Lionel, LLC is a designer and importer of toy trains and model railroads that is based in Chesterfield Township, Michigan. Its roots lie in the 1969 purchase of the Lionel product line by cereal conglomerate General Mills.
Although Lionel, LLC now owns all of the trademarks and most of the product rights associated with Lionel Corporation, the original producer of Lionel trains founded in 1900, there is no direct connection between the two companies.
According to its reorganization papers filed as part of its bankruptcy plan on May 21, 2007, about 95 percent of the company's sales come from O gauge trains. The plan estimated that about US$70 million worth of O gauge trains are sold each year, and that Lionel accounts for about 60% of that market, making it the largest manufacturer of O gauge trains.
Read more about Lionel, LLC: The MPC/General Mills Era (1969-1986), Lionel Trains Inc/Richard Kughn Era (1986-1995), The Wellspring Era (1995-current), Bankruptcy, Collector Value