I got a kick out of Charles' referring to Lionel as "Chionel", now that they're gone from this country. It's a sad move for hobbyists as well as American labor. Of course, as Charles said, it was probably necessary in order to compete. I don't mean to chastise Lionel disproportionately though: After all, their main competitors pretty much started out manufacturing in the Orient. As a matter of principle I have never bought a piece of MTH. Now that the venerable Lionel brand has joined the globalization march, I'll confine most of my buying to prewar and postwar pieces. It will take an awfully exciting new item to get me aboard the Orient Express!

I'LL STAND ALONG SIDE D.WHITE ON THIS ONE. I DO HAVE 2 "SLAVE LABOR" LIONEL BRIDGES THAT I RECEIVED AS GIFTS.



MAYBE SOMEONE WILL SET ME STRAIGHT IF I AM WRONG, BUT WHY DIDN'T LIONEL DROP THEIR PRICES WHEN THEIR MANUFACTURING COSTS WENT "WAY" DOWN? WERE THEY LOSING SO MUCH MONEY IN MICHIGAN THAT THEY HAD TO GO TO CHINA TO MAKE A PROFIT?

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Replying to:

I got a kick out of Charles' referring to Lionel as "Chionel", now that they're gone from this country. It's a sad move for hobbyists as well as American labor. Of course, as Charles said, it was probably necessary in order to compete. I don't mean to chastise Lionel disproportionately though: After all, their main competitors pretty much started out manufacturing in the Orient. As a matter of principle I have never bought a piece of MTH. Now that the venerable Lionel brand has joined the globalization march, I'll confine most of my buying to prewar and postwar pieces. It will take an awfully exciting new item to get me aboard the Orient Express!

Really is sad that on 9/11/01 we could not get enough AMerican Flags until our Communist brothers in CHina made them for us. Lionel's move will do nothing for the American train consumer since they keep the prices artifically high and the amount produced always low. Maybe this is why this year sales are off and there is really not a "train Season" since many AMericans can't afford to keep the Chinese in new missiles etc.

Well people, I stand with the U.S. and made here to a fault. I never bought Lionel because they never made anything READING Co. Yes I do have the Trainmaster. Why did they not do the F-3, GP-7 or RS-3 in READING pullman green? That is not the worker's fault. Why did the T-1 have to be made there? They did make a Mohawk here. Why not a T-1? Why not a correct American Freedom Train T-1? Then they would have not had to worry about that other person and his company. I like the READING and the Antracite railroads. To bad they had to move the factory to a country that we still do not know their missles are NOT pointed at us. Look at what happened to PULLMAN and BUDD Co.? I remember the 1st Metroliners. They were capable of 180 m.p.h. So what is the big deal about ACELA? Well, lets try to have some fun and keep our jobs. Chinese diecast tastes funny. MERRY CHRISTMAS. KURT

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Replying to:

Really is sad that on 9/11/01 we could not get enough AMerican Flags until our Communist brothers in CHina made them for us. Lionel's move will do nothing for the American train consumer since they keep the prices artifically high and the amount produced always low. Maybe this is why this year sales are off and there is really not a "train Season" since many AMericans can't afford to keep the Chinese in new missiles etc.