O gauge isn't just in third place behind HO and N in the command control market, it's in distant third place . The HO and N markets are booming while O gauge mucks along. Lionel and MTH, you are keeping the O Gauge market stagnant with your proprietary systems. Your systems keep the O Gauge locomotive and command control markets artificially inflated while depriving modelers of after market access to products that would reduce those costs. You force us to purchase $300 plus command systems to run your products, or spend another $200 (in the case of Lionel) to upgrade a locomotive to command control with sounds. That is pretty pathetic when you see that HO offers upgrades for around $50 for diesels that include sound that is specific to the generators and dynamic braking. We the consumer pull our hair out waiting for inexpensive visitor friendly controllers while you focus on running trains from a cell phone or tablet. Your companies are disconnected from the consumer.
It is clear that you, Lionel and MTH, will not work together to make O Gauge more enjoyable for O Gauge hobbyists and continue to create a schism in our hobby. So please, both companies, leave the command control market. Make your engines that do not include the command control, reducing cost to the consumer, let the void of command control be filled by competent competition which will benefit the O Gauge community, and let the consumer choose what we want to run our layouts.