Brandwave

How popular isLionel?

In October 2026, people searched for Lionel by name about 30,300 times worldwide, a 63.3% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 15% of all global model railway brand searches, placing Lionel third out of 15 brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about model railway brands, Lionel appeared in one of the five answers and was the ninth most recommended of the 15.

Search and AI answers in October 2026

Lionel is the third most searched of 15 competitors and the ninth most recommended in the AI answers we collected.

  1. HornbyShare of searches 30%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  2. MTHShare of searches 16.4%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  3. LionelShare of searches 15%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 9th
  4. MarklinShare of searches 11%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  5. BachmannShare of searches 6%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd

+10 more

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Top model railway brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Lionel was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Lionel is the ninth most recommended of the 15.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Kato1st
  2. Bachmann2nd
  3. Hornby3rd
  4. Marklin4th
  5. Roco5th
  6. PIKO6th
  7. Athearn7th
  8. Atlas Model Railroad8th
  9. Lionel9th
  10. MTH–
  11. +5 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Bachmann4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kato4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Hornby3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Marklin2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Athearn2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • PIKO2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Lionel1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Atlas Model Railroad1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Roco1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • MTH0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+5 more

See every answer about model railway brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

How often do people search for Lionel compared with other model railway brands worldwide?

Lionel against model railway brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Hornby, MTH, Lionel, Marklin, Bachmann, Rapido Trains, Athearn, Kato, Walthers, Atlas Model Railroad. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthHornbyMTHLionelMarklinBachmannRapido TrainsAthearnKatoWalthersAtlas Model RailroadRocoGraham FarishPecoPIKOFleischmann
Nov 202528.8%10.5%26.3%8.6%7.1%4.7%3%2.8%3.3%2.1%0.66%0.6%0.55%0.51%0.36%
Dec 202526.4%9.7%27.3%9.7%7.9%4.3%3.4%3.1%3.4%1.9%0.61%0.7%0.59%0.55%0.39%
Jan 202633.4%12.2%16.7%10%6.7%4.5%4.1%3.1%3.6%2.4%0.86%0.7%0.73%0.59%0.47%
Feb 202629.7%16.3%14.9%8.9%7.3%4.9%4.7%3.5%4%2.7%0.73%0.79%0.67%0.49%0.51%
Mar 202629.7%16.2%15.7%8.9%5.9%5.9%3.8%3.9%4%2.6%0.68%0.93%0.69%0.43%0.51%
Apr 202631.4%17.2%14.3%9.4%6.3%5.1%3.8%3.7%3.6%2.3%0.77%0.83%0.55%0.46%0.41%
May 202631.9%17.4%13%9.5%6.4%5.2%3.8%3.7%3.7%2.3%0.72%0.84%0.48%0.46%0.52%
Jun 202633.5%15%13.7%10%6.7%5.5%3.3%3.4%3.7%2.4%0.61%0.72%0.51%0.49%0.47%
Jul 202632.8%14.7%15.6%8%6.6%5.4%4%3.5%3.6%2.9%0.8%0.7%0.56%0.48%0.46%
Aug 202630.5%16.7%14.5%9.1%7.5%5%3.4%3.6%3.8%2.7%0.8%0.81%0.69%0.5%0.56%
Sep 202631.8%17.4%13.8%9.5%6.4%5.2%3.6%3.6%3.9%1.9%0.67%0.84%0.57%0.53%0.42%
Oct 202630%16.4%15%11%6%6%3.4%3.4%3.2%2.2%0.94%0.79%0.66%0.64%0.49%

  1. 1.Hornby

    30%

    Held 1st. 60.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.8 points.

  2. 2.MTH

    16.4%

    Held 2nd. 33.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1 points.

  3. 3.Lionel

    15%

    Held 3rd. 30.3K estimated branded searches, +15.6% vs prior month. Share +1.2 points.

  4. 4.Marklin

    11%

    Held 4th. 22.2K estimated branded searches, +22.7% vs prior month. Share +1.5 points.

  5. 5.Bachmann

    6%

    Held 5th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  6. 6.Rapido Trains

    6%

    Held 6th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.

  7. 7.Athearn

    3.4%

    Moved from 8th to 7th. 6.8K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  8. 8.Kato

    3.4%

    Moved from 9th to 8th. 6.8K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  9. 9.Walthers

    3.2%

    Moved from 7th to 9th. 6.4K estimated branded searches, -14.4% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.

  10. 10.Atlas Model Railroad

    2.2%

    Held 10th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.

  11. 11.Roco

    0.94%

    Moved from 12th to 11th. 1.9K estimated branded searches, +48.8% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.

  12. 12.Graham Farish

    0.79%

    Moved from 11th to 12th. 1.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  13. 13.Peco

    0.66%

    Held 13th. 1.3K estimated branded searches, +22.9% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  14. 14.PIKO

    0.64%

    Held 14th. 1.3K estimated branded searches, +30% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  15. 15.Fleischmann

    0.49%

    Held 15th. 980 estimated branded searches, +22.5% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

Compare popularity between Lionel and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Lionel

14 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Lionel changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

4 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Lionel worldwide fell from 82.6K to 30.3K.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Lionel’s share of searches among model railway brands worldwide decreased from 26.3% to 15%.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Lionel’s share of searches among model railway brands worldwide peaked at 27.3% in December 2025 and was lowest at 13% in May 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Lionel fell from 2nd to 3rd among model railway brands worldwide.

How did search popularity change for model railway brands worldwide in October 2026?

6 changes

  1. In October 2026, Marklin gained share of searches among model railway brands worldwide, from 9.5% to 11%.

  2. In October 2026, Lionel gained share of searches among model railway brands worldwide, from 13.8% to 15%.

  3. In October 2026, Rapido Trains gained share of searches among model railway brands worldwide, from 5.2% to 6%.

  4. In October 2026, Hornby lost share of searches among model railway brands worldwide, from 31.8% to 30%.

  5. In October 2026, MTH lost share of searches among model railway brands worldwide, from 17.4% to 16.4%.

  6. In October 2026, Walthers lost share of searches among model railway brands worldwide, from 3.9% to 3.2%.

How are Lionel’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Lionel’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • lionel train set
  • lionel trains

Do you work for Lionel? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

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