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My local train store informed me today that MTH oversold the locomotive I ordered and he did not have what I ordered. I know that he ordered it, as the MTH web site was showing he had it on order for many months. So, I had to order from one of the biggest MTH dealers. Not right.  I paid a premium and my local dealer lost a sale.

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I ordered 2 locos from 2020V2 and an uncataloged flat with M60 tanks all from Nick Smith.  They are due out October, November and December.  I ordered them fairly early and Chris is one of the larger dealers I suspect.  I’m not worried about another dealer getting preference over deliveries, I just hope that enough people ordered the same things so they don’t get cancelled.

I’m surprised that you had to pay more at the big MTH dealer Oman.  Usually the big dealers offer the best discounts.  You must have gotten a pretty big pre-order discount from your local guy.  

I'm sure my local dealer didn't sell my locomotive. He lists all his product for sale at less than MSRP. I talked to him today. He told me that he can see the MTH inventory in MD. He'll order something that is supposedly in stock and gets an email the next day that it's not available. IOW, the MTH inventory system isn't being maintained or is broken.

In my case, I think MTH under produced this road name because they are still sitting on inventory of 44 tonners in this same road name and color scheme.

@Oman posted:

In my case, I think MTH under produced this road name because they are still sitting on inventory of 44 tonners in this same road name and color scheme.

Wait how could MTH underproduce the model if they still have a stock of it in the same road name and color scheme your hobby shop couldn't get? Couldn't the hobby shop have ordered it if MTH has inventory? 

Last edited by Lou1985
@Lou1985 posted:

Wait how could MTH underproduce the model if they still have a stock of it in the same road name and color scheme your hobby shop couldn't get? Couldn't the hobby shop have ordered it if MTH has inventory? 

I may have created some confusion. The locomotive I ordered was an FM H10-44. I was suggesting that MTH may have backed off on production of the FM H10-44 due to lack of sales for 44 tonners in the same road name and paint scheme.

@Oman posted:

I may have created some confusion. The locomotive I ordered was an FM H10-44. I was suggesting that MTH may have backed off on production of the FM H10-44 due to lack of sales for 44 tonners in the same road name and paint scheme.

Ah ok. Now I got it. Which road name did you order? I pre-ordered a ATSF version and got it from my LHS last week. 

20200903_13561820200903_135652

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@Lou1985 posted:

Ah ok. Now I got it. Which road name did you order? I pre-ordered a ATSF version and got it from my LHS last week. 

20200903_13561820200903_135652

Beautiful engine .... I sure hope somebody acquires the tooling for this engine and keeps it in production ...

i wanted one of this batch , but , the Lionel Train Master Demonstrators exhausted the 2020 new loco budget ...

beautifully done model ....Lionel’s FM Switcher is just wrong in all dimensions ...

my early , pre sound MTH H10-44 ...C8E68953-537A-4156-91B3-5AAA8D5D7E55EC5D8A34-0A4A-49EE-B098-BE42F04B9DF8

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I am pretty sure that the Chinese manufacturers OWN a controlling interest in the tooling that was developed (and paid for) by MTH.  That's the law in Communist China, as I understand it.  IF that is all true, then once the dust settles on MTH, those manufacturers have a choice:

-go into the online model train business, marketing, selling, shipping, and supporting their own brands, or remaining as a manufacturer only, OR...

-offer the use of the tooling to someone else already IN the business, and having marketing, selling, shipping, and support, including USA distributors and dealers. 

Hmmmm- who might THAT be??  A smart company might see this as a way to increase their product line, replace worn tooling, add scale products,  improve their (say) outdated postwar models.  Lower cost.  Faster.

Last edited by Mike Wyatt

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