@third rail posted:By making undecorated versions of many of Lionel's offerings, they could actually REDUCE the price of some of those expensive items by not having to pay royalties or licensing agreements. Just think , Lionel could constantly make locomotives or cars until the dies wear out knowing that modelers will buy them . It sure beats waiting years for a reissue of a locomotive only to find out it's in a livery you don't want.
Maybe lionel could partner with one of the decal companies and offer a voucher for a decal in the road name of your choice. Leave the model in undecorated /semi gloss finish (decal ready) and it would be up to the modeler to finish.
I interpreted Mike's post for engines but, you're right, it could easily extend to rolling stock.
I'd be a buyer of undecorated rolling stock to get what I want. For example, there aren't many options out there for O27/semi-scale modelers like me in the Nickel Plate Road. Other than some really low-quality 70s and 80s rolling stock, I've got just about every freight car Lionel, MTH, Industrial Rail, and K-Line made in non-scale. I get it, it was never a giant road name, so they can't make everything. I understand that it's not economical to mass produce obscure road names, particularly if the market is flat or even declining. But, NKP is endearing to us northern Ohioans.
I'd love to make or have made an NKP tank car, for example, out of undecorated stock. Or maybe a set of Alco FA-2s like the extremely hard-to-find Williams versions.
