I was watching it today, and on the first round they had the contestants guess how much a Lionel dealers display was. It included TMCC, Fastrack, and Railsounds. One of Bob’s girls was pressing buttons on the Cab 1. The the camera zoomed in on the layout and LIONEL appeared on the screen!!![:D]
Most people bid $550-$750, but the final price was $1500.
That’s great to hear! I’m sorry I missed that one. I’ve seen Lionel dealer’s displays twice before on The Price is Right. They also once had an LGB layout. This is just the sort of thing that Lionel needs to be doing to get their name out to the public. It’s too bad that they don’t do more TV advertising.
I think a concern is that parents watching the show think that Lionel is way too expensive. They don’t know about competition, just that “Lionel makes kids trains. But, $1500.00?! Even ONE set must cost SEVEN hundred! That’s just too expensive for a toy train”.
And they never look any further than that. You’ve probably done the same thing with something else. And that’s sad, because it affects all of us within the hobby.
IMHO, train manufacturers should be the ones bringing newcomers into the hobby. Promote starter sets for around $300.00 that includes an accessory like a crossing gate. Offer instructions on ‘operation’. I’d bet most non-hobbyist dads, even though they had their own trains, have no idea what to do with a train set except set it under the tree.
Let’s hope The Polar Express softens hearts toward the toy train industry.
…and hopefully the sets are available somewhere besides hobby shops.
I have seen one or two Lionel sets on The Price Is Right over the years. I didn’t see today’s show though. They do say that it is the MSRP, but as a hobbyist I know that it can be had for much less.
In a way it is a disservice to Lionel, because sticker shock could scare people away. On the other hand I’m sure that there are people who didn’t realize Lionel trains were still being made.[B)][:O][X-)][banghead][;)]