Brandwave

Lionel vs PIKO:Which is more popular?

In October 2026, Lionel had more branded searches than PIKO among model railway brands worldwide. Lionel had about 30,300 branded searches, while PIKO had 1,300. Lionel made up 15% of all model railway brand searches we track, and PIKO accounted for 0.64%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about model railway brands, PIKO appeared in two of the five answers and Lionel in one. PIKO was mentioned before Lionel in two out of three answers.

Among model railway brands worldwide in October 2026

Who do people search for more?

Lionel, about 23 searches for every 1 for PIKO

Lionel 30.3K searchesPIKO 1.3K searches

Who does AI mention more?

PIKO, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, Lionel in 1

PIKO in 2 of 5Lionel in 1 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

PIKO, named ahead of Lionel in 2 of 3 answers

PIKO first in 2Lionel first in 1

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Top model railway brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, PIKO was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the 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. PIKO was listed before Lionel in two out of three answers.

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.

Is Lionel or PIKO more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Lionel and PIKO by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 15 model railway brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Lionel and PIKO among model railway brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Lionel, PIKO. 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%

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

3 findings
  • Lionel was ahead of PIKO in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026.
  • 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.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, PIKO’s share of searches among model railway brands worldwide moved from 0.51% to 0.64%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.6K to 1.3K.

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

2 changes

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

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for PIKO worldwide fell 18.8% over 12 measured months, from 1.6K to 1.3K in October 2026.

How are Lionel’s and PIKO’s branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Lionel’s and PIKO’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.

Lionel

2 branded search terms

  • lionel train set
  • lionel trains

PIKO

1 branded search term

  • piko trains

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among model railway brands

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