With the rising popularity of model trains in the mid 20th century, model railroading began to feature in media as an iconic part of pop culture, particularly in Hollywood films. In the 1950s, Lionel Trains was the largest toymaker in the world. The brand’s presence was ubiquitous as a household name (and no doubt featured in many a letter to Santa).
Between movies and television, Lionel sets have been both background elements and central plot devices on numerous occasions. Those bits of media have always reminded me of time capsules filled with the hobbies and toys that were treasured by the boys and girls of the time.
The Fabelmans (2022)
In Steven Spielberg’s partially autobiographical film The Fabelmans, Lionel trains play a pivotal role in young Sammy Fabelman’s creative development. After being deeply affected by a train crash scene in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), Sammy requests a Lionel train set for Chanukah, planning to recreate and film the spectacular crash.
Over eight nights of celebration, Sammy receives an impressive Lionel passenger outfit complete with the Nos. 2421 Maplewood and 2422 Chatham Pullman coaches, carefully wrapped in the distinctive orange-and-blue Lionel boxes of the era. His collection expands to include a No. 6454 Pennsylvania RR boxcar and a No. 6457 Lionel Lines deluxe Southern Pacific-type caboose with interior illumination.
The train setup in The Fabelmans demonstrates remarkable attention to period accuracy, and definitely a genuine love for model trains on behalf of the filmmaker himself. Prop masters selected models that would have been available in the early 1950s, specifically reminiscent of the 1952 Lionel catalog offerings.
The Addams Family (1960s)
I don’t think any classic television series has featured Lionel trains in quite as memorable a fashion as the 1960s classic The Addams Family. The show featured not one but two elaborate Lionel layouts, as filmmakers had to reconstruct after the explosive train wreck scenes that were a recurring gag throughout the series.
In the very first episode, “Addams Family Goes to School,” Gomez Addams gleefully operates his train set, deliberately putting two trains on a collision course before dynamiting a trestle to cause a spectacular crash. The wreckage shows, in great detail, a number of different Lionel locomotives.
The train board itself also showcased numerous Lionel operating accessories, and Gomez controlled the trains using a classic Lionel ZW transformer. Later episodes featured a second, simplified layout with a figure-eight inside an oval.
Being that Gomez is such a belovedly eccentric character from this era of TV, it always struck me that his fascination with Lionel trains was a way to humanize him and relate him to contemporary kids.
Dante’s Inferno (1935)
In one of Spencer Tracey’s first films, his character goes from rags to riches by navigating the tough business world of 1930’s America. It’s a somewhat dark flick (even considered a horror for one surreal sequence), but there’s a moment of levity wherein Spencer Tracey turns down a business opportunity due to a “big railroad deal.” In a later scene, that railroad venture happens to be running a Lionel train set with his son.
We can watch that scene and conveniently forget the part where Spencer Tracy goes to hell, a la the film’s namesake.
The Polar Express (2004)
A list of train-related movies would be incomplete without at least mentioning The Polar Express. While the iconic Christmas animated film doesn’t specifically showcase Lionel trains, it’s centered entirely around a magical train journey to the North Pole and is widely considered the archetypal train movie. The Polar Express is, of course, often associated with Lionel trains in popular culture, due to the fact that it’s more or less a love letter to the model train hobby of the 1950s.
Memorable Movie Moments with Trains
Beyond these prominent examples, trains have created unforgettable moments in countless films. Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt (1943) uses trains to both bring trouble to a small California city and dramatically resolve it. The Train (1964), starring Burt Lancaster, revolves entirely around the French Resistance’s efforts to stop a Berlin-bound train carrying stolen art treasures.
From comedy classics like Silver Streak (1976) to thrillers such as Runaway Train (1985) and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), trains make compelling settings for storytelling. We sometimes take their presence for granted in the post-industrial world, but trains were such a monumental part of culture and history that it’s hard to find stories from the early 1900s that don’t feature them in a major way.
Because we share a love for the impact and importance of the hobby, we’re proud to announce that shop.trains.com now offers a whole new Lionel collection, including a variety of railroad-themed merchandise, including puzzles, posters, vintage-style metal signs, and other gifts.
Visit our Lionel catalog today to explore the full range of locomotives, rolling stock, track systems, and railroad-themed merchandise that make up this impressive selection.
- Written by Matt Herr