My personal problem with Lionel........................

[Anonymous]

Just about everybody is manufacturing their stuff in China today, so there's little point in singling out Lionel. It's the only way these firms can stay competitive, and it isn't going to change--unless or until they need to move to some other offshore nation when China manufacturing becomes too expensive.

Folks can lament the changes all they want, but they are irreversible. Once one accepts that hard reality, one has to make a choice about whether they can live with and accept the change, or not. If not, they'll simply have to be content with vintage products that were made in the U.S.--prewar, postwar, and the earlier period of the modern era (all pretty good choices still, in my opinion).

I doubt that anyone except the accountants was happy to see production of such a time-honored tradition move to China, but train enthusiasts today want--even demand--all the bells-and-whistles in their toys, and they want to pay rock bottom prices for them. That being the case, the consumers have only themselves to blame for the situation as it exists today.

I've always admired Lionel trains myself. They are, after all, what got me started in the hobby many years ago. But I'm content to live with my memories of the "real" Lionel as it existed then, and when they make something that appeals to me, I'm just as willing to accept today's Lionel. I figure there's no point in worrying about something that I cannot change.

[Anonymous]

More of a comment then a question but here we go. I grew up hooked on Lionel. My dad passed his traditions down to me and I ran with it. I always thought of it as the ultimate X-mas gift to give or receive. Part of that admiration (just like my love for things like Craftsman Tools and whatnot) was the fact that it was made in the U.S. and had been for nearly 90 years (or so). Now, I know their production history and that they tried Mexico for a few years there and ended up back in Michigan but that didn't bother me too much because I figured they learned their lesson and came back to reality. Collage came, a few moves took place, than I got married, bought a house and after a few years away from the hobby I was back into it again. I don't know how you guys felt, but it really bothered me to learn that they had shifted production of such an American tradition as Lionel Trains to China. Against my better judgement, I bought a few things for my young son and ended up at my work bench fixing them, brand new out of the box on X-mas morning. I understand, like many other manufactured goods, that toy trains are a whore industry and that, supposedly, to stay alive in a tight marketplace, that they "had" to shift overseas to stay viable, but for me, most of the passion I had for Lionel as an American Icon is dead. The faulty trains on X-mas morning finished it off for me. Now they seem like any other cheaply made, Wal-Mart type product. It kills me to see those beautiful orange & blue boxes with the "Made in China" printing on the back because it brings up everything that goes with it, like an almost 100 year history down the drain. Honestly, I don't think I've purchased a new (modern) Lionel product since I bought these last few items for Jr. 3 years ago. Lately, I've been looking at MPC era stuff at trains shows like it was the "Good old Days" from when I was a kid. Is that twisted? What's everyone else think? Just wondering if I'm way off base or if anyone else feels let down by the company I always admired.

-Brian in Bflo.