Trolley

Lionel’s founder, New York-born Joshua Lionel Cohen, typified the tinkerers and salesmen who saw the city as a haven for electrical innovation. His electric trolley of 1908 was not the first in the United States, but its motor enabled the toy to start instantly when powered, setting it apart from the competition. Lionel continued to build trolley cars based on the types used by New York City’s various interurban trolley lines until 1916.