Anyone else got concerns with the 'New' MTH companies?

DylTrains,

I understand your concerns. However, I'm willing to give Rich Foster a chance to do good. Lets see were MTH is in a year.

All of this has been beaten to death,….they’re all just starting out on their own trying to figure out what’s gonna work, and what’s not gonna work,….why not give them a chance?…..if they slip up, they slip up,…..have any of you had a catalog printed??….do you know the costs involved??…..it’s easy as pie to be an armchair quarterback, it’s another thing to be out on the field……at least they’re trying,…..would you rather them fold up camp altogether??…….good grief!!…..another thread full of bellyaching,…..

Pat

@DylTrains posted:

but does anyone else feel that the 'new' MTH companies are off to a real rough start?

The new MTH fragment will need to grow to survive the new few years.

Advertise production of new replacement tooling:

MTH seems to be doing OK with all the dealer custom runs, but I do wonder how long that particular business model will remain viable.

If Mike Wolf's goal is to sell off the remainder of the company, he's not going to make investments in new tooling.   Otherwise, why bother selling off the assets in the first place?

Expansion of the remaining tooling inventory will not be rewarded with an increased purchase price.  It may even discourage potential buyers into thinking that MTH will remain in direct completion.

Rusty

Does anyone know who got the FMTM tooling?

Ed

I'm hoping this MTH does well because of their past products being awesome. I would like to see more of that creativity. I don't know much about the new company but I'll be watching for products I'm interested in.

No problems with MTH quit buying when they did not follow thru on the S HELPER product line.

Gunny

I was concerned, but not anymore; it appears there is a good-faith effort to continue support for existing products, so I'm willing to give them a shot and see what the quality of the new products is like. I just wish the 2 locos I pre-ordered would arrive, but that's out of their control. 

I think the answer is at this point it is what it is and whatever it becomes, it becomes. That doesn't mean people shouldn't have concerns. Mike W wanted to retire and get out of the business and what we see is the outcome. Ideally as we have beaten to death, someone would have bought the company and keep going forward with it but that simply wasn't there (for example, a private equity company, like the one that owns Lionel, could theoretically have bought MTH). Lionel and Atlas bought what they wanted of the tooling, what fit their product line, MTH parts spun off, MTH DCS is its own entity, and what is left of MTH product seems to be a custom run shop for hobby stores and some relatively low BTO runs they are doing themselves.

It is unlikely they will ever be a mass market firm (well, what passes for one in this hobby), the train sets, the accessories, are likely gone from what I can tell, so the idea of mom and dad buying a train set, etc, just doesn't seem to be in their future (I could be wrong, again I don't have an inside source).
Is this model workable? All we can do is hope that it works out, whatever they do is still better than if MTH had simply shut down, I try to look at it that way.

BTW MTH parts is a work in progress, and all I can say is that given what I heard Mike R saying at York and seeing a demo of the parts lookup, I don't think that is a concern going forward, he seems pretty determined to make it work and given how intense he seems to be, I wouldn't bet against it being a smashing success.

Hopefully Lionel and Atlas will fill the holes you are talking about and can keep pushing things forward.

Being predominantly a collector of O gauge product that fits into the "other" category I personally do not have concerns.  95% of what I am interested in that MTH has made is available on the secondary market.

If anything, Atlas's acquisition benefits both MTH buyers and Atlas buyers as it gives Atlas a factory that can hopefully deliver former MTH, Masterline, and Trainman product more efficiently than they have in recent years.

Lionel's acquisition of some of the Premier steam tooling gives them access to decent scale locomotives that can be offered at a price point that is below the Vision Line product and ultimately provide Lionel with a more consistent revenue stream in proven tooling.

DCS being a separate company may help alleviate some of the command turf wars that have plagued the 3 rail world forever as it does not necessarily have to be associated with any one manufacturer.

The reality of today's O gauge market place is there is no "large customer base" as mentioned in the OP.  I don't see that as a negative or a positive, just a reality.

What is there to be concerned about? A year ago I assumed MTH would go the way of K-Line and Weaver, gone forever with zero new product and parts hard to find. Whatever we have now its better than nothing.

Pete

@DylTrains posted:

• Do not tell people "Be Patient" or "we are still adjusting".
  • Yes, we know the circumstances, but there's only so many times you can say "there is a shortage of chips!". You do know this is a real thing across all manufacturers from automotive to HVAC parts, to our trains (which are low on the priority list of the chip makers)

DylTrains,

When I was a MTH dealer Rich Foster was always there for me. When ever I needed anything I called him. Even after I retired, a couple of my customers encountered a small problem. I called Rich and he took care it. Sleep well everything is fine.

MY CONCERN. I am not real happy with the new warranty. This is  funny that this topic came up today. I was in a hobby shop this morning that sells MTH. I found a railking MP-15 that I was ready to leave with. I was drooling over it in the glass showcase. It was discounted as well. A person walked up to me and asked if I needed help. I asked this person about the warranty. I told her that I have heard that MTH's warranty says that if anytime within a year I have an issue with the loco that I return it to this store and I am entitled for a refund. (since they do not do repairs). This person said let me go ask  "so and so" about that because "so and so" has a better answer and is more into the trains than anyone else in the store. I waited 20 minutes for this person to return. When this person returned, I was never given an answer. It is like I never asked. We made eye contact several times in the remainder of the time I was there. I never seen anything like it. I came home and verified I was right by reading MTH's warranty. My guess is that they don't want it back if it becomes faulty in less than a year. Would have been nice for them to tell me that. This new policy has to hurt dealers that do not do repairs. What a shame. I would have left with that loco but I have to protect myself ( at least for a year).

Did you check the build date on the engine? Are they an authorized dealer?

Gunny

@jini5 posted:

MY CONCERN. I am not real happy with the new warranty. This is  funny that this topic came up today. I was in a hobby shop this morning that sells MTH. I found a railking MP-15 that I was ready to leave with. I was drooling over it in the glass showcase. It was discounted as well. A person walked up to me and asked if I needed help. I asked this person about the warranty. I told her that I have heard that MTH's warranty says that if anytime within a year I have an issue with the loco that I return it to this store and I am entitled for a refund. (since they do not do repairs). This person said let me go ask  "so and so" about that because "so and so" has a better answer and is more into the trains than anyone else in the store. I waited 20 minutes for this person to return. When this person returned, I was never given an answer. It is like I never asked. We made eye contact several times in the remainder of the time I was there. I never seen anything like it. I came home and verified I was right by reading MTH's warranty. My guess is that they don't want it back if it becomes faulty in less than a year. Would have been nice for them to tell me that. This new policy has to hurt dealers that do not do repairs. What a shame. I would have left with that loco but I have to protect myself ( at least for a year).

I’m confused,…so a second person came out, and neither of you spoke a word??…if you were that enthralled with purchasing it, why not open your mouth a second time?…..were you nervous?….to be sure y’all didn’t just sit there with the death stare??…..

Pat

Did you clean up your "drool" before you left the store? 🙂

Mark in Oregon

@gunny posted:

Did you check the build date on the engine? Are they an authorized dealer?

Gunny

I did check the release date of the loco when I got home. It was FEB 2020 so I would be buying it without a warranty. It would have been nice to hear that from the store employees. This is my problem with the new warranty. Used to be MTH had a 5 yr release date cut off.

@harmonyards posted:

I’m confused,…so a second person came out, and neither of you spoke a word??…if you were that enthralled with purchasing it, why not open your mouth a second time?…..were you nervous?….to be sure y’all didn’t just sit there with the death stare??…..

Pat

We did not speak a word.  The original person came out 20 minutes later and started stocking shelves. Another person also came out and started helping the first person to stock shelves. Not nervous at all..............just mad that I was ignored. I didn't open my mouth because I figured they didn't want the sale and I didn't want to give them the sale. My guess is that I scared them away when I told the employee that the store would be required to give me a refund if the loco needed repaired within the 12 month period.

It surprised me to see Lionel offer the N&W Class A. Was Lionel allowed to produce the Class A because they were released from the law suit being MTH doesn't exist as it was?

@Strummer posted:

Did you clean up your "drool" before you left the store? 🙂

Mark in Oregon

I did clean it up.

@TM Terry posted:

It surprised me to see Lionel offer the N&W Class A. Was Lionel allowed to produce the Class A because they were released from the law suit being MTH doesn't exist as it was?

It's all new tooling, so it likely isn't affected by any previous issues with a model.

I had concerns with the “0ld” company.  😀

Personally, I admire those engaged in picking up the pieces of MTH.  I am not an economist, but it seems to me that such a pursuit must be a labor of love bordering on quixotic.  Even if they are in possession of mountains of inventory, tooling, etc., an outlay of capital would be required to promote their products to the satisfaction of some who have commented in this thread, never mind the costs associated with funding comprehensive warranties.  Any clear-headed banker would characterize such investment as “good money after bad” given the niche within a niche nature of the model train business.  These people will not get rich, no matter what business models they adopt.

As consumers, we have to recognize these ventures for what they are - attempts at preserving a resource and creating a viable concern.  Their reliability in the short or long term remains to be seen.  I very much hope they succeed, but until they establish a track record, caveat emptor.

Remember, it’s only business.  Buy or shop elsewhere. Don’t make it personal.

@jini5 posted:

MY CONCERN. I am not real happy with the new warranty. This is  funny that this topic came up today. I was in a hobby shop this morning that sells MTH. I found a railking MP-15 that I was ready to leave with. I was drooling over it in the glass showcase. It was discounted as well. A person walked up to me and asked if I needed help. I asked this person about the warranty. I told her that I have heard that MTH's warranty says that if anytime within a year I have an issue with the loco that I return it to this store and I am entitled for a refund. (since they do not do repairs). This person said let me go ask  "so and so" about that because "so and so" has a better answer and is more into the trains than anyone else in the store. I waited 20 minutes for this person to return. When this person returned, I was never given an answer. It is like I never asked. We made eye contact several times in the remainder of the time I was there. I never seen anything like it. I came home and verified I was right by reading MTH's warranty. My guess is that they don't want it back if it becomes faulty in less than a year. Would have been nice for them to tell me that. This new policy has to hurt dealers that do not do repairs. What a shame. I would have left with that loco but I have to protect myself ( at least for a year).

I'd say that falls under poor customer service by the store rather than a MTH company issue.

I'm not overjoyed with the warranty structure either, but I have to agree this incident appeared to be the store's problem, not MTH.

@Lou1985 posted:

I'd say that falls under poor customer service by the store rather than a MTH company issue.

True, poor customer service, and I did find out that this would not be covered by a warranty due to the date of release when I got home. My point was that MTH had a warranty that covered newly purchased locos from authorized MTH dealers for 5 years from release date. Now that they don't have the same Warranty policy, that is a concern I have.

And probably a valid one.  MTH has no repair capability at this point, so they depend on the dealers to repair or refund the items.

@DylTrains posted:

I haven't been in O scale for as long as many people on these forums, and I know many of the concerns Ive been having have probably been stated before...    but does anyone else feel that the 'new' MTH companies are off to a real rough start?

DylTrains,

If I distill your comments down to one salient point I think what I'm hearing is that you were hoping for leadership from "The New MTH" and apparently see none, or at least not enough to calm your fears.

Many of us share your apprehension, but there isn't going to be a dramatic flourish in the near term.  I'm sure that Mike W. was hoping for it, in the form of an organization wanting to by MTH lock, stock and barrel, that would immediately inject energy, a vision, and, above all, leadership.  That's how he ran MTH, from day one onward.  Because he's a man of high standards he expected to see it continue.

Yes, we have little evidence of it yet, but I'm quite pleased with Mike R's work as a start because it follows the desired pattern.  We just won't know for some time if it will happen across the board.

Having said all of this I'll ask a few related questions:

1. Q: Didn't we also hope for "energy, a vision, and, above all, leadership" from the new Lionel when the old Lionel was sold to it's current owners?      A: Yes, most definitely.
2. Q: Did it come?      A: No, a little perhaps, but not nearly what we hoped for.

Back to MTH.  Right this instant substantial patience is required.  Have a little faith.  With any luck and some hard work we, and Mike W., will see what we're hoping for.  It happened once.  It can happen again.

Last but not least, anybody want to help make it happen?  Any entrepreneurs among you?  Raise your hand you young people.  That's what Mike W. did nearly 50 years ago now.  The hobby needs you, and now is the time.

Fortunately we see the results of Mike's original commitment with the old MTH even to this day.  Energy, a vision, and, above all, leadership.

To paraphrase a famous tag line Just do it.  Us oldsters will be here to help -- even if all we can do to support you is to buy your product.  We'll be happy to do so, quite enthusiastically in fact.

Mike

I'm in the "caveat emptor" camp.  I don't purchase products based on their warranty.  In most cases, the company's reputation proceeds them allowing the buyer's to assess risk.  In the rare chance I do have a warranty issue, the company has the opportunity to make it right or I won't be back.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

And probably a valid one.  MTH has no repair capability at this point, so they depend on the dealers to repair or refund the items.

And not all dealers do repairs. So should you only buy from dealers that do repairs. I don't necessarily want to buy from them. What about the dealer that does not do repairs? I am sure they dont want unhappy customers and dont want the hassle of sending it back to MTH. Doesn't seem profitable for them. I'm think'n no one wins

Unfortunately, I have the feeling that MTH is now passing the price point considering the state of the hobby. The latest 500-dollar engine price point plus shipping forces many out of the marketplace.

I.M.O. the latest asking prices are not justifiable for a toy train diesel. I believe it might be the end of the road for the scale side of the hobby. I would bet dealers are not getting overwhelmed with pre-orders either. Another concern is receiving all the latest over committed products in a timely manner today. That has yet to be seen.

Until then, the item would have to be a new design or special road/model going forward. Instead of buying five items at a time, some might just buy one?

@SIRT posted:

Another concern is receiving all the latest over committed products in a timely manner today. That has yet to be seen.

That particular concern is out of the hands of MTH even if the stuff is produced on time.

@SIRT posted:

Unfortunately, I have the feeling that MTH is now passing the price point considering the state of the hobby. The latest 500-dollar engine price point plus shipping forces many out of the marketplace.

I.M.O. the latest asking prices are not justifiable for a toy train diesel. I believe it might be the end of the road for the scale side of the hobby. I would bet dealers are not getting overwhelmed with pre-orders either. Another concern is receiving all the latest over committed products in a timely manner today. That has yet to be seen.

Until then, the item would have to be a new design or special road/model going forward. Instead of buying five items at a time, some might just buy one?

Or some of us might move to HO Scale.  In the last three weeks, I've seen nothing but price slaughter for O items, esp. used MTH items.  I've seen people buy up reasonable price items and then offer them at over 100% mark-up of what they paid for them.  I've seen Atlas switches that look like they were run over by a car with new price tags.  I'm not happy about this.  I don't see manufacturers producing new designs or models.  Just the same old runs from the same old tooling over and over again.  But at the same time, I see manufacturers NOT rereleasing models that were popular (Atlas Gunderson Maxi-IV in point).  I'm not happy about this either.

Then you need this over priced controller or this over priced connector to run your layout.  And then you purchase new items and you get them and they're damaged from the manufacturer.  (MTH being THE biggest offender.)  What am I supposed to do then?  Well, you guys keep talking about having the dealer fix it under the new warranty structure.  Most of these dealers can't fix these things.  So the other option not mentioned is, I fix it myself.  Not happy about this either.

I find it a very frustrating time to be in the O hobby.  I've invested heavily in the O end of things at this point and I'm having some regret esp. when I see so many readily available models at cheaper prices for other scales.

Anthony

@A. Wells posted:

I find it a very frustrating time to be in the O hobby.  I've invested heavily in the O end of things at this point and I'm having some regret esp. when I see so many readily available models at cheaper prices for other scales.

My advice is to take a deep breath and give it a little time, I think you'll find that prices won't stay at those levels.  Run what you have, after all, that's why you bought it!  Quite frankly, I'm doing minimal buying right now and waiting to see when sanity returns.

I am more optimistic than some.

I think the original poster's concerns certainly have merit.  The future of MTH is uncertain.  However, we are in a better position than we were last year and the new model of doing dealer-specific runs appears to be doing quite well, at least according to a couple of the MTH dealers with whom I've spoken.  And it has the benefit of closely matching supply and demand generally, and allowing them to make regionally attractive offerings.  And I think now that Atlas has picked up DCS and some reliable factories, certain MTH product will live on under a different and reputable name.

I am also optimistic about Lionel.  Much has been written in terms of complaints, and again I think those concerns likely have merit.  But, they are committing to new tooling at the top end of the hobby and producing technological innovations, such as direct bluetooth control of legacy locomotives, that eliminates much of the DCS v. Legacy/TMCC operating system conflict that has been an issue for the last 20 years.  Yes, I know you lose some legacy functions but my opinion is that this is a "feature delete" of sorts designed to appease the die-hards.  At some point, Legacy handhelds will not be produced due to the internal hardware constraints and we will transition to tablets as the control interface.  Lionel knows this and is pursuing a strategy that straddles both groups during the interim period.  And they are producing other products that simplify accessory and building wiring.  This is forward thinking and commendable.  

And then you have Menards.  We have a huge supply of wonderful buildings and other accessories that are animated and realistic at the same time.  And now they appear to be moving into motive power.

So not to sound overly optimistic, but this is still a strong period for the hobby as compared to the 1970s when I was a young kid and we were largely confined to MPC products, many of which ran like crap (and some of which I will admit were very good).  

Final note is in on pricing:  we all read news and have read about inflation. Aside from that development, we have gotten spoiled by pricing in the O gauge hobby.  When I was a youngster, my dad bought me an MPC Hudson that was probably the better part of $1k in the mid to late 80s.  Today, $1k plus a small margin buys an MTH premier or Lionel Legacy steamer that from a detail, operational, and any other perspective is in a different league.  Yes prices are climbing but this is due to a combination of factors that is outside of anyone's control, including the makers, and we will have to adjust as hobbyists.  Nevertheless, MTH's pricing is still very attractive and provides an advantage in the market within a certain segment vis a vis Lionel.  

Have a great day everyone.  

The original poster wants to see the original MTH reborn.  Doesn't seem a realistic possibility in most ways, so best to just accept that this is a permanent change in MTH, with the future uncertain.  Almost certainly not going to see new tooling or 200 page catalogs in the short run.  In the long run, totally unpredictable.

Perhaps it is best to think of the new MTH as a company more like 3rd Rail.  Boutique products without a full line of power supplies, track, train sets, etc.  Different animal.  Probably not going to resemble the previous MTH.  Product of various factors, such as Mike Wolf's desire to retire/downsize, the marketplace and production limitations.  It's a problem for those who don't want or aren't pleased with the remaining full line producer, Lionel, to be sure.  Still you can get track from Gargraves, Ross and others.  You can get power supplies from Lionel (no one is complaining about the ZW-L) and MRC.  Train sets have always been 95% (or so) Lionel in volume in any case.  If you are MTH only, you can get locos and rolling stock from custom runs and MTH's remaining production.  Doesn't seem the end of the world  (yet) to me for anyone.

At this time I have all the Locomotives I need. I am a big supporter of MTH. I will keep buying Premier rolling stock as there is not much that can go wrong that can’t be fixed. Maybe when Atlas gets their Premier Line all worked out I’ll take the chance. I feel that part is in good hands. Lets just see what happens.

@DylTrains posted:

• How about "under our current projections, we are planning to release x number of offerings of freight cars in 2022, and y types of locomotive offerings over the next 2 years"?  Even if things do not go exactly as planned, it would be nice to have an idea of what to expect (heck even film studios do this years in advance!).  I would rather see ambitious plans partly fall through and be disappointed, rather than kept worrying if the company will still be around in 3-5 years.

I think you posted some valid concerns but I agree with the sentiment to wait and see what happens. I certainly hope at some point they do release a catalog even if it is small like the Atlas O catalogs in the late'90s. I agree this new MTH will not be like the old MTH however I would rather have that then no MTH at all. Having said that No train company in their right mind would do what you suggested above. They either put it out there that they are doing a run of a certain car or locomotive or they don't. Announcing that they will offer a car or locomotive next year gives their competition time to make a competing model. It is sort of like a quarterback telling the defense Hey we are going to run a slant for 7 yards. I have been in this hobby since 1997 and I have never any train company announce something like that. There are some things these companies must keep close to the vest.

My main issue is the trickle of announcements coming out.  Very hard to keep track of who has what.  I'd prefer to see, say, a quarterly announcement from MTH that says "Here's what we're offering in general, and here's the roadnames specific to single dealers".  Then the next quarter they announce what actually made the cut for production, and announce the next batch of runs.  And dealers forbidden to announce before the main announcement so there's no jumping the gun.  That's really the only thing that could be improved.  I know the remainder of the issues with the supply chain are out of their control right now.

My christmas wish would be for whomever has the European model tooling to come out and tell us their plans for it, if any.  Hopefully it's still MTH.

Well, I have NO concerns with the new MTH companies, because I have no MTH locos or transformers and am glad of that. I operate only Lionel locos made between 2006 and 2013 with no problems. But as an outsider to MTH looking in, I don't see how 3 parts of a fragmented company can be better that 1 whole company. Good luck to you MTH-ers.

@Yellowstone Special posted:

Well, I have NO concerns with the new MTH companies, because I have no MTH locos or transformers and am glad of that. I operate only Lionel locos made between 2006 and 2013 with no problems. But as an outsider to MTH looking in, I don't see how 3 parts of a fragmented company can be better that 1 whole company. Good luck to you MTH-ers.

No one has said the current situation is better than having original company intact, its only better than having zero support or product. Continuing availability of parts is a significant plus. Owners of MTH product have an advantage in that most all items the parts used in recent production can be used to keep older product running. Lionel owners will have harder time doing that as changes to the same prototype over the years in many cases have different mechanics and definitely different electronics.
When a part finally does fail on your 2006-2013 items see check what your options are to keep it running. Hundreds of the parts are now listed as NLA.

Pete

Like most of the other posters have said, we need to be patient and see how this all shakes out over time. The supply chain issues are the real wild card as the new MTH will have little control over that.

I will give two thumbs up to the new parts company . The website is easy to use and the customer service is outstanding. I ordered some parts recently and received them in four days. I was shorted one part so I emailed them about it and the person responsible emailed me back the same day saying the part would be sent out right away. Received it in a few days. Great service!

I do wonder about the Chinese factory where MTH is made. Seems to me their production volume has had to have really gone down since these changes to MTH started. Rumor is that Atlas is moving their existing tooling production to the MTH factory. I wonder if that includes their HO and N gauge lines? How much production volume does the factory need to stay in the train business?

Ken

@bigkid posted:

I think the answer is at this point it is what it is and whatever it becomes, it becomes. That doesn't mean people shouldn't have concerns. Mike W wanted to retire and get out of the business and what we see is the outcome. Ideally as we have beaten to death, someone would have bought the company and keep going forward with it but that simply wasn't there (for example, a private equity company, like the one that owns Lionel, could theoretically have bought MTH). Lionel and Atlas bought what they wanted of the tooling, what fit their product line, MTH parts spun off, MTH DCS is its own entity, and what is left of MTH product seems to be a custom run shop for hobby stores and some relatively low BTO runs they are doing themselves.

The part about this that concerns me is that either Mike had an unrealistic idea of what MTH was worth, or no investor thinks that the company is financially viable.  Seems like there should be some middle ground, but that's for others to decide.  IMO, Lionel gets attention from investors because of the century-plus name - everyone knows about Lionel Trains, whether they are interested or not.  Mention Mike's Train House or MTH to the average person - crickets.

BTW MTH parts is a work in progress, and all I can say is that given what I heard Mike R saying at York and seeing a demo of the parts lookup, I don't think that is a concern going forward, he seems pretty determined to make it work and given how intense he seems to be, I wouldn't bet against it being a smashing success.

Mike Reagan is the bright spot in all of this.  If anyone has the skill and passion to make it happen, it's him.  Fingers crossed.

@A. Wells posted:

Or some of us might move to HO Scale.  In the last three weeks, I've seen nothing but price slaughter for O items, esp. used MTH items.  ...

O has never been inexpensive, but HO ain't cheap either.  Not that long ago, one could buy a conventional HO loco for 1/10th the cost of an item from Lionel or MTH.  Now, HO items are catching up in price, and you need more of them to populate a layout than in O gauge.  I always promoted model railroading as a hobby that was accessible to all budgets, but sadly that's no longer the case.   

I find it a very frustrating time to be in the O hobby.  I've invested heavily in the O end of things at this point and I'm having some regret esp. when I see so many readily available models at cheaper prices for other scales.

This will improve, we just need to be patient.  I was encouraged by what I saw at York - in general, asking prices haven't risen, and people were more willing to negotiate.  Right now, people on "that auction site which shall not be named" are just trolling for suckers - don't feed that monster.

As @Mellow Hudson Mike mentioned above, the best outcome would be for a passionate young (or at least younger) entrepreneur to step up as Richard Kughn and Mike Wolf did a generation ago.  Unfortunately, we're still waiting for that person.

There are a lot of moving parts involved - the aging demographic, chips, shipping, overseas manufacturing - it's going to take awhile to shake itself out.  And remember, it's just a hobby...

In that discussing the business behind our trains seems to be a hobby within our hobby, and human nature brings out the armchair CEO in all of us, maybe OGR should open a new “What I Would Do If I Ran the World” forum.

@Mallard4468 posted:

As @Mellow Hudson Mike mentioned above, the best outcome would be for a passionate young (or at least younger) entrepreneur to step up as Richard Kughn and Mike Wolf did a generation ago.  Unfortunately, we're still waiting for that person.

There are a lot of moving parts involved - the aging demographic, chips, shipping, overseas manufacturing - it's going to take awhile to shake itself out.  And remember, it's just a hobby...

Also keep in mind that many (most?) of us have more trains than we need, and could likely run for years without buying another thing.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Also keep in mind that many (most?) of us have more trains than we need, and could likely run for years without buying another thing.

Sounds like you've been in my basement.

@Mallard4468 posted:

Sounds like you've been in my basement.

I didn't even have to leave mine to figure that out!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Also keep in mind that many (most?) of us have more trains than we need, and could likely run for years without buying another thing.

That sounds like acceptance, we all live in denial, ….clearly those classes are working for you,…..I’m a quitter,…I quit going to the sessions,…😉

Pat

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I didn't even have to leave mine to figure that out!

Nor do I and I have seen your GRJ but I have not seen Mallards but I am guessing thatI would be a distance third to both of you. I have 3 more MTH Locomotives on order looking at picking a PS1 up and another Post War 2065 that I let go years ago by mistake. I will still be in third place having seen John.

I hear you coming up in the inside, the finish line is in sight!

Hmm,…I only have two,…☹️

Pat

@Norton posted:

No one has said the current situation is better than having original company intact, its only better than having zero support or product. Continuing availability of parts is a significant plus. Owners of MTH product have an advantage in that most all items the parts used in recent production can be used to keep older product running. Lionel owners will have harder time doing that as changes to the same prototype over the years in many cases have different mechanics and definitely different electronics.
When a part finally does fail on your 2006-2013 items see check what your options are to keep it running. Hundreds of the parts are now listed as NLA.

Pete

Geez Pete. I'd never stated that they did. I'm only glad that I have the modern Lionel and not MTH. I really hope the "demise" of MTH works out. By the time any parts on my modern Lionel do fail, I'll be dead and gone anyway.

@Yellowstone Special posted:

Geez Pete. I'd never stated that they did. I'm only glad that I have the modern Lionel and not MTH. I really hope the "demise" of MTH works out. By the time any parts on my modern Lionel do fail, I'll be dead and gone anyway.

That’s right, Lionels never fail,…🙄

Pat

Well, I have only 5 engines. Minor problems in the past have been remedied by the nearest Authorized Lionel Service Station which is 35 miles from me. So I’m good, thanks.

Play nice guys.

I have no real worries about the future of MTH. I have two more locomotives on order now, and will patiently wait until they come in (patience is always a virtue, as I am finding out in training my new pup). With the MTH parts situation appearing to be in capable hands under the direction of Mike Reagan; a good number of dealers offering special runs; and some reputable service people to turn to, I have every reason to believe that this new approach should work pretty well.

The majority of my trains are MTH and Lionel . . . all of recent vintage (mostly current century). I have had a high level of satisfaction and success with both product lines.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

My advice is to take a deep breath and give it a little time, I think you'll find that prices won't stay at those levels.  Run what you have, after all, that's why you bought it!  Quite frankly, I'm doing minimal buying right now and waiting to see when sanity returns.

I'm taking quit the opposite approach this Holiday Season.  I'm making as many purchases as possible at this time in fear that 1) prices will sky rocket even more, and 2) there will be no more of the items I want available once hoarders like myself scarf them up.  And, at the very least, I'd like to completely complete one area of my layout...just one area!

Anthony

@Mallard4468 - I take it you are calling me a sucker! Yes, I am feeding the monster and another with the Z on the end.  However, I have been trying to throw more of my business toward Ma & Pa stores.  There are two in particular who I'll definitely give a shout out to once I've exhausted them of my wish list.

Along these same lines and my real reason for responding to your comment, is that I have been taken aback by some of these Ma & Pa stores who "maintain" shopping websites.  In some cases, I've attempted to contact the owners in regards to stock, actual costs, etc...  I have been meant with either crickets or I have been given the "I'll check on that tomorrow" line over and over again.  In some cases I have placed orders only to be meant with, (no kidding) we have none of these items in stock.

What I'm essentially saying is that I feel if Ma and Pa stores want to compete SUCCESSFULLY in the vast arena of the Model Train web Market, then they need to make more of a concerted effort with maintaining actual stock counts and provide a much higher level of customer service than they are now.  I don't feel that's asking to much of them.

Anthony

I haven't heard what's happening with the MTH DCS spin off.  There is lots of DCS opportunity but IMO DCS needs to move forward in order for other MTH spinoffs to prosper.  I'm hoping some of DCS's future innovation was shared at the York DCS Users Group meeting. 

@Mallard4468 posted:

As @Mellow Hudson Mike mentioned above, the best outcome would be for a passionate young (or at least younger) entrepreneur to step up as Richard Kughn and Mike Wolf did a generation ago.  Unfortunately, we're still waiting for that person.

I'm 32 (I hope this falls under younger) and likely have some of the resources to do this, but I really wouldn't know where to start.

@A. Wells posted:

@Mallard4468 - I take it you are calling me a sucker! Yes, I am feeding the monster and another with the Z on the end.  However, I have been trying to throw more of my business toward Ma & Pa stores.  There are two in particular who I'll definitely give a shout out to once I've exhausted them of my wish list.

Along these same lines and my real reason for responding to your comment, is that I have been taken aback by some of these Ma & Pa stores who "maintain" shopping websites.  In some cases, I've attempted to contact the owners in regards to stock, actual costs, etc...  I have been meant with either crickets or I have been given the "I'll check on that tomorrow" line over and over again.  In some cases I have placed orders only to be meant with, (no kidding) we have none of these items in stock.

What I'm essentially saying is that I feel if Ma and Pa stores want to compete SUCCESSFULLY in the vast arena of the Model Train web Market, then they need to make more of a concerted effort with maintaining actual stock counts and provide a much higher level of customer service than they are now.  I don't feel that's asking to much of them.

Anthony

The website that ends with Z has prices all over the place - some really good, some not so much.  IMO, "that other site" has a lot of sellers who put ridiculous prices on stuff to see who will bite.  What I'm saying is to shop carefully.

Definitely agree regarding keeping current inventory on websites - it's incredibly frustrating.  In general, I've found that Patrick's, Ro, Muffin's, and Trainworld keep their online inventory very accurate.  I've encountered a few  shops that don't keep their site current - one of them really likes to talk to customers, and he does a great job.  One other will take an order but not communicate when it's not in stock - "oh, I sold that a long time ago"; after that happened to me twice, I stopped trying to buy from him.  I won't name them on the forum, but will tell you if you email me. 

Another annoyance was MTH's "find it locally" option - too many dealers didn't keep it updated, so it was largely useless.  Not sure what will happen to that feature as a result of the changes to the company.

@Mallard4468 posted:

Another annoyance was MTH's "find it locally" option - too many dealers didn't keep it updated, so it was largely useless.  Not sure what will happen to that feature as a result of the changes to the company.

Just a quick note, I've not been able to get the "find it locally" functionality to work in several weeks on the MTH site. We'll talk for sure. A

@A. Wells posted:

Just a quick note, I've not been able to get the "find it locally" functionality to work in several weeks on the MTH site. We'll talk for sure. A

It hasn't worked since they moved several months ago.  I can only guess, but I believe they moved their server/web provider, and the "find it locally" database did not make the cut.

I'd like to easily find out the shipping schedule for some of the "special run" items that I ordered.  I know Mr Muffin showed us how, but his solution was not all-inclusive as some of the items did NOT show up in the query. - I might just add shortcuts to my web browser for these.

@Frank Mulligan posted:

It hasn't worked since they moved several months ago.  I can only guess, but I believe they moved their server/web provider, and the "find it locally" database did not make the cut.

I'd like to easily find out the shipping schedule for some of the "special run" items that I ordered.  I know Mr Muffin showed us how, but his solution was not all-inclusive as some of the items did NOT show up in the query. - I might just add shortcuts to my web browser for these.

The Find it locally feature redirected the website visitor from the hosted mthtrains.com website to an internally hosted server (without DNS) located at http://216.214.83.119 which I suspect was at the MTH Columbia office. I noticed this server went offline during the move from the old MTH office to the new Parts & Sales office.

Anything printed or said to you by a "trusted source" about a shipping schedule is a wishful & diluted guess at this point.

I ordered "In-Stock" IT hardware back in May with an estimated arrival date of July 1.
Received notification on August 1, that my order would arrive before August 31.
Received notification on Sept. 3 that they will now provide an estimate by September 15 as to when this equipment will ship.
On October 1 I was notified that my equipment is located in a shipping container off the coast of California and no further shipping estimates will be provided until the container is actually offloaded from the ship.
I called my sales rep and his best "guess" as to when this stuff arrives is first quarter 2022 but don't be surprised if I have to wait until June 2022.

Patience is a virtue.

"Patience is a virtue."

In all phases of life. There's lots of uncertainty in the world at large, and toy trains are no different .