With the likelihood of MTH, which I've never before admired more than now (fear of loss?), soon going out of business, is now the time to get as much MTH as one can?
I confess that this is the way I feel, and I have recently acted on those feelings big time (at least for me).
How about you?
Arnold
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@Arnold D. Cribari posted:With the likelihood of MTH, which I've never before admired more than now (fear of loss?), soon going out of business, is now the time to get as much MTH as one can?
I confess that this is the way I feel, and I have recently acted on those feelings big time (at least for me).
How about you?
Arnold
Interesting you say get as much. I will cull my MTH locomotives and increase my Lionel steam. I am keeping my 18” passenger cars. They should endure electronics and parts wise. Just my thoughts. I also dislike the drawbar arrangement on MTH steam.
I plan to buy one or two more MTH engines (my preferred brand) that I might not have bought right now if they were remaining in business. But I did buy a new Z-4000 for my secondary layout that I would have postponed if not for the closure. What I have done is to stock up on spare parts,
MELGAR
@Bryant Dunivan 111417 posted:Interesting you say get as much. I will cull my MTH locomotives and increase my Lionel steam. I am keeping my 18” passenger cars. They should endure electronics and parts wise. Just my thoughts. I also dislike the drawbar arrangement on MTH steam.
Bryant, I just got my 1st Proto 3 Steamer with that new drawbar arrangement. No problem so far, but it does seem fragile and somewhat flimsy. However, I'm impressed by the detail. sounds, smoke and relative affordability of the Railking Imperial steamers.
Arnold, I think there will always be a large secondary market for MTH. Most of my steam was new/old scale K-line. Most of my MTH I bought new. There is a ton of it out there for sale. There will most likely be a jump in prices when they finally close their doors but it will settle down after awhile. Don
I was sold on MTH from the very beginning.
One of my favorite MTH Locomotives pre-dates Protosonds; it's a NY Central Mohawk L-3, one very smooth running steamer. The smoke is just OK (it pre-dates fan driven smoke), but it's big, looks great, runs well on 031 curves, and is durable, reliable, affordable and has stood the test of time. It was, and is, my poor man's 773:
I was a longstanding and regular purchaser of Proto 1 for two decades, so most of my MTH is Proto 1. IMO, all are high quality and were a good deal compared to the competition.
I have a couple of Proto 2, which are very nice, and a few Proto 3 that are wonderful IMO.
Usually less is more when it comes to the size of locomotives because of the 031 curves on my long and narrow layout with reverse loops.
Most of my MTH is Railking, a few are Premier, and I have 1 Railking Imperial that is fabulous for my layout.
And, I've just discovered, and am now learning, DCS.
I sure hope MTH stays in business in some way, shape and form. Arnold
Who knows? Meanwhile, whatever floats your boat 
. Worrying about the future means that if things turn out badly, you've suffered twice. If things turn out well, you've made yourself miserable for nothing. It's a no win. If you are heavily involved in MTH, whether conventional or command, there's no problem with buying more stuff if you are not worried about parts or service, which are a question mark. If you are worried about parts and service availability, buy stuff that's a bargain or made by some other company, or both.
Luckily enough for me (in MY view based on MY opinion), I divested myself of all my 15 or so MTH locs 5-6 years ago. I kept one only - but sold it 6 months ago.
I also had two Z-4000s for 12 years which I sold five years ago. Have to be honest: I greatly prefer the ZW-L now commanding the layout.
So, my "last MTH hurrah" has come and gone. And, I'm very happy with my present situation with A LOT of Lionel and Atlas.
For the past ten years, I’ve been getting MTH locos almost exclusively. Last year after hearing about Mike’s retirement, I got more MTH locos than any previous year. I currently have 2 on preorder.
What steamer did you get Arnold? If it has a trailing truck and it’s possible for the drawbar to touch it, you should insulate the exposed contacts on the drawbar. There is a plastic insulator there, but it can rotate out of position.
All comments very interesting. Now I see there are 2 schools of thought:
One is to load up on MTH now, for those very happy with their products because tomorrow there may be a lot less;
The other is to unload MTH because tomorrow there may be much fewer MTH parts.
Bob, as I mentioned recently on another thread, I recently bought the Proto 3 Imperial B&O (President Washington) 4-6-2 Pacific Steamer:
And, I recently purchased a Proto 3 Imperial Long Island B-6 Steam Switcher, which should be on its way.
The Railking Imperial line of Proto 3 steamers is ideal for me and my layout because of the fine detail, excellent sounds and smoke, DCS features, and ability to negotiate 031 curves.
For those who are interested in getting more brand new MTH, some of our Forum Sponsors have some MTH product for sale, but my impression is that it's going fast. Our wonderful sponsors (all have been great for me to do business with) will appreciate your business and you are very likely to be a very satisfied customer purchasing from them. (If you buy from them, you are helping to stimulate our economy a little, LOL).
I love Landsteiners's attitude, which is not to worry about things like MTH's future.
To put a positive spin on this thread, which always pleases our fine moderators, I would love this thread to go in the direction of celebrating the MTH we already have, and are in the process of getting. That's what I shall focus on.
As I've said before, I love it all, particularly Postwar Lionel and modern MTH and Lionel, but at the moment, I feel great gratitude for MTH that I have and will soon get.
No question in my mind, that having a strong MTH for all these years made Lionel and the others better, and made many of us experience much joy and happiness. Arnold
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:No question in my mind, that having a strong MTH for all these years made Lionel and the others better, and made many of us experience much joy and happiness. Arnold
@Arnold D. Cribari I completely agree with this sentiment! It's the thing that makes me MOST sad about MTH closing! (BTW... until 2020 I was exclusively MTH PS2).
What Landsteiner said about worrying +1!
I just received an MTH Railking PRR GP9, a model that was on my bucket list for a long time. This engine joined a fair number of other MTH engines as, like Bob, I’ve purchased MTH engines exclusively for about the past decade. I had no qualms buying the PRR GP despite knowing it was in MTH’s last catalog nor would I have any worries about purchasing additional MTH engines, either used or - NOS.
Curt
“And, I recently purchased a Proto 3 Imperial Long Island B-6 Steam Switcher, which should be on its way.”
Arnold, you’re going to love that little switcher. I purchased the same PS3 Long Island in 2019 (NOS) from my local dealer and I find myself compelled to run it almost every session. It’s a real hoot. The mth imperial railking scale line was the best value for the money in ogauge, in my opinion. So sad to see it go.
@Bryant Dunivan 111417 posted:Interesting you say get as much. I will cull my MTH locomotives and increase my Lionel steam. I am keeping my 18” passenger cars. They should endure electronics and parts wise. Just my thoughts. I also dislike the drawbar arrangement on MTH steam.
Totally agree re your drawbar comment.
Pat
I have a large collection of both Lionel and MTH engines. In recent years, I had cut back on my purchases of MTH engines, as I found that they had a significantly higher percentage of problems than my Lionel engines. For example, the drawbar/disconnecting tether issue on their steam engines was a significant problem for me that was never resolved by MTH. I also have a number of MTH first generation diesel sets and never liked the cumbersome and ugly connectors that were used by MTH on their F3s and F7s. That said, after MTH announced they were closing, I purchased two MTH Maine Central Powered F3s and an MTH GG-1 from their recent catalogs. I also have several sets of MTH Premier passenger cars, which are terrific, and I may purchase a couple of more sets. Almost all of my freight cars are Lionel, Atlas, Weaver and K-Line. I purchased very few MTH freight cars over the years, other than several cabooses.
Pat
This brand new MTH RailKing Scale Washington Terminal RS1 ( just received late last week ) is probably my last new, from the factory, MTH hurrah! IF money were not an object, there would be numerous brand new MTH hurrahs!! LOL!
Over the years I've purchased many MTH locomotives ( some Premier and many RailKing) brand new from the factory and some pre-owned MTH locos as well. I've also purchased a fair amount of MTH Premier rolling stock over the years. Although I own locos and rolling stock from Lionel, K-line, Weaver, and Williams, MTH seems to dominate my roster. I'll continue to purchase MTH products on the "pre-owned market" after MTH is no more. IMHO MTH is/was the "best bang for the buck"! I along with thousands of others am HUGLEY grateful for their overall contribution to our hobby and will greatly miss the MTH presence once the company is no more. After May 31, 2021 the MTH silence will be deafening. 
As a two rail guy, I will miss the 2 rail offerings from MTH.
FYI, MTH announced a final run of RailKing RS-3 diesels to be released this summer. Check the MTH website for the roster. I have ordered the Northern Pacific version.
I must agree Pat', MTH is the best for the buck. I'm very happy with ny MTH Roster overall. I only have one PS-1 engine that locks up in neutral. The rest are fine, no problems at all.
I think the best comment for the good of the hobby, was with MTH in business, it improved the product from everyone else. It there is only one big manufacturer, they may not feel as obligated to improve quality, design and product offerings
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:With the likelihood of MTH, which I've never before admired more than now (fear of loss?), soon going out of business, is now the time to get as much MTH as one can?
I confess that this is the way I feel, and I have recently acted on those feelings big time (at least for me).
How about you?
Arnold
Sort of the opposite. First of all, there's so much Lionel stuff of great variety from the past number of years sitting on the "want list," all reasonable funds are already spoken for. More than that, with parts availability and support disappearing along with MTH, heavy investment in MTH engines seems risky. Noone wants a $500 - $1000 engine, or whatever, permanently sidelined because some part is unobtainable. Could be a lot of MTH shelf queens sitting around in the coming years.
On the other hand, as with many things, it's a risk-reward thing. If a person really likes a certain MTH engine, and will enjoy it for a period of years (hopefully), then the purchase is certainly worthwhile for them. I just took delivery of an MTH engine that's in that category, but there won't be many more, if any.
I will miss MTH because my experience with the Proto 2 and 3 Locos has been very good.I have had no problems with the new style drawbars,never cared for the diesel teather connectors.
Last Hurrah for MTH?
No, maybe in name only. Already have a new list.
"All comments very interesting. Now I see there are 2 schools of thought:
One is to load up on MTH now, for those very happy with their products because tomorrow there may be a lot less;
The other is to unload MTH because tomorrow there may be much fewer MTH parts."
Arnold, I'm doing neither of these. I'm going to keep what MTH equipment I have--which isn't much compared to most of you here--because I love it, but I'm going to wait and see what the future of MTH is, if there is an MTH, before I buy anything new. As for used MTH items, I'd love to find a set of the Boston & Maine wood-sided passenger cars. Mike Wolf has done a fantastic job with his company, and has kept the competition on its toes, and I wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.
John
I'm not worried either way in the least. I have more then enough trains than one could ever hope for. I've purchased trains based on the models I enjoy without regard for the manufacturer. I have plenty of MTH and have plans to upgrade some of it, sell some of it, and keep some it just the way it is.
It is hard not to worry about the future in uncertain times, but with trains I do not worry at all. Some of my favorite pieces are 2 rail kits and models from the 1950's, some are modern, some are in-between. That's how I keep it a hobby. My IMP / All Nation Camelback with fairly accurate passenger car kits finally, and a correct NE style CNJ brass caboose from IMP all from the 1950's will give me years of enjoyment. Straight DC, easy to work on and operate, and good scale fidelity. That is train heaven for me personally.
This is my HO childhood coming back. An MRC handheld brass top throttle pack in my hand just running trains. How I miss the simplicity of those days.
@GG1 4877 posted:.... I have more then enough trains than one could ever hope for. I've purchased trains based on the models I enjoy without regard for the manufacturer. I have plenty of MTH ...
Jonathan,
That comment also applies to me, although I continue to buy some new models that represent my railroads of interest. But I have had a better experience and bought more from MTH than any other brand. The upside if MTH ceases production is that I shall spend less on trains. The downside is that I like to get a new engine or car every so often.
MELGAR
My preference is GGD / Sunset / 3rd Rail and Scott isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Most accurate models in the mass production realm and we sweat the details. The process of doing a 3rd Rail project stresses me out, but the end product is so relieving at that end. I have more of that than anything else. However, even a surprise second hand piece is new to me. 
@Strap Hanger posted:“And, I recently purchased a Proto 3 Imperial Long Island B-6 Steam Switcher, which should be on its way.”
Arnold, you’re going to love that little switcher. I purchased the same PS3 Long Island in 2019 (NOS) from my local dealer and I find myself compelled to run it almost every session. It’s a real hoot. The mth imperial railking scale line was the best value for the money in ogauge, in my opinion. So sad to see it go.
Thanks Straphanger. By the way, I love your layout with the subway running "underground." If I ever started over from scratch, I would try to build a layout with a subway on the lower level. Very cool. Arnold
@GG1 4877 posted:My preference is GGD / Sunset / 3rd Rail and Scott isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
I will be looking to Sunset/3rd Rail for new offerings that I like and are affordable. Waiting for a GP-7 and an F-3.
MELGAR
I have some MTH Subway sets that I had wanted for years. They run great and are a lot of fun, especially my R-17 Redbirds.
It took Lionel too many years to come out with a subway set, and at twice the cost of MTH.
I'm keeping 'em!
I keep hearing how MTH locomotives will be shelf queens if the PS2/PS3 board dies. If that happens, and replacement boards are no longer available, you can install a bridge rectifier, a conventional reverse unit, or TMCC. No reason for a shelf queen because of something easily repaired like a board issue.
IMO, there is a reasonable good chance that our MTH will go up in value over the years.
Won't matter to me because I ain't selling any of mine. LOL.
No one know about MTH except Mike Wolf so why worry about it. It will give you ulcers and gray hair. As for me I am big into MTH and will continue to be with future purchases.
Arnold,
MTH brought me into 3 rail O gauge.
As a NEW HAVEN collector where would I be without MTH?
Four DL 109s; 3 EP-3s; 1 Ef3b; 3 44 toners; 3 Alco S-2s; F3 A-B-B-A; Alco FA A-B-A; Alco PA A-B-A.
I won’t be selling mine either!
The draw bar on the mth proto 3 is terrible. Out of 4 engines .I had problems with 3. I have one left . A 4-4-0 railking that I ran twice and it will not move ,make a sound or anything. I took the whole thing apart and can't see anything that is wrong. I would never buy any proto 3's again. I have alot of proto 1's and a few proto 2 and I have no problems with any of them. Only lionel , third rail, or williams brass for me in the future. John
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:Thanks Straphanger. By the way, I love your layout with the subway running "underground." If I ever started over from scratch, I would try to build a layout with a subway on the lower level. Very cool. Arnold
Love your layout as well, particularly the baseball stadiums. When I started my layout, my mainline was all o-31 curves like yours. I built the under layout subway afterwards when I bought my first subway. Don’t hold yourself back from doing the same. Also, now that you have the imperial b-6 switcher, you need to get the premier Long Island 44 tonner to go with it. It has the best sound of all the mth small switchers and is just as fun to run on o-31 curve layouts like ours. You can find it at blow out prices from many of the large retailers. Don’t hesitate to pull the trigger before they’re all gone. Trust me. You won’t regret it, particularly when you hear how good it sounds,
@Strap Hanger posted:Love your layout as well, particularly the baseball stadiums. When I started my layout, my mainline was all o-31 curves like yours. I built the under layout subway afterwards when I bought my first subway. Don’t hold yourself back from doing the same. Also, now that you have the imperial b-6 switcher, you need to get the premier Long Island 44 tonner to go with it. It has the best sound of all the mth small switchers and is just as fun to run on o-31 curve layouts like ours. You can find it at blow out prices from many of the large retailers. Don’t hesitate to pull the trigger before they’re all gone. Trust me. You won’t regret it, particularly when you hear how good it sounds,
Thanks, Straphanger. I recently purchased the MTH Proto 3 NY Ontario and Western 44 Ton Center Cab Diesel and have just started running it on DCS:
The over-arching theme of my layout is to make it reminiscent of The Put, which had a 44 tonner with a yellow and white livery that looked a little like my Proto 3 model. Arnold
I think (sometimes I do) that Mr. Mike Wolf is not going anywhere soon, so no playing of taps yet. I think someone will make him an offer he can't refuse for the balance of his holdings in MTH.
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:IMO, there is a reasonable good chance that our MTH will go up in value over the years.
Yeah, right, probably just like K-Line stuff. 
The advantage with K-Line is that it's compatable with an existing and supported operating system (TMCC/Legacy). MTH, of course, isn't with its DCS, and if there are problems with or unavailability of DCS equipment in the future, the engines won't have much value. Hopefully whatever survives of MTH will include (as has been reported somewhere) parts and support for the DCS system, at least, assuming a company can survive on only that. It'll be interesting to see what happens.
I predict there will be products that go up in value, but also that there will be many products that will go down in value .
I try to pace myself with purchases but now I can't get the B&O powered E8 #92 locomotive 
. I was lucky to get all the B&O smooth sided passenger cars I wanted but I had to make a lot of phone calls and pay a premium for some of them. I've tried calling places like Stockyard Express, who supposedly have the unit, but they never call me back. Maybe they are overwhelmed with people looking for the last hurrah MTH stock?
Anthony
@A. Wells posted:I try to pace myself with purchases but now I can't get the B&O powered E8 #92 locomotive
Anthony
Be persistent with Stockyard Express. Clyde and Diane are great people. I have had no trouble reaching them. They open at 11 a.m. and are closed Sunday-Monday. I have found that the best time to reach them is mid-afternoon.
Pat
@irish rifle (Pat) - Be aware, I've bought from them in the past with no issues. I'll try again today. A
I've not had a problem reaching Clyde at Stockyard Express either.
Not that it much matters anymore I suppose, but it seems to me more often than not that the dealers do not keep their inventory up to date on MTH's product locater. They are updating as the dates are changing, but lately it seems the dealer no longer has an item that I found on the product locater. I recently contacted a dealer looking for 9 pieces of rolling stock that they had listed, and they replied that they only had one of the items.
I had a successful purchase SE last month. Found a premier D&RGW SD45 I was looking for. He had it listed online.
Got a hold of Cylde at SYE. No go on the B&O. Might have to break down and buy the non-powered . A
Well, I just purchased 4 different MTH E8-As, E8-Bs. I dread inter changing the shells and audio on those units. I might break down and buy one more powered E8-A for the guts.
I slightly bumped my locomotive purchases in 2020 with a pair of UP diesels. Thinking about adding a BNSF unit as "run-through' power. But my biggie is pulling the trigger on the restoration Big Boy (I didn't say anything in the announcement thread since I pre-ordered elsewhere than Trainworld). That plus MTH freight rolling stock and full Santa Fe passenger set (for my 2903), GGD Viewliners (and an E60MA) have made for my largest single-year outlay ever. But for once I have the slush funds to accommodate that without affecting regular fiscal commitments. As to where to put it, I have till that stuff is shipped (much of it is behind schedule) to figure that out.
---PCJ
A. Wells - Don't know whether you've acquired everything you're hunting for but if you haven't and are still looking for MTH stuff - now or in the future - I'd suggest contacting Engine House Hobbies in Gaithersburg MD as it is an MTH Super Station and has a ton of stuff (more than is listed on their website).
Good Luck!
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:With the likelihood of MTH, which I've never before admired more than now (fear of loss?), soon going out of business, is now the time to get as much MTH as one can?
I confess that this is the way I feel, and I have recently acted on those feelings big time (at least for me).
How about you?
Arnold
A bit late eh? People have been hoarding MTH since the announcement last year!
All I know is I am glad I picked up most of my non powered units and demonstrators from MTH. I wish they did the demo schemes for the following diesel models:
FM C liner passenger units
S4 switcher
RSD4/5
SD80
"SD50" faux
@PH1975 posted:A. Wells - Don't know whether you've acquired everything you're hunting for but if you haven't and are still looking for MTH stuff - now or in the future - I'd suggest contacting Engine House Hobbies in Gaithersburg MD as it is an MTH Super Station and has a ton of stuff (more than is listed on their website).
Good Luck!
Thanks! I'll give them a call tomorrow. There is really only a couple of items at this point that I'd like to have and only one item in particular that I'd really, really like to have. A
FWIW, recently I tried 3 of our sponsors about various items via their website and attempted to purchase. All were out of stock even though their website says the item is in stock. Called one and they said an email was sent, but I checked and never received it. Another I just got an email. One called me, nice touch, and I thanked them. In all 3 cases the items were not recently released, so I figured they actually had the item.
I surmise, there's a disconnect between balance on hand and the site's inventory list. It would be interesting to see a solution developed where the BOH automatically updates the website at sale / scan time, or at least nightly. Seems like a lot of manual work otherwise.
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:Bryant, I just got my 1st Proto 3 Steamer with that new drawbar arrangement. No problem so far, but it does seem fragile and somewhat flimsy. However, I'm impressed by the detail. sounds, smoke and relative affordability of the Railking Imperial steamers.
Arnold,
Your having to return this engine is exactly what keeps me away from MTH S gauge engines.
Gunny
@gunny posted:Arnold,
Your having to return this engine is exactly what keeps me away from MTH S gauge engines.
Gunny
None of MTH's S gauge engines have a drawbar as they never made any steam locomotives. Plus, with the exception of the electronics, ALL of MTH's S gauge products were designed by S-Helper Service.
Rusty
People complain quite a bit about the MTH wireless drawbar but I've had no issues with the 3 locomotives I own that have it (Premier AC6 Cab Forward, Premier DMIR Yellowstone, and Premier ATSF 3460 class Hudson). I run on 072 curves and haven't had an issue with the drawbar coming out.
That being said it isn't the best design, and I say that because it's not idiot proof like the wire tether. The wireless drawbar leaves a lot of room for user error to cause issues.
Does anyone want to comment about the latest MTHRRC notice regarding Mike Wolf's Political Fantasy releases? I personally think it's very ill timed and I feel like it's a jab with a sharp pointed object. I would like to say more, but I'll maintain my decorum.
Anthony
@A. Wells posted:Does anyone want to comment about the latest MTHRRC notice regarding Mike Wolf's Political Fantasy releases? I personally think it's very ill timed and I feel like it's a jab with a sharp pointed object. I would like to say more, but I'll maintain my decorum.
Anthony
I’m betting that some folks will say he’s deplorable, but I say “His train house, his rules”.
A. Wells
I totally agree.
Joe
Hi Arnold, I’ve been in the MTH last hurrah bandwagon since the announcement. I’ve picked up 5 RK steamers, two from the MTH auction, to round out a collection I thought I’d have years to build. Gave 3 of the five to my wife for safe keeping for future Christmas presents. Also picked up some passenger cars (Pennsy pre-war Madison’s and a FoM streamlined coach) to round out my passenger train consists. Those are also safely in my wife’s hands. The MTH operating water tower is just too cool so I picked up one of those too.
Like many, I will miss the value and diversity of product from MTH. There is a huge void to fill for Lionel.
@Rusty Traque posted:None of MTH's S gauge engines have a drawbar as they never made any steam locomotives. Plus, with the exception of the electronics, ALL of MTH's S gauge products were designed by S-Helper Service.
Rusty
Rusty,
I know they made no steamers I am speaking to service availability. The only place I saw engines available was MTH on Ebay so who is gonna repair it? No dealers in Maine and the one We had did no repairs.
Gunny
I’m a little confused. Everyone has been saying MTH was not likely to be sold because all of their tooling is overseas and not really transferable for use by a new buyer. As such, the tooling is not really a useful asset to purchase, making any sale far less attractive. However, in the current OGR issue (another good one) there is a great article on the Lionel 2-6-0T US Army engine (a beautiful color scheme) and they note it was made with K-line tooling purchased and upgraded by Lionel when they bought K-line. So if Lionel can purchase, upgrade, and use the overseas k-line tooling, why wouldn’t there be any interest by some manufacturer in buying MTH to use all of that great MTH tooling? The rolling stock alone would generate sales for years to come.
I never met Mike Wolf, but admire his extraordinary entrepreneurial boldness, ability and success.
I would think that someone like him might get bored pretty quickly being completely retired. I hope he continues MTH in some way, shape and form, maybe smaller but meaner, so to speak, maybe make everything built to order, maybe like Sunset/Third Rail.
Maybe others who have met him, and gotten to know him, can chime in on this.
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:I never met Mike Wolf, but admire his extraordinary entrepreneurial boldness, ability and success.
I would think that someone like him might get bored pretty quickly being completely retired. I hope he continues MTH in some way, shape and form, maybe smaller but meaner, so to speak, maybe make everything built to order, maybe like Sunset/Third Rail.
Maybe others who have met him, and gotten to know him, can chime in on this.
I only met him once or twice at York. Certainly not long enough to know him, but long enough to see that he is a model train enthusiast.
One ray of hope (or wishful thinking). I noticed that there were a number of announcements that said things like “The last of (this or that model).” I have now been seeing a few MTH announcements that say things like “The last of (this or that model) for 2021.”
@Lehigh74 posted:I only met him once or twice at York. Certainly not long enough to know him, but long enough to see that he is a model train enthusiast.
One ray of hope (or wishful thinking). I noticed that there were a number of announcements that said things like “The last of (this or that model).” I have now been seeing a few MTH announcements that say things like “The last of (this or that model) for 2021.”
Reminds me of Dr. Nafario in the "Minions" movie. The rising chair took a very long time when he left and said goodbye. The painting or artwork on an existing model is not very costly compared to development and tooling. For the most part, the product is in the can. I think we will be seeing re-labeled merchandise for quite some time to come. At least until the shells run out.
Speaking to a couple LHS owners, there are a few develpments that are still fermenting. It sounds like this all mnight come together at the same time. I will stay tuned, as well as all of us. BTW, a SF Warbonnet in a SD70ACE premier would be kind of nice. I woon't get my hopes up.
I have several MTH products, including about 15 diesel and steam locomotives. I am extremely pleased with all of them. Other than the occasional glitch, which I have experienced with all remote systems, including Legacy, R/C aircraft, TV remotes, and more, as well as a 5 volt PS2 board failure that was my fault due to a short when an E8 ABA derailed, the locomotives have operated flawlessly (including the used ones purchased from eBay).
I ordered several more items from the last two catalogs without hesitation, including a big splurge on a 2 rail Big Boy. Interestingly, many of these items have not been delivered and some are not even scheduled to be delivered until later this year. Businesses have purchased the G and S scale product lines. Additionally, MTH is reported to have had about $30M in revenue several years ago. Even if it has diminished to half of that in recent years, that is a big number for a relatively obscure part of model railroading. I remain optimistic that the train producing part of MTH will continue in some form, along with the DCS business.
We lucked out. We run a lot of tinplate at the museum and it is almost exclusively what I run. The museum loco's have been running for years and I got approval to replace them. Along with one for a buddy and a couple for myself, I ordered 10 new P3 engines. The next month they announced the end of tinplate. Timing is everything.
Steve
Yeah, my heart sank the day I read Wolf was closing MTH. Been collecting Railking and Premier since 1998.
I was doing some eBay browsing of late and only own a couple of simple Lionel steam. I have noticed this LionChief brand that Lionel is pushing out. They have the dedicated controller but it appears to me the engine quality is not that good. Is the low end “Kmart” brand of Lionel? Anyone buy and run LionChief?
@A. Wells posted:Does anyone want to comment about the latest MTHRRC notice regarding Mike Wolf's Political Fantasy releases? I personally think it's very ill timed and I feel like it's a jab with a sharp pointed object. I would like to say more, but I'll maintain my decorum.
Anthony
Huh. Having seen this, I have finally decided I like Mike Wolf. Thanks for pointing it out!
" Anyone buy and run LionChief?"
LionChief comes in two flavors now. One is LionChief, mostly in sets and locos have no speed control, modest fidelity sounds, but very inexpensive compared with Legacy or RailKing/Premier locos. Will not operate in conventional mode. Much more reliable command control (LionChief, Bluetooth) than RailKing/Premier in my experience but without the features, higher quality motors, scale detail of those products from MTH or Legacy from Lionel. Typical set is $200-300 and typical separate sale loco is around $200. The second flavor now is LionChief + 2.0, which is the successor to LionChief +. These are the current separate sale higher quality locos that operate in LionChief, Bluetooth, conventional, TMCC/Legacy modes. They are more robust, have better scale detail, better sounds and are less costly than the higher end Legacy locos. Roughly equivalent in pricing and quality to the RailKing line but with some differences. Less scale detail on some models, some are not so inexpensive, but likely more solid command control. LionChief + 2.0 and LionChief + operation is very simple and reliable, but without some of the operating bells and whistles of PS3 or Legacy locos.
I will go out on a limb and suggest that MTH is not going away. They have disposed of/ sold off everything that is not "O" gauge. Now they are a leaner company and can focus on just the one thing. They are still churning out new items. I believe either they will continue in "O" only, with the current owners, or a new owner will emerge, again, producing "O" only. Time will tell.
Jeff
In reading this thread I have found it interesting that many people in this hobby only think of O gauge a Lionel or MTH. There is a huge world of O gauge and O scale that doesn't involved either company. While O gauge and O scale is a shrinking marketplace, there is room for some else to come into the market, or at the very least create more market space for existing manufacturers to offer more product, or a higher volume of product that can reduce per unit costs.
There has been talk about the MTH tooling, but there really hasn't been new tooling in sometime. It would be nice to see some new ideas other than just more paint schemes on existing tooling moving forward. Where some may see loss, I see opportunity.
@GG1 4877 posted:In reading this thread I have found it interesting that many people in this hobby only think of O gauge a Lionel or MTH. There is a huge world of O gauge and O scale that doesn't involved either company. While O gauge and O scale is a shrinking marketplace, there is room for some else to come into the market, or at the very least create more market space for existing manufacturers to offer more product, or a higher volume of product that can reduce per unit costs.
There has been talk about the MTH tooling, but there really hasn't been new tooling in sometime. It would be nice to see some new ideas other than just more paint schemes on existing tooling moving forward. Where some may see loss, I see opportunity.
Regarding new tooling, last night I was thinking it would be nice to see a run of the "Illinois Central Green Diamond". I even inquired on where one might find the blue prints for all the units. A
@Landsteiner posted:" Anyone buy and run LionChief?"
LionChief comes in two flavors now. One is LionChief, mostly in sets and locos have no speed control, modest fidelity sounds, but very inexpensive compared with Legacy or RailKing/Premier locos. Will not operate in conventional mode. Much more reliable command control (LionChief, Bluetooth) than RailKing/Premier in my experience but without the features, higher quality motors, scale detail of those products from MTH or Legacy from Lionel. Typical set is $200-300 and typical separate sale loco is around $200. The second flavor now is LionChief + 2.0, which is the successor to LionChief +. These are the current separate sale higher quality locos that operate in LionChief, Bluetooth, conventional, TMCC/Legacy modes. They are more robust, have better scale detail, better sounds and are less costly than the higher end Legacy locos. Roughly equivalent in pricing and quality to the RailKing line but with some differences. Less scale detail on some models, some are not so inexpensive, but likely more solid command control. LionChief + 2.0 and LionChief + operation is very simple and reliable, but without some of the operating bells and whistles of PS3 or Legacy locos.
I agree 100% with this response.
@A. Wells posted:Does anyone want to comment about the latest MTHRRC notice regarding Mike Wolf's Political Fantasy releases? I personally think it's very ill timed and I feel like it's a jab with a sharp pointed object. I would like to say more, but I'll maintain my decorum.
Anthony
Love MTH trains but totally agree, Anthony.
MTH and Mike Wolf got me in the hobby in the year 2000. For quite a while due to space and other reasons my trains were stored. My wife and I have been enjoying our new layout immensely in this last year now. I very much respect him as a businessman and for his passion for the hobby. As for his political fantasy set... I won’t be buying that. However, if he releases a Russian Steamer pulling box cars lettered with Rikers island plus the lettering in his fantasy series, put me down for two!
I was going to post this question in a new thread but thought maybe here...
Q. Has anyone in the know or heard if MTH will release a last load of RealTrax?
I won't have a bench top for a while and between last year before the announcement, or at least me hearing of it (shutting down) I bought over 80 linear feet of RealTrax for living room floor ovals. I'd like to buy some 072 and 054 LH and RH switches and probably a couple of 072 wyes.
@A. Wells posted:Does anyone want to comment about the latest MTHRRC notice regarding Mike Wolf's Political Fantasy releases? I personally think it's very ill timed and I feel like it's a jab with a sharp pointed object. I would like to say more, but I'll maintain my decorum.
Anthony
Totally agree, but my very general comment regarding it got deleted.
@Lou1985 posted:People complain quite a bit about the MTH wireless drawbar but I've had no issues with the 3 locomotives I own that have it (Premier AC6 Cab Forward, Premier DMIR Yellowstone, and Premier ATSF 3460 class Hudson). I run on 072 curves and haven't had an issue with the drawbar coming out.
That being said it isn't the best design, and I say that because it's not idiot proof like the wire tether. The wireless drawbar leaves a lot of room for user error to cause issues.
Consider yourself lucky.
Pat
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