Will the "Modern Era" ever end?

...I think with all of the above you may be refering to the "end" alright!

When I wrote my latest book, Inside the Lionel Trains Fun Factory, I did not focus on any specific eras, and instead tried to tell a flowing story of The Lionel Corporation incorporating all eras, regardless of the name "prewar", "postwar" or "modern era".  It is difficult to segment by specific era, since so much of the product concepts, technology, management,  people etc. overlap multiple eras.  That is especially true for the period 1970 to date.

I am now working on a sequel to the factory book, with a concentration on Lionel corporate offices, marketing, sales, new technologies, etc.  Although there are excellent points raised in this forum thread, my initial approach is to update the earlier history of prewar and postwar (again, without calling them "eras") and telling the story of evolving technologies, including digital transition.  Lionel's marketing genius also does not fit neatly into eras.

The naming of the collector/operator eras will not be resolved in any on-line thread.  Whomever writes the next book should perhaps get naming rights.  Any volunteers????

Bob Osterhoff

www.trainpaper.com

>>>my initial approach is to update the earlier history of prewar and postwar (again, without calling them "eras") and telling the story of evolving technologies, including digital transition.  Lionel's marketing genius also does not fit neatly into eras.<<

I'm sure by design, not by chance. 

Irreguardless, market forces will eventually make that decision.

Also, when does one pick a spot in time with evolving technologies? With the digital age the process itself began slowly and improvement never ends..

As was pointed out, there's nothing prior to or after 2001 in the modern era that matches the end of Lionels manufacturing history.   Lionel even capitized on the milestone with the promotion of the last engine.  As it turned out, that Berk really was the last engine actually built by Lionel. 

Simply put, In the 100 years prior to 2001, Lionel made trains. 

After 2001, they didn't. 

Joe

...well if history has anything to teach us, the Renaissance era lasted for almost 300 years.

r0d