Many years of research in libraries and archives culminated in this history of the facilities Lionel has used since its establishment in the early 20th century to manufacture its miniature trains. Many photographs supplement the text to let readers join on a tour of the factories in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Michigan where ingenious engineers, industrious supervisors and legions of laborers developed and assembled electric trains, along with the other products Lionel has made, which range from fishing equipment to precision instruments for the American military.