The whole pre-order process started I think in the HO world, in the late '80s- early '90s, and as I remember with Atlas, on locomotives. It was concurrent with the move to 100% "Made in China" (or maybe Korea, Japan, Singapore etc.). I am not necessarily saying it is BECAUSE of the foreign manufacture. But it was in the same time period.
Maybe a bigger issue is that the costs/ prices/ and huge variety of locomotives mean that the LHS (local hobby shop) or traditional local train dealers cannot afford to stock much in the way of these high-ticket items. In the old days, Lionel made a LOT of Lionel Lines trains including engines, and a relatively small selection of prototype road name products, with a few exceptions.
In 1965, a Lionel Santa Fe War Bonnet diesel AA set, with two motors, horn, and MagnaTraction, freight cars, track, and transformer was $85 list; the dealer probably made 40% or about $30.
Fast forward to today- a Lionel Lion Chief Plus 2.0 Anniversary Set No. 2022120, is a deluxe set, but contains pretty much what the 1965 version did. The price is $999, or 12 times the 1965 product. Compare the base 2020 Ford Mustang at $ 26, 670, to the 1965 Mustang Fastback which sold for $ 2427. That is 11 times.
In both cases, there is no comparison on the product itself- the car or the train. But the list price inflation factor is similar.
But because the model train market is so varied in terms of product, yet so specialized in terms of the entire hobby, the train dealer/ hobby shop today cannot stock a $ 1000 set, one road name and style, where he MAY sell one set a year, and makes $ 300. That's a 3-year dollar inventory turnover. The really BIG dealers- national dealers like TrainWorld, can, but not the mom and pop.
So, the pre-order game.
