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All,

I just received the email from Dave at Mercer Junction.  According to the Message, due to the MTH closure and the uncertainty with MTH’s future, he is closing up shop.  Sad to see it go.  Living in Virginia, I was only able to make it there a couple times, but I met Dave and he and his shop was great.

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I hope MTH gets their act together with future info, and I wish Dave’s shop would stay open.  Regardless, I wish Dave the best of luck in the future.  Keep modeling, Dave!

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If there's a potential buyer for the company (or at least the tooling) to produce the models they made would be nice to know.

I agree with that!

My rational side says everything will pan out.

My irrational side feels like I have thousands invested in a platform that's gone end-of-life. I literally just bought a DCS Wifi module when MTH made the announcement. Am hoping it's not a future brick. My handheld thumbwheel is twitchy. Glad I wired for cab control and never sold my postwar ZW. The digital technology is pretty awesome, but analog doesn't leave you swinging in the wind.

@FredRR posted:

I agree with that!

My rational side says everything will pan out.

My irrational side feels like I have thousands invested in a platform that's gone end-of-life. I literally just bought a DCS Wifi module when MTH made the announcement. Am hoping it's not a future brick. My handheld thumbwheel is twitchy. Glad I wired for cab control and never sold my postwar ZW. The digital technology is pretty awesome, but analog doesn't leave you swinging in the wind.

I just went in for a wifi module too when that announcement was made. My remote thumbwheel is twitchy too, thats the main reason I went to the wifi.

Something to consider.  Let's say MTH closes and there is no successor company to compensate dealers for warranty repairs during mid 2021-mid 2022.  That's a potential cost of doing business that dealers (working on perhaps thin margins) may not be able and/or willing to bear.  It's not only about the availability of product from now until mid-2021 is my speculation.  It's the warranty period for any merchandise sold up until mid-2021.  Who is going to compensate dealers for that warranty work for the period after MTH closes?  I realize the compensation is modest, but I haven't heard anything concrete about this issue of importance to consumers and dealers.

That said, everything I've heard or read about David Minarik and Mercer Junction has been extraordinarily positive,  and it is unfortunate that he had to make this decision. Wish him and his employees well in the next stages of their lives.

Sorry to hear about this. Marty Fitzhenry took me to Dave's shop when we went to a Lionel sale in Ohio about 6 or 7 years ago. It was great to see the store and meet Dave, but the real treat was when Dave took us to his house and we saw all the stuff he had there. Including his bikes. Some really neat stuff. Marty took a picture of me on one of the bikes and I wish I had it.

Gerry

My son Mike and I have been making the drive from the south hills of Pittsburgh to Dave's shop in Mercer for the past 10 years.  Dave always welcomed us, and especially made my son, who was 10 at the time, feel important by remembering and calling him by name each time we visited.  I look at his shop as a destination for O gauge hobbyists in Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio, and will miss it very much.  Mike and I wish Dave the greatest success, and hope he continues to make artistic and innovative contributions to our hobby.  I proudly own several pieces Dave has painted for the Union and Bessemer and Lake Erie railroads.   Thanks for everything Dave.  Good luck.

Dave is certainly one of the most talented guys you'll find in our hobby. One of the highlights of my York experiences was driving home and deciding to stop at Mercer Junction.  Our group found Norm Charbonneau sitting in the store with Dave.  Some excellent conversation was had, some purchases were made and Norm joined us for dinner at a nearby establishment.  Mercer Junction is a great "Train Shop."

I wish Dave the very best in all his future endeavors.

I agree with so many of the responses before my comments, thank you for being such a great dealer, ambassador of the hobby, and making the great video with Rich Melvin on OGR The Video. Your talents for scenery and model railroad detailing, weathering are Fantastic. May God Bless you and lead you to a great future. Thank you very much for all you’ve done for our hobby. I’ve been in your store one time, it’s Awesome. Good luck.

@Jim 1939 posted:

Wow he has a nice store and a friendly kind of guy. I'm sorry he doesn't feel the other companies can carry him along.

When you're primarily an MTH outlet, as Dave is, the closing of MTH means that your business model will no longer be viable. You've been selling a certain product line to a target market that wants that product line, and then the product line ceases to exist. To continue in business would be somewhat akin to starting over. The same would be true if you were primarily a Lionel outlet and Lionel went out.

Very unfortunately, I expect there to be more closings of stores that primarily sell MTH. This is perhaps a cautionary tale to not base your business on one company's product line.

I saw Dave and his layout in an OGR Great Layouts DVD and I was super impressed with Dave's skill and artistry. I've also admired his work through his articles in OGR Magazine. I'm sure he'll be very successful in whatever he decides to do next.

Last edited by Keith L
@G3750 posted:

Yeah, I'm sorry to see this collateral damage from MTH's closing.



@Keith L posted:

Very unfortunately, I expect there to be more closings of stores that primarily sell MTH. This is perhaps a cautionary tale to not base your business on one company's product line.

It's what a lot of folks were saying when MW made the decision to bail out......what's going to happen to dealers who are only carrying MTH and nothing (or nearly nothing) else? As Keith said, a cautionary tale of putting all your eggs in one basket. Not sure why Mercer Junction didn't decide to start handling Lionel/other brands and remain open instead of folding its tent. Maybe just too big an adjustment, although many dealers handled both MTH and Lionel.

Be interesting to see what Stockyard Express and other big MTH dealers are going to do.

As many here already know, Dave's Mercer Junction shop has been my go-to local train store since the day he opened the door. It's a 45-minute drive from my Ohio residence, and I try to visit once a week or so, when possible. Dave is also a close personal friend (best man at my wedding), and he has contributed in significant ways to the magazine (with more hopefully yet to come). He also has been a BIG help in my recent home-moving experience. He assisted with the move itself, and he, along with another member of our informal "Tuesday Train Team" from the Western PA area, dismantled my previous layout's benchwork and they are putting it back together in my new home.

I fully understand Dave's reasons for closing the shop (I will save my comments about the Mike Wolf/MTH closing for my magazine column), but that closing sure is going to leave a very big void in my life. Fortunately, the friendship will continue, as will time that can be spent with Dave and other friends in our great little group. I value the friendship of each and every one of them.

I can't wait for Allan's column, but I guess I'll have to wait. A few comments were made about diversifying a business. My guess is that they weren't made by small business owners. I was a small business and a substantial part of my income for decades was a very large magazine company. When you have a large company that you do business with and that business treats you well, it's difficult to "escape the orbit". And in the 80's and 90's who would have predicted what was going to happen to the print publishing business.

So Dave, I wish you the very best and I do not second guess.

Gerry

@FredRR posted:

Between Iron Horse Hobby, the Imperial Train Shoppe, and now Mercer Junction, western PA is becoming an O gauge desert. Each situation has their reasons, but how disappointing to lose another destination and resource of great expertise. Good luck to you Dave. Hope to see you back in some capacity.

I did manage to visit Imperial Trains a couple of times.  Nice train shop, nice people.  For a 4-year stretch I was driving along I-80 in PA on my way to and from Ann Arbor MI twice a year, and I’d see the exit for route 19 and Mercer.  I used to think “I’ll have to build in some time one of these years and make a side trip up to Mercer Junction.” Unfortunately I never did.

first thing I thought when I read Fred’s post was “Can Brady’s Train Outlet be far behind?”

Not going to second guess anyone's decision to close a business.  I know first-hand how challenging it is to run a small business.  And based on discussions I've had with several dealers and some peeks into the profit margin on Lionel and MTH products, my impression is that one needs to turn a lot of volume in order to make much money - small dealers like Dave are in it for the love of trains.

To put it into a little perspective, let's remember how long some of the glory days lasted.  Despite its 120 year history, the periods of time when Lionel was killing it have been relatively short - a few years before the Depression, late 40s thru mid 50s, and then again for awhile when Richard Kughn owned it.  MTH started small and was hot for what - 15 or so years?  The life spans of two major dealers also come to mind - Train Express got big and built a beautiful new shop, and was a ghost within a few years.  Likewise Allied Model Trains - built the Taj Mahal of train stores and was gone in a few years.

Let's enjoy things while they're here, because they won't be here forever, and they will pass.  Let's also be happy that Dave will still be in the O gauge fold, and maybe he'll have even more time to exercise his creativity and share it. 

@Bob posted:

Lionel's business model (multi-level distribution) is not very friendly to smaller dealers.

And that's probably the crux of the matter.  Maybe the owner believed someone would step in and buy MTH, preserving the continuity of product delivery.  That didn't happen.  Frankly, the somewhat random, confusing, and often conflicting statements from MTH in the days following their announcement really didn't help the situation either. 

I'm speculating that re-booting a small train store in the Lionel distribution chain would involve:

  1. Finding a distributor willing to take on such a store & negotiating terms (from a position of weakness)
  2. Investing a large amount of cash upfront in product orders (and maybe even an "entrance fee")
  3. Hoping that an adequate amount of product is available and reaches the store in time for Christmas

In any case, it's unfortunate that we are losing an excellent train store in this fashion.

George

@gmorlitz posted:

A few comments were made about diversifying a business. My guess is that they weren't made by small business owners. I was a small business and a substantial part of my income for decades was a very large magazine company. When you have a large company that you do business with and that business treats you well, it's difficult to "escape the orbit". And in the 80's and 90's who would have predicted what was going to happen to the print publishing business.

So Dave, I wish you the very best and I do not second guess.

Gerry

Yes, it's simpler and easier for a small business if they can deal primarily with one major supplier or one major customer. However, that doesn't mean it's a prudent business strategy...

2020 has been a year of eye opening proportions, sadness, crazy politics, deaths, crazy economy and then on our own MTH situation. MTH is closing, nothing anyone can do about it, sooner or later if the opportunity presents itself we all will retire so the best we can do is support who we can, prepare yourself as much as possible and look ahead. Guys like GRJ and all of the Lionel, MTH, and other train certified techs out there are gonna become paramount REAL soon. Some of us are gonna have to be courageous and find out how that $1000.00 train runs and how it’s put together. Our future isn’t as bleak, if we pause, look at this forum and it’s wealth of expertise, other forums that some of us belong to, YOUTUBE etc. It doesn’t rain every single day (excluding the 40 days and 40 nites situation) sooner or later the sun will shine again and we’ll be ready.  STAND TALL, BE FIRM.  First and foremost congratulations to Dave and staff at Mercer Junction, you all have been a pillar in our community, I wish you all the best, take care.    -  MARSHELANGELO

Last edited by marshelangelo

Man this really bums me out. I was wondering about what he was going to sell last time I was in there and realized just how much MTH stuff he had. Him and a few customers were so helpful getting me up and running after 15 years out of the hobby. I really appreciated that and have enjoyed making the trip to the shop from Youngstown on Saturdays after work; partially because it's a nice drive through the country and partially because I like going to a hobby shop and talking to the people there. Hope I can make it back up there before the shop closes!

I live too far to have visited Mercer Junction but realized from its website that it was a quality store. The closure of MTH is worrisome enough but the closure of a first class train store run by a knowledgeable hobbyist and popular proprietor is sad and equally concerning. I'm hoping that another manufacturer will see an opportunity to step into the O gauge market or at least increase its presence therein.

My wife recently closed a family business that had run for more than a century, so I have some idea of what it means to give up on something that was the object of a long-time commitment. My best wishes to Dave...

MELGAR

I know of Mercer Junction through video (actually DVD) and the magazine ads.  When I play my O Gauge videos over and over again (actively, in the background while working, or while I fall asleep on the couch/recliner), I've grown to see the layout builders and narrators as friends.  I met Richard Melvin, for example, once at a train show and I immediately recognized that voice from the Choo Choo Barn video.  I'm sure it would be the same experience with Dave.  I hope you stay active in the hobby, my friend.

@breezinup posted:


Be interesting to see what Stockyard Express and other big MTH dealers are going to do.

Not sure what Clyde will do .      Visited him this summer.     Judging from the inventory I saw in the store and not even knowing what huge amount he has in his warehouse , I'd say he doesn't  have to make any snap decisions about what direction Stockyard has to go in.

Great guys there in Oberlin.

Are there any hobbies that are thriving to the point that new stores are opening and new brand names are coming online? In our hobby maybe we could count Menards? (which kind of fits both new store and new brand at the same time). I just don't see many thriving, expanding HOBBIES--period. I'm curious to know if even BEDROCK hobbies like antique car restoration are doing well. I have no idea. But when I talk to people about what they are doing with their leisure time, I sometimes get "gardening" or "fixing up my house". But the old stalwart hobbies of the last millennium seem to almost all be going begging.

In some cases the demise of the hobby has been bizarre. For instance, putting cameras into cell phones seems to be destroying the FUN of trying to make great pictures. Just LOOK (if you can stand the pain) at the photographic TRASH that is actually getting PUBLISHED in our national magazines!!

Ah well....curmudgeon mode off!

Don Merz

I spent a lovely afternoon at the Mercer shop a couple of years ago. I just happened to be in that part of the state and had Dave's well known train shop on my "must see" list.  I was not disappointed! Dave was friendly and knowledgeable and willing to share some conversation time with me. Of course I made a couple of purchases and now have a souvenir of my visit.  I wish Dave well wherever life takes  him.

Thanks Dave for being there for all of us who enjoy our wonderful hobby.

Earl

       

Okay, everybody, let's get into the real world. If you have locomotives, equipment, structures, whatever, you want to see produced then you've come to the right place. Don't think for a minute that the manufacturers, that's made up of O Gauge Railroading advertisers and those who don't, keep a sharp eye out on the OGR Forum so they can receive as much feedback as possible from you guys in order evaluate which product(s) will make a smart investment before producing any of them in the first place? Of course they do!

Mercer Junction is NOT Mr. Dave's profession. He does not do this for a living. He is the drummer for the Clarks and this is just his side business.

Second, Mercer Junction is too good a train store to close. While we are at it, here is the official description:

"Mercer Junction is located in beautiful, historic Mercer Pennsylvania.

"We specialize in O Scale trains and accessories. Our three major manufacturers are Mike’s Train House, Lionel and Atlas .Products from these manufacturers range from starter sets to highly detailed, scale, handmade brass engines and rolling stock. We also stock a full line of scenery supplies, track, switches, scented smoke and O scale figures.

"One of our most spectacular features is the 21’x10’ in store layout. It is used to demonstrate the DCS operating system and allows customers to run their newly purchased trains and give potential modelers an idea of what they can achieve.

"Mercer Junction is not only a retail train store but, more importantly, a destination and source for comradery and learning for the O scale community."

With that being said, Mr. Dave has been known to host seminars for the O scale community. So, I suggest that he do not close it until we see what happens.

As for MTH's "closing" and the impact of the dealers, I would suggest to every dealer that is heavy on MTH stock that they do not close until we see what happens. I can already see that MrMuffinsTrains and the NJ HiRailers are both planning MTH custom runs for next year, which means there is a very good chance that MTH will continue. So, no jumping the gun on that.

You know, I almost feel like laughing my head off at the idle speculation that's been posted since it was announced that Mike Wolf is retiring, thus putting the MTH product line in jeopardy. As one person said, "It's apparently still too soon to know the final results what Mike Wolf and MTH have proposed to do in regards to liquidating the remaining inventory and the future of the business in general." So, I'm certain that the company will continue, overall, and the dealers will still survive. However all this information is confidential and so the thing to do now is remain calm and await the announcement. I am keeping my powder dry for the EXACT same reason.

So, to all those dealers, service stations and customers, Keep Calm, Happy Rails, and May the Odds Be Ever In Your Favor.

Don Merz, I can’t totally answer your question about automotive restoration but my favorite show is Graveyard Carz (a Show where they restore Mopar Muscle cars) and from watching the show they seem to have more work than they can handle. My friend actually called them once and asked how much would it be to restore his car. They told him a flat fee of $70K. This was years ago and I bet it’s more now but folks are still sending their cars there. The one Chrysler show I go to every summer had been growing every year until 2020. I think the automotive hobby is fine.

Nikhil, I certainly hope you are correct but I fear the worst.

Local Hobby Shops have an almost impossible task:

- first the margins are so slim on "trains"- meaning Lionel MTH or any of the other major brands.  Years ago, the "retail margin" was 40%, today, its more like 20-25%.

-  second, ANY locomotive is a lot of money.  A set locomotive, sold separately, for, say $ 180, makes the retailer about $40.  A Legacy at $ 1400?  Forget it- the inventory cost is over $ 1000, and the market so limited- it would sit for months, maybe a year- and have to sold at a discount to get it off the shelves

- A LHS may keep even a set steamer for 6- 8 months or longer, before he sells it.  That $160 would move 3 or for times in a Lego set, RC cars,  or in model rockets.  So- the LHS only stocks a few freight cars, and set at Christmas.

- AND he has to stock HO and N, as well as O Gauge/Scale. 

- Then the BTO selling model.  The local shop owners don't want to demand money up front (the customer knows the LHS won't have to pay for it until 30 days after it arrives).  So, when the ordering customer doesn't respond to the LHS phone calls to come in, take his locomotive that sounded so good 6- 8-12 months earlier, and pay for his order,  the LHS is stuck.  Soon, the owner develops a policy of demanding payment- 50% or maybe 100%, up front.  And the customers start buying online anyway.  WE are a problem- the buyers.  WE shop price on the internet and order from a mega dealer to save 10%.

The BTO thing might be essential for a train company- but it is a potential disaster and at a low margin, for the LHS.

Last edited by Mike Wyatt

While I don't know Dave personally, he and his store certainly became a great resource for many here on the Forum.  I have not made it there since I am on the wrong end of PA (15 minutes from Jersey, not 15 minutes from Ohio )

I am sorry to see his store go, hopefully he stays active as a contributor as a hobbyist even if not a proprietor any longer.  Like others, I wish him and his staff well.

-Dave

@Hudson J1e posted:

Don Merz, I can’t totally answer your question about automotive restoration but my favorite show is Graveyard Carz (a Show where they restore Mopar Muscle cars) and from watching the show they seem to have more work than they can handle. My friend actually called them once and asked how much would it be to restore his car. They told him a flat fee of $70K. This was years ago and I bet it’s more now but folks are still sending their cars there. The one Chrysler show I go to every summer had been growing every year until 2020. I think the automotive hobby is fine.

Nikhil, I certainly hope you are correct but I fear the worst.

There's no right or wrong in what I am doing. It's just being positive.

Another factor we may have to pay attention to is the upcoming election in 2 weeks. That might determine the future of this economy. So let's hope and pray while we work on our ideas or hope for the best :-)

"Likewise Allied Model Trains - built the Taj Mahal of train stores and was gone in a few years."

The causation is not entirely correct.  Allied was a long-standing train shop on the west side of Los Angeles founded around 1946.  The family built an incredible Santa Fe themed station in Culver City on Sepulveda Blvd. in the '80s as I recall.

By all accounts, it was a very successful enterprise.

The property apparently was more valuable as an electronics retailer than a train shop & the property was leased for a tidy sum (as reports were at the time).  Allied Model Trains moved across the street into a much-diminished property.

The store closed several years later.

Last edited by rthomps

Always sad to see another hobby store disappear.   The last O scale serving hobby store in my home city closed before my time (with the now nearest over 3hrs away).

I've never met Mr. Wolf, nor know too much about MTH as I haven't really been in the hobby long, but seeing all the fallout, closures, livelihoods/jobs/fixtures of the community vanishing,  and uncertainty stemming from literally one mans retirement makes me wish that things went down in almost any other way.  Maybe something that didn't set off a detrimental cascade akin to a small wrecking ball to the very hobby MTH helped build up?

I know something new may come out of MTH's ashes, but its too bad it had to intentionally combust in the first place.  I cant help but feel a little critical of how events are unfolding...

A lot of speculation as to the future of MTH on the boards.  Some people calling MTH's demise premature and we are counting them out too quickly. (6 months now). One has to wonder if there is a MTH savior / buyer, then someone is doing the MTH retailers and shops a great disservice by keeping it all quiet for so long. Granted it's none of our business but you would think that the shops selling your product could at least be clued in.  I can't imagine the angst and worries some of these folks are having to endure.  How many more stores will close because they have no reason to believe that there will be a MTH line and then they announce they had a deal in the works for months.

Personally as much as I hate to see Dave's store close up, I can imagine he's probably sleeping better than a lot of other folks dealing in the MTH line.

Last edited by MartyE

The Chinese probably own the controlling interest in all tooling made in China.

Once the MTH story is complete, I would think they (the Chinese) would offer the use of that tooling to anyone willing to pay.  Would it be DCS?  To offer it in DCS would mean a service network that might have to be developed, unless the MTH service rolls over to a long-term company.  Do they (the Chinese) want to form a new company and go into selling through distribution to retail?  Maybe not.

More likely- the MTH offerings come back as Lionel, Third Rail, Atlas, or another "brand", and probably having Lionel/ Legacy/ TNCC innards, to take advantage of existing service infrastructure.  I don't know anything, but I understand business, and what "controlling interest" means.    At least I think I do.

And, I doubt if a Menards would be interested in selling locomotives-  (a) they don't sell "trains" in retail stores all year- in the fourth quarter only in most locations.  (b) Having locos would carry the same problems that the local hobby shops have as far as slow inventory turnover, and (c) having to be concerned with dozens of road names.

And why is Menard's in trains at all??  Can it be justified financially?  I HOPE so- because then it will last.

Or is it because of the love of trains by "the old man"?



Like you mention NIKHIL, Dave doesn't rely on Mercer Junction alone to butter his bread......and Mike Wolf?  Well, if anyone thinks that he is sitting all by his little lonesome in some abandoned caboose crying his eyes out as a result of shutting down MTH you need to join NIKHIL and me in the Real World.  Believe me, Mike is laughing all the way to the bank and couldn't care so much as a worn out rusty brake shoe if anyone is having a fit because he or she may not be able to obtain THE ONE AND ONLY model locomotive they're be wishing upon a star over for years and years, PERIOD!



Thank you,

The Trinity River Bottoms Boomer

Derailed in Deutschland

I think that statement is a bit harsh and untrue.  I always found Mike to be genuinely interested in his customers.  Just because he is probably happy to retire and most likely financially sound doesn't mean he doesn't still care.  I think that's one of the most ignorant statements I've read.  Sure the real world Mike is moving on to a well deserved retirement but painting him with a pretty broad brush as being an uncaring mogul is uncalled for and pretty negative light on the man that done tremendous good for the hobby.

I admire Mike for retiring and reclaiming his life. If you've ever run a business then you know how the thing can consume you until there's nothing left but a burnt-out shell. I never understood why Gates stayed at Microsoft so long. Ballmer got that one right--he left still young and healthy, ready for the next challenge. Of course in retrospect, Gates has made up for his earlier "mistake"!

Don Merz

Store Layout.      19 pictures, Photobucket file.

Dave was associated with a train club, Mercer Area.  Sad note: The Mercer block community had seen some revival of small business, Dave's store one of them, My wife commented there was also a quilt materials store.  Sad to see small town America, quickly disappear.   

Dave was very good, making Sedum trees.



The layout was walk around, Power was from the basement below.  An interesting old, old building that required a very long masonary bit to access the basement ceiling.   Thanks Dave, for letting me be part of a great experience.  Mike CT. 

Last edited by Mike CT
@DylTrains posted:

Always sad to see another hobby store disappear.   The last O scale serving hobby store in my home city closed before my time (with the now nearest over 3hrs away).

I've never met Mr. Wolf, nor know too much about MTH as I haven't really been in the hobby long, but seeing all the fallout, closures, livelihoods/jobs/fixtures of the community vanishing,  and uncertainty stemming from literally one mans retirement makes me wish that things went down in almost any other way.  Maybe something that didn't set off a detrimental cascade akin to a small wrecking ball to the very hobby MTH helped build up?

I know something new may come out of MTH's ashes, but its too bad it had to intentionally combust in the first place.  I cant help but feel a little critical of how events are unfolding...

I don't think the way this Covid thing is rapidly moving around has helped much either !  🤤

Even non model railroading outlets have been closing down and the retailers that are out there have severely limited their hours of operation .   Some are just using mail order sales.

At least many of us are able to get caught up in the work needed on the layouts.

Take care and be safe 😷

@Mallard4468 posted:

Despite its 120 year history, the periods of time when Lionel was killing it have been relatively short - a few years before the Depression, late 40s thru mid 50s, and then again for awhile when Richard Kughn owned it.

Not sure where you get your info. Lionel has said several times recently that they've had their most profitable years in company history.

I will greatly miss Dave's store. Dave is a very talented modeler and an all around great guy. It was always worth the trip from Cleveland. Sad that the hobby continues to fade away bit by bit.

MikeCT, thank you for the photographs and some description of the layout.  Yes, it is a superbly crafted layout.  Dave lets you put an engine you are considering buying on the tracks to see how it performs. My first time using command control and I was blown away!

I failed to mention that trying out trains on Dave's layout was what convinced me to give up my dabble in On30 and accept O 3-rail with open arms.  I had modeled in HO for decades, but the trains were getting too small as I passed through my mid 50s.  Not having space for anything but a small switching layout in O scale 2-rail, I tried On30 on my HO track.  I decided I wanted more of a mainline layout, not a backwoods logging one.  I happened to see the June/July 2012 issue of OGR in the Giant Eagle grocery store of all places.  I had never seen OGR before.  I saw the article about Dave's store layout and that he is located only 45 minute drive away.  I went up to Mercer the next Saturday, and you know the rest. 

I do feel that his decision to stop all production at MTH should have been made public

He did, in multiple locations/formats. Wonder why you would make this statement?

to avoid all the confusion in the interest of all modelers as well as dealers who have depended on MTH to provide them with enjoyment and/or business.  OGR would have The Place to have reported his intentions.

Again, he did, but I disagree with you if you think this is the most/only/best place to make this type of statement. As much as I like OGR, we need to face that we are just a small group of really passionate hobbyists'

I apologise for my bad choice of words.  Hope you'll forgive me.

Charlie

@jonnyspeed posted:

Not sure where you get your info. Lionel has said several times recently that they've had their most profitable years in company history.     Unfortunately modern company profiles often cut short parts of a company for not enough profit.   What you and I might think a good profit, (Example 10%), to some major corps. is unthinkable.  IMO.  Mike CT.   There is a reason MTH, Weaver, etc. are no longer in business.   The American business system is dotted with many graveyards.



Last edited by Mike CT
@Mark Boyce posted:

... Dave lets you put an engine you are considering buying on the tracks to see how it performs. My first time using command control and I was blown away! ...

This. He let me try out the DCS and the Legacy stuff and I knew I was walking out of the store with some kind of command control (DCS that day) as soon as I uncoupled from the remote. I had only ever ran with a transformer before that day. I returned two weeks after that to buy a Legacy system so I could run every loco I own. He also encouraged me not to sweat upgrading conventional locomotives to command control. He said instead to set aside a whole day because it can be rough the first time but it gets easier. Encouraging words are rare these days.

My friends buy tons of stuff online but I'm a simpleton and love to go to the store right now, pick up my item now, and buy it now so I can go play with it now. It's just the best! That's the main reason I'm bummed about the store closing. I also was hoping to use it as a spring board to meet people to run trains with but I can use OGR for that I suppose.

Just can't say thanks enough for the help from that shop!

Charlie: Sorry, guess I missed the train.....again.

Please consider taking out a Digital Subscription to OGR and becoming a Supporting Member to insure that we don't loose the best source of O gauge reporting on the planet.  It's the best deal I've made in Century 21.

Item: MTH is as good as gone, now comes the Mercer Junction derailment.  Gads, who's next?

Item: It's "lose." One "o."

A motorcycle ride to Mercer Junction to visit Dave and his O gauge toy box, was a great way too kill a rare day off from work. It was cool to deal with someone with an infectious combination of talent, passion and integrity. I wish the Minarik family all the best moving forward. Rock on!! Here is a quick vid of Dave graciously letting me run my shiny new 3rd Rail Train of Tomorrow on his store layout.

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@MartyE posted:

I really think we need a track plan of that layout.

While it would be nice to see a track plan, what really sets that layout apart are the details.  Sweeping curves, subtle elevation changes, bridges, etc.  There's a different scene from every angle.  Most shop layouts contain all of the usual buildings, and so does Dave's, but they blend in due to the weathering.  When I visited, I probably spent 20 minutes checking it out.  Pretty amazing for a shop display.

This will be the second time I was disapointed in the loss of a business in the Town of Mercer Pa.

The first was the DINOR. Best Meatloaf around!

Dave's store was a destination, Not just a stop along the way. His store from day one was filled with great decore and designed to draw you in even if you were not into trains. 

The front window on the square was a recall back to the time of the department store display windows.

Best wishes to Dave and his family.

@Mallard4468 posted:

While it would be nice to see a track plan, what really sets that layout apart are the details.  Sweeping curves, subtle elevation changes, bridges, etc.  There's a different scene from every angle.  Most shop layouts contain all of the usual buildings, and so does Dave's, but they blend in due to the weathering.  When I visited, I probably spent 20 minutes checking it out.  Pretty amazing for a shop display.

Just from looking at the pics and videos, it's as realistic as it gets. If you've been around the old manufacturing cities, you'd agree. Took me right back to those times right when I was getting out of high school and went there.

Sad to hear another great shop is closing.  Reading some comments sounds like the "Sky's falling the sky's falling", but as been said, life goes on.  Thank goodness  there are online stores that will take up the slack.  But to me nothing compares to actually visiting the store and handling merchandise and triggering the impulse buy and immediacy of seeing it run on your layout (as well as contributing to local economy and keeping store lights on).  Nothing compares to seeing the actual colors or fine detail that a picture shows.

So yeah I will miss MTH but at least there are other vendors to provide product as good as or better than MTH.

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