Please read this as it seems this forum had no knowledge of it.
WOW!!!
So glad I never got into that in the first place. Almost did but backed out as new stuff was coming out. How long will they support the new stuff? Money has a very short site. I will just run mine with the transformer. Sorry Suckers! [swg]
How can you respond to ignorance.
Ignorance? You got a point there, I think? As far as I can see they don’t support any of the old transformer stuff either. Now it is Blue tooth and run your trains on your phone and tablet. What next? From what I see the kids are just not into it these days. Kinda like 8 tracks. [(-D]
Lionel is just like all the rest of todays places. Ignorance is in the eye of the beholder.
It’s not just Lionel MTH sets no longer come with any type of controller, you have to add something. The problem is elecronic parts change and getting what is need for the boards becomes obsolete.
IMO. It’s just like what the did with K-line. Eliminate it. Thus removing a product competing with their overpriced low quality line they’re pushing. I really don’t think that Lionel would still be around today, or if it was, be a big factor in the industry if K-line never sold out.
M. Kline put himself out of business by making poor bussiness decisions. Lionel still outsells all the others by miles. They will be around awhile in spite of their poor customer relations decisions.
K-Line didn’t sell out they got caught using a copy right product of Lionel. Lionel basically put them out of business.
Lionel and MTH both have been having big problems with quality control and seems they can’t get a handle on it. Which they really need to do so. To some of us older ones, the way they and MTH are heading it is putting us where we don’t want their products. If you don’t stay up on all the new technology your getting left behind in a hobby you help develop to where it is today kinda.
I never was big into technology but I did have some engines that where TMCC. Some I did the ERR upgrade. Which was a great product for it’s time but it has gotten to where it is old technology so Lionel has decided to let it go. A lot where upset by it as it ment they couldn’t upgrade and engines that where conventional. But supposedly Lionel is working with someone who wants to keep it going but with different parts to do the same. We will see. To me it’s time Lionel let a form of Legacy be released so there is a better product to upgrade conventional.
Yep,
And if Edsel had bought out everyone else we would all be driving one. [;)]
I wasn’t aware of that. I know Lionel was sued by MTH for copywrite/stealing thier plans and had to pay up big!
If I remember correctly it was a steam engine of some type. A big one.
The court threw out the judgement against Lionel in the Lionel-MTH dispute. Here are some of the stories we ran on the MTH-Lionel and Lionel-K-Line litigation:
Train drawings stolen, MTH sues Lionel N&N July 2000 p23
Judges denied injunction against Lionel, News & Notes Sep 2000 p23
MTH Awarded $40 million in Lionel trial, News & Notes Sep 2004 p22
Judge approve $40.7 million award to MTH, News & Notes Feb 2005, p22
Lionel seeks bankruptcy protection Feb 2005 p23
Lionel accuses K-Line of stealing trade secrets, News & Notes Oct 2005 p23
K-Line seeks bankruptcy protection following Lionel lawsuit, News & Notes, Nov 2005 p23
K-Line/Lionel settlement (Second Statement), Product News Feb 2006 p24
Lionel will take over –Line brand, Product News, May 2006 p23
MTH files, then drops patent infringement lawsuit against Lionel Oct 2006, p21
Appeals court sends back MTH-Lionel lawsuit, March 2007 p25
I heard, not sure if it’s true though that Lionel had to hand over its tin plate line to MTH as part of a settlement? Any truth to that?
From what I heard Lionel Licensed it to MTH. It was shortly after the deal so there was some speculation on that but nothing never came of it other than speculation.
Thanks Bob for the info.
Who is “you”? It isn’t me. I don’t have Bluetooth or a SmartPhone or a Tablet.
“You” seems to be the market segment that Lionel is looking at as their future as far as I can tell.
I also do not have a tablet, smart phone, Bluetooth or a smart TV but I know there a lot of them out there who do. Fine with me. I will just keep running my conventional trains and use my flip phone. I have enough trains anyway. I must admit I have got some Lionchief for the grandson and they seem fine. Guys my age are not the market Lionel is looking to for their future and good thing they are not.
Maybe there wasn’t a big market for upgrades, but there still is enough of us who like the fact there was an option to upgrade or replace TMCC/RailSounds components. I understand the TMCC technology is almost 25 years old, which is an eternity in the electronic world, but I still feel it has a relevant place in our hobby. From what I’ve read elsewhere, there was other factors such as parts sourcing and aging staff that contributed partially to the decision. I do hope Lionel is looking at alternative options. I really don’t want to get into wiring blocks and relays on my layout!!
I’ll tell you folks, I don’t like hi-tech and I don’t like gee-whiz electronics.
I’ve always taken this great man’s words to heart…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2NsTi_43g4
And that’s why I run conventional. Nothing like just sitting there with a cup of coffee and a smoke and watching 'em go round and round. letting the visual dynamics of my steamers do their magic.
I’m easily amused, I might add.
And RIP, Lieutenant James Doohan, 14th Field Artillery Regiment, Canadian Army, who stormed Juno Beach on D-Day, June 6th, 1944. Not just a fictional hero.
Scotty, you are missed!
It will probably spur a cottage industry…