Custom runs alone would not be sustainable for brick and mortar dealers, so they'll need, at least in three rail O gauge, a full line manufacturer with planned production, as is the Lionel model, and the old MTH, K-Line, Weaver and Williams models. Less than 1% of Lionel's production is custom runs is my guess. This period of custom runs only by MTH likely is a transition phase in the eventual disappearance of MTH as a train importer. The tooling will all be sold eventually to others or leased by Chinese factories to other American importers. Maybe a year or two at most is my guess, if that long.
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