Putting Nipsey and Sleepy to the side for now...
Individuals price gouging and even this specific Lionel announcement should not be the point here...
The thought of discontinuing any part of an electronics "operating system" that is already weak, doesn't seem to be a sound (pun intended) idea. When I say weak, I say this in comparison to other train gauges and frankly, other hobbies. For O gauge, the basics are there, they are in place, and for the most part, (after years of trial an error and dollars spent by your customers to make the adjustments needed), it works. Hopefully there is a better plan coming. Other gauges have certainly shown that there are working options for electronics that are very robust. But, with a readily available list of poor decisions to choose from (O gauge Industry wide and not just electronics), you can't help but have empathy for a customer base that questions when some of the "basics" start to go "obsolete".
It's one thing to say that a company is not going to offer a specific version, color scheme or road name in a model. There will be some people that are disappointed for sure. But, lets say for example, someone at Dell starts messing with the "basics". Someone says, "hey, the letter "Q" is hardly ever used. Let's obsolete it. We could reduce are letter inventory and manufacturing costs. After all, how much could "Q" possibly effect our customers quality... ooopppss... kwality experience?" I saw it many times over 36 years in business, by many companies. And I have seen it too many times in my 50 years in this hobby. Companies MUST focus on that bottom line. That's a fact! But, too often, that focus develops from short term fixes (and bonus goals) rather than long term plans. And those decisions can quickly... sorry... kwickly affect the end customer. The even bigger concern for me is that one of these "miss steps" could be devastating for the O gauge hobby. Microsoft and Coke have the bulk to stumble and recover from Windows Vista and New Coke. Lionel and the gang may not have that kind of stamina. Think of those eBay prices then! (LOL)
I only hope the plan moving forward is sound and transitory. I for one will not scrap my current electronics system and buy again to start over. If I must, 2 rail is an option or maybe... I have a T-shirt that I often wear to train shows. It reads: "reset 18, reset 18, reset18... get Williams out and run trains!"
