Starting with new releases for 2009, the entire Lionel line of O Scale models will be available directly from Walthers. Over 500 new items are planned this year. Production of these new 2009 items will be based on advance orders, which must be placed on or before April 8, 2009. Orders for the new Vision line of highly detailed models are due by April 30, 2009. Details are being finalized and updates will be posted at walthers.com as they become available!
Garfield, that must be something totally brand new by Walthers as I have a month old catalog by Walthers and it has NO Lionel in it at all!
The catalog by Walthers that I have lists mainly H.O. trains and a few pieces of MTH or Atlas in O gauge. I get monthly catalogs from Walthers even though I don’t buy from them.
Lee F.
Walthers sales of Lionel seem to have been fairly limited (primarily as a distributor to hobby shops) in the past, though when they were producing the Big Trains (S, O, G) catalog they listed most of the Lionel product line. I believe their last Big Trains catalog was issued in 2002 - at least we couldn’t find one on our shelves any newer than that.
I saw that on Walthers.com. I was amazed. I’m interested in what kind of discounts walthers will give if any.
anjdevil - Discounts? Walthers…? You’re a funny guy, Richie.
Walthers is one of the select few that made the distributors list for Lionel.
I get the Walthers flyer catalog every month and a lot of it is MSRP along with clearance sales. Up until the mid 80’s, Walthers put out O scale catalogs that specialized in craftsman kits and detail parts.
In the past, Walthers business model has been a special order distributor where you special order things from a local shop and the shop gets it from Walthers at his price. The cost of distribution goes up in that case because Walthers is not getting bulk orders from the shop. This has always worked well with nickle and dime items such as track pieces, detail parts, frieght car kits, etc. Because it often isn’t worth the hobbiest time to shop around and save a nickle.
My gut feeling is Walthers may be making some changes and take on a distribution model like Horizon. I don’t know for sure and I don’t want to start any rumors either. LOL.
I have been in this hobby since Christmas 1946 when I was six years old. So now Walthers has arrived in our world! Possibly one more dealer might make a difference. However I will still order through our Toytown store in Portsmouth Ohio. We might not get the lowest price, but our dealer stands behind every item sold. If it stops running, he fixes it! Usually a good supply is on hand. Every item in the Lionel, Williams, MTH, Atlas catalogs available, that someone wants is ordered promptly.