--- title: "Hornby vs Lionel: Which is more popular?" description: "Is Hornby or Lionel more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Model railway brands set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/hornby-vs-lionel" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Hornby vs Lionel: Which is more popular? Is Hornby or Lionel more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Model railway brands set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Hornby and Lionel - **Competitive set**: Model railway brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **Hornby Share of Search**: 30% - **Lionel Share of Search**: 15% ## Is Hornby or Lionel more popular in search? - In October 2026, Hornby had more branded searches than Lionel among model railway brands worldwide. Hornby had about 60,500 branded searches, while Lionel had 30,300. Hornby made up 30% of all model railway brand searches we track, and Lionel accounted for 15%. - The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending October 2026: Lionel took it in December 2025, Hornby took it in January 2026. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Hornby’s share of searches among model railway brands worldwide moved from 28.8% to 30%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 90.5K to 60.5K. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Lionel’s share of searches among model railway brands worldwide moved from 26.3% to 15%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 82.6K to 30.3K. ## Top model railway brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Hornby was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the 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. Hornby was listed before Lionel in every answer. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Kato | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Bachmann | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Hornby | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Marklin | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Roco | 5th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | PIKO | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Athearn | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Atlas Model Railroad | 8th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Lionel | 9th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | MTH | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Rapido Trains | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Walthers | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Graham Farish | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Peco | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Fleischmann | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about model railway brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which model railway brand should I buy?": 1. Kato, 2. Bachmann, 3. Athearn, 4. Hornby, 5. PIKO - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best model railway brands?": 1. Kato, 2. Roco, 3. Marklin, 4. PIKO, 5. Hornby, 6. Bachmann, 7. Athearn - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best model railway brand for a hobbyist?": 1. Kato, 2. Bachmann, 3. Atlas Model Railroad, 4. Hornby, 5. Lionel, 6. Marklin - Searched Google, AI Overview "scale model railway": named none of the brands we track - Searched Google, AI Overview "train model kits": 1. Bachmann, 2. Kato Not named in any answer: MTH, Rapido Trains, Walthers, Graham Farish, Peco and Fleischmann. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for model railway brands worldwide in October 2026? - In October 2026, Lionel gained share of searches among model railway brands worldwide, from 13.8% to 15%. - In October 2026, Hornby lost share of searches among model railway brands worldwide, from 31.8% to 30%. ## How has branded search for Hornby and Lionel changed worldwide over the last 12 months? | Month | Hornby estimated searches | Hornby Share of Search | Hornby rank | Lionel estimated searches | Lionel Share of Search | Lionel rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 90.5K | 28.8% | 1 | 82.6K | 26.3% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 90.5K | 26.4% | 2 | 93.6K | 27.3% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 90.5K | 33.4% | 1 | 45.2K | 16.7% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 60.5K | 29.7% | 1 | 30.3K | 14.9% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 60.5K | 29.7% | 1 | 32.1K | 15.7% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 60.5K | 31.4% | 1 | 27.6K | 14.3% | 3 | | May 2026 | 60.5K | 31.9% | 1 | 24.7K | 13% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | 60.5K | 33.5% | 1 | 24.7K | 13.7% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 60.5K | 32.8% | 1 | 28.8K | 15.6% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 60.5K | 30.5% | 1 | 28.8K | 14.5% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 60.5K | 31.8% | 1 | 26.2K | 13.8% | 3 | | Oct 2026 | 60.5K | 30% | 1 | 30.3K | 15% | 3 | ## How are Hornby’s and Lionel’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hornby’s and Lionel’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Hornby**: Measured on the search term “hornby”. - **Lionel**: Measured on the search terms “lionel train set” and “lionel trains”, summed into one figure. - [Hornby profile](/demand/global-en/brands/hornby) - [Lionel profile](/demand/global-en/brands/lionel) - [All model railway brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/model-railway-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 15 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Hornby or Lionel more popular in search? In October 2026, Hornby had more branded searches than Lionel among model railway brands worldwide. Hornby had about 60,500 branded searches, while Lionel had 30,300. Hornby made up 30% of all model railway brand searches we track, and Lionel accounted for 15%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Hornby vs Lionel: Which is more popular?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/hornby-vs-lionel This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/hornby-vs-lionel. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.