After returning to the hobby after a 25 or so year hiatus, I am amazed at how Life Like locomotives went from being crap that even at age 10 I despised to one of the top model railroad locomotives brands in the world. What’s the story behind the transformation? I understand Walthers owns the brand now but Life Like created Proto prior to this. Was there an ownership change prior to Walthers? I wonder why other rtr brands like Tyco or Model Power (however I understand some MP locos aren’t bad today) didn’t follow suit.
I suppose they just saw a market opening and decided to move into it. To my knowledge, LifeLike did not change hands before the Walthers purchase. They continue to produce the older, low end stuff under the LifeLike label, but they created the Proto line for the more serious modeller. It actually helped their other products, as many of the components of Proto engines made their way down to the regular line.
Conversely, Walthers has introduced their lower-end Trainline models, and Atlas now has the Trainman line to compete in the same market. Athearn has the Genesis models, which are better than the old blue-box offerings, and Bachmann has its Spectrum series. You’re right - not everyone has done this, but LifeLike was certainly not the only company to have both high-end and low-end models.
The Proto line included the P2K models, which were upscale shells and the P1K shells were much like the Trainline series. Lifelike made several models in the P1K including the F units, but their drive systems were great. I purchased two dozen of the P1K LL F units models and tossed the shells so the drives could be used under the Genesis and Highliner shells. .
My guess is they decided to broaden their customer base by offering products the more discriminating modelers would be attracted to, just as Bachmann did when they started their Spectrum line. P1K is definitely a cut above anything produced under the Life Like brand and P2K is definitely in the high end. I think a better question would be why Model Power hasn’t followed suit. It seems content to cornering the bottom rung of the market.
LL and Bachman made a good move when we lost Mantua, then MDC as kits. I don’t know where BLI came from but they came outa nowhere and did something great as well.
The first P2k models were built for ConCor, under the ConCor name, with Proto 2000 printed in the lower corner of the box. I think they only made the Alco FA/FB’s and the BL1’s under this arrangement. They were in a gold colored box with a flip up cover. I don’t know if this was the beginning of P2k or not.
As far I can remember, P2K never made models for Concor, the BL2 (not BL1) was the first model produced by P2K, (they made a big thing about it breaking the endurance record). The FA/FB came out a bit later, I think the GP-18 and E-8 came out after the BL2s.
At the time there was an increasing demand for better detailed and higher quality models and low cost Chinese manufacturing was just coming into our hobby. It allowed LL to produce a higher end product at relatively low cost and be very competitive. With the onset of lower profit margins and “limited” production runs by Atlas and Kato, LL decided this market wasn’t for them and sold the P2K brand to Walthers.
I stand corrected, I didn’t pay too much attention to Concor or the PRR in those days, so I must have missed them, I only remember the later release with the rotating fans in the P2K boxes… Did the Concor versions have the rotating fans?
I still remember years back the iniitial skepticism at my LHS. Tyical comment then: *“Life Like, come on, you got to be kidding!”[(-D] (*Myself included.)
Even with the initial teething problems (split gears, electrical pickup on some hood models) the comments I heard were generally favorable. I was impressed wth the body detailing and crisp paint schemes. For southeastern modelers like me, it was enjoyable to see P2K models in ACL, SAL, and SCL paint schemes (something we had been begging Athearn for).
The smooth running, “brick-heavy” E-units became my favorite HO locomotives.
The introduction of the Life Like Proto series of quality products was unquestionably in response to the recognition of a major influx of Baby Boomers, with fat wallets, into the hobby beginning around the late 1980’s/early 1990’s. This was also reflected in the upgrading of the products of several of the other manufacturers. For the first time there was a major segment of the model railroading market that was looking for accurate, high quality, basically RTR items and willing to pay top dollar for it, as opposed to the previous majority of folks in the hobby who were truly craftsman hobbyists willing to scratchbuild and kitbash their way to locomotive accuracy starting from more basic commercial models.
Simply put, it was the logical path to follow for any company with its finger on the pulse of the hobby.
Changing brand names is nothing new. Black & Decker used to make a line of commercial grade tools under their own name - which was dragged down by their avacado colored home-owner grade tools. It got to the point that no contractor would buy their stuff + Makita, Bosch, and others made better tools. B & D already owned DeWalt, who made the big radial arm saws used in most lumber yards, so they changed the color of the housings to yellow!! Their QC still stinks, but it saved their reputation & sales numbers.[:)]
Everyone needs a Cadaliac or a Sportscoup to survive. Athreans has there Genesis line just like Bachmann has Spectrum. All the makers have some high end stuff today. Its so they can keep some of us old dog still scratching for something. They all have to cover from the beginner to advance MR’r to make ends meet. If they put all there eggs in one basket they loose out to someone somewhere. Buy the way the last time I saw tyco anywhere was on EBay anyways.
Way back I remember when LifeLike did not have even cheesy train set locomotives and cars; they had none. It was for the most part a scenery and liquid track cleaner line of products, and by no means high end.
When those first LikeLike Proto 2000 engines came out, it would be hard to describe to newcomers to the hobby how some of us grizzled veterans resisted the whole notion of having LifeLike products on our layouts. It was like going to Dennys for a gourmet dinner – the mind could not wrap itself around the notion. So I was at a friend’s layout when another guy brought in a Proto 2000 E unit, I think in Louisville and Nashville paint, and we were amazed at the smooth and quiet drive, the pulling power, the nicely detailed shell, the really impressive paint job, and the mars headlight. For all practical purposes Model Power and AHM were your only other choices for E units at the time. Among the offerings at the time, only my Atlas Alco road switcher was as quiet.
There was a confluence of things going on (or not going on) at the time. The brass market had shrunk considerably, yet the superdetailing articles in the magazines, and various lines of superdetail parts, and the rise of various prototype modeling SIGs all showed there was an appetite for the level of detail associated with brass. Even the toy train market had started to show this trend. But some of the established names in the market such as Mantua and to some extent Athearn and Walthers persisted in selling off products with 1950s tooling. LifeLike (and before them, Atlas) correctly saw that there was a growing gap in the model train market, but it seemed to be LifeLike that had the marketing muscle to really exploit the situation.
Two guys in a hobby shop in Baltimore took what they had learned about the model train market and sold their ideas to Bachmann and Life Like respectively. One went to work for Life Like to develope Proto 2000, the other for Bachmann to develope Spectrum. I know Lee is still at Bachmann, last I heard Nolan is still with Walthers after the buyout.
Atlas was already working with Kato and these guys saw the potential.
Anyone knowing more feel free to correct me. I met both guys years ago in Pro Custom Hobbies and at the Serverna Park Model Railroad Club.
Life-like had the rep for “train-sets” and low priced locos and cars. They were a good example of “you get what you pay for”, and they filled a niche in the market place of the '70s and '80s for beginners.
When the train loving baby boomers got older (kids gone, retirement near, money available) in the '90s, they wanted something better. And in the '80s you really had either low priced (w/ less detail & quality) stuff or expensive brass stuff available. Soooo, Life-Like created a middle of the road line, and called it Proto to differentiate it from its lesser models.
In the same light, Bachmann created Spectrum, and Athearn created Genesis. Also, the ‘new’ market opened doors for the likes of Stewart, Kato, and later on, Broadway Limited.
I’m 64, and have always modeled the Santa Fe of the '40s/'50s. I found it so very frustrating that - with few exceptions - there were no quality middle of the road ATSF locos available in the '60s and '70s and early '80s. But all of a sudden in the late '80s & '90s, here comes a wealth of ATSF postwar locos from P2k & P1k, Stewart, Kato, Genesis, and later on some really nice steamers from Broadway Limited.
In short, we “middle of the roaders” are truly fortunate to be playing with trains at this time!
I was one of the skeptical people when the BL2 came out. Especially after seeing that it came from Life-Like…who up until then, made things that were pretty crude. Things such as Santa Fe-painted F40PH locomotives and some buildings that were a bit dated (at least detail-wise) compared to contemporary items. That was, until I got to see a BL2 run… That thing seemed so smooth. Much smoother than the Bachmann Spectrum F40PH (in Amtrak colors) that I’d just bought!
Actually the detail found on P2K locomotives caught the dynamic duo(Atlas/Kato) holding the short end of the detail stick…After that Atlas had to play the detail catch up game with P2K…That Atlas has done with every new or retooled locomotive-still their GP7 plays second fiddle to the P2K GP7 as far as detail.
The next entrant in the catch up game was Athearn…Then came their Genesis Line.
Bachmann is still behind in the game but,offers a DCC equipped diesel locomotive for less then $100.00 that doesn’t look to shabby if one isn’t into 110% accurate details…These are not bad runners…I see 'em at the club…
Maybe I should have used more words. …the potential for something even better in plastic.
As for Bachmann, they may be behind the curve with modern diesels, but Spectrum steam is excelent now and getting even better with every product. Athearn too as more than caught up and remains one of the biggest player in this hobby.
Maybe I should have used more words. …the potential for something even better in plastic.
As for Bachmann, they may be behind the curve with modern diesels, but Spectrum steam is excelent now and getting even better with every product. Athearn too as more than caught up and remains one of the biggest players in this hobby.