Large Scale Central

Some of the comments on EPL/LGB

General Discussion
#1

… that find their way into print.

From the German trade magazine “markt intern” in reply to the question “What would you and your colleagues expect from LGB and a potential investor named Wöhrl?”

  • “… what we can’t understand is how such a lapse can happen to an old hand like Goede? Financially and legally not fully secured and scrutinized funding? And at the Nürnberg Fair one could hear that two Richter yachts with the LGB of America logo were supposedly sighted off Florida!” ( a colleague from Southern Germany )

  • " The dealers are going without supplies, because the insolvency trustee embargoed deliveries. In addition to that the question: Is it factual that some dealers still received invoices from Schöntag - albeit without the goods?" ( owner of a modelrailway specialty shop)

  • " Our salesman - a free-lancer - is outstanding and keeps us as well informed as possible. From LGB on the other hand there is nothing but pithy patter. We don’t get as much as the periodical dealer info. Timely, that you take a closer look at this case!" ( Full service Bavarian hobby shop owner)

  • " Kingsbridge would be the worse alternative" ( Northgerman hobby shop owner)

Those are just some of the dealer perspectives. More to follow.

#2

Ah, and when it’s in a print medium, oh, boy, wait until the shill cries ring out!

#3

It’s your turn Tony.

#4

… this as an excerpt from GARTENBAHNprofi 3/07. Keep in mind that the print deadline for GBp 3/07 was 2007/03/30 :wink: :slight_smile: :wink:

GBp3/07 editorial said:
...... With this issue we set quite consciously a contrast to a burning topic: How will the situation at LGB unfold, after it transpired that Hermann Schöntag lacks the required liquidity? In any case the production stopped as of mid-March. Deliveries to the dealers before that.

But the LGB crisis is widening. The first unnerved dealers are throwing in the towel and even well-stocked specialty stores have in the meantime highly visible gaps in their inventory. LGB turnouts and track have become scarce goods. But track can be had from other manufacturers and for many LGB items there are sensible and available alternatives. We plan on informing you on a broad scale in issue 4/07 of such alternatives, in order that your hobby doesn’t suffer, while we await with anticipation the developments at LGB. Positively provable facts are almost impossible to come by and we don’t want to participate in the propagation of rumours.

But questions should and must be asked. For instance: why the former LGB subsidiary LGB of America (LGBoA) is now able to claim, that they own the worldwide marketing and trademark rights - except for Germany.
LGB Nürnberg disputes this vehemently - but it is curious that the internet domain lgb.de is not registered to LGB Nürnberg, but to LGBoA. And this since Dec 1. 2006, the same date on which the insolvency of the EPL Patentwerk changed from temporary to active status. LGBoA is meanwhile calling itself “the home of the LGB Family” and offers German content on its website.

Odd is the circumstance and the fact which LGBoA boss Anthony Castellano publicized in mid-February: that Hermann Schöntag won’t be able to finance the purchase. The March 1st 2007 deadline for arranging the financing had yet to expire. How could Castellano be in the know? Was he privvy to the financing concept, or the identity of the co-investors, on whom Hermann Schöntag set his hopes? Are some of the interested parties to be found in the circles of LGBoA or its owner “G45”? The influence of LGBoA on EPL Nürnberg is evidently considerably larger than I would usually grant a supposedly independent distribution company. One need only think of the “US - New Items” which weren’t presented at the Nürnberg Fair. And that leads to more questions: What was Hermann Schöntag actually expected to pay for? For the real estate and the established contingent of employees, but not the unlimited rights to the trademark and the distribution? So far - up to the publishing deadline on March 30th 2007 - the main actors keep, in the main, utterly mum. In any event, the negotiations with additional potential investors were in high gear as of end of March. Perhaps we will know more when this issue goes on sale, in which case we will report on our website.

…

Hans-Joachim Gilbert


Wellllllllll , sounds right on the mark to me! :wink: :slight_smile:

#5

Because it came from YOUR “reliable source”?

Old news.

#6
John Joseph Sauer said:
It's your turn Tony.
JJ,

Looks like you had a slight identity mix-up :wink: :slight_smile: :smiley: :lol:

Of course it is possible that Dave was in a hurry and meant to type:

“Ah, and when it’s in a print medium, oh, boy, wait until the shrill cries ring out!”

One letter makes a lot of difference! But Dave’s on the mark and this while he’s supposed to be running trains!

BTW some of this stuff is hard copy i.e. FAX. :lol: :wink:

#7
John Joseph Sauer said:
Because it came from YOUR "reliable source"?

Old news.


Of course it’s old news, today is April 20th, publishing deadline was March 30th. All duly noted and emphasized!

BTW my sources can be put in print, quoted verbatim with source etc.; major difference to the “reliable sources” of the RBB. :wink: :slight_smile:

“So it goes.” Kurt Vonnegut.

#8
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
John Joseph Sauer said:
Because it came from YOUR "reliable source"?

Old news.


Of course it’s old news, today is April 20th, publishing deadline was March 30th. All duly noted and emphasized!

BTW my sources can be put in print, quoted verbatim with source etc.; major difference to the “reliable sources” of the RBB. :wink: :slight_smile:

“So it goes.” Kurt Vonnegut.


The fact that they are in print and can be quoted does not make them any more factual than anyone else’s “reliable sources”!
You can’t tell me you believe everything you read in print? If you do you are a fool!

#9
John Joseph Sauer said:
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
John Joseph Sauer said:
Because it came from YOUR "reliable source"?

Old news.


Of course it’s old news, today is April 20th, publishing deadline was March 30th. All duly noted and emphasized!

BTW my sources can be put in print, quoted verbatim with source etc.; major difference to the “reliable sources” of the RBB. :wink: :slight_smile:

“So it goes.” Kurt Vonnegut.


The fact that they are in print and can be quoted does not make them any more factual than anyone else’s “reliable sources”!
You can’t tell me you believe everything you read in print? If you do you are a fool!

JJ

No I don’t believe everything I read in print, not even the LGB catalogue that says that their scale is 1:22.5. :wink: :slight_smile: I measure to make sure if it should happen to be true! :lol: :lol:

BUT if it’s in print from a source that did the research - another item low on the LGB priority scale! - then I’m inclined to give it credence. The sources I quote are not eager to get sued by some yokel, less so if they know that certain yokels are “litigation happy”.

What is conspicuously absent in the RBB posts: attributable independent sources! I sure wonder why that is? :wink: :slight_smile: You can’t quote the publicist?

#10

This is my first post on this chat group and it saddens me to see the personal sniping going on here. I did read that you needed a thick skin to post here which is fine but I feel it is sad to see it happening. You two guys obviously have a history here that I am unaware of and can happily accept that. Have the two of you ever considered getting together and hiring a set of boxing gloves and duking it out to get rid of the animosity. This way we can all get on and enjoy the hobby we all love without the perifery shots.

#11
Henrik said:
This is my first post on this chat group and it saddens me to see the personal sniping going on here. I did read that you needed a thick skin to post here which is fine but I feel it is sad to see it happening. You two guys obviously have a history here that I am unaware of and can happily accept that. Have the two of you ever considered getting together and hiring a set of boxing gloves and duking it out to get rid of the animosity. This way we can all get on and enjoy the hobby we all love without the perifery shots.
Henrik,

Welcome to LSC!

On the sniping. I just as soon have the translations stand all by themselves - stand or fall on the content! But alas, that is a rare occurrence; even when the thread starts out with an original and a translation, there will be any number of reasons to quibble. You’d be amazed how much more proficient some people “supposedly” are in translating. :wink:

But yes, the conclusion to the LGB saga is looked foward to, either side of the pond!

On the history, yes, some of us have been around for a while, others joined lately. Usually shows in the mini profile of the posts.

#12
Henrik said:
This is my first post on this chat group and it saddens me to see the personal sniping going on here. I did read that you needed a thick skin to post here which is fine but I feel it is sad to see it happening. You two guys obviously have a history here that I am unaware of and can happily accept that. Have the two of you ever considered getting together and hiring a set of boxing gloves and duking it out to get rid of the animosity. This way we can all get on and enjoy the hobby we all love without the perifery shots.
Henrik, Welcome to LSC.

I you think the above is bad you should have been here a just a few days ago.

This is the only website in English that comes even close to reporting all the facts concerning the insolvency of LGB.

On another thread JJ made a rather bold claim concerning who was backing Schoentag and supposedly “hung Schoentag out to dry”. So to speak. It might be that utterance will come back to bite him in the backside.

Henrik, my advice is to sit back and watch the fun and games unfold as here at LSC we are fortunate to have a linguist that has no peer.
Let the saga unfold.

Oh!!!, …and JJ, it is a bit late now to change your earlier posting.
Rest assured that the interests that might take umbrage to your musings will have seen it and read it. I cannot say if they have taken umbrage or not.

#13

I have been watching and reading over the last week and saw the fireworks the other night. I have especially read the translations with great interest. I cannot speak or read German and will accept anyones translation with respect. I have a philosiphy in life that states if you want to critisize something and think you can do better then do it. If not don’t complain at someone elses efforts to do so. Like others I am concerned how the whole LGB saga is unfolding and as I only own LGB stock, I am willing something positive to happen. If it folds then maybe I need to go 1:20.3 Rio Grande or even Lynton & Barnstaple- both railways I love.

Henrik

#14

Henrik, for those that complain and pick on people, but never present a better way to do something or a better idea, we have a term: TROLL! There’s a couple in these parts that live under our bridges…:confused: