Anyone know if MTH will have an exhibit at York fall show this Oct?
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Lets see they sold..... the truck and the trailer..... they sold the display layouts.... they may have sold the gray York wall display shelves.... i think they might show up with a foldout card table with foldout brochures.. who knows.
@rustycoupler posted:Lets see they sold..... the truck and the trailer..... they sold the display layouts.... they may have sold the gray York wall display shelves.... i think they might show up with a foldout card table with foldout brochures.. who knows.
They only sold the display layouts to my knowledge, not the York wall display shelves.
It would be great to see MTH back in their booth!
I love buying from their parts dept at York. Would hope at least that part of the new business will show up.
@superwarp1 Everyone is hoping their parts department spinoff is up and running by then, latest reports were still swamped with organizing the new building and getting ready for business.
@mrmuggs posted:It would be great to see MTH back in their booth!
Same here. Any type of display would be great.
I would expect MTH to have some presence at the October York Meet. Looks like the attendance will be huge based upon the number of hotels that are already sold out. Of course, there is a lot of pent up demand, as this will be the first York Meet in two years.
Pat
Guys, this thread is a discussion about whether MTH will be at York so please don't discuss COVID-19 and how it may affect York. We have had PLENTY of discussion on this site about COVID so find one of those threads and contribute your thoughts about COVID there.
Maybe some of the many questions about the future direction of MTH will be answered at York. I'm sure a ton of such questions will be asked at York!
I wish Midge was going o. E there!! So I could meet her and thank her.
Who is Midge?
@Bobby Cox posted:Who is Midge?
She worked for MTH in the parts department.
@rplst8 posted:She worked for MTH in the parts department.
And she was the best! I got to meet her a couple of times and I told her I appreciated her efforts. I would have liked to get a picture with her but of course the last York before Mike was to retire got cancelled so I never got the chance.
Midge was the shining star in MTH parts. She was helpful, often taking time to explain why it took time for them to find parts, made suggestions on similar items that might work and always a great personality.
She will be SORELY missed if/when MTH parts opens its doors again.
@Ron_S posted:She will be SORELY missed if/when MTH parts opens its doors again.
While Midge was a super star at MTH, maybe whoever they put in charge for parts will surprise you.
"maybe whoever they put in charge for parts will surprise you."
Andy E. or Rich F. outfitted with new roller skates?
Andy could pull that off, I don't know Rich. It would be interesting to see the progress they have made in cataloging and prepping the warehouse for ease of use and inventorying.
maybe whoever they put in charge for parts will surprise you.
WOW Marty, Is that a hint you are going to take a new job offering.
Larry
@Larry Sr. posted:maybe whoever they put in charge for parts will surprise you.
WOW Marty, Is that a hint you are going to take a new job offering.
Larry
LOL. No. I have no idea who will be in charge of parts but someone with the right experience could probably do a fine job.
Rich F. has been more behind the scenes, whereas for many years, Andy E. has been the public face of MTH, even moreso than the owner, Mike Wolf. I don't know anyone who isn't impressed with Andy or dislikes him. The best news for MTH fans, in my opinion, is that he is staying with the new MTH (according to their phone service provider, Scott). Long may he run to quote an obscure Lionel train fan .
@Landsteiner posted:"maybe whoever they put in charge for parts will surprise you."
Andy E. or Rich F. outfitted with new roller skates?
or maybe Mike.
I think the salvation for MTH parts would be better organization. If the parts were organized, it wouldn't take so much effort to find parts. While the Lionel parts site is far from perfect, most of the parts are there and fairly easy to find. MTH parts in the past have been a total mystery how to find parts! I'm hearing rumblings of a much better parts site than in the past, that would take a lot of pressure off the staff if much of it was self-serve and you could actually find the parts you need.
@gunrunnerjohn That is true for any industry with a large inventory. Many a time I have wandered through a bankruptcy or end of business sale to find boxes of unknown parts found in the depths of their ware house.
Starting with it organized, cataloged and stored in a manner easily found, the headaches for everyone will be diminished
Hope MTH is at York - would be strong signal MTH is going to be a viable business going forward. Also would be great to see Andy and Rich again!
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I think the salvation for MTH parts would be better organization. If the parts were organized, it wouldn't take so much effort to find parts.
I think MTH fans will be quite happy with the new parts operation.
@Allan Miller posted:I think MTH fans will be quite happy with the new parts operation.
I live in hope Allan, but I'm wondering when. Last word was July 1st, but that ship has sailed.
Maybe their setting up an inventory system akin to Carl and Lou Shaw. Their parts system was legendary, 😃😃
Last week I got notification of DCS Thumbwheel assemblies coming and the invoice has the new Elkridge MD address.
I've got a few folks that have been waiting for their DCS remotes to get fixed (My own kid!)
So MTH is somewhat setup to ship some parts out.
Jim
@jini5 posted:I agree that MTH fans will be happy with the parts dept.
I'm more of a skeptic, it's been months of silence. What's the big secret? Someone should really speak up with more than platitudes of how great it's going to be. I'm wondering if any of us will be alive by the time it gets wonderful.
@mrmuggs posted:It would be great to see MTH back in their booth!
What would they sell? It seems like all their products are now specific hobby shop items.
A revised parts system is what I'm looking forward to. I can't begin to imagine what vast knowledge Midge had in her head to help us out with parts orders.
I've seen the new website and it will be nice. Mimics Lionel's site with exploded views and parts lists, and a search engine that allows you to summarize parts like truck blocks, motor mounts, motors, etc., with descriptions on what they fit. Far from complete, so it will take time for everything to be entered into the system.
@Jon G posted:I've seen the new website and it will be nice. Mimics Lionel's site with exploded views and parts lists, and a search engine that allows you to summarize parts like truck blocks, motor mounts, motors, etc., with descriptions on what they fit. Far from complete, so it will take time for everything to be entered into the system.
Mimics? You don’t say.
@Jon G posted:I've seen the new website and it will be nice. Mimics Lionel's site with exploded views and parts lists, and a search engine that allows you to summarize parts like truck blocks, motor mounts, motors, etc., with descriptions on what they fit. Far from complete, so it will take time for everything to be entered into the system.
You get great results when you hire the best in the business!
@Jim Sandman posted:Last week I got notification of DCS Thumbwheel assemblies coming and the invoice has the new Elkridge MD address.
I've got a few folks that have been waiting for their DCS remotes to get fixed (My own kid!)
So MTH is somewhat setup to ship some parts out.
Jim
You were able to order the DCS thumbwheel assemblies?
@DaveSlie posted:You get great results when you hire the best in the business!
Yes, and MTH did just that
Why all the mystery? Is the CIA or NSC involved?
MTH at York.
So lets bash MTH parts for a company that is starting over. Very nice. They are in transition and posters cry like whining babies.
Maybe covid didn't hit your family directly or you don't think it was real? It must have hit this industry harder than posters here can imagine.
I am getting sick and tired of the babies here. I have toured the country and worked in several industries. The plants hire the same type of personalities I see here. It made going to work a misery.
Somebody should tell you people to grow up. They had Midge who knew exactly what you needed and/or went out of her way to accommodate you.
She's gone and it will be fixed. Maybe you just can't deal with that? Then move on.
Mike Reagan
"Mike Reagan"
Assumed so, given his success with a previous similar project at Lionel.
Do we know whether he is now a full-time MTH employee or just was contracted to do the job (presumably through TrainWorx)?
@Allan Loczy posted:You were able to order the DCS thumbwheel assemblies?
These DCS Thumbwheel assemblies were ordered 8 to 9 months ago via the service center portals.
Jim
@Engineer-Joe posted:MTH at York.
So lets bash MTH parts for a company that is starting over. Very nice. They are in transition and posters cry like whining babies.
Maybe covid didn't hit your family directly or you don't think it was real? It must have hit this industry harder than posters here can imagine.
I am getting sick and tired of the babies here. I have toured the country and worked in several industries. The plants hire the same type of personalities I see here. It made going to work a misery.
Somebody should tell you people to grow up. They had Midge who knew exactly what you needed and/or went out of her way to accommodate you.
She's gone and it will be fixed. Maybe you just can't deal with that? Then move on.
I nominate this as the OGR forum's "post of the day". One of the shortcomings of this forum is that I can only hit "like" once - an "infinity like" option is needed.
Regarding the type of people who were miserable to work with - remember that retirement didn't make them vanish - it's easier to avoid them, but not entirely.
Snickers Bar anyone?
@Jon G posted:
I’m liking it already! Hopefully this is representative of most of the parts breakout photos. This is much higher quality than I’m used to. This looks like a PS3 upgrade kit.
Mike Reagan is doing the parts breakdowns for MTH?? What about repairs?
The irony here is (since Mike left) Lionels part dept has slowly been falling behind, as is their warranty repair dept.
It didn't get any better than Lionel at Canfield Ohio.
@RickO posted:Mike Reagan is doing the parts breakdowns for MTH?? What about repairs?
The irony here is Lionels part dept has slowly been falling behind, as is their warranty repair dept.
I’m taking the 5th on the first question.
If the parts business stabilizes to the point that they can bring on an additional employee to pull parts, they may do billable repairs later this year.
@Engineer-Joe posted:MTH at York.
So lets bash MTH parts for a company that is starting over. Very nice. They are in transition and posters cry like whining babies. . . .
I'm with you, Joe! Mike Wolf could have just folded the entire operation, sold everything for scrap, and let someone else, if they dared to, try to develop spare parts, etc. That did not happen, and given the very real fact that the entire world has been dealing with a serious--and presumably continuing--pandemic, we are **** lucky that the hobby is still moving forward, and that there is every reason for MTH enthusiasts to be very optimistic about how things are moving along. I have several MTH locomotives on preorder, and a darn big assortment already on hand, and I am quite confident that the future is bright. All that is required is a bit of patience.
From the tidbits and teasers that have surfaced, and aware of the base of MTH users and consumers, the fact they are not rushing to market tells me they are taking their time and striving for a quality product and service.
I think instant gratification is a disease many suffer from.
@Jon G posted:Here is a little teaser of the website for PS3 Diesels (in general). They will have exploded views, mostly updated ones from the previous parts manuals, as well.
That would be a welcome change from what we have, I hope that no only the parts are easier to find, but they also address my major concern, the availability of parts in the longer term.
Mike Reagan's Linkedin page says he's still with TrainWorx, so that suggests this is perhaps a contract/consulting job, not a change in actual employment.
@Landsteiner posted:Mike Reagan's Linkedin page says he's still with TrainWorx, so that suggests this is perhaps a contract/consulting job, not a change in actual employment.
Or maybe he hasn't updated his Linkedin. How do you know?
The conjecture is unbelievable around here.
This type of documentation sure would have been helpful to us and to Midge during past years.
MELGAR
Not conjecture, reasonable inference based on data. If, as has been stated, Mike Reagan has been employed to redo the parts department, this has been going on for months. If he is now a full-time MTH employee, knowing Mike's attention to detail, he would likely have updated his Linkin page. Maybe not, of course. Not a big deal one way or the other. We will soon know the actual facts for sure. Not sure why one should get agitated about it one way or the other.
@Landsteiner posted:Not conjecture, reasonable inference based on data. If, as has been stated, Mike Reagan has been employed to redo the parts department, this has been going on for months. If he is now a full-time MTH employee, knowing Mike's attention to detail, he would likely have updated his Linkin page. Maybe not, of course. Not a big deal one way or the other. We will soon know the actual facts for sure. Not sure why one should get agitated about it one way or the other.
Because your conjecture is tiring.
"Because your conjecture is tiring."
Suggest you get more sleep .
It seems that this topic has drifted off course, as many do unfortunately. But since is still up and running, here is my question. Has MTH confirmed that Mike Reagan is now working for them? Thanks.
Pat
@MichRR714 posted:Or maybe he hasn't updated his Linkedin. How do you know?
The conjecture is unbelievable around here.
I think Lionel traded Mike Regan to MTH for a “broad selection” of O gauge tooling. I think this is a big coup for MTH. It’s as if the NY Jets “stole” Bill Belichick from the Patriots!! 😁
@irish rifle posted:It seems that this topic has drifted off course, as many do unfortunately. But since is still up and running, here is my question. Has MTH confirmed that Mike Reagan is now working for them? Thanks.
Pat
Yes it has gone way off course. I have spoke to dealers that do pickup product from MTH and have seen some things/people that may suggest that the parts division will be a good thing to look forward to. I believe my sources are reliable and I believe that I know things that I am not supposed to know until MTH and ONLY MTH make the announcement. I too have picked up on the hints in this thread and realize others know as well. I will not say specifically what I know about the parts dept/personnel. Again, that is for MTH to make the announcement. It would be nice to see the announcement from MTH. The longer they wait, the more chances of information getting out.
@jini5 posted:Yes it has gone way off course. I have spoke to dealers that do pickup product from MTH and have seen some things/people that may suggest that the parts division will be a good thing to look forward to. I believe my sources are reliable and I believe that I know things that I am not supposed to know until MTH and ONLY MTH make the announcement. I too have picked up on the hints in this thread and realize others know as well. I will not say specifically what I know about the parts dept/personnel. Again, that is for MTH to make the announcement. It would be nice to see the announcement from MTH. The longer they wait, the more chances of information getting out.
Well said.
Pat
From this afternoon's MTH e-newsletter:
New M.T.H. Parts Site Update
July 28, 2021 - M.T.H. Electric Trains is slated to begin again taking parts orders later this summer as the new online parts store spins up online. The new store will replace the previous parts order site that was shut down during the company's relocation to a new, smaller location in Elkridge, Maryland as part of the company's reorganization coming on the heels of M.T.H. owner Mike Wolf's retirement this year.
M.T.H. Parts and Sales LLC is one of M.T.H.'s three new spinoffs and will promote and process all parts sales exclusively through an all-new parts site. M.T.H. Electric Trains' R&D Division will continue developing DCS and other electronic products on its own in the satellite location it has occupied in Western Michigan for the past 24 years, while M.T.H. Electric Trains will be operating alongside the parts company in the smaller Elkridge, Maryland facility. The train company will continue to market and produce new model train products - including select RailKing and Premier O gauge models and occasional production of RailKing One Gauge G Scale models.
Initially, We had hoped that the new parts site would be live in July to coincide with the conclusion of the monumental task of the inventorying and stocking of parts in more than 38,000 locations in the new facility. Unfortunately, that work continues even now alongside the continued testing of the new website, forcing us to push back a formal rollout until later this Summer. Rest assured, when the site goes live, we'll be announcing it through our website and our E-Newsletters. If you're not yet a subscriber to our FREE newsletters, sign up HERE. |
While we understand the disruption of parts sales is a frustrating interruption for many of our Authorized Service Centers, M.T.H. Authorized Retailers, and consumers (and for us too!), we are asking for continued patience in awaiting the rollout. The good news is that the new site will allow you access to our entire parts inventory, with a powerful search engine to drill down to the parts you need. We're including new exploded view diagrams for a wide array of products alongside access to operator manuals, sound files, and more! This effort has been in motion for the last year in preparation for this summer's launch.
The previous "face" of M.T.H. parts, Midge Wilburn, has officially retired and is now spending some well-deserved time with her family after decades of valued service at M.T.H. Electric Trains. The new parts site has been designed to allow everyone complete access to all of our service parts, so with just a tiny bit of effort, you can find the parts you need with just a few keystrokes! We'll even have some short tutorial videos to help guide your experience as there are no M.T.H. Sales or Parts customer service agents available at M.T.H. Parts and Sales or at M.T.H. Electric Trains.
Finally, as a reminder, M.T.H. implemented a new warranty policy in May 2021 directing ALL warranty repairs, exchanges and refunds to be processed through the M.T.H. Authorized Retailer from which the product was purchased or by any M.T.H. Authorized Service Center. M.T.H. Electric Trains will NOT accept any repairs at its Elkridge, MD facility. Any products that do arrive for service will be returned unrepaired.
@Keith L posted:From this afternoon's MTH e-newsletter:
New M.T.H. Parts Site Update
July 28, 2021 - M.T.H. Electric Trains is slated to begin again taking parts orders later this summer as the new online parts store spins up online. The new store will replace the previous parts order site that was shut down during the company's relocation to a new, smaller location in Elkridge, Maryland as part of the company's reorganization coming on the heels of M.T.H. owner Mike Wolf's retirement this year.
M.T.H. Parts and Sales LLC is one of M.T.H.'s three new spinoffs and will promote and process all parts sales exclusively through an all-new parts site. M.T.H. Electric Trains' R&D Division will continue developing DCS and other electronic products on its own in the satellite location it has occupied in Western Michigan for the past 24 years, while M.T.H. Electric Trains will be operating alongside the parts company in the smaller Elkridge, Maryland facility. The train company will continue to market and produce new model train products - including select RailKing and Premier O gauge models and occasional production of RailKing One Gauge G Scale models.
Initially, We had hoped that the new parts site would be live in July to coincide with the conclusion of the monumental task of the inventorying and stocking of parts in more than 38,000 locations in the new facility. Unfortunately, that work continues even now alongside the continued testing of the new website, forcing us to push back a formal rollout until later this Summer. Rest assured, when the site goes live, we'll be announcing it through our website and our E-Newsletters. If you're not yet a subscriber to our FREE newsletters, sign up HERE.
While we understand the disruption of parts sales is a frustrating interruption for many of our Authorized Service Centers, M.T.H. Authorized Retailers, and consumers (and for us too!), we are asking for continued patience in awaiting the rollout. The good news is that the new site will allow you access to our entire parts inventory, with a powerful search engine to drill down to the parts you need. We're including new exploded view diagrams for a wide array of products alongside access to operator manuals, sound files, and more! This effort has been in motion for the last year in preparation for this summer's launch.
The previous "face" of M.T.H. parts, Midge Wilburn, has officially retired and is now spending some well-deserved time with her family after decades of valued service at M.T.H. Electric Trains. The new parts site has been designed to allow everyone complete access to all of our service parts, so with just a tiny bit of effort, you can find the parts you need with just a few keystrokes! We'll even have some short tutorial videos to help guide your experience as there are no M.T.H. Sales or Parts customer service agents available at M.T.H. Parts and Sales or at M.T.H. Electric Trains.
Finally, as a reminder, M.T.H. implemented a new warranty policy in May 2021 directing ALL warranty repairs, exchanges and refunds to be processed through the M.T.H. Authorized Retailer from which the product was purchased or by any M.T.H. Authorized Service Center. M.T.H. Electric Trains will NOT accept any repairs at its Elkridge, MD facility. Any products that do arrive for service will be returned unrepaired.
Congratulations to MTH Parts and Sales LLC!
Last week I sat in on a zoom meeting where Mike Reagan told his connection and part in the MTH Parts, he is a consultant/contractor setting the system up. He is not part of the MTH beyond that, and says the amount of parts is jumbled, varied and VAST. Not every engine or train will have extensive parts but the ones who do have the parts will be for years to come. There is NO projected date for roll out, when it is done, it is done.
I got a good feeling from that meeting, and look forward to the product coming our way.
@Ron_S posted:Last week I sat in on a zoom meeting where Mike Reagan told his connection and part in the MTH Parts, he is a consultant/contractor setting the system up. He is not part of the MTH beyond that, and says the amount of parts is jumbled, varied and VAST. Not every engine or train will have extensive parts but the ones who do have the parts will be for years to come. There is NO projected date for roll out, when it is done, it is done.
I got a good feeling from that meeting, and look forward to the product coming our way.
That sounds like a very large project but I believe they found the right person for the job
Have they posted the address of there new website yet? All we know is they are in Elkridge Md,
@rustycoupler posted:Have they posted the address of there new website yet? All we know is they are in Elkridge Md,
No, the parts site hasn’t launched yet. Get yourself on the MTH email list and wait for the announcement on there, I’m sure the MTH site will have a link or address to go to from there,….
Pat
My bet is that it might crash the first day because there are so many people that have been waiting for so long!! Lol
Some where I saw the website as m t h s u p p o r t . c o m. But it is just a place holder for now.
@Charly posted:Some where I saw the website as m t h s u p p o r t . c o m. But it is just a place holder for now.
It was registered over a year ago. Apparently Mike's plans were set in motion only a few months after the initial retirement announcement.
That's where were going to be ordering mth parts for asc tech's and others according to MTH they have a software guy setting up the web sight but is taking a lot longer then originally expected to complete. when done the sight will be setup like Lionel is now they'll be pictures of the parts broken done and many ways for the search engine to locate the part you need ! Rick Foster MTH is hoping it will be done by the end of this month ! God Willing !
Alan
Time out boys!
Remember, . . . they're just toys for God'sake.
Mannyrock
I’m not sure but if Rick Foster was In charge of sales maybe? I spoke with him many years ago about a starter set that was shipped to me by MTH and was the wrong one. I spoke with Some gentleman Rick or Rich. He said he would send me the correct item for my son. He never did send the correct item and I called him back many times and never heard back form him. So my son never received the correct train set and then my son got killed and he never had his train set. So I wouldn’t believe a thing that gentleman says.