Sir, you go too far. I have no financial interest in Lionel or American Flyer. I am not on their payroll in any way shape or form. My only association with Lionel is in providing some assistance with Jon Zahornaky Lionel's Chief Technical Officer, in the testing of the DCC compatibility prior to the SD70's release.
Several sets of electronics failed in the process while the test units were in my care. For a while, I was pretty sure he would never want to talk to me again. Other than that, he has one of my MRC power packs to help nail down a DC operational issue. That's it. End of association. End of story. My only goal on OGR is to show folks the advantages of Scale/HiRail/Traditional Flyer to an audience unfamiliar with the advances and issues that one may have with S. I am not a paid mouthpiece for Lionel, MTH, American Models the former SHS or anyone else connected with the manufacture of S scale trains. I am not building a "media empire." I offer my opinions and experiences regarding S. Some find it helpful, others do not. I have found folks on OGR to be curious and friendly towards S, an I respond accordingly. The OGR forum provide a method of providing information in a manner that can have some contex similar to a magazine, and I use it to the best of my ability. The SD70 is a major change for Lionel and how they treat S Scale and my review of it is an honest opinion of what an average modeler thinks of it. Nothing more, nothing less. Perhaps the S Gaugian shouldn't publish a review of the SD70 either. Also, perhaps the S Scale SIG should take down their "first look" and Carl Tuveson his peek under the hood. And yes, I am also trying to change minds of some folks who can't look past the name on the box. It's ovbiously better in your mind not to share information across platforms. Perhaps YOU would feel better if I just bellowed out all Lionel/Flyer is crap... I have not done anything illegal, immoral or libelous toward Lionel. In fact, if you BOTHERED to go through the OGR postings, last January I was pretty pissed off at Lionel about my U33C missing decoration on one side of the locomotive. Likewise, I also congratulated them for taking care of the problem some two months later after my LHS sent the locomotive back for repair. Also, my Y3 blew up at my LHS's test track after running a few inches and a factory repro O gauge "Madison" car was missing lettering on one side. I mentioned THOSE issues on the OGR board, too. So it's not all hearts and flowers between me and Lionel. With the exception of S Fests,(which Lionel doesn't attend) I seldom go to train shows, so outside of email exchanges with Jon, I have had absolutely ZERO contact with any Lionel personnel other than a discussion with a long gone Lionel sales rep regarding scale Flyer in 2003 at the NASG convention in Milwaukee. If these unnamed sales reps YOU'VE mentioned know who I am, where I live and know what I did last summer, they should then contact me if I'm "a problem" for them and we can then hammer out an agreement as to what I say, when and where I say it. Various Lionel executives inhabit the OGR forum. Not one has contacted me either online OR offline to indicate that I am being slanderous to the reputation or products of Lionel Corporation. Nor have they said "Good Job!" The problem appears to be with you. Rich G(ajnak) --- In [email protected], "clipper841@..." <clipper841@...> wrote: > > rich: > what i stated was taken directly from lionel representatives > conversation, verbatim, the perceived > problem is apparently your relationaship "with your evil twin" on the > ogr, and in this case it is > probably correct, if you wish to create a media empire, please feel > free to do so, i think the > conflict is in the continuing mention of the "ogr" on this list, it > would probably be better to mention > it as a paid advertisement, as most members are already aware of it, > of course since bill & pieter > are comfortable with it, far be it for me to criticize their > decision, just keep your advertisements > to a minimum, and btw since lionel's public sales reps are the only > contact that is out there, we > have to assume that since they are paid for by lionel, and have been > taught lionel's products, we > have to assume that what they are advancing to the public is correct? > if as it has been suggested > by bill and pieter, that you have inside contacts, please verify with > them that it is okay to mention > their names, so differences in presentations can be verified > mel perry > > On Feb 25, 2013, at 4:54 AM, richgajnak wrote: > > > I WILL take personal umberage to those remarks, Mel, nor will I be > > intimidated by what someone is told by a rep at a train show. > > > > I have been doing my d****est to promote the new scale Flyer, both > > here and on OGR. And I've taken heat for it here in the past. Check > > the archives. > > > > I DO NOT do this for personal gain or to create controversy, I > > attempt to state the facts AS I KNOW THEM AT THE TIME. > > > > I'm also more than willing to post a correction when given the > > proper information. > > > > Dig through the group's message archive, I asked "Talk to Us" point > > blank about the scale wheel situtation last October or November and > > posted their response verbatum. > > > > I am not the only person to get confusing and contradicting > > information out of sources at Lionel. Ask folks on the OGR forums. > > > > It is not the fault of we, the customers, that Lionel cannot seem > > to issue a cohiesive statement regarding scale wheels on the Flyer > > line. > > > > "Talk to Us" says one thing, someone who knows someone at Lionel > > says another, someone who talks to a rep at a train show says > > something else, then someone who talks to a different rep at a > > different show says something else. You see how it goes... > > > > Lionel has a communication problem with their customers. That is > > all I'm stating. > > > > I'm asking for a CONSITANT official statement about scale wheels, > > not train show prattle. Lionel has a Facebook page, they have a > > blog. Put the infomation there and up on the main website for > > Pete's sake. > > > > As far as catalog descriptions go... Things change. The catalog is > > not the final word. The Gray Challenger lacked an oil bunker as > > stated in the catalog. Crew figures were not included with the > > Challengers as stated in the catalog. > > > > "Verify contents on the box" we're told, and yet the Challenger did > > not have crew figures as stated on the box flap. > > > > So, exactly who or what are we to believe? > > > > Now, in fairness, Lionel did offer to buy back my Challenger, but I > > figured I could live with those disrepancies. I didn't buy or plan > > to buy the locomotive to be part of my scale-wheel stable. > > > > As of yesterday, I have now heard from two sources that after-sale > > scale wheels will be made available for purchasers of HiRail SD70's. > > > > This is good news, but why do we have to hear it second and third > > hand? > > > > Communication is so easy these days. Would it REALLY hurt Lionel to > > make an official boilerplate announcement about the availability of > > scale wheels on their website? > > > > Or will they continue to use the ever-reliable word of mouth? > > > > Rich G(ajnak) > > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
