and he notes -
Gilbert not only updated their AF linein the 50's, but they expanded
and improved their other products, i. e. Erector, Chemistry sets,
etc. They took advantage of the slot car fad and they also added a
line of consumer products but times were changing and television
became a factor in children's interests.
By the 60's a kid could spend 'quality' time watching product
oriented shows that gradually eroded the toy train business - a trend
felt at Marx and Lionel as well. The Flyer line was cheapened with
gross looking models (the 'Casey Jones' and that terrible F Unit are
examples) and sales dropped. Kids just weren't interested, they
watched television while the Christmas train set languished in the closet.
Gilbert tried to keep up with the trend with 'Honey West' and other
TV oriented products, but it was too little and too late. Mattel,
Hasbro, Fisher Price, to name a few had the lion's share of sales and
after A. C.'s death control of the company went to others who weren't
interested in toy trains. Within a few years, Gilbert was on the auction block.
It's interesting to note that within a decade, all three major toy
train companies (Gilbert, Lionel and Marx) were sold or in Gilbert's
case disposed of piecemeal. Lionel purchased most of Flyer's
inventory and tooling and made millions dumping it on the market.
Erector and the rest of the toy line went to entrepreneurs like Jack Wrather.
Interesting still is the fact that both Lionel and Marx were bought
out by cereal companies. Lionel survived because General Mills placed
control of the product in their management training division. In a
sense, the ultimate toy for grooming future executives. Marx wasn't
so lucky with Quaker Oats - it all but disappeared mainly due to poor
management and was sold to a British firm in 1980.
The hobby never recovered the sales enjoyed in the 50's. I read an
article on Con-Cor's web site that there are fewer than a quarter of
a million model railroaders in the U. S. today and that figure is
dropping. Video games, increased school activities (paid for by
taxpayers - Groan..) and of coarse, television, all take up a kid's
time and that is time not spent playing with trains. Ask a kid what
he wants for Christmas (or his birthday) and chances are that trains
won't even make the list.
If the trend continues, kids won't be playing with electric trains
and growing up to be model railroaders. That means old farts like us
will go the way of the dinosaurs...
Raleigh in snowy Maine!
At 07:37 AM 1/25/2006, Don Thompson wrote:
> Of couse Gilbert stuff was updated. Link couplers became knuckle,
>tin cars became plastic, SIT became smoke in boiler, etc. Even
>Pikemaster track was a great concept and much more like the prototype
>than the original track, just poorly executed.
>Don
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