A news item I just noticed - their shopathon? ecatalogue will be down “for mainenance” over the following weekend.
Is this service provider maintenance? Or something else? Like “names” and “products” maintenance?
Les The Curious
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LES DITTRICH said:Les,
A news item I just noticed - their shopathon? ecatalogue will be down "for mainenance" over the following weekend. Is this service provider maintenance? Or something else? Like "names" and "products" maintenance? Les The Curious
Who knows!
Anything other than the service provider maintenance could be done on the fly. Perhaps they change providers? Or there have been some other “status changes” early this week? 
I think you might see a lot of “strange” occurrences among the “players” in the next few months as each attempts to position themselves in the market. Some may also be caused by court orders…or the threat thereof.
The remainder of this year should provide us with plenty of entertainment…
Warren Mumpower said:
I think you might see a lot of "strange" occurrences among the "players" in the next few months as each attempts to position themselves in the market. Some may also be caused by court orders...or the threat thereof.The remainder of this year should provide us with plenty of entertainment…
Or maybe Marklin and LGB of America will end up working together.
Warren Mumpower said:
I think you might see a lot of "strange" occurrences among the "players" in the next few months as each attempts to position themselves in the market. Some may also be caused by court orders...or the threat thereof.The remainder of this year should provide us with plenty of entertainment…
Warren,
I’m just waiting for official proclamations. As you said: more in the offing!
But it is possible that we have to wait for “next week”, took many “next week” getting to July 26th, 2007, will take fewer the rest of the way. The rumblings are getting more pronounced!
John Joseph Sauer said:yeah....right.........and maybe I'll see Dubya and Hillary holding hands and singing "Coum-bi-yah" on CNN "next week" ...
Or maybe Marklin and LGB of America will end up working together.
Victor Smith said:Stranger things have happened. If you look at LGB of America's and Marklin's websites LGB of America has alot more retailers to distribute through and They have a well established service center.John Joseph Sauer said:yeah....right.........and maybe I'll see Dubya and Hillary holding hands and singing "Coum-bi-yah" on CNN "next week" ...
Or maybe Marklin and LGB of America will end up working together.
JJ,
If LGBoA had so many products to distribute and such a good service centre, then why did LGB find itself in its current situation, i.e., not existing at all? Could it have been the blood-sucking banks that brought about all the problems for the parent company, or like all poorly managed/performing businesses, it was ‘forced’ into insolvency for actions carried out ‘inhouse’. More about that next week.
Marklin would be indeed foolhardy to take LGBoA onboard as a 'partner'. Marklin have established itself in its own marketting right and will quickly distance itself from any connection with the company. Short term, LGBoA will continue to be the 'unofficial' LGB service centre, but to continue it will need access to spare parts. Long term LGBoA will continue as a purely distribution company. I really do not see much in the way of production coming from its parent company. Production teasers are simply 'teasers'. Lehmann was very good at peppering their catalogues with 'teasers'.Tim Brien said:
JJ, If LGBoA had so many products to distribute and such a good service centre, then why did LGB find itself in its current situation, i.e., not existing at all? Could it have been the blood-sucking banks that brought about all the problems for the parent company, or like all poorly managed/performing businesses, it was 'forced' into insolvency for actions carried out 'inhouse'. More about that next week.Marklin would be indeed foolhardy to take LGBoA onboard as a 'partner'. Marklin have established itself in its own marketting right and will quickly distance itself from any connection with the company. Short term, LGBoA will continue to be the 'unofficial' LGB service centre, but to continue it will need access to spare parts. Long term LGBoA will continue as a purely distribution company. I really do not see much in the way of production coming from its parent company. Production teasers are simply 'teasers'. Lehmann was very good at peppering their catalogues with 'teasers'.</blockquote>Guess it all depends on how far Marklin wants to distance itself from the LGB name and it’s followers. From what I’ve read the company was in the black - they just couldn’t pay the banks back as fast as the banks wanted them to. It would also be in Marklin’s best interest in the North American market to have a source for design of North American prototypes. Without EPL LGB of America would probably have more freedom in this direction. Didn’t LGB of America design the Genesis, the Amfleets, the Railbox car, the Ore cars, etc…?
JJ,
Quote: - “From what I’ve read the company was in the black - they just couldn’t pay the banks back as fast as the banks wanted them to.”
Unfortunately JJ you are still wearing the rose coloured glasses. Lehmann was given credit extensions over a four year period to repay existing debt to its creditor bank. It failed to meet its credit deadline and after transferring 'significant assets' the banks holding the loan credits took action to recover the outstanding loan. If Lehmann was 'in the black' then why was it not servicing its existing loan debt. Alas, you already know all this and are merely diluting the truth.
Marklin has been a major manufacturer in the toy train business for about three times the timeframe that Lehmann has been building largescale trains. I really do not think that they will benefit from LGBoA 'expertise'. Remember that the American prototype cars were designed and financed under the parentage of Lehmann and in essence the design and tooling items remain the property of the parent company (Marklin). Marklin have also manufactured many Gauge 1 (1/32 scale) American prototype locomotives and rolling stock and yes, they were also caricatures of the real thing, much like their Lehmann counterparts.
Sorry, JJ, but its time to enter the world of reality and not the rose-hued world that some still inhabit. Lehmann made some of the most beautiful toys that I have ever seen or owned, but I took a reality check and see them for what they are, 'toys' made by a now defunct toy company. There is nothing political or devisive about a toy company. However, it seems that an agenda exists to keep LGBoA in the 'public face', neglecting its questionable acquisition last year and the wharehouse inventory forming the backbone of its current sales.
With your nose so close to the grindstone maybe you are able to inform if LGBoA has actually produced (manufactured) anything over the last six months. I am extremely curious, as a company surviving on pre-insolvency declaration 'handouts' and no manufacturing to supplement demand, will be soon looking at a very empty wharehouse. I look at this whole sorry debacle as a collector, who lives for his LGB, but accepts that all is not perfect in this imperfect world, run by less than honest businessmen.Victor Smith said:Vic,John Joseph Sauer said:yeah....right.........and maybe I'll see Dubya and Hillary holding hands and singing "Coum-bi-yah" on CNN "next week" ...
Or maybe Marklin and LGB of America will end up working together.
We live in what was, when we bought it, listed as an “Executive Residence”.
When one flushes the toilets on the upper floor, and listens very carefully on the lower floor, one can here all kinds of messages on the lower floor.
The other day someone flushed the toilet upstairs and I heard the following: “In addition to very close cooperation between Märklin and LGBoA, Märklin has also decided that they will have their HO scale ICE train produced by PIKO.”
No, I wouldn’t claim those messages as “from reliable sources”.
JJ,
further to discussion, not living in North America, LGBoA means very little to me, or for that fact, to the entire world outside of the North American continent. The market for LGB was worldwide and not limited to one very prototype-oriented marketplace. Europe continues to be the predominant marketplace for the ex-Lehmann products. There is a very strong LGB following in the Asian and South Pacific regions. LGBoA was merely a service/distribution outlet for the parent company.
Lehmann ‘justified’ its transfer of the company to G45, citing it as a ‘source of potential losses’. Considering the poor financial state that Lehmann was in at the time, it is no wonder that they would like to divest themselves of a potentially ‘unprofitable’ company. Some believe this storyline, but then most children’s fairytales begin with “In the beginning…” and end with “…and they all lived happily, ever after.”
Unfortunately, no ‘happy ending’ in this fairytale.
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
Victor Smith said:
John Joseph Sauer said:
Or maybe Marklin and LGB of America will end up working together.yeah…right…and maybe I’ll see Dubya and Hillary holding hands and singing “Coum-bi-yah” on CNN “next week” …
Vic, We live in what was, when we bought it, listed as an “Executive Residence”. When one flushes the toilets on the upper floor, and listens very carefully on the lower floor, one can here all kinds of messages on the lower floor. The other day someone flushed the toilet upstairs and I heard the following: “In addition to very close cooperation between Märklin and LGBoA, Märklin has also decided that they will have their HO scale ICE train produced by PIKO.” No, I wouldn’t claim those messages as “from reliable sources”.
Hmmmm… Toilet analogies- now that’s an all time low! I often wondered what some folks are doing when they type the things they type!
JJ,
now we know how you come up with so much ‘cr*p’. You type in the ‘throne room’. For health reasons the lid should be down as ingested microscopic airborne featal matter has been linked to brain dysfunction.
Tim Brien said:Nice try! P.S. It's spelled feakle.
JJ, now we know how you come up with so much 'cr*p'. You type in the 'throne room'. For health reasons the lid should be down as ingested microscopic airborne featal matter has been linked to brain dysfunction.
John Joseph Sauer said:
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
Victor Smith said:
yeah…right…and maybe I’ll see Dubya and Hillary holding hands and singing “Coum-bi-yah” on CNN “next week” …Vic, We live in what was, when we bought it, listed as an “Executive Residence”. When one flushes the toilets on the upper floor, and listens very carefully on the lower floor, one can here all kinds of messages on the lower floor. The other day someone flushed the toilet upstairs and I heard the following: “In addition to very close cooperation between Märklin and LGBoA, Märklin has also decided that they will have their HO scale ICE train produced by PIKO.” No, I wouldn’t claim those messages as “from reliable sources”.
Hmmmm… Toilet analogies- now that’s an all time low! I often wondered what some folks are doing when they type the things they type!
I wouldn’t want to speak for others … part of our new kitchen is a nice Panasonic Microwave named “The Genius” combined with a four stage exhaust fan mounted over the stove. The four stages of the exhaust are “Super/Turbo/High/Low”. Quite a din at “Super” speed from that Ventilator. Needs to be shut down when trying to listen to “messages”. OTOH since the real messages keep coming in, I’m not worried about that din. :lol:
John Joseph Sauer said:I guess we can honestly say you don't know shXt.Tim Brien said:Nice try! P.S. It's spelled feakle.
JJ, now we know how you come up with so much 'cr*p'. You type in the 'throne room'. For health reasons the lid should be down as ingested microscopic airborne featal matter has been linked to brain dysfunction.
FECAL.
Or, to say it so you’d understand, fäkal.
Right?
Curmudgeon said:John Joseph Sauer said:I guess we can honestly say you don't know shXt.Tim Brien said:Nice try! P.S. It's spelled feakle.
JJ, now we know how you come up with so much 'cr*p'. You type in the 'throne room'. For health reasons the lid should be down as ingested microscopic airborne featal matter has been linked to brain dysfunction.FECAL.
Or, to say it so you’d understand, fäkal.
Right?
You got me. I guess your better at spreading shXt than I am! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):)