Lionel Plug-and-Play Accessory Hook-Up

I agree with you, but Lionel is branding Plug N Play as the way to get people who don't know how to strip wires or have any technical ability into the hobby.  Not coincidentally, it plays in nicely with them also selling the expensive track sections to hook the plug into, so it's an add-on sale (at much more cost than the pig tail!) for those customers.

For us competent hobbyists, I believe the powers that be have claimed we can just cut off the plug and wire directly if we don't like it.  To heck with any possibility of eventual re-sale to someone else who may or may not want the plug included. 

Earlier Plug n Play accessories they did supply the plug for at least a few.  I'm pretty sure I got a plug with the Control Tower, Burning Switch Tower and Track Gang.

The bottom line is, if this business model continues to work and actually causes more revenue to be collected from the newbie hobbyists who also buy the track than it loses to more seasoned hobbyists who get upset about the lack of traditional hookup, this will continue going forward.  I expect it to continue going forward for quite a while, unless sales show major slippage in the near future.

I really thought the pig-tails were supposed to be available at dealers.  It is totally ridiculous if that's not the case and we have to order them from Lionel directly and pay shipping on them.

-Dave

I'm in the "cut off the ends" camp, of which I have done to my several "plug and play" items.  To each his own, I guess.  

I cut the plugs with enough wire lead so I could always reattach the plugs if I felt like it.

All part of the fun, for me.

My point is that not having the necessary hook-up wires in the box or readily available at point-of-sale is a real impediment to the buyer setting the accessory up when he/she gets home. I don't understand Lionel's thinking on this. Why put unnecessary hurdles in the way of the buyer getting the new purchase working right away?

I will say the sounds on the Logging Cabin seem nice.  I tried mine this morning.  Nice sound.  It's also probably a several minute loop (though I did not actually time it yet) before it starts over.

Would be a lot nicer with a power pigtail in the box.  I used the one that came with one of my other accessories.

-Dave

Dave Warburton posted:

My point is that not having the necessary hook-up wires in the box or readily available at point-of-sale is a real impediment to the buyer setting the accessory up when he/she gets home. I don't understand Lionel's thinking on this. Why put unnecessary hurdles in the way of the buyer getting the new purchase working right away?

Lionel is expecting the dealer to sell you a circle of FasTrack and the new track ($$) with the mating connector.

-Dave

Dave45681 posted:

Dave Warburton posted:

My point is that not having the necessary hook-up wires in the box or readily available at point-of-sale is a real impediment to the buyer setting the accessory up when he/she gets home. I don't understand Lionel's thinking on this. Why put unnecessary hurdles in the way of the buyer getting the new purchase working right away?

Lionel is expecting the dealer to sell you a circle of FasTrack and the new track ($$) with the mating connector.

-Dave

I suppose. I would have been happy to pay the extra up-front to have the pigtail in the box and save me the extra expense and aggravation. Plus, many people don't have FasTrack and don't want it.  I do have it, but it just so happens that the cabin sits right by my transformer so I can hook it up  right to that.