Jerry Calabrese Addresses Lionel’s Commitment to Scale Product and the Legacy Control System
10/17/2008 Since my appearance at the Toy Train Museum at Strasburg Wednesday afternoon, a rumor has been circulating that Lionel is getting out of the high end, scale steam engine business. It’s my pleasure to nip this rumor in the bud.
As those of you who were there know, I arrived late and a bit harried from the long drive from New York to the York Toy Train Museum presentation in Strasburg on Wednesday afternoon. I guess I was not as clear as I thought I was when I responded to a question from the crowd that has led to the rumor that Lionel is ‘getting out of the scale steam locomotive business.’
Let me start by saying that however the rumor got started, it’s absolutely not true and I want to set the record straight:
Far from withdrawing from the high end, scale engine market, Lionel is betting heavily on the passion of scale enthusiasts, but in a new and more reasoned way that fully commits the company to its new Vision Line. That means that the new Lionel Vision Line will do its best to create a limited number of absolutely “Must Have” steam and diesel scale engines, rolling stock and accessories, and will replace the current JLC designation for our high end engines.
The new Vision Line will be dedicated to creating totally innovative, limited edition, scale steam and diesel engines that will be the most detailed and beautiful products we have ever made. I feel strongly that the success of all our future high end, scale products depends on Lionel’s ability to create engines, rolling stock and accessories that hobbyists feel they “must have”, because they are a rock-certain value and are totally compelling.
More important, when Lionel has hit that mark with engines like the Acela, the Big Boy and our recent UP Heritage diesel series, those engines sold out and held their prices in the marketplace, giving assurance to scale enthusiasts th