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Next month, Lionel is set to release its 2021 volume 2 catalog.  As the release date closes in, the speculation will start on what will be included. People will be looking for leaks from their favorite dealer. It’s like waiting for the big Christmas catalogs we poured over when we were kids.

The excitement builds as the cover gets released on Lionel’s website. If we are lucky, a dealer will leak a price sheet, now we have a good idea what’s in.

Finally, it’s released! We “flip” the pages on Lionel’s website, a lucky few may have a chance to review an actual paper catalog. Then the discussions here on OGR: many are joyful to see their long-sought locomotive being produced, others will be disappointed. Yes, some will even complain a bit about the prices.  As individuals we look over the 200 plus pages like a general reviewing a map, planning his campaign.  We in turn start imagining certain locomotives and rolling stock on our layouts and we plan out our budgets accordingly.

We excitedly ask each other: “What are you getting?”  It’s an exciting time and more than that it is fun.

Traditional catalogs serve several purposes, they help plan our purchase strategy by giving us the big picture of what products are coming down the pike. The catalogs also serve as a reference for us, especially important when we buy a locomotive on the secondary market a few years after its release. “What features does it have?” “When was it produced?”

I also think a thick paper catalog speaks volumes of the health of the company producing it. It’s takes a significant investment to print, and it takes a healthy company to make that investment.  A large catalog also projects that company’s presence in the market as well as our imaginations.

Uncatalogued releases are fine, occasionally. They can be a pleasant surprise, but they will never have the power of a real catalog.

Lets go Lionel 2021 volume 2 catalog!

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The traditionalist in me loves a paper catalog. I was one of the last generations (born in early 90s) that would get excited when the Christmas toy catalogs would come in the fall, so I will always have a soft spot for physical media (if I remember right, Amazon put a paper Christmas catalog out for prime members). With that said, I get excited by the menards releases and believe that marketing model also creates a lot of buzz. Since we still have 3 rails and an out of place coupler, I don’t see Lionel ever leaving print, it is too much a part of the lore of the blue and orange, the standard bearer of 3rO. I also never see menards, mth or any future o scale company using print, and likely never a standard catalog (mth has a history of catalogs and menards created a catalog for the holiday season). The catalog does let us plan our purchases, as products only come out at certain times of the yr. The downside is the possibility of a loaded catalog that contains multiple hi end items and forces the consumer to make tough decisions that would be avoided if products were released intermittently ( pre ordering with 0-10% down lowers the chance of this happening).

I enjoy the catalog online. I have access to print copies, but generally don’t take one. For me, I enjoy the special runs that get announced shortly after the catalog comes out as much as the catalog itself. Lots of dealers doing fun stuff - I particularly enjoy Mr Muffin’s engagement with his customers allowing them to recommend ideas, many of which come to fruition.

here lately i've been ordering the latest catalogs from my dealer as the computer version doesn't always work for me plus its easier to review them for my youtube audience as well as record my wishlists of future purchases with the hope that in a few years i can bring home the "big one" . i don't know what the big one will be yet probably a legacy engine or set of some kind who knows

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