Loosely translated:

 

Märklin and "Silvergate" (LGBoA) reached an unexpected agreement today whereby all marketing and licensing rights related to LGB in the United States are now owned by Märklin effective immediately.

 

This opens the North-American market for Märklin to allow unrestricted sales and distribution of the LGB product.

 

 

 Published in Germany by "FERPRESS - Internationale Eisenbahn-Presse-Vereinigung" 

 

Völlig überraschend haben sich die beiden bisherigen Kontrahenten Märklin, Göppingen, und die amerikanische Firma "Silvergate", früher besser bekannt unter "LGB of America", geeinigt. Ab sofort gehören alle Namensrechte, Lizenzen etc., die mit LGB in den USA zu tun haben, endgültig zu Märklin.

Damit ist der Weg nach langen vergeblichen Bemühungen für Märklin frei für einen unbeschränkten LGB-Vertrieb in Nordamerika. Dieser Überseemarkt ist für die internationale Gartenbahnszene sehr wichtig, da allein schon wegen der dortigen besseren klimatischen Verhältnisse mehr Möglichkeiten bestehen, das Modellbahnhobby auch im Freien zu betreiben.

 

What a surprise!  There is nothing posted yet on this on the Silvergate web site, http://silvergatedistributors.com .  Has anyone found any more information on what happened?  Did LGBoA get paid off finally or just give up? 

 

There was a hint recently on the LGB Family Forum that something might be happening, but who would have thought?

I figured Silvergate had severed all its ties to LGB a while ago when the announcement to be Piko's distributor was announced. As I said elsewhere, thsi agreement just means Marklin got those US distribution and namesake rights that were so in contention not too long ago on this very forum. The fact that this annoucement didnt comeabout as the result of a protracted lawsuit says alot about where those rights must have been all along.

Now that said I'll repeat what I said on LSC, so Marklin has the US distribution rights? Given that they have such a "huge presence" here already, I await to see what trickles across the waters to the US, and just who will distribute it, Walthers has been mentioned as already distributing thier smaller scales, as it is, with the prices so far listed in Europe, that would effectively kill LGB for me and likely many others. Way back when all this started, I channeled the ghost of the Amazing Criswell who predicted LGB would become a high priced, hard to find beautique brand, like Brawa or Kiss, Criswell still predicts this to be true...

 

Bob,

 

I am not intimately involved in this but as far as I know Silvergate Distributors has no affiliation to G45 or LGB of America.

It's dangerous to "Assume" anything these days.

PIKO

BB, don't even get me started on Goldman Sachs and the rest of those greedy ba$%&@#d -they should all be thrown in jail as far as I'm concerned.  You're right, though, for whoever takes over it's going to be a rocky ride.

 

As far as distribution, my preference would sure be to stick with LGBoA/Silvergate, since they have the support expertise, dealership network (with largescale experience that is) and better pricing than someone like Walthers would ever have.

In a perfect world for me, it would be:

 

LGB/Marklin- producing 1:22.5 RhB & other Euro narrow gauge trains only

Piko - producing standard gauge European trains only

LGBoA - producing modern N/A standard gauge prototypes like the Genesis/Amtrak cars

Silvergate - distributing all of above plus others such as Kiss

 

Keith

 

 

I disagree Walthers is great and has the money to keep stock onhand ......

we have been a dealer for them for 16 years with 2 orders a week and the whole system works like clockwork ......

 

problems are fixed right away and they are always nice to talk to .........