these are the things from which dreams are made"! God truly blessed us kids from the post war years!
mass production in small size and a winner . Henry Ford would have liked see this in action. Thank you Lionel trains.
Nice job for all of us youngsters who used to sit around and wonder where all this marvelous stuff came from.
Wow!!! A wonderful piece of American history captured on film. I received my first Lionel Train on December 25, 1950. I never thought I would see a film from inside the factory watching the wonderful employees making the trains. Great job on sharing this with us lovers of Lionel Trains.
Thanks to whoever saved this film so that we can enjoy it so many years later.
Great video, growing up in Jersey City, NJ I was able to visit the Lionel factory with my father.What a thrill ! Thanks for the memory.
Never was much of a fan of Lionel, my favorite brand was American Flyer S-gauge. From there I graduated to HO in the 60's to the mid 80's. Took a break for marriage and returned now to over-priced HO plastic and metal models which have a cheap sound/control system to justify their cost.
In comparison, S-gauge prices haven't risen that much!
I received some of those trains and accessories that same time. I wonder if some of the ones on the assembly line were the ones I have. Interesting thought.
When Lionel production was moved out of New Jersey and the New York City showroom closed its doors, Lionel ceased to exist in my world. Only when it returns to these historic locations and production is once again Made in the United States thus restoring jobs in America will I purchase a new Lionel train again! I received my first Lionel set for Christmas 1951 at age five from my grandfather. He always told me to make sure anything I purchased was Made in USA!
This video was very interesting to me because of how they were made. The technology at the time was very efficient.
My Dad bought me a Texas Special in 1954.I still have it,and it runs great.I was 6yrs old.
Just one word, WOW!!!
A great video and a great piece of history about lionel production to have the model train lovers to see the source of there wishing lists of what to get next.I have never lost the taste of model trains thru the years.
Awesome video. I have had Lionel trains since I was 6 months old, today I'm 67 years old and still have my trains set up and running
Todfay I am 74, my father present me a Lionel when I was 8 ,in 1947 Since that time Lionel was an importan part of my life , I have enjoy so much with such a fantastic toy that little by little became a hobby and today is a collection of about 80 cars and 25 locomotives of the post war era with few modern era and all that material works perfectly and I spend hous taking care and manteining in good shape My layout occupy an attic 9,0m x 6,0 m and scenary reflect different region of my country , Argentina
Great piece of history. One of the best train videos I've seen. Interesting to see the workers. What a great job, but boring, I'm sure.
like father like son, i enjoyed this video greatly.
Very Good, I wished I could have worked in the factory it was a GREAT TIME.
What was interesting was the volume of trains per hour
Great film captures an interesting time in train manufacturing. Made in the U.S.A. in the wonderful garden state New Jersey. I was in the building as a kid asking for a summer job that I didn't get. Bought parts in the shop in front of the building and picked up rejected parts and scrap from their trash can area and collected them on my dresser. Mom did not appreciate my little treasures of damaged scraps.
Great to see how our trains were made the old fashion way. As another said the workers look like they enjoyed the jobs. Great vidio
i enjoyed it immensely-please do it again
Great video! I've seen pieces of it before but the beginning showing the die-casting of the GG-1 Bodies was neat to see. It's always amazing to see the trains being built from the great Post-war era!
Thank you for including this! What a tribute to ingenuity, quality and dedication!
I wonder if these people had ANY idea that they were assembling toys that would be treasured and last longer than just their lifetimes…or if it was just a 9-5 job to them. Can't remember if anyone of them interviewed in retirement by Roger Carp were ever asked this question, but most seemed to enjoy their work and felt Cowen and company treated them pretty well.
Pretty cool! Kind of like the movie reels when I was a kid! Wonder if they still run them before they ship them? I've gotten a few that I bet not!