LGB G scale in 1:22.5 scale ratio has been around for a very long time, but what happened to it's popularity and why did the company fail after such a long successful run? Here is my thoughts and opinion, LGB focused primarily on European style trains. This was ok for a while until competitors like USA trains, Aristocraft and Hartland started to come along and offered a complete line of all American style trains. LGB tried catching up by making American railroad names on their locomotives, but still the locomotives were of a European style, not to mention the expense. Eventaully they opened a LGB America division but may have did this too late. They finally came out with a true American style F7 locomotive, the most realistic American series box car I ever saw, a American Center flow hopper car and a American tank car. By this time however USA Trains and Aristocraft were in full force of mass producing locomotives and rolling stock at a cheaper and better price. USA Trains and Aristocraft also stepped up the notch by offering multiple numberes in certain railroad names. USA trains use to have 6 railroad numbers for the same railroad name but cut it back to 4. So if you wanted to run 4 hopper cars in the Rio Grande name you just called USA Trains and got 4 different road numbers for Rio grande hoppers. The cost of LGB locomotives are way beyond of what you can buy a USA or Aristocraft for. The locomotives are just as dependable as LGB but for a fraction of the cost. Hartland is also very reasonable, but I think they need to keep developing new products in order to survive todays market, it seems like they had some of the same products for some time and not too many new ones coming out. USA and Aristocraft are constantly coming out with new railroad names, new rolling stock and new locomotives to keep the market fresh which is important. USA for example has literally produced at least 600 different railroad names just for their American series Reefer car if not more. Right now Marklin / LGB is in trouble financially for 2nd time and thier future here in the USA seems grim right now. If Bachman bought them out I think they could brring home a success story in the future.
If it wasn't for LGB large scale probably would not exist. Like you said they started to late in making modern engines and cars. I started with LGB that's all I ever purchased, they were top dollar but you could depend on them. LGB was the only engine I could take out after winter and run with out having to clean tracks. Don't run them to much anymore as parts are hard to find. I run USA now, it seems like all of Aristo Craft and Bachmann have problems.
I ran Aristo engines and cars right from the beginning because even the few LGB North American prototypes that were on the market at the time were more expensive. Now, 12 years later, the Aristocraft stuff is pretty much gone in favour of USAT products but still no LGB. People like what they like.
Thanks for adding your comments, I myself started out with a Bachman starter set, weent to Aristocraft with no luck then finnaly changing over to USA Trains. Today everything I own is all USA Trains with the exception of a Rio Grande caboose in the orange paint scheme which was the later Rio Grande colors that USA Trains does not offer, a Aristocraft Mallet because I like articulated steam locommotives and an LGB box car in the Rail Box name because the USA version is in the American series 1:24 scale ratio and would not look right with my USA Ultimate series 1:29 scale ratio box cars. I'll have to admit LGB started me on the G scale craze when I seen it's size, I just waited for other manufacturers to come into play to get reasonbly priced American style trains
