LGB's Wilson Bros. Circus Train

In 1991 LGB was flying high. Sales were brimming, The US market was a boon to the German business share and modern and improved production methods started to allow all kinds of series and alterations without braking the bank.

The US market had improved and grown dramatically. There were more than 2,200 LGB dealers across the USA and Illinois was a major LGB hub. The LGB Club of Chicago (LGBRR) was founded in 1979 and the area was home to some of the biggest LGB dealers in the country.

One of them, Depot G Hobbies in Winfield, what today is (near) Wheaton/IL had a brilliant marketing idea. Jim Marski, its owner had negotiated with LGB to manufacture exclusively for him a train set containing 11 cars and eventually one locomotive the Mogul # 22191. The set was to be a very limited special edition of 2,000 and Depot G would have the only distribution rights. In Jim Marski's announcement he said: "Due to the significant commitment required to produce this set, the production will span a four year period with one item being delivered every four month. The first item, the 'Advance Advertising Car" is available now. The set is offered on a subscription basis only, i.e individual cars will NOT be sold individually. Circus wagons are produced by Columbine Hobby Corp and are not available separately at this time."

LGB 3181 DG "Advertising Car" - Courtesy of Trainz.com/ebay

Depot G requested a down payment of US$ 200 for the "subscription basis only", which meant once you committed you had to take all 11 cars and one loco of the series and couldn't get out.

advertising the Wilson Circus train set in 1991/92 - Courtesy of SPUR II magazine 16/ I-1992

Depot G offered the complete package as a 'future option' (pun intended...) with installment payment plans. In the above advertisement he announced the expected delivery date for each item with the last one, the Mogul engine being delivered by May of 1995. That was a brave move....!

Depending of your choice of payment plan you ended up paying either US$ 1800.00 or US$ 1,680.00. If you'd had invested that amount in 1991 you'd look at about US$ 6,300.00 today. And that was exactly what Depot G's Jim Marski was betting on. His intend was to benefit from the inherent belief of the US LGB customer that the LGB product was an investment and would only appreciate with time. That was American business savvy and US capitalism at its best.

The first car was readily available and cost US$ 129.00. All prices for all products shown above were published at the time of announcement. And Depot G would have guaranteed sales of  US$ 3.3 to 3.6 mill. But would it work?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ to be continued......................