That was a great read, and I learned a few things about Mike and the lawsuits I didn't know. He really was JLC reincarnated. Thanks for sharing the link.
When I was buying new product in the 90s and early 2000s, I was one of those people who Kooljock mentioned. As great as the MTH product was, I couldn't pull myself away from the Lionel name. I had postwar and I just saw myself as a Lionel guy, even if the smoke unit wasn't quite as good.
Now I don't buy any new product- just Lionel from the 1920s-40s.