Pre and post war model trains
Model trains have a long and extensive history, a little after 1900 was when they began to become mass produced by three major companies in the model train scene, most notably being lionel, marx, and American flyer. During this time before world war 2 was known as the pre war era of model trains. Beginning in 1900 and ending in 1945, these are highly sought after by collectors as they are hard to find in good condition or at all. They were made with what many say are higher quality materials such as sheet metal and enamel paint. Lots of rare pieces can go upwards to thousands of dollars.
During the war, many companies had to stop manufacturing their products in turn for helping towards the war effort. After the war ended began what was known as the post war era for model trains, from 1945 to 1969 the technology for making model trains began to advance, with electric motors and more features and attention to realistic details in the trains. The only downside being that most trains from then on were made with plastic which most don’t mind, however it began to be marketed as a more expensive model if they were made with metal here on out.