Hello,
I have seen some videos of the Mth European steam locomotives and curios if anyone has them for sale? Thank you
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I have a mint MTH BR 044 Era 4 German "Jumbo" for sale. The item # is 20-3531-1. It has a black boiler and red under carriage. It is from the 2014 Vol. II premier catalog. It is mounted on its original base. I want $2,000 for the engine and tender. It is a hard to find piece and there will never be another made as MTH is no longer making foreign engines, only selling what they have left in the warehouse. The European engines are the most detailed beautiful pieces MTH did in their 40 year history.They are like pieces of jewelry.
Hello,
Did this engine ever sell?
When AArons in OH had a last month "shutdown blowout", I purchased a Princess class LMS Blue Pacific. [I stuttered when looking to purchase the BR black with red stripe] I was SOOL on the matching 3 rail Blue passenger cars [I thought Grand Central in Nebraska had them but the set was GONE wen my Loco was delivered] so I settled for the Crimson Maroon LMS set including the extra car.
Hoping the new reorganized MTH produces these European steam locomotives again, I have one, a French Pacific and the Oriental Express passenger cars. Wish I had purchased more of the European Steam engines when offered, really top shelf models and run great.
EU Steam Engines are extremely hard to find, the British passenger cars come up from time to time on the bay. Someone sold off 10 new British RR sets for $250. I was going to pull the trigger but could not find a steamer anywhere, now they are gone. Cabin Fever just had a bunch of European cars and a few electrics and a steamer at Thursday's (maybe Wednesday) auction. I ended up winning a crocodile (German) production sample, a few cars and 4 passenger cars. When I see the German or Brit model railroads running it is not uncommon to see mixed passenger and freight in a consist- so that is my intent. Now I have to decide if I want a point to point dedicated for these or just run on my layout. HOPEFULLY the production sample engine runs - fingers crossed. I found a couple of inventory EU electrics in the $800 to $1200 range. There is something about the bumpers on EU railroad equipment I find fascinating enough to have a small sample of that technology.
I have to wonder what MTH was thinking with the EU line. Why would you have scale and high rail wheels for that market? Made figuring out what to bid on challenging since the only info is in the photos. Of course I know almost nothing about the market except what I see in layout videos - but I do not recall seeing anything other than scale modeling.
I am still trying to figure out the European market. Darstaed makes neat English equipment in course and fine scale, which best I can tell only has to do with the flange depth. Ace Trains of London makes beautiful tin based equipment but it's dc powered only on 3 rail track. Ace is conventional only, no sound at all and I think Darstaed is the same. Dapol is neat and includes sound packages but is 2 rail dc only. Ets is the most versatile I have found, since they offer options for flange depth, couplers and ac vs dc operations. I really like my ets Bavarian mallet, but its forward/ reverse only, and the sound I paid extra for is disappointing at best.
But for quality, details, and of course the ability to use command control, from what I can tell the mth European steam locomotives are in a class by themselves. The auction prices from last week reinforces that. I would love to own one of the sncf or db steam locomotives, but funding and opportunity has yet to line up. Congrats to those who have acquired these beautiful, functional pieces of art.
1. I don't believe it has been mentioned in this Forum that Lenz acquired the "German prototypes" tooling from MTH in January. Exactly what is included in this package is unclear, but when it was publicly announced by Lenz on their website in March they stated that the E94 and Br 44 would be the first two items to be upgraded [ or downgraded, depending on your point of view....] to Lenz standards.
2. As I have previously posted here, a French firm was / is in the process of doing due diligence on acquiring the MTH tooling for the Orient / OCEM cars, but was having difficulty at that time because "the factory is closed!"
Of perhaps greater interest is that they have acquired the MTH documentation [ 3D renderings, etc ] made to produce the tooling for what would have been the next MTH French passenger cars: the postwar DEV's in their original, shorter form -- and in both AO [ = "ordinary steel" ] and Inox [ stainless ] versions.
3. I have seen no information in the Public Domain on the remaining MTH European items.
SZ
@Steinzeit, does Lenz have a direct website or do business under another name? I am not familiar with them and a search was giving results about them but no direct link.
Jhz563, ditto to your above question.
@ScoutingDad posted:...I have to wonder what MTH was thinking with the EU line. Why would you have scale and high rail wheels for that market? Made figuring out what to bid on challenging since the only info is in the photos. Of course I know almost nothing about the market except what I see in layout videos - but I do not recall seeing anything other than scale modeling.
@jhz563 posted:I am still trying to figure out the European market. Darstaed makes neat English equipment in course and fine scale, which best I can tell only has to do with the flange depth. Ace Trains of London makes beautiful tin based equipment but it's dc powered only on 3 rail track. Ace is conventional only, no sound at all and I think Darstaed is the same. Dapol is neat and includes sound packages but is 2 rail dc only. Ets is the most versatile I have found, since they offer options for flange depth, couplers and ac vs dc operations. I really like my ets Bavarian mallet, but its forward/ reverse only, and the sound I paid extra for is disappointing at best.
But for quality, details, and of course the ability to use command control, from what I can tell the mth European steam locomotives are in a class by themselves. The auction prices from last week reinforces that. I would love to own one of the sncf or db steam locomotives, but funding and opportunity has yet to line up. Congrats to those who have acquired these beautiful, functional pieces of art.
I own some Ace/Darstaed, and follow British and European model railroading to a certain extent. My impression is that most O enthusiasts across the pond want a high degree of scale fidelity, hence MTH's focus on scale wheels. And there doesn't seem to be much interest in a proprietary command control system like DCS.
The 3-rail community seems to focus more on tinplate, both old and old-style (i.e., ETS and Ace/Darstaed), and has little interest in modern command control.
I think I recall seeing an occasional ad for MTH in Railway Modeller, but MTH didn't really get much exposure, and I think they misread the European market's appetite for products that weren't compatible with other offerings.
Mallard and all, interesting posts. I gathered EU O modelers were looking for accuracy hence my question as to why the high rail wheels in the EU. Of course MTH would have the stats on what sold in what percentages. I wonder if the high rail wheels went to the US market.
I don't remember seeing any O scale videos out of the EU, mostly HO/OO and some N. I was just watching a "bloke" build a covered rail station in N scale using cardstock and mylar. Pretty incredible work. I watch the layout videos for inspiration and ideas and the "how to" videos scale to O pretty easily.
Following is one video that is fun to watch from many perspectives. Watching the modeler lower himself through a hole in his floor - well you have to see it to believe it. I wonder how many of us would "stoop" to that level in order to have a model railroad. I have a huge crawlspace in addition to a basement. I do not know of anyone except my grandkids who would climb into it to run the rails.
I found this link with some Lenz info
https://www.eurorailhobbies.com/lenz.asp
there is pdf available at that site with info on Lenz O gauge products. It looks like all 2 rail o.
@Steinzeit posted:1. I don't believe it has been mentioned in this Forum that Lenz acquired the "German prototypes" tooling from MTH in January. Exactly what is included in this package is unclear, but when it was publicly announced by Lenz on their website in March they stated that the E94 and Br 44 would be the first two items to be upgraded [ or downgraded, depending on your point of view....] to Lenz standards.
2. As I have previously posted here, a French firm was / is in the process of doing due diligence on acquiring the MTH tooling for the Orient / OCEM cars, but was having difficulty at that time because "the factory is closed!"
Of perhaps greater interest is that they have acquired the MTH documentation [ 3D renderings, etc ] made to produce the tooling for what would have been the next MTH French passenger cars: the postwar DEV's in their original, shorter form -- and in both AO [ = "ordinary steel" ] and Inox [ stainless ] versions.
3. I have seen no information in the Public Domain on the remaining MTH European items.
SZ
Where is the announcement (and where is the Lenz website)? I'm very curious to see the actual wording. I'd love to find one of the MTH KBayStsB locos in O Gauge in blue.
I'm also curious to hear more about the French firm interested in buying the Orient Express cars. I'd love to see those released again. (Or maybe not? It's better for my savings that they don't come up!)
BC,
1. What MP48 said.
2. It's in the "News and New" section of the Forum du Zéro; see the Chrezo opening topic, p21, the newsletter Nr 27.
SZ
