@poniaj posted:Bill et. al.,
I looked at the survey and thought:
1) I don't need more trains
Same here...
2) my experiences with Lionel turned me off to their products
Guess I've been pretty lucky. I haven't had any major issues with Lionel/Flyer over the years.
3) my retirement income isn't conducive to buying high end items
Understandable. That's why I continue putting 20 bucks a week into a "train fund" to help defer the cost of a high end item.
4) Many folks know that I'm adverse to electronics that I have no use for, even though I'm a hi-railer at heart with tendencies toward Flyer and scale.
I can agree somewhat. While I think the current technology is pretty neat, (it is stuff of dreams in the 60's and 70's) when my railroad was still up I still found myself running my conventional locomotives the most.
5) Any survey will be like a gnat to an elephant to Lionel Looking through their catalog of O gauge items shows exactly what they think of S. We're not a large enough market for them to invest precious capital in us, the new Legacy Berk notwithstanding. And sorry to say, I firmly believe that the model train market in general is shrinking so much that we're some of the last to participate in it. Just my opinion. It was a good ride while it lasted.
True enough, but every now and then they do listen. While not the result of a survey but instead customer input (read complaints,) Lionel did surprisingly retool the truck for the cylindrical hopper.
6) Right now, I'm in a hiatus as to trains with my layout and 95+% of my trains and tools in storage. Sad to say, right now all my train things I can access could fit in a large drawer. I'm now involved in finishing off long term bashing and scratch building projects.
Being in the process of relocating myself, I'm not sure when I'll be able to become an active model railroader again.
So as nice as the prospect of new items may be, even a survey doesn't do anything for me.
Think of it as looking into the Sears Christmas "Wish Book" of a bygone era. It's costs nothing to dream or add your 2 cents.
Rusty
