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Actually, a movie-themed train that would be cool, but no one Lionel or another is likely to make any time soon, would be a train like Klaatu describes to Billy in The Day the Earth Stood Still, when Billy is playing with his toy train set from under his bed - on Klaatu's world, he says, the trains have no rails.   I'm thinking simple magnetic repulsion levitation - the type that makes small globes and such float in air, etc. - and linear motor drive in something that looks alien and sleek.  You'd have to make train and track, but it would be cool.

Originally Posted by C W Burfle:

 

Certainly. The question is: Do they need a collectors market to make money?

 

I have long thought that a lot of people justify their spending on trains by telling themselves that those trains will have a high resale value. 
Then again, maybe those days have passed.

 

Obviously resale value does play a role to some degree; otherwise why would exact copies of originals erode the collector market?  More copies of something can impact the original's value in the secondary market (which a lot of collectors play in), which I think plays a bigger role than you seem to imply.

I'd like to see more branding crossover like the Lionel Batman themed subway cars.  There are a ton of modern day cartoon and comic characters that would provide instant recognition and appeal for under-10 boys AND GIRLS.  Thomas the Tank and Polar Express are a very small segment of the animated universe and appeal to a small percentage of children IMHO.  If Lionel, or MTH (hint, hint), could score a licensing deal with Disney for example, it would connect trains with youth on a whole new level and start life-long customer relationships for an entire new generation.  Very big marketing opportunities just waiting to be captured by a savvy business development agent at Lionel

Good grief, Charlie Brown!!  What a thought!  Nevaaaaahhh!

 

In fact, the challenge to all of us is to keep some ideas percolating for the imagineers (apologies to Disney?) of Lionel...and others serving this hobby.  This forum continues to be an excellent sounding board. 

 

In fact Thomas Mann (1929 Nobel Laureate - Literature) said of ideas..."It is impossible for ideas to compete in the marketplace if no forum for their presentation is provided or available."  Ta-Dahhhhh!  Here we are!

 

It's somewhat like depending on a magazine staff to come up with all the neat ideas for articles.  So, what?....They have all the ideas??....and solicit individuals they feel capable/worthy of executing their ideas???  I doubt it.  Rather, they thrive on the initiative and creativity of the hobbyists they serve.

 

Ditto the manufacturers.  They need our ideas.  After all, 'We's de buyers, Bubba!'

 

And that's a fact, Jack!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last edited by dkdkrd
Originally Posted by Lee Willis:

Actually, a movie-themed train that would be cool, but no one Lionel or another is likely to make any time soon, would be a train like Klaatu describes to Billy in The Day the Earth Stood Still, when Billy is playing with his toy train set from under his bed - on Klaatu's world, he says, the trains have no rails.   I'm thinking simple magnetic repulsion levitation - the type that makes small globes and such float in air, etc. - and linear motor drive in something that looks alien and sleek.  You'd have to make train and track, but it would be cool.

 

Actually, I believe Klatuu said "a train without tracks."

 

Rusty

Last edited by Rusty Traque
I know some train fans thought Lionel was crazy when they got involved with NASCAR Collectibles but many Fortune 500 companies sponsor in NASCAR because they know through market surveys that NASCAR fans are one of the most loyal product buyers of products from NASCAR sponsors.  This gives Lionel a new large group of potential customers to buy trains that may not been exposed to trains before. I think Lionel still have plenty of ideas left to offer us as we are such a diverse group of what we want or need due to limits on layout size and/or finances to going as big as you want to. I'm on the tight finances and small layout size so I have to have stuff that can run on O-31 & 0-36 curves running conventional but there are members who have the space and finances to run the biggest layouts with the Legacy & Vision lines, and plenty in the middle of it all. I think we'll still have enough to keep our forum busy needing each other help.

I have one six foot tall bookcase, maybe 3/4th filled with railroad books, a small

library, but I can probably pick one book out blindfolded that is full of prototypes

that maybe only a few have been made in HO, and none by ANYBODY in three

rail.  Another posting talks of the need for a "catalog" Baldwin 2-6-2. Weaver

MADE (past tense) a catalog Baldwin 2-8-0..that and a 2-8-2 would be nice.  I

think WBB is still offering their 4-6-0, in some roadname.  I would buy the above

unlettered, but I have read unlettered does not sell in volume. "retro", Disney,

movies, etc????  No market here...all carefully avoided....

I don't think that Lionel is running out of ideas. The hobby is running out of customers as the audience gets smaller. In general most of the hobbies of old are being supported by middle age and older people. Even at the car shows, the predominant audience is middle age!  Young people are happy just to walk around and be totally absorbed with their iPhones. Their interest in a hobby seems little.

Brand relevance = getting into the hands of youngsters on a grand scale.  Lionel has more than enough innovative minds to grow from presence just at hobby stores to Target and Wal-Mart shelves.  Key is to make brand recognition purposed toys at sub-$25 price point that would be perfect gifts for children at birthday parties. Walk up and down the aisles at WM/Target and you will see that every major license and brand has specially designed products to get their stuff in the hands of kids as young as possible in order to make that connection.  I would certainly buy a Lionel branded battle hardened tuff train for 3 and 4 year olds that they could play with on their own.  More kids connected to the brand = larger customer base = greater likelihood of innovative and interesting products across the brand lifecycle

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