I think I would also disagree with the word "neglect." I would say that Lionel was inconsistent in marketing and presentation over the decades. Multiple management changes didn't help.
As I mentioned earlier in the thread that got vaporized, at the NASG convention in Milwaukee in 2003, Lionel was showing off the castings for the Mikado. Spread out across the table you could see this was indeed a new commitment and direction for Flyer.
The representative asked us some very detailed questions on how to attract the scale market. (Never thought I'd hear a Lionel rep say "Kadee..."
) We had a very nice conversation with him about locomotives and rolling stock being "scale friendly." We left with the feeling that Lionel/Flyer had indeed turned the corner.
Then management changed a year or so later and *poof* he was gone... Flyer continued to trickle on.
But, that's all in the past.
Lionel is a much more stable company now and they seem to have sharpened their focus to our benefit.
Rusty
