I have noticed over the past couple of years that UP (or whatever it is called now) has a problem with model railroad manufacturing companies using “DRGW”, “SP”, “UP”, etc heritage names on models. I have been out of the hobby for about 8 years or so. I have been a model railroader since 1961 when I was about 11 years old. To me, model trains using these RR names is basically free advertising for major corporations such as UP and they should be glad that that is the case, considering that most, if not all model railroaders are in support of RAILROADS in general. I have seen the “*” in ads in MR and RMC stating that SP, D & RGW, etc is a licensing thing when referenced in model train ads in the model railroad press…give me A break!!! Excuse me, but this is all new to me! Having seen pictures, ads, model trains, etc for 40+ years in magazines, train shows, and hobby shops, are they saying that we can’t use their heritage names and current names in the NAME of an innocent and productive hobby??? This is BULL----!..They should be ashamed of themselves! Does Revell plastic models have to do the same for models of Boeing 707 airplane models carrying “American Airlines” on their models?..(what do I know, maybe they do!)…please, someone, educate me on this ludicrous situation. Get real…we are talking about MODELS!!! Alan Stapleford
YES! The plastic model kit manufacturers have to pay money to Boeing. United. Delta. Ford. GM. Chrysler.
Hot Wheels has to pay the trademark fees.
All the NASCAR stuff of course is loaded down with fees.
Athearn has to pay John Deere and Coke.
But thanks to the news of today (see a separate thread or look for your MR newsletter in your e-mail) apparently the license fee issue has now been muted in our hobby.
Alan–wish I could illuminate you on this problem, but it seems that Union Pacific has decided that not only is it’s name Sacrosanct, but also the names of the ‘fallen flags’ that it’s decided to gobble up, and that for locos and rolling stock, you have to pay a premium above the usual retail price, because the manufacturers are paying UP for the privelege of using their logos, both past and present.
As far as I know, few of the other giants are into this childish game (for instance, BNSF seems to be allowing the licencing of GN, SP&S, NP, Frisco, C&S, FW&D, Burlington and Santa Fe cars onto the shelves without additional pricing), but since UP is the only major railroad that hasn’t had to change its name since 1865 or so, they somehow think that they’ve become a National Heritage like the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution. Ergo, you buy a UP or affiliated road boxcar, you pay an additional fee because UP is a ‘licenced company’ and has to be ‘protected’ from the mishandling by model manufacturers from having its name bandied about ‘irresponsibly.’ (For instance, what would UP think of someone came out with a–horrors!–J-1a 2-10-4 with UNION PACIFIC painted on its tender?).
It’s affected me, I know, since I model both D&RGW and SP during the WWII era, and trying to find rolling stock for these two roads has become increasingly difficult, these days. And certainly NOT from a lack of rolling stock appropriate to the period.
Hopefully, UP will grow up, soon. Right now, the railroad has garnered the lowest public approval profile of any railroad in the United States. Maybe management will see the light and start firing all of those lawyers who don’t seem to have anything else to do in their offices in Omaha, and they can get back to realizing that some of the best advertising for a railroad can be their names prominent on model railroad equipment. It worked for Lionel, after all!
Check out the latest news from late today. Mike Wolf (MTH) has negotiated an industry-wide royalty-free licensing from UP (current and fallen flags) for all model train manufacturers, all scales.
This is a huge monkey off of everyone’s back.
Cheers,
Mike
Doesn’t matter to me. My new Southern Pacific E7 is still going to the paint shop where it will be repainted for the MKT.
Yea, how about that!!! MTH working out a deal for ALL the manufacturers, and in perpetuity. Who’d a thunk it! Maybe Mr. Wolf wanted some good PR for a change.
This sure looks like a win-win for all involved. I just hope there isn’t some hidden “gotcha!” in there somewhere.
Right now the only bad thing I can think of is MTH producing another Big Boy…[:-,]
Lionel already has that one covered. [(-D]
Apparently, with the class 1 railroads being merged into a handful of giants, the surviving roads don’t feel the free advertising they get from model railroads amounts to much. There just isn’t much competition within the rail industry any more for customers. Your choice of rail carrier is pretty much dictated by your location. UP probably just figured they could get a few coins added to the bottom line by requiring licensing fees to be paid. It wasn’t that long ago the the Santa Fe paid Lionel to produce a 3 rail version of their Chief with warbonnet paint scheme.
This is news to me that MTH has brokered a deal with UP to drop the licensing fees. When did that happen and what are the details?
Can somebody tell me of one shipper who decided what railroad to use becuase he saw a model? Perhaps, in the days of passenger rail this was a better agrument.
Nobody complains about all the “free advertising” the NFL gets and their licensing fees are much higher than UP.