Mike Wyatt posted:Marketing. If you are a company producing, say an RS-3, and it is maybe your third or fourth "generation" of RS-3s, what can you do to sell it?? You have to add features. Look at the Lionel progression: transformer control, TMCC, Legacy, and now Lion Chief, Lion Chief Plus, Lion Chief BlueTooth, and Lion Chief Plus 2.0. I have an RS-3 Lion Chief Plus in PRR. Might I buy one that has 2.0 for better sound, TMCC and Legacy compatibility? Maybe. For sure SOME will.
Digital control = marketing. Sound = marketing. Different road names and numbers = marketing. Smoke = marketing. And if your competitor has smoke you better have it too, in order to sell yours. And if his smoke is "smokier" - you better upgrade yours. And, if somehow, one manufacturer develops "progressive smoking"- "Now with realistic progressive smoking- white smoke at warmup- black smoke under load!!" people will buy that feature. How many will buy for that is the question.
Not that it is bad- every one of these features add to our enjoyment. But each of these features add different value for different people, to be evaluated by each of us.
Yup, same thing with cars. Who really needs a heated steering wheel, blind spot detection, stop and start engine when sitting still. I'm not business expert, but 1. It shows the advances the company is making. 2. "Oh look I like this new feature", it sells the new models. 3. It's a way to justify a price increase every year. Best part is, if you don't want it, turn it off from the handheld, app, switch or tender screw 
