Disappointed after Fall York Videos

Maybe they don't expect the tinplate will sell without the Lionel name?  I know that I stopped buying when the traditional engines were no longer being made.  I tried to buy some items during a recent Stout Auction and there seemed to be very strong demand, at least for the sets and engines on which I was bidding.

PittsburghTim posted:

Maybe they don't expect the tinplate will sell without the Lionel name?  I know that I stopped buying when the traditional engines were no longer being made.  I tried to buy some items during a recent Stout Auction and there seemed to be very strong demand, at least for the sets and engines on which I was bidding.

I believe it all sold well prior to the Lionel agreement. Tinplate Traditions was awesome. I am not one that has to have the Lionel badge. Heck, they are not making it anyway, even going back to the Classics. It was all MTH, and they have made some beautiful stuff. I have Lionel originals and MTH new productions. I like and run them all. I hope MTH makes the PRR add on passenger car that I have waited several years for.

I am presently, and have been for two decades, a huge fan of MTH Tinplate Traditions. One special item was the motorized 219P crane. The Maryland solarium state car was another brilliant creation with a highly detailed interior. I respect Mike Wolf for supporting well crafted tinplate reproductions in the years after the Lionel Classics and before LCT template.

Should they produce a Tinplate GM-EMD GP30 diesel engine locomotive?

I stopped worrying about O Gauge model train "brand names"  long ago. If the product is quality made and runs well;  the label makes no difference to me . Running around the track who can really tell the difference anyway? 

Trainlover160 posted:

However, to my surprise he went on to say that he did not see MTH issuing catalogs with engines, sets, etc. any longer, as the demographics has changed, with fewer buying STD and O scale tinplate.

MTH will probably just release a catalog online for tinplate.  That's the rumor going around for the S Scale line.

Rusty

I'm a big fan of contemporary O gauge tinplate, and fortunately was able to acquire a good many of the items I really liked and wanted over the years when MTH was offering the Tinplate Traditions and LCT lines. I'm currently putting a small all-tinplate layout in one corner of my train room lounge so I can enjoy running and seeing the trains and accessories on a regular basis. There are still more items I would like to have, but I'll just look for those on the secondary market from time to time, and possibly run across some of them at York or some other meet. There are no real "must haves" on my list, so I'm grateful for what I already bought, and especially for the few items I grabbed-up when I learned that MTH would no longer be producing the tinplate lines in any significant quantity.

Tinplate Art posted:

I am presently, and have been for two decades, a huge fan of MTH Tinplate Traditions. One special item was the motorized 219P crane. The Maryland solarium state car was another brilliant creation with a highly detailed interior. I respect Mike Wolf for supporting well crafted tinplate reproductions in the years after the Lionel Classics and before LCT tinplate.

 

 

 

 

I respect him and his insight. 😁

Dennis LaGrua posted:

I stopped worrying about O Gauge model train "brand names"  long ago. If the product is quality made and runs well;  the label makes no difference to me . Running around the track who can really tell the difference anyway? 

Right Dennis! I buy and run what I like.

Joe Gozzo

Allan Miller posted:

I'm a big fan of contemporary O gauge tinplate, and fortunately was able to acquire a good many of the items I really liked and wanted over the years when MTH was offering the Tinplate Traditions and LCT lines. I'm currently putting a small all-tinplate layout in one corner of my train room lounge so I can enjoy running and seeing the trains and accessories on a regular basis. There are still more items I would like to have, but I'll just look for those on the secondary market from time to time, and possibly run across some of them at York or some other meet. There are no real "must haves" on my list, so I'm grateful for what I already bought, and especially for the few items I grabbed-up when I learned that MTH would no longer be producing the tinplate lines in any significant quantity.

Well said Allan, I too have l plenty of tinplate to admire and run. However, waiting for the catalog to come out or unwrapping that new item still makes me feel like a big kid again. No real must have here except for a few signals I was hoping would be remade like the the flashing diver helmet signal or the early one that had the lantern looking lighting. The numbers escape me right now. Always looking for that new freight car with advertising. I guess I will just have to be patient like everyone else and hope for any new items.

Joe Gozzo

THe word from MTH at York was no new tinplate production for at least 5 years. Parts supply is being run out, but I heard that MTH may be able to get runs of parts made in quantity if requested (I need lots of Lionel latch couplers for what I build for example - MTH is now out of stock). 

My hat's off to Mike for making almost everything in the Lionel, Ives and American Flyer wide gauge catalog over the past almost 40 years. So many thing that no one would have ever predicted to be reproduced (Brute? Super 381? All the Ives/AF steam loco variations? Showroom cars? All the 200 series cars and about 8 new varieties (Thanks Jim Burke for provided the impetus for the later variations, including the bay window caboose, covered gon, 2 and 3 dome tanks, etc). Repros of the white Ives sets, Prosperity Special, the big AF Mayflower and Presidentials, and even the Lionel #6 in many colors. 

I strongly suspect that there will be a second chance to purchase any of these sets, locos and cars in coming years as they turn over. Most will have been run briefly or never left the boxes. So Mike is really competing with his own production of the last 40 years. How many 400's do you think are out there? Maybe 5000?

Jim

Unless Mike finds an enthusiastic buyer for MTH, I think it is likely we will see no more tinplate trains.  Mike seems to have "moved on" in his interests, and the market seems to be saturated with the trains he has already sold.  Bringing the tooling back from China may be difficult, and parts are in increasingly short supply.  Fortunately, lots of trains are available on the secondary market, although I the lack of new trains at dealers will reduce the number of new participants joining the hobby.

Kirk Lindvig

www.sgma.us

Jim Waterman posted:

 

THe word from MTH at York was no new tinplate production for at least 5 years. Parts supply is being run out, but I heard that MTH may be able to get runs of parts made in quantity if requested (I need lots of Lionel latch couplers for what I build for example - MTH is now out of stock). 

My hat's off to Mike for making almost everything in the Lionel, Ives and American Flyer wide gauge catalog over the past almost 40 years. So many thing that no one would have ever predicted to be reproduced (Brute? Super 381? All the Ives/AF steam loco variations? Showroom cars? All the 200 series cars and about 8 new varieties (Thanks Jim Burke for provided the impetus for the later variations, including the bay window caboose, covered gon, 2 and 3 dome tanks, etc). Repros of the white Ives sets, Prosperity Special, the big AF Mayflower and Presidentials, and even the Lionel #6 in many colors. 

I strongly suspect that there will be a second chance to purchase any of these sets, locos and cars in coming years as they turn over. Most will have been run briefly or never left the boxes. So Mike is really competing with his own production of the last 40 years. How many 400's do you think are out there? Maybe 5000?

Jim

Jim,

Were you able to order in bulk from Mike all the parts you need to build your cars?   If not, have you identified another source who can provide them?

Bob Nelson

falconservice posted:

Should they produce a Tinplate GM-EMD GP30 diesel engine locomotive?

YES, ABSOLUTELY!

And I would love to see Mike produce an Erie-Built diesel to haul my Olympian Hiawatha consist,

or a DL-109/DL-110 set,

or even a Milwaukee Road 261.

Any one of them would make a wonderful final addition to Mike's "Tinplate Traditions" line of Standard Gauge trains!

Bob Nelson

MTH tinplate ????  there display layout on the outer loop was once standard gauge .....now 1 gauge...get the drift .....there is just too much  used & old stock  tinplate in the market place compared to the active buyers ..    here is a video recently shot at Trainfest covering the dealers displays ....  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nJ5R1rUcRo

SGMA1 posted:

Unless Mike finds an enthusiastic buyer for MTH, I think it is likely we will see no more tinplate trains.  Mike seems to have "moved on" in his interests, and the market seems to be saturated with the trains he has already sold.  Bringing the tooling back from China may be difficult, and parts are in increasingly short supply.  Fortunately, lots of trains are available on the secondary market, although I the lack of new trains at dealers will reduce the number of new participants joining the hobby.

Kirk Lindvig

www.sgma.us

Kirk, even with the market being saturated, parts are still needed. Not sure why this would be difficult to continue? What would happen with Mth warranty repairs?

Joe Gozzo

The drum brush plates are not on the market. Mike needs to do a run of these.  Or make the parts and let us assemble them as needed.

Then again. The can motor drives don't use them. I have a MTH 400e. With the can motor but have never run it. So don't know how it compares.

Took apart the 400e for a Hudson conversion.  But I'm thinking now. A big boy.

Joe,

My understanding is that MTH needs to make 10,000 pieces of any given part to make it financially reasonable.  What we need, and what he can produce at a profit are not the same thing!  The warranty is only 1 year, and if the parts aren't there, they aren't there.

Kirk Lindvig

www.sgma.us

SGMA1 posted:

Joe,

My understanding is that MTH needs to make 10,000 pieces of any given part to make it financially reasonable.  What we need, and what he can produce at a profit are not the same thing!  The warranty is only 1 year, and if the parts aren't there, they aren't there.

Kirk Lindvig

www.sgma.us

Wow!! Makes me want to order more track Kirk!