Pre-War Era

' ''In 1901 the Lionel Corporation began to make trains.They made trains out of tinplate. During the Prewar Era the essential innovations for electric trains were developed, including electric transformers to power the trains (replacing the dangerous wet-cell batteries), three-rail track, reverse units for the locomotives, electric couplers, and whistles. Early Prewar trains featured bright colors and a more toylike appearance, personified by Lionel’s classic Standard Gauge trains of the 1920s and early 1930s. However, by the late 1930s a more sober, realistic appearance became predominate.The Pre-War Era ended in 1942.