I ran across this on youtube... 300miles of track every year! Lots of proud Lionel workers there...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iugQ_YFVJzM
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Thanks Bob...wish we could turn back the clock.....j
THANKS, BOB! Priceless footage with cute youngsters, but too choppy for my taste! Also, Joshua Cowen did NOT "invent" the first toy train! Those young folks could be forgiven for that error! ☺
This kind of ties into my emerging realization how much I missed some of the good MPC trains we had, reference the post about liking MPC trains...
I grew up with this Lionel factory and MPC 15miles away... I remember all the stories of kids 'dumpster diving' at the Lionel plant.
Kids I knew would have all kinds of oddities like swirled plastic shells and strange things assembled from the dumpsters. Several friends had such momentos. I just dreamed about doing it thru the stories I heard...
You always heard the TALL TALES about brand new F3s just stacked up in dumpsters. Realistically it would have been flaws or test shots in funky colors. Many people seemed to know SOMEONE who worked there.
It was like knowing someone that worked at Willy Wonka Chocolate... same gaze comes over your face as a kid!
It was our hometown Model Train Company!
The F3s may not have been a tale. I was never there myself, but I know the dumpster was an occasional drop spot for after hours pickup if you knew someone and were willing to risk it for a bit. If they could, nightshift might keep an eye on it, but no promises; it was a risk.
That was a good look into Lionel at the time. The kids did a great job.
Thanks Bob. Great find!
As noted above, the kids add to the fun. I also enjoyed reading about your experiences growing up near the Lionel factory, and the stories associated with the dumpster finds.
I had the pleasure of touring the Lionel factory, with an experienced and informative Lionel employee, and watching many of those production processes and assemblies in real time. My recollection is that these tours were conducted during the Lionel Centennial year of 2000, in conjunction with the joint LCCA and LOTS Annual Conventions held at the Dearborn Radisson Hotel. Among other things, while on the tour, I thought that the fabrication of the"O" gauge track was fascinating. Thought the tour, the employees who were interviewed at their job stations seemed to be genuinely proud of working for such an iconic brand as Lionel.
Dennis GS-4 N & W No. 611 posted:Thanks Bob. Great find!
As noted above, the kids add to the fun. I also enjoyed reading about your experiences growing up near the Lionel factory, and the stories associated with the dumpster finds.
I had the pleasure of touring the Lionel factory, with an experienced and informative Lionel employee, and watching many of those production processes and assemblies in real time. My recollection is that these tours were conducted during the Lionel Centennial year of 2000, in conjunction with the joint LCCA and LOTS Annual Conventions held at the Dearborn Radisson Hotel. Among other things, while on the tour, I thought that the fabrication of the"O" gauge track was fascinating. Thought the tour, the employees who were interviewed at their job stations seemed to be genuinely proud of working for such an iconic brand as Lionel.
Yes. That was a GREAT visit back in 2000. Probably the best train-club convention I have attended.
I miss the Mount Clemens/Chesterfield/New Baltimore (depending on what year it was! 
factory too. I was only a 40 minute drive from there. There's also a video floating around on the 'net from a Martha Stewart Show segment (no idea how I stumbled across it!) showing the inside of the factory as well.
Rob
The great days of Mike Braga & John Brady.
Very nice. Thanks for posting. Wish I could still buy Michigan-made model trains.
MELGAR
robmcc posted:I miss the Mount Clemens/Chesterfield/New Baltimore (depending on what year it was!
Rob
Here is the segment from Martha Stewart, features the 100th Anniversary Gold Hudson:
thanks Bob!....that was neat!...…………...Pat
Yup back when stuff lasted, my dad got to go there and car rail when kughn owned lionel. The train depot in mt airy md is the oldest train store left in United states.service station #20. My dads brother and friends have owned it a long time. They got to see kughns personal collection and everything. What a treat.
The kids did a great job in that video but a few years later that plant was shuttered. Its great to see American workers earning a living by making quality reliable products. Judging by all the reported quality defects, today's Asian products are both inferior and unreliable, but the companies that sent the business to China are now paying a heavy price. Maybe it wasn't worth it after all.
Dmaxdeere87 posted:Yup back when stuff lasted, my dad got to go there and car rail when kughn owned lionel. The train depot in mt airy md is the oldest train store left in United states.service station #20. My dads brother and friends have owned it a long time. They got to see kughns personal collection and everything. What a treat.
Awesome!
I worked there for a little while in the late 70's. Seeing the video brought back some memories, like the smell of hot plastic! I still have a couple of MPC paycheck stubs.
As I recall, some of those manufacturing and assembly work areas are also captured in a different context in the TM video, "Lionel Legends, The Hudson The Making of the Scale Hudson".
Super O Bob posted:I ran across this on youtube... 300miles of track every year! Lots of proud Lionel workers there...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iugQ_YFVJzM
All production workers were union UAW workers.
I drive by this a few times a week. It is sad not to see the Lionel sign not out front anymore. I never toured the factory but did visit the layout in the visitors center a few times.
I have avoided that stretch of 23mile road because I dont want to see the missing sign...
Yes, it's a bit choppy; it's a kids' video. I enjoyed it, and the kids did add to the fun.
Sometimes on "How It's Made" they go a bit too fast for me too. It's not due to my age, but rather a curiosity of wanting to visualize the production techniques in greater detail. (Perhaps my vintage as well where the average attention span is greater than 5 nanoseconds).
I wonder if they would let a video crew into the Chinese factory. I am sure that some of those people are artisans and specialized crafts-people. An industrial analytical report could make interesting reading as to find the sources of QA problems. The new trains are just too complex to simply put on a track to see if it goes forward-neutral-reverse, check the lighting and smoke functions. Is every circuit board checked? What would be the proper testing protocol? How long would you test every piece before releasing it?
How do MTH and Lionel stack up in comparison to Marklin's QA and out of the box reliability? If we went on a European train forum would we be reading about the incidence of out of the box DOA and loose parts just as often?
Anyway, I digress from a cute kids' video. Just thoughts coming to mind.
Alan
ajzend posted:Yes, it's a bit choppy; it's a kids' video. I enjoyed it, and the kids did add to the fun.
Sometimes on "How It's Made" they go a bit too fast for me too. It's not due to my age, but rather a curiosity of wanting to visualize the production techniques in greater detail. (Perhaps my vintage as well where the average attention span is greater than 5 nanoseconds).
I wonder if they would let a video crew into the Chinese factory. I am sure that some of those people are artisans and specialized crafts-people. An industrial analytical report could make interesting reading as to find the sources of QA problems. The new trains are just too complex to simply put on a track to see if it goes forward-neutral-reverse, check the lighting and smoke functions. Is every circuit board checked? What would be the proper testing protocol? How long would you test every piece before releasing it?
How do MTH and Lionel stack up in comparison to Marklin's QA and out of the box reliability? If we went on a European train forum would we be reading about the incidence of out of the box DOA and loose parts just as often?
Anyway, I digress from a cute kids' video. Just thoughts coming to mind.
Alan
Not it the german factory. I did run across a video of marklins gernan factory...
And we expect slaves to run an operation of this magnitude? No wonder we have problems LOL
I doubt every board is checked 100% by hand. Maybe to a jig test for command, read an o.k.,. Then assembly. Finally, power to turn & cycle it, check for sound basic sound, box it.
Lionel trains made in U S of America!.........Boy would it be great to see that on the train boxes again. Great video thanks for sharing.
Well we have Lionscale!
I have ALOT of hoppers and i like them! Made in USA!
