This Layout represents the early years of electric toy & model trains.
The larger track is called Standard Gauge, introduced by the Lionel Corporation in 1906. Its 2-1/8th inch gauge was unique at the time and the reasons for this are disputed.
While most historians believe it was a marketing tool, the idea did catch on and it did, indeed, become the “Standard” in the U.S. in the years preceding WWII (hence the term ‘prewar’).
Standard Gauge’s high cost (particularly during the depression) led to the emergence of O-gauge (the ‘smaller’ track). Introduced in 1910 by the Ives Company, and added to the Lionel line in 1915, O-gauge slowly gained popularity.
Standard Gauge’s costs finally led to its demise by 1940. Recently, however, nostalgic collectors have spurred an interest in modern reproduction.
Though some of the trains running here are modern reproductions, many are actual toys produced between 1900 and 1935.