Wow. I'm just in shock. Don't really know what else to say.
I'm definitely hoping someone besides Lionel buys Mike's. Competition is the only thing keeping their prices from spiking even higher. Also going to miss MTH's more unique products, like the Triplex and M10000 and Turbines. But I'm sure someone like Atlas will cover that, though it seems like their O Gauge product line is getting smaller by the catalog.
But what I'm really concerned about is RailKing. As a broke, unemployed HS student running traditional, RailKing was the only product line I could reasonably hope to purchase. Lionel's pretty much abandoned the low-price market (no, LC+ does not count. $700 for an F3 is not low-price), and RailKing's slogan of "The Best Value of O Gauge" is 100% accurate, imo. Or was. But I don't see either Lionel or Atlas having an interest in RailKing. Maybe Menards?
Anyway, I see this as a huge loss for the model railroading hobby. Hope someone will be able to pick up the pieces.
