A Fall From Grace | The Current Declining State of Lionel Trains @LionelModelTrains

Comments · 251

• TR

  @TrainMaster04 · 1 year ago (edited) · pinned

  Correction: When talking about a stripe debacle on a new SD locomotive Lionel has announced, it was brought to my attention I made a mistake by stating the locomotive should not have stripes when in fact I meant the opposite. Lionel is insisting they have evidence the locomotive didn’t have stripes on its nose but do not want to share it when asked about it. The locomotive is supposed to have stripes and between Sam and Dakman productions have photos proving it should have stripes. Apologies for the confusion.

  15

• CO

  @CodeZero4090 · 1 year ago

  I miss the old Lionel. But the Lionel we were raised by no longer exists

  42

• CH

  @charlesbrown959 · 1 year ago

  MTH has done more for the model trains hobby than electricity.

  37

• PA

  @paulwilson5895 · 6 months ago

  I sold toy trains at the monthly Wheaton, Illinois train show for a few years. I would bring a layout  that was a loop of Lionel O-27 attached to a shipping pallet. The greatest joy was seeing 70-80 yr old men watching the train go round and round for 3, 4 minutes. Just mesmerized by a simple loop of track and an old Lionel steam engine pulling a few cars. Often wondered where their minds had drifted to. Toy trains can be magical.

  5

• 10

  @105C09 · 1 year ago

  Quality control with their no extinct line of S gauge trains is absolutely abysmal.

  24

• BE

  @bernardconeghen · 9 months ago

  the reason menards is doing good quality and affordablity something lionel and some others have forgot

  10

• AU

  @audiophool864 · 6 months ago

  Lionel customer service also has declined. 20 years ago I picked up a post war 6464-525 box car missing a door. I called Lionel not only did they have the door but in correct color in stock. I recently called Lionel when my Century club 671 had problems with the smoke unit and my tmcc caboose crew talk stopped working. Totally useless.

  6

• TH

  @Thomas-z1y6s · 9 months ago

  Great to see a young man in this hobby. I am old guy and have been a serious collector of trains for 40 plus years. Well let me tell you I agree 100% with what you say in this video. Quality went to hell when Mike Reagan resigned from Lionel. I became acquainted with Mike when he was the head of Lionel’s customer service which was located in Canfield Ohio. A better man and engineer who could design and fix any Lionel you could not find. He was the head of a customer service center that ran very well.  I spend many hours at that center. The dryfuss Hudson was such a failure and I ordered 2 engines and the complete set of cars. I did not stick the dealer I just kept them.  I at one time was the manger of a small train store which sold Lionel , MTH, and other manufacturers. I always loved Lionel but now after years and years of loving their product I find myself really disappointed in them. Boy I could tell you stories about Lionel’s downturn. They do not care about their customers anymore. Poor quality and prices are out of control.Let’s just abuse their customers at some point it will be their demise.

  11

• RA

  @raymondleggs5508 · 1 year ago

  And this is why some people are switching to HO or Even G, you can get A Piko G scale starter set with Analog sound for less than the price of a Lionel locomotive in G scale, alternatively can get two Steam, electric or diesel locomotives, wagons, and three track sets for not much more than the price of a Lionel locomotive. And these are models with relatively new tooling, You can get a simple but tough LGB set for only $199.99 brand new.

  34

• AU

  @audiophool864 · 6 months ago

  In 1952 a Lionel train set with a 671 locomotive cost $62.50. The average hourly wage was $1.57. Today the average hourly wage is $38. &nbsp;But these locomotives were built to last and be repaired. &nbsp;<br>I get the annoyance about missing stripes but at $3000 the locomotive should outlive me!

  5

• RE

  @RedDeadRailroad · 1 year ago

  I&apos;ve looked at O Scale before and really liked some of the products i saw, particularly the older Lionel stuff, but sadly, I don&apos;t have the room for the scale.<br><br>I saw some of the newer stuff they offered and was FLOORED by the prices of it. It&apos;s quite unaffordable compared to HO and N scales.<br><br>Maybe one day I&apos;ll pick up an older General Set for the Christmas tree, but for now I don&apos;t see myself entering O Scale sadly, and will be sticking with N and HO.

  10

• JO

  @josephmassell9922 · 1 year ago

  Lionel has gotten very &nbsp;expensive. It&apos;s ashame

  9