Lionel website got a facelift

Lionel's new website made easy !

http://www.lionel-modern-era.com/test/Lionel_com.htm

"Ain't broke don't fix it" isn't the wave of today. 

Nicer looking, but less intuitive. More clicking, and scrolling. 

Visuals are not worth the navigation mess however.

(Just like W-10, but Lionel at least has decent graphics) 

If the old catalog viewing style dies off I'll like it more

I hate the 3d???? (pdf?) navigation. I need Dramamine first.

(It too has improved.... slightly)

 I don't think I've even looked at a whole catalog in years now.

  I see it(3d whatever), I peek, I close it asap. No serious browsing.

   I pay more attention to magazine articles when Cosmo is the only thing left at the doctors waiting room. 

 There should be no major "getting used to it" unless the design is somehow "revolutionary".

  A graphics designers goal, in this case especially, is to guide viewers using the viewers intuitions.

  They haven't succeeded IMO.

  I think that is a repeated failure by many "up and comings" in design, using tech, because its new or different, not always because its the better way.

   Kiss still applies, but so "simple" your guessing on page #1 means you'll lose some folks from the start.

 A link to a good, easy to find index or map should be used way more than it is.

(On my mind, Electronic RR needs links back to its own "home" pages very badly. Picked out individually from search engines, they have no links, so cant be navigated to the menu/home page of the site)

  The "kids" figure things out because they experiment more and/or show each other. Nothing is really intuitive yet, they have no experience and are more used to the exploration.

   Most older folk go right for the most logical paths that formed the intuition.

 Does "responsive design" more carefully track and record each movement? Or is it just about the GUI?

  I keep thinking "they" want more clicking and scrolling data so the newer apps ..programs aredesigned around forcing you to do more of it.

  The dumbing down of software to meet the needs of newer, popular, yet "lesser" designs (ie a phone, or semi smart tablet) is not advancement of tech IMO, its advancement of dollars. (and not yours Mr & Mrs Consumer)

  Now to tell the truth to you "phonies"...( modern plastic people?...sorry just having some fun with you Wait until I see you stumble from looking at it )

... I do now feel limited by your device. I shouldn't feel that way. I use a computer, it's "the right tool for the job"....( somebody cries, I just prefer its not me)

 Releases before being "ready" are a PITA. At one time, outright "bad business"; now common place today, as it has been more easily "accepted", even outside of the computer world, since MS began saying "close enough" with Windows 1 and their "help" approach.(still awful considering the time its had to evolve...its broke, fix it)

(MS-"Fix it" tool. Now that's a feature!) 

 Tastes' great....less filling  

A "trick" that you can use from the home page of any website.  When clicking a link, hold the Ctrl key.  This will open the link in a new tab.  When you're done there, just close that tab and you still have the home page open.

I have the side key on my mouse programmed to send an Ctrl-F4, which closes your active tab.  I can get back to the last page without moving the mouse, just press with my thumb and I'm back.

Thanks for the tip John.   I'd forgotten about Cmd/ctrl short cuts.

 I was once very familiar with command style navigating, but admittedly after Windows progressed, my use dropped. "Keeping up" bored me, and I've grown quite tech lazy, and I forget what does, or doesn't work out now, on occasion.

  I haven't set up a macro in about two decades. I try to adapt to the new. But a macro might be easier for me, than some other things have been

(They should still add links)

it used to be Products>Track>List of Tracks>Select one

Now it's Track & Power> and find trains, AF, O, Fastrack all jumbled together.

Dear Ed h

THANK YOU! Now that  is KISS at it's best!

Ed,

If I send you all my (now entirely useless) links to parts pages can you incorporate them?   (just kidding!)

"Your scientists Web Designers/managers were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should."  (with apologies to the original Jurassic Park quote from Jeff Goldblum's character Dr. Ian Malcolm)

I'm sure it looks much better on phones/tablets than the old site, but this is totally useless as far as I am concerned for a PC with a real screen. 

I don't need the images to all slightly magnify as I move the mouse over them  - I can see just fine where the darn mouse pointer is - I suspect that is what Matt means by "picture shift"?  (unless maybe it does different things based on browser/platform?)

-Dave

Has anyone noticed the search feature no longer works for any 2015 vol 2 item ?

Up until a few days ago any keyword or PN in the search box would find the new items, but not anymore.

I have noticed a lot of dysfunctionality with the new site. Angela Trotta Thomas site looks exactly the same as Lionel's except it works. All in all while the new site looks slick, it is difficult to navigate and the way the foreground borders move at a different rate than the photo behind really messes with my equilibrium

FWIW, the 9/21/2015 updated shipping schedule has multiple numbered ES44's now listed as per the catalog.  Not sure I feel any better though, 'cause we probably won't really know for sure until containers are unloaded in NC.   But at least it's a step in the right direction.

David

My biggest complaint is that all the product URLs have changed.  In my inventory one of the fields I saved was the product URL.  When MTH redesigned their site the URLs still worked.  They don't for the new Lionel site.  A HUGE oversight as ANYBODY who bookmarked ANYTHING is now SOL.

I have found myself using bookmarks less and less over time. I usually have a good idea of the exact thing I'm looking for, no matter what it is, and I just use Google search. It saves a ton of time and avoids frustrating navigating through the bells and whistles on somebody's 'new and improved" website.

Me, too, to some extent.  Google search results are dynamic, which is a good thing except when we rely on them as bookmarks.

What, me worry?

Over the past two days, I went to Lionel.com a couple of times to look up specific items using the search function. It does not work on my laptop with IE 11. Click on the magnifying glass, and the text box appears, but I cannot type anything into it.

The search function does work with Firefox.

I have Lionelsupport.com bookmarked. I cannot find a link there to the retail site, Lionel.com

There's only one word to use to describe Lionel's site.."Disgusting"

I spent 1/2 hour or more trying to get to the parts dept. with no luck and gave up

IMO, whoever designed it needs a slap for their effort.  

Joe 

Well, getting to parts is easy, just click on the Support link at the top right.  The thing that jacks my jaws is you can't find anything on the new part of the site, and all the old links are not invalid.  That makes Google searches useless for the most part.

We made mention at the Legacy Meeting how hard it is to find the Legacy upgrades, LCS info, and most things Legacy. 

May Survival Be In Your Favor

That's what I saw when going to the new Lionel.com website.  An omen?  

I found the problem. Using a tablet the support link does not show up anywhere.

When I tried again with a laptop the support link appears at the top of the page...

Thanks GJ

Joe

If you can't see the link, I can see where that would be an issue!

The 3 bars in the upper left hand screen of the tablet view launches a new page with a drop down. The support link is there. 

Hi Joe

LIONEL • Replacement Parts, Repairs & Service Page

      Here is a short cut, click link below. The site works just fine, see Support Link.

 https://www.lionelsupport.com/ReplacementParts/

      Hope this helps. Web designers are making these changes to look and work better on smart phones / iPhones. We will all have to learn the new way. 

See screenshot below.

• Gary -Cheers from The Detroit and Mackinac Railway - Click screenshot to enlarge.

What I can't find is the simple search for a product. it was simple in the past.  For example, if I wanted to research an item I'm considering on eBay, I would simply enter the item number in the search box and if it is in the database, a picture, description etc., for that item as it appeared in the catalog would display.  I have not been able to find that simple search tool?  Hope it's still available.

Thanks for the response. I'was sure it was in there somewhere but I gave up looking.

I was looking for a replacement parts link.. You would think something that popular would have its own link.

Joe 

Hi Toledo Ed

Check out this link called:

Lionel, How about creating a “Product Locator”

OGR Forum - January 11th, 2015

     At this date Lionel did not have a "Product Locator"

 https://ogrforum.com/t...ator-on-your-website

As of todays date Lionel does not have a "Product Locator".

     MTH Elected Trains does have a detailed "Product Locator" as long as the dealers up grade their sections.

     If Lionel has one please leave the link to the "Lionel Product Locator".

Gary - Cheers From The Detroit and Mackinac Railway

  See screenshot below, Click to enlarge.

Try the magnifying glass thing in the upper left corner. I had to ask myself and cjack pointed it out to me the other day. It found the couple of product numbers I tried, but I haven't yet tried a general search.

So I understand, Lionel's equivalent of MTH's Advanced Search is no longer a feature on the Lionel website?

Plain and simple the website is not USER Friendly for the average person!

If it is there, I haven't found it? But, I did just try a general search for 'yard lights' from the magnifying glass and got a couple of results, but not all of them. Also tried a search by 'road name & engine type' and got some results, but I have no idea if I got all that have been available over the years? 

So, I guess it sort of works to some extent, but some one that knows a lot more about Lionel than I do needs to check it for results compared to what they have had over the years. I don't know the product line all that well?

The facelift looks great on this page......... 

Anyone have a guess on the price?

Lionel GG1

   Click screenshot to enlarge. 

• Cheers from The Detroit & Mackinac Railway, “ A Toy Train Layout”

I saw the video and didn't mike Reagan say it's what the young people want even through we can not prove young people are looking at it?

Worst website update I have seen.  It is very frustrating to navigate now, and find the documents you need.  Was much simpler with the old website.  G

Seems to me there are two competing factors, but they can co-exist.  There is the  need for a web that is mobile friendly and sales oriented.  That seems to be the way the new sight is formatted.  Too much stuff pushed into your face.

The other side is the reference and education side.  Easily sorted into categories the reader can navigate and quickly find information.  The new site dramatically fails in that respect.  The search function is almost useless.   

You use to be able to go to a product search then select by product, with sub categories to refine the data.  Similar to MTH.  When you found the product description you had a number of handy data point/links to that product.  Catalog, instruction manual, service information, etc...

I have been using Lionel's service web since inception.  More and more getting service documents to come up that I use to be able to get, no longer come up in a search.

Either files have been deleted due to storage issues, or functionality has been altered.

What is funny, is that MTH is actually making strides in this area, while Lionel is loosing ground.  Certainly Lionel's part control and ordering is still light years ahead, but......

MTH now has started revising older product parts list with hyper links that take you do a part description.

Just a little frustrating, because as a tech I still get engines from folks that are not in the box and they don't know the product number.  Use to be able to go to Lionel's website and find it easily along with service documents.  Not done easily anymore.   G

I stated openly that I would give it some time to see if they get it all together.  And although I can get around most of it by using tricks to find what I am looking for, I consider it a fail as of now because the average person if not shopping would have a heckuva time finding parts, Legacy info, and other stuff we are accustomed to being able to get to.

Time for another , simpler less flashy, webpage.  It looks cool but lacks functionality.

David,

  I like to add, I have two layouts, a 12'x28' Legacy layout with a couple of LC+ engines, I also have a 8x8' conventional only layout. The conventional layout is in a spare bedroom and I only run post war trains with a ZW on it.

    When my 5 year old Grandson comes over, he gets board with the LC+ remote very quickly (maybe 10 minutes), on the other hand when we run the PW only layout, he loves to control the ZW, running 4 trains and he never gets tired of them. 

    I think the kids of today have to many electronic gadgets and are so sensory overloaded that the simple things like transformers and pushing cars on the imaginary road is relaxing to them. 

Art 

IT guys are always fixing things that are not broken.It was OK the way it was.

My last job was for a Canadian A&E firm with an office in Philly.I always thought that the IT people were meeting in a secret location under the frozen tundra in northern Canada to decide what they could do to the computer system to aggravate me  in the morning.

Stated conservatively the current Lionel website is a disaster.

Pete

I agree MartyE, while looking for information I keep seeing links to "SHOP NOW" for things I know I cannot buy because the arrive in the states and quickly sell out. If all I intend to do is visit the Lionel site to buy a Lionchief Starter set that is fine but the majority of users of the site are seeking information and it seems like they are hiding that from us