GGG posted:jim pastorius posted:3G What is your problem ?? The thread isn't about comparing PW trains to the 80s 90s stuff. It is about the inherent designs and construction of the PW pieces. You are the one going relatively negative. Remember that the PWs were made by the thousands every day, more than the 80s. They were toys not collector pieces. Plastic wasn't necessarily cheap either. Plus the later products were built on a foundation of the earlier models like most things.
No problem. Own lots of PW, but these post followed by anyone making a comment that is less than glorious become a "your bashing". The post war period went from 45 to 69. How was the quality in 1969.
Innovation, absolutely. There was nothing before Lionel started making electric toy trains. The ingenuity of the mechanical, electrical use of solenoids, vibrating motors, motors, etc... was outstanding. But as time marched on, the quality fell off. Molds used over and over, manufacturing techniques becoming a little stale, profit margins and expenses coming into play. Jump forward and the materials, manufacturing techniques and added detail make the product much higher quality. Is it falling off again due to some of the above? Possibly. That was all I was stating. Some of those switches had quality fall off later too. G
I certainly wasn't the original poster but in my opinion he certainly wasn't comparing and contrasting the relative quality of products produced by Lionel during the post-war era with the products manufactured today. He was simply stating the obvious; Lionel's engineering concepts and finished manufactured products during the post-war years were superbly made "toys". As far as I'm concerned you can throw in their pre-war production as well. There is no question when the toy train malaise hit in the 1960s that quality fell off but previous to that time Lionel hit a home run every year for 60 years. Their products were innovative, reliable and incredibly rugged. Not a bad record. Current manufacturers have quite a ways to go before they match that record and I'm betting they won't. As far as their switches are concerned I have two pair of Lionel 072 711 switches that were manufactured in the 1930s and they work just as crisply today as when they were first manufactured and that was 85 years ago. I also have two pair of Super O switches made in the early 60s and they still work well too and that's when they were in decline. It is only my opinion but I seriously doubt that the old Lionel Corporation's record of excellence will ever be matched.
If the question about today's manufactured products being of higher quality is to be debated I would concede that their electronic functions and detail could not be matched by anything produced from 1900 to 1960 but in terms of reliability, durability and ruggedness in my opinion there is no way that what is produced today can seriously match up with the old Lionel Corporation's finished product. I wish I could live long enough because I would like to debate this issue 50 years from now when the old Lionel stuff is still chugging along and today's current production has been relegated to the trash heap. 
