Lionel and MTH Product Line Names With Timeframes and Features

That's obviously a very broad question, but I'll start with two of the easy ones:

Century Club (the original, often called Century Club I these days) : These 5 engines (and any support items, like extra tenders or b-units) were issued I believe all between 1997 and 2000.  They did these on a short cycle to get them all in by the 100th anniversary, I believe.  All of these were Post War engines in physical appearance(with minor embellishments like gold colored whistles/bells and a small "Century" marking), but had modern (at the time) TMCC electronics for control.  All came with a display case that was of a dark wood grain style with plexiglass cover.  A separate display case was offered for those who bought the B-unit for the NYC F3s so that the whole A-B-A would fit.  There were not specific rolling stock sets offered as part of the club offerings, but there were some rolling stock packs that were supposedly intended to be a good match for at least the earlier engines.

Century Club II (called that at it's inception) : these 5 engines and their associated add-on rolling stock (or additional tenders, / b-unit) were more in the Scale Model department than the Post war style offerings of CCI.  They were offered one engine per year from 2001 through 2005, I believe.  Each engine had associated rolling stock or add-ons offered as part of the club.  The cases were offered as separate sale, rather than included with the engine purchase, and were available in traditional wood grain (similar to Century Club I) or a more modern looking black base case that also had a design etched into the back of the plexiglass to serve as a background for the engine when displayed.

There has to be a good article out there somewhere writing all of that detail up better, but that's the nutshell version.

Also, one thing regarding MTH is the old DAP program.  (Dealer Appreciation Program)  (I know it's a double "program" when you call it "DAP Program", but such is life.... )  This ran for quite a number of years (though I do not have them listed off the top of my head).  It was occasionally a whole set, sometimes an engine, and sometimes a stand alone piece of rolling stock (Christmas cars that were offered each year being the example I'm familiar with).  Multiple items were offered each year, it wasn't just one engine or one car per year (the Christmas car I believe was made every year the program existed).  In theory this program was limited to only two of each piece to MTH dealers.  So in the early days, there were naturally more people wanting some of the items than a given dealer could supply.  This may have shifted (officially or not) in later years, or possibly people just got tired of it.  I paid a premium to get the first few cars second hand, but in later years, all I had to do was tell my dealer I was interested in the car and I got one.  No idea if he got more from MTH directly as the years went on or if maybe he traded with other dealers to acquire them for me and other customers.  These trains are easily identifiable if boxed, as all came in blue boxes rather than the yellow used for Railking or the purple for Premier.

-Dave

Years back, MTH also had a low-end line of rolling stock called Rugged Rails. At some point--don't recall how long ago--it disappeared.

Chris

@Chris R posted:

Years back, MTH also had a low-end line of rolling stock called Rugged Rails. At some point--don't recall how long ago--it disappeared.

Originally, they were die-cast metal. I have a great metal NYC Merchants Dispatch reefer car from MTH.

If I am not mistaken, they then re-used that name for some of their RTR passenger and freight cars that were made of the durable plastic (less detail and 0-27, designed for use by young kids).

Bryce

Don are you an operator, or purely a collector?  If you eventually intend to operate your trains, the key questions are: (1) How much space do you have; (2) What's your running style like?  I.e., would you be satisfied with a couple of broad ovals just to see things move?  A shelf-type switching railroad?  Or a wide platform with a complex track arrangement? (3) What are your budget expectations (both initially, and per locomotive)?  (4) How comfortable are you with technology, like command control, bluetooth, etc.?

There are no right or wrong answers.  What I'm trying to get to is this... both Lionel and MTH made detailed scale models, AND traditionally-sized trains (usually with less detail and fewer features, sold for a lower price.)  When you've answered the questions above, you can probably deduce whether you're a "scale"' guy, or a "traditional" O-gauger.  I'm sure there are some people who run both.  But you'll have fewer compromises and an easier time choosing; everything will be more cohesive if you put yourself squarely in one camp or another.

If you're a scale guy, you should generally look at MTH Premier, Lionel Vision (advanced features but pricey), JLC (more detail), and Legacy products.  In their advertising copy, Lionel refers to these items "scale" or "Standard O."

If you're a traditional guy, you would probably be looking at RailKing, LionMaster, or LionChief Plus.  Some of these items MIGHT happen to be scale-sized but the intent wasn't necessarily to create an accurate replica of a real train.  Rather, it was to integrate well with existing traditional trains and operate on fairly sharp toy train curves as found on small-to-medium sized home layouts.  RailKing "Imperial" trains are traditionally-sized but have a few extra add-on details.

The MTH DAP or Dealer Appreciation Program were a few uncatalogued paint schemes that were produced in smaller numbers and sold through authorized dealers.  As Dave said above, the "Century Clubs" were purchasing plans.  The first Century Club were traditionally-sized locos; the second batch were scale models.  That's why I think it's important to figure out if you're a scale guy or a traditional guy.  ou'll avoid two kinds of common disappointments: "This is too big for my curves!" and "Oh I thought this was scale!" 

We might be able to give you more specific recommendations if you tell us more about your goals.  Hope this helps!

@Oscale_Trains_Lover_ posted:

If I am not mistaken, they then re-used that name for some of their RTR passenger and freight cars that were made of the durable plastic (less detail and 0-27, designed for use by young kids).

Bryce

Funny thing about those rugged RTR sets.  I had purchased one years ago to use a simple "around the tree" set but rarely pull it out for anything else.  It had the standard MTH RTR 2-8-0 steamer and three Jr. Madison cars.

When my nephews (twins) turned 4 I pulled them out for them to play with figuring it would be unlikely they could do much damage - and heck, they were meant to be played with.  Not ten minutes later my wife brought me the work of one my nephews... one of the cars with a broken knuckle coupler!

How in the... ?!

Anyway, his name is Bryce too, LOL!

@rplst8 posted:

Funny thing about those rugged RTR sets.  I had purchased one years ago to use a simple "around the tree" set but rarely pull it out for anything else.  It had the standard MTH RTR 2-8-0 steamer and three Jr. Madison cars.

When my nephews (twins) turned 4 I pulled them out for them to play with figuring it would be unlikely they could do much damage - and heck, they were meant to be played with.  Not ten minutes later my wife brought me the work of one my nephews... one of the cars with a broken knuckle coupler!

How in the... ?!

Anyway, his name is Bryce too, LOL!

First let me say, he has an excellent name! 

What year was the set from? Around 2004-2005 range, I remember my PRR RTR passenger cars had a similar problem where the knuckle coupler broke off from the truck while the train was in motion (I run my PS2 RK Torpedo with the 0-27 Madison cars). I had my LHS get the part to fix it and haven't had a problem with it 15 years later. Maybe we got the defective ones or part of a bad batch?

@Oscale_Trains_Lover_ posted:

First let me say, he has an excellent name! 

What year was the set from? Around 2004-2005 range, I remember my PRR RTR passenger cars had a similar problem where the knuckle coupler broke off from the truck while the train was in motion (I run my PS2 RK Torpedo with the 0-27 Madison cars). I had my LHS get the part to fix it and haven't had a problem with it 15 years later. Maybe we got the defective ones or part of a bad batch?

I bought it around 2009 and it has a 3v PS2 engine so I'd put it about that time frame I'd guess.