Are Life-Like's current train sets the spiritual successor of Tyco's?

[wiley209]

Looking at the various HO-scale train sets Life-Like is currently offering made me think of something:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/page/lifelike2010/lifelike_sets

They actually do remind me quite a bit of Tyco's train set offerings of the late 1980s and early 1990s, but then again, Bachmann's sets of the 1980s and even Life-Like's 1980s sets were often like this as well!
One small problem I do have with Life-Like is that many of their non-Proto products still appear to have been stuck in time since the 1970s or 1980s! (Their locomotives and rolling stock show this.) They all still use horn-hook couplers, and I don't think any other manufacturers' train sets use those anymore! If they really want to compete, they should at least upgrade all of their non-Proto locomotives and rolling stock to knuckle couplers!
Also, with the exception of the low-end "Rail Charger" set, all of their sets use steel Power-Loc roadbed track. I think the Power-Loc sets should switch to the Nickel-Silver version of the Power-Loc track, as it has better performance than steel. (My layout now uses Atlas True-Track, but I still use many Life-Like locomotives, rolling stock and accessories on it anyway. I may post pictures of it int he future.)

Since I am a "retro" (and slightly budget) model railroad operator, I do enjoy Life-Like's stuff, as theirs was the first I worked with. Their sets also do come with several accessories, and not just the usual signs/telephone poles often found in other train sets, such as from Bachmann. Many of them come with bridge and pier/trestle sets and action/operating accessories, like many 1970s/1980s train sets often did (they usually feature the log dump or railroad crossing.)

I mean, one perfect example of a "retro" train set Life-Like offered is the Railroad Empire, which pretty much gave my model railroad a jump start back in 2000:

Replace the Power-Loc track with your usual Code-100 track, and you've got a train set that could have easily been offered back in the 1970s or early 1980s. (Life-Like still offers it, as the "Diesel Driver" and with a Union Pacific-branded locomotive and caboose.) That doesn't mean it wasn't a great train set anyways! I mean, you get a rather unique over/under track plan (but usually that was more commonly found on layouts prior to the 1990s), both the operating log dump and dual-gate railroad crossing (two of Life-Like's more popular operating/action accessories), the trackside shanty building kits, cars and figures and trees, and the railroad signs and utility poles. The tunnel even looks pretty neat (I have to admit, even if it's cardboard and mountain paper glued/stapled on, it looks even more realistic than their styrofoam tunnels!) Just set it up on a piece of plywood with grass material (either green ground-cover material or a grass mat) with additional track, buildings and scenic accessories and you've got a great-looking model railroad to start out with! They weren't kidding when they called it the "Railroad Empire" (like Tyco's similarly named sets in their waning years.)

Though when I received mine, the power pack didn't work. BUT, I still saved the power receiver and remote control from Life-Like's SuperTrain Radio Control set, hooked that up to the track, and it worked perfectly!

So I think, in terms of "classic" HO model railroading, Life-Like has some pretty good products to offer! I still prefer to use them with Atlas True-Track though

 

[Gary B]

I think Life-like and Bachmann still see a market for the cheap beginner/kids train sets. Good bet Walter's bought them out to offer such a product without confusing customers with their own brand. Some of the Life-like line goes back to Varney (my first HO train) I think the power-loc type track adresses one of the problems this type of set always had. You couldn't set it up on the floor very easily, which kids wanted to do.
Most of us came into the hobby by a set like these and I suspect more will come, expanding and growing and learning as they grow up. These products do a great serve to the hobby in helping keep it alive. Oh and they do have a charm of their own, much like old Plasticville that I find myself 'into' lately.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

The only similarity between Tyco and Life-Like is they both made and sold HO Scale trains. Tyco was part of Mantua. Beginning I think in 1959 it went through the 'Red Box' era which ended in the early 70's with Tyco's sale to Consolidated Foods. This was also the time Tyco products took a big nose dive in quality and became the 'toy train' line that would later be reviled by many modelers as toylike, undependable and of poor quality. This was the start of the 'Brown Box' era that lasted to 1993.

Life-Like was created in the late 60's out of the remains of Varney and offered many model trains over the course of it's history. One of the early kits, the McDonald's restaurant was an initial success. Unfortunately McDonald's claimed it wasn't authorized and it had to be pulled. They had a rather good looking KFC kit later that was endorsed by Col Sanders himself and was a good seller. They offered train sets, buildings, action accessories, rolling stock and locomotives. The locomotives offered during the 80's and 90's weren't something a serious modeler would want to sink their into. They were toylike, many times the quality was very questionable and they just didn't run well. In the 90's they got serious with their Proto 1000 and Proto 2000 lines. Here were models of much better quality and appearance. Add to that that they ran very well and they had the keys to success. The line was later bought by Walthers.

 

[wiley209]

That's understandable. I also checked out a book from my city's main public library, "How to Run a Railroad," by Harvey Weiss published in 1977:

It's mostly aimed toward the novice, but I think it's pretty informative anyways. The author's layout mostly consists of AHM and brown box-era Tyco locomotives and rolling stock, and it actually looks pretty good. Plus in this day and age, many of those old Tyco, AHM and Life-Like locomotives and rolling stock could be modified, with knuckle couplers and metal freight car wheels, even retrofitting DCC modules!

 

[cv_acr]

That's understandable. I also checked out a book from my city's main public library, "How to Run a Railroad," by Harvey Weiss published in 1977:

I think my public library had that book in the kids section. I think I remember reading that one when I was younger.

 

[wiley209]

They had a rather good looking KFC kit later that was endorsed by Col Sanders himself and was a good seller.

I've got a KFC kit on my layout! It always grabs attention from people checking out my trainss

 

[NYW&B]

Life-Like and Bachmann low end trains could be considered the successors to Tyco, but they reached that status through a very different path.

Tyco was originally intended as the RTR outlet for the then high quality Mantua kit line and did so for quite a number of years. Mantua was a product line intended for the adult craftsman model railroader. Short of custom builders, Mantua represented the best in HO locomotives available and early on high-end rollingstock as well.

After a time, although Mantua maintained its original quality (although it rarely ever upgraded its products), Tyco was basically spun off and its products steadily cheapened although still employing the Mantua loco bodies, eventually reaching toy train status. Basically they became junk intended to provide little more than a few hours of operating fun for a child before failing.

Both Like-Like and Bachmann started out as offering very low end products for the toy market and perhaps as a cheap introduction to the model railroading hobby. For decades their products were never really taken seriously by anyone in the hobby. Poor running characteristics and often crude design held them essentially within the cheap toy market.

About 15-20 years ago both companies began to appreciate that there was high-end Baby Boomer market with money to spend becoming available, leading the two companies to begin to offer lines of quality equipment...at many times the price of their former products. However, both companies continue to maintain lines of cheap goods for the introductory market and general public.

NYW&B

 

[Cjcrescent]

Very good condensation of the TYCO epic, NYW&B. I can remember when the TYCO name was taken as a sign of a quality product. I personally believe that the TYCO downfall started when Mantua basically "took back" their products and started releasing them back under the Mantua name.