Joshua was brilliant but eccentric. He had already designed photographic flash fuses for the Navy, but he wanted to build something that ran on electricity and captured the awe of the new century.
It was this philosophy that led to bold, colorful trains, including the pastel-colored "Lady Lionel" train set of the 1950s—an attempt to bring color and diversity to the hobby. lolionkel
"We are selling fans, Harry," Joshua told his business partner, Harry Grant. "But the world wants magic." Joshua was brilliant but eccentric
That winter, while walking past a bustling department store, he saw it: a stationary push-train in a toy display. Kids were walking by it. Joshua stopped. His mind raced, seeing electricity—not human hands—powering that train. "We are selling fans, Harry," Joshua told his
On a cold December evening, he finally ran the first train around a small circle of brass track. It didn't look like a toy; it looked like an .