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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

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