Nope, Guggenheim Capitol Management still owns Lionel Trains.

 

I wonder if that's the same hobby shop owner who claims he got a letter from Lionel announcing the discontinuation of tubular track? See, this is why we question things like this and take them with a grain of salt.

 

Jerry

In 2010 Lionel obtained the rights to be the exclusive producer of Nascar die-cast autos.

 

The other Bill T

Of course they did, I mean the hobby shop owner said it, so it must be true right?

 

I bet he has the letter that he received on his desk somewhere

NASCAR is lucky they are still in business. 

Even though NASCAR may be in decline, I wouldn't be so quick to hang crepe. Quote:

 

NASCAR is second only to the National Football League among professional sports franchises in terms of television ratings in the United States. Internationally, NASCAR races are broadcast in over 150 countries. In 2004 NASCAR's Director of Security stated that NASCAR holds 17 of the top 20 regularly attended single-day sporting events in the world. Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other motor sport.

If Nascar bought Lionel, then our trains would only take left hand curves!

     Being from the Richard Kughn era of Lionel and Madison Hardware being on the 4th floor of a warehouse on Jefferson Ave., in Detroit and Dick's home layout. To me this was the best time for Lionel. They always had a factory Layout and Tours at the plant in Mount Clements, / Chesterfield Twp., Michigan.

     The Lionel employees, would often be seen at my local LHS. This only lasted for about ten years. My three children were young at the time and the factory tour was always fun for myself and them.

     If I could push an easy button, Dick Kughn would still be the owner, but that is not going to happen.

     Now for this NASCAR deal, I have not heard that story.

See financial report below, from Google on Feb. 6th, 2015

Wellspring Capital Management, owns

Lionel – Not sure about Guggenheim Capital Management, and how many shares they have or how many share held by Wellspring Capital Management.

This is old info. Wellsprings does not own them anymore.

Might you happen to know and be able so share who, or what entity, does own Lionel at the current time?

 

Pete

 

 

Speaking of "NASCAR".... I wish they would bring back REAL "stock car" racing!  

This might be a good thread to ask in. For those of you who have been to the new place's open house, what now occupies the big office with the trackside view? 

 

I still haven't adjusted to Lionel being in the Garage Mahal, even though that's an excellent facility for it.

I agree.......but if they did it today ZERO cars built today would be eligible to race. The last real stock cars had to be 2 door, rear wheel drive, pushrod V-8 powered, American built sedans built in numbers more than 5,000.  Maybe.....a Dodge Charger is close to that.....but it's a 4 door. No GM's and no Fords fit the rules of REAL stock cars.

I worked in the NASCAR biz for many years......today's Cup is what it is....no going back.

That was in 2004 though... A lot has changed since then.  NASCAR may be second in television ratings for sports, but have you seen or been to a race lately?  The difference in attendance now since the early 2000's and late 90's significantly smaller.  Once a few of the more popular drivers leave the sport/retire, NASCAR will be about as popular as it was in the 70s...

As an avid NASCAR fan (the 3 and 88 in my user name... guess where that came from), thats a tough pill to swallow, but it is what it is.  Overselling, over pricing, gearing more towards corporate has killed the sport for us little people.

The NFL and local communities are doing it to us in that sport as well!  Prices to park your car, attend a game, and pay for overpriced food and beverage are just plain crazy.

 

--Greg

Guggenheim Capitol Management

Apparently the current CEO has fairly strong ties to NASCAR.

 

Rusty

Unlikely but it is possible folks at the big G read this board, see the ugly reaction to the astounding prices in their newest catalog and quietly is easing their way out.

Joe 

 

Or they could all drive Dodge Challengers (2 door, RWD, pushrod v-8, and named after a UP steam locomotive, just to keep it train related!  

There is zero interest in nascar in the NE area. I used to love stock car racing but they are no more. 

What handwriting?

 

Would it be "Warning, old men with nothing else to talk about speculating about rumors heard in a toy store?"

 

I think it's safe to say that Lionel had an awesome 2014 and they are probably happy about it. 2015 looks good to and I have zero problems with the prices I saw

 

I LOVE Challengers both the giant locomotives and the smaller Dodges. 

But the loco is tough to run at Daytona.......and the Dodges are not sedans but rather Pony cars and thus do not qualify.....

Former big fan who gave up on nascar about 7 years ago.   Bring back "stock" car racing like they had in the sixties

Well David,I wish I was as broke as NASCAR.

 

Brad

NASCAR being down the road from Lionel...all is not well in their kingdom. The city of Charlotte bailed them out as they could not cover their own debts that would be incurred in the construction of their Hall of Fame. A sweetheart deal that was supposed to draw the tourism of the faithful went South.

 

"But this is a political decision that doesn’t really work politically. It won’t stop the media reports on low Hall of Fame attendance. It doesn’t camouflage that the Hall of Fame couldn’t survive on its own. It doesn’t change the fact that the city, when it bid for the hall, miscalculated everything from attendance projections to the arc of NASCAR’s popularity."

 

 

 

http://www.charlotteobserver.c...ll.html#.VNTiX9X3-iw

That is not about NASCAR, its about some "Hall of Fame" that the city tried to shove through as a tourist trap.

Any TCA member can tell you about how great it is to have a museum and what a money maker they are<sarcasm>

Kinda apples and oranges. NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame share only the word 'NASCAR' they are two different corporations......and that's why the story is about LOANS for the HoF by Charlotte and not NASCAR itself. 

Don't loose sleep over weather the France family, owners of NASCAR, will have cash for their multiple homes, yachts, etc.....sleep tight.

How you separate the two is beyond me. It's not the Charlotte Hall of Fame. Further reading paints a larger picture.

"Despite no longer being made public, attendance continues to decline. Wide swaths of empty seats have been visible at several tracks. Dover International Speedway's CEO apologized in the pre-race drivers' meeting for the lack of spectators prior to the June 1 event. Venues such as Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway have combated this by removing seats. Daytona has gone so far as to remove a whole section of grandstands."

http://www.sbnation.com/nascar...n-ratings-attendance

Perhaps a bit of consolidation would be in order, Golf has had to rethink a lot since Tiger's falling in stature. NASCAR may be losing some of the star appeal but its stil is making money.

But NASCAR will be fine as long as it has fine fine drivers like Ricky Bobby. Perhaps time for part 2

 

 

Hall of Fame Website

Thats been established...in the original post... the issue is attendance at the Hall of Fame and overall. Believe what you want. Its not a be all or end all subject for me. That being said..I hope NASCAR never would own Lionel. Yech..

NASCAR is not growing it is retrenching and like Frank M. I gave up on nascar about 10 years ago. I was a big fan at one time, I did not leave NASCAR, they left me. 

WOW!! Talk about hitting the nail on the head!  Could NOT agree more!  I still follow, but not like I used to.

Did you know that Lionel sponsors Henning's Trains NASCAR dirt late model?  This is REAL side by side old style racing. Come out to Grandview Speedway this summer & watch the Lionel dirt car do it's stuff. Bill Henning is the veteran driver for the series which goes from last week in March thru September.  I will get Bill to post some pictures.  Harry

NASCAR is boring. Haven't watched it for 20 years. The "cars" are just silly.

Of course, also, the round and round and round...oy, enough, already! Yeah, they're faster than they used to be, but so what? If you simply want to "go fast", go buy an airplane ticket.

 

When it became about nothing but the drivers and not the cars, they lost me. The brand

loyalty thing was and is important to some of us.

 

I have "discovered" a form of auto racing that I can watch, but the drivers and cars

are all/mostly European, and I am sorry that we, in this country, do not even attempt

to participate; Mexico, yes. It's the WRC (World Rally Cup), but there are far too many lawyers in this place to let that happen. So, we're left out, again. (Round and round and round...)

 

These cars are stock-ish; the doors actually work; they have head and brake lights; they

are purpose-modified, but not purpose-built, rather like the stock cars of more interesting US racing times.

 

Very entertaining. 

 

Just my opinion but, try watching NHRA on ESPN2!

Not a big fan now, but went to my first NASCAR race in 1967 (Firecracker 400). The big names then were Cale Yarborough, the Allison Brothers, Buddy Baker, and of course David Pearson. And some guy named Petty.

An O gauge guy complaining about "round and round"............

When NASCAR starts looking like this again (NEVER) then I'll be interested...