Welcome Aboard!

Members of the Lionel Collectors Club of America enjoy collecting and operating Lionel model trains. If Lionel electric trains were part of your childhood experience, you may be wondering what they may be worth today. Visit the Frequently Asked Questions About Collectibility page.

What’s New and Newsy

If You Love Toy Trains, Join the Best Train Club on the Planet!

The LCCA motto is "A Lifetime of Happiness Collecting Lionel Trains" and our club emblem is the legendary Lionel 700E Hudson steam locomotive. You may already be a LCCA member "in spirit," so we invite you click on GO at the "join the club!" box above.

Hobby Fun with Family and Friends

As a club member, you’ll enjoy many membership benefits and services, including but not limited to:

  • Receive LCCA publications - two by mail and access to three online - as information-rich resources about trains
  • Buy, sell, and swap toy train collectibles through e-Track, our online marketplace; it’s bigger and better than e-Bay
  • Be eligible to purchase limited-edition Lionel products made exclusively for club members; see the current train offers at the LCCA Store.
  • "Oooh and Aaah" at the Gallery while viewing photos of member layouts, meeting our long-time members, and sharing the joy of the hobby with LCCA families.
    (*.pdf files)
  • Download some fun with free screensavers and computer wallpapers.

LCCA Annual Convention

Held in cities across the nation during the last full week of July each summer, the LCCA Convention is a weeklong event. Designed as a family affair that welcomes youngsters, the Convention schedule includes tours of railroad-related sites and train excursions in the area. Click here to view a recap of recent Convention activities. Other Convention features include: visits to local attractions, a standing-room-only Lionel Seminar with company executives presiding, the membership meeting, a 1-1/2-day Trading Hall with more than 200 tables loaded with Lionel and other O-gauge trains, operating accessories, and rolling stock for sale – and a great Get Acquainted Party and festive concluding Banquet. The first 400 Convention registrants receive a free gift, and Conventioneers are eligible to purchase the annual, unique On-site Convention Car. Every Banquet guest receives a table gift and one lucky person per table wins a rare Banquet Car – an instant collectible that can’t be purchased; it can only be won.

Exclusive Collectibles

Members are eligible to purchase train collectibles including the annual Convention car; it represents the host area of the Convention. Designed by LCCA and manufactured by Lionel exclusively for club members, these limited-edition cars are decorated with a souvenir notation and become instant collectibles because of their rarity and quality. The LCCA collectibles program also includes other unique Lionel items available to members only.

History of the Club

The LCCA was established in 1970 to promote enjoyment of the hobby, foster research about prewar, postwar, and modern Lionel trains; and to enhance continuing education about toy trains. The history of our organization began in 1970 with an informal gathering of people interested in Lionel trains. By the following year, the club had 83 charter members. Today, the club includes 8,000 members worldwide of all ages and with varied interests.