Editing LGB (trains) (section)

==Bankruptcy and sale of Ernst Paul Lehmann Patentwerk==
With the model train industry in decline, ''Ernst Paul Lehmann Patentwerk'' started restructuring and cost-saving measures in 2002 and further intensified them in 2005. These measures included an employee-supported salary forfeiture and, in mid-2006, transferring Lehman's North American distribution and service subsidiary, LGB of America (LGBoA), to a new United States-based firm, G45. However, on September 1, 2006, Lehmann's financing banks, which had recently been sold to larger, international banks, froze Lehmann's accounts and blocked sale of existing inventory. Lehmann called this a "hostile takeover" and requested [[bankruptcy]] protection on September 18, 2006.

Multiple entities, including model train manufacturers Märklin, [[PIKO|Piko]], and [[Hornby Railways|Hornby]], bid on Lehmann. It was announced on December 22, 2006, that Hermann Schöntag, the then-owner of the German Rügen narrow-gauge railway, had been selected by Lehmann's creditors to purchase the firm. He founded E.P. Lehmann GmbH & Co. KG and preserved the factory, offices, and 150 jobs in Nuremberg. However, his co-investors backed out; production stopped on March 21, 2007, and the company filed for bankruptcy on April 23, 2007.