To MIke

TinMan3Rail - why not contact MTH Electric Trains directly?  I'm sure they could get your message to Mike Wolf.   Phone 410-381-2580   Website: mthtrains.com

I agree with TinMan3rail! 

Fortunately, it seems that Mike and MTH are still in business. I have wanted to contact Mike for years to tell him just how much I think of what he has contributed to O gauge model railroading. I regard him as comparable to Joshua Lionel Cowen.

MELGAR

Couldn't agree more,  MELGAR.  Mike really woke our hobby up and quality came along with it.

Not only did Mike & MTH contribute a lot of unique and quality products to the O-scale arena, but they also served as a counterbalance to Lionel.  Has anyone noticed that since MTH has been reduced to a much smaller player by Mike's retirement that the prices at Lionel have gone through the ceiling?  That's not a coincidence, when there's no meaningful competition, the big dog can do what it pleases.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Not only did Mike & MTH contribute a lot of unique and quality products to the O-scale arena, but they also served as a counterbalance to Lionel.  Has anyone noticed that since MTH has been reduced to a much smaller player by Mike's retirement that the prices at Lionel have gone through the ceiling?  That's not a coincidence, when there's no meaningful competition, the big dog can do what it pleases.

While yes I'm sure less competition has enabled Lionel to raise prices, let's be be fair to say that since MTH has cut back the price of groceries, cars, just about everything has gone up.  If I'm not mistaken even MTH has raised prices on previously offered items since the pandemic.

Again yeas Lionel is taking advantage of less competition, any business would, they are also dealing with the same realities of the rest of us when it comes to cost.

That being said MTH and Mike Wolf definitely was good for the hobby making Lionel innovate and change from the same, same while also doing some great innovation and products of their own.

"They are also dealing with the same realities of the rest of us when it comes to cost."

The average price of a new car was about $30,000 10 years ago.  It's now about $50,000.  Must be the lack of competition from MTH .

Humor aside, no one is arguing against the point that MTH had a big impact on the hobby.  But ascribing current Lionel's pricing issues to MTH's downsizing is probably not accurate.  Lionel's price increases are more readily explained by world-wide changes than by anything as specific as lack of competition.  Almost everything from groceries to real estate has experienced similar changes in pricing is the point.