--- In [email protected], "ctxmf74" <ctxm@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> --- In [email protected], "Ed" <Loizeaux@> wrote:
> > I have not heard any comments from Lionel regarding sales volume of
> > >so-called scale products. Could it be >considered confidential?
> >
> >
> Hi Ed, I would expect it's confidential company information.
> My concern is that they do like AtlasO did when they were making about 90%
> of a run in 3 rail and 10% in 2 rail. The 2 rail units would sell out right
> away and 2 railers would be forced to buy 3 rail units and convert them so it
> looked like the 2 rail market was 10% when it was more like 25% cause they
> were buying 15% of the units in 3 rail to convert. If they want to seriously
> exploit the scale market they need to make and stock enough stuff that
> prospective modelers can find and buy it over a period of time longer than a
> pre-ordering period. It takes a while for new modelers to find out what is
> available in other scales, once they discover it they need to be able to buy
> it. does no good to tell them that they shoulda been in the scale last year
> cause regrettably they weren't....DaveBranum
>
The obvious solution would be for MTH and Lionel to adopt the SHS solution of
including scale wheels in the package and allow the modeler to change them out
if he so desires, with perhaps the exception of steam locomotives. I'm sure
there a folks out there that have already suggested this to them.
Lionel cataloged including scale wheels with the first run of U33C's but backed
away for some reason. This made the locomotive somewhat attractive to the S
Scaler, but without DC or DCC fuctionality out of the box, there would be
little else to attract same, unless they were willing to gut about a hundred
bucks worth of electronics.
Perhaps now that DC/DCC functionality is being built in, they will reconsider
this approach. Perhaps not. If response for SD70 scale wheel conversions is
greater than expected, who knows?
S has the advantage over 3-rail O in that there's no pesky middle pickup roller
or uninsulated wheelsets to deal with, so the basic product design already has
to take not shorting out the "outside" rails into consideration regardless of
the power source.
Doubtless Lionel and MTH have a learning curve in dealing with the S market.
Lionel has already budged a little and MTH will soon find out what works and
what doesn't.
Rich G(ajnak)
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