NEWS: MTH Electric Trains to continue producing Premier, Railking and One Gauge trains

@jim sutter posted:

I'm hoping for more "Special Runs". I never understood why more train shops weren't doing this. When you do a special run of anything, you are top dog. You are the only store with this item. Anybody that wants it, must come to you. My advice, go for it. You have to spend money to make money.

The store is footing the production cost probably up front. If it takes 100 orders to get something produced and you already have customers for 80, that works.  If you only have customers for 20 would you bet your money on selling the other 80 in a year's time to get your investment back?

@JET posted:

The store is footing the production cost probably up front. If it takes 100 orders to get something produced and you already have customers for 80, that works.  If you only have customers for 20 would you bet your money on selling the other 80 in a year's time to get your investment back?

All production risks and costs are now on the dealers, not mini MTH. There is no place to store excess inventory at Elkridge Maryland.

It’s a bold strategy, very lean and agile. Will it work long term? Time will tell.

@dPrasse posted:

Hoping the H10-44 switch engines stay around !

fantastic loco !

Im Hoping they will develop the H20-44 as well as changing the grills on the H10-44 mold to produce the H12-44!

@prrhorseshoecurve posted:

Im Hoping they will develop the H20-44 as well as changing the grills on the H10-44 mold to produce the H12-44!

But who is the “they” here? I don’t think Mini MTH has a robust engineering and design department.

@Madockawando posted:

All production risks and costs are now on the dealers, not mini MTH. There is no place to store excess inventory at Elkridge Maryland.

It’s a bold strategy, very lean and agile. Will it work long term? Time will tell.

Please reread the statement in the first post. They do have warehouse, albeit smaller than the previous one and they do have engineering expertise who will be maintaining and improving DCS.

I am curious why you even post on this thread since you obviously have zero interest in purchasing MTH trains?

Pete

@Norton posted:

I am curious why you even post on this thread since you obviously have zero interest in purchasing MTH trains?

Pete

To remind us all how cool Lionel is.

I don't see what few mom and pop shops that are left will be able to continue to carry MTH products - simply due to the warranty obligations by the seller.   

These shops aren't geared for repairs unless they hire a staff person to address issues.   Hiring of a staff person even part-time isn't cost effective.

Hence then the number of MTH products out in the market place will decrease overall.

@Allegheny posted:

I don't see what few mom and pop shops that are left will be able to continue to carry MTH products - simply due to the warranty obligations by the seller.   

These shops aren't geared for repairs unless they hire a staff person to address issues.   Hiring of a staff person even part-time isn't cost effective.

Hence then the number of MTH products out in the market place will decrease overall.

Well, just the massive downsizing of the remaining MTH organization is sure to greatly reduce the amount of MTH product!

@Norton posted:

Please reread the statement in the first post. They do have warehouse, albeit smaller than the previous one and they do have engineering expertise who will be maintaining and improving DCS.

I am curious why you even post on this thread since you obviously have zero interest in purchasing MTH trains?

Pete

Mini MTH has made it clear that they have no room to store any inventory of any kind. Period. Once it comes in from oversees out it goes.  The DCS company may have engineering expertise but they are a separate company, not part of the new Mini MTH. Same with the separate MTH Parts company.

It will be interesting to see how well the three new spin off companies coordinate their efforts.

@prrhorseshoecurve posted:

Im Hoping they will develop the H20-44 as well as changing the grills on the H10-44 mold to produce the H12-44!

@Madockawando posted:

But who is the “they” here? I don’t think Mini MTH has a robust engineering and design department.

Directly from the news release:

"The train company will continue to operate as M.T.H. Electric Trains - marketing and producing new model train products"

What you "think" you know and what they plan to do are two different things. Please put your crystal ball away. It's not up to MTH to reveal every single little aspect and detail of the new inter working of their company to everyone right away or ever.

@ChiBoyinLA posted:

“At this point, approximately 20% of the O Gauge tooling portfolio, including the Atlas purchases, have been sold to date. The as-of-now unnamed buyers of the other O Gauge tooling will be revealed later this Summer.” (My guess is another distributor has acquired the rights to market & distribute the steam products)

Pure conjecture here, but doesn’t someone have a catalog scheduled for July?  Might it be used to announce some newly acquired goodies?

@Allegheny posted:

I don't see what few mom and pop shops that are left will be able to continue to carry MTH products - simply due to the warranty obligations by the seller.   

These shops aren't geared for repairs unless they hire a staff person to address issues.   Hiring of a staff person even part-time isn't cost effective.

Hence then the number of MTH products out in the market place will decrease overall.

Finding good repair help is tough right now. But since there are no catalogs and all orders will be dealer directed special runs it seems that any New MTH inventory Mm and Pop have to sell will have to come from teaming with larger dealers who can fund special runs .

perhaps mom and Pop dealers can team with the larger dealers to back them up with warranty repairs?

This is great news and donate with what I had hoped/ expected to hear. Certainly plenty of questions yet to be answered. I imagine based on what Atlas bought that the new MTH will focus on steam locomotives and rolling stock. While I hope to see new tooling come out, I suspect the company's budget will be a little tight for the time being. In regards to the yearly catalogs, I enjoy them as much as three next guy, but they are pretty unique to O scale. Other scales just have new product announcements from time to time.

It's truly amazing the effort that goes into dissecting the MTH business model!  Obviously the direction has evolved since the initial announcement was made about closing.  Many of the big MTH dealers are pretty happy about the companies continued existence.. I know I am.

What is the angle calling them "Mini MTH"?  A streamlined agile business is what you need to compete these days as margins have eroded across many business sectors.

Wonder how long before we'll have a Mini Lionel for you?

@Madockawando posted:

Lionel will do that with a 200 page catalog coming out in 8 weeks. 😎

Hopefully the colors in the catalog will match what they ship...

@H1000 posted:

Hopefully the colors in the catalog will match what they ship...

Me too but I'm not holding my breath

@MichRR714 posted:

It's truly amazing the effort that goes into dissecting the MTH business model!  Obviously the direction has evolved since the initial announcement was made about closing.  Many of the big MTH dealers are pretty happy about the companies continued existence.. I know I am.

What is the angle calling them "Mini MTH"?  A streamlined agile business it what you need to compete these days as margins have eroded across many business sectors.

Wonder how long before we'll have a Mini Lionel for you?

Studying the business end of our hobby is fascinating!!  The old MTH is gone, now we have a greatly truncated post Mike Wolf MTH.

Need to distinguish a new era: the Mini MTH era! Lean and agile!

It's bitter sweet news; and at best, it comes as  cold comfort to the many of us who have lost their LHS, in large measure because of this fiasco. Yippie, skippie, and Hooray !!!

Hope the new lean mth goes well we need them in the hobby

I nominate "post-Wolf" as a name for the next phase of mth.

@jhz563 posted:

I nominate "post-Wolf" as a name for the next phase of mth.

I second that

@Oscale_Trains_Lover_ posted:

I second that

Post-Mike MTH flows better

"I nominate "post-Wolf" as a name for the next phase of mth."

My reading of the press releases suggests he will remain involved, at least for the present.  How about "somewhat post-Wolf?"

Interesting email I got from Charles Ro.  I've had a circle of standard gauge Realtrax on order for a long time.  They cancelled the order as unavailable from the manufacturer. So for the moment, track appears to be a non-starter, at least for Standard Gauge. I did find some at another dealer, but it's thin on the ground.

I would wonder if the new "MTH-lite" will have experienced hands such as Rich F. and Andy E. on staff? No news yet, but without key people like these, one is less optimistic about the future.

"I am curious why you even post on this thread since you obviously have zero interest in purchasing MTH trains?"

Perhaps he's just interested in the industry? Fascinating story to me.  I'm waiting to see if the DCS company will finally sell power supplies for my DCS Explorer.

Are we going to require MTH Railroader Club membership cards or copies of receipts for purchases in order to post?  Let's try not to make this personal when people write things that we disagree with is my thought.

@Madockawando posted:

Post-Mike MTH flows better

It was meant to be a play on "post-war"

@Landsteiner posted:

"I am curious why you even post on this thread since you obviously have zero interest in purchasing MTH trains?"

Perhaps he's just interested in the industry? Fascinating story to me.  I'm waiting to see if the DCS company will finally sell power supplies for my DCS Explorer.

Are we going to require MTH Railroader Club membership cards or copies of receipts for purchases in order to post?  Let's try not to make this personal when people write things that we disagree with is my thought.

Not disagreeing Neil. Why would you even interpret what I said as that. Post all you want despite the fact it adds little substance to the topic.

Pete

Wow, did the postings above make interesting reading! And, surprise!  Now if the California lady who already is offering short run roadnames does some for plains, prairies, and mountains, l will get a lot more interested.  As for short runs, is that not Third Rail's business model ( l admit with bigger ticket items)? When Williams was replicating same old, same old, out of the blue Wms. did a brass Mikado.  'Ten-hup! Lionel compatible three rail got a LOT more interesting here. IF one electronic system becomes standard, will we get converts from HO, etc.?

Seatbelt fastened.

Guest posted:

With color schemes that won't match the actual production.

Looks like this topic is ... well, gone quite a bit off the initial purpose of the topic.  Perhaps time for it to be closed since now we have the typical off the wall comments, etc.  Lets see if it gets back on track.

One word: COOL!

***sliding in before the door closes*** 

Fingers crossed on some resumption of the tinplate line. During the mid-2000s I dropped a few train dollars on many items in the LCT catalogs. Such great stuff!

Hoping.

@OGR posted:

Looks like this topic is ... well, gone quite a bit off the initial purpose of the topic.  Perhaps time for it to be closed since now we have the typical off the wall comments, etc.  Lets see if it gets back on track.

Thank you!

OGR Forumites:

Why not give us some suggestions of what you would like to see MTH Electric Trains to produce and let us dealers know?  The minimum quantities for custom runs isn't unreasonable and if there is demand for a particular idea it just may become reality.  We have a bunch of ideas, but we are going to need your support of those ideas to make those ideas reality.  

@JR Junction Train & Hobby posted:

Thank you!

OGR Forumites:

Why not give us some suggestions of what you would like to see MTH Electric Trains to produce and let us dealers know?  The minimum quantities for custom runs isn't unreasonable and if there is demand for a particular idea it just may become reality.  We have a bunch of ideas, but we are going to need your support of those ideas to make those ideas reality.  

Do we know the minimum quantities? 

I'm just excited too hear this news. I hope to be able to continue to purchase Railking steamers in the future even if they are remakes from current tooling. I only have 3 Railkings at the moment but have my eyes on many more.

I hope I will be able to purchase any supplies I need as my setup is an MTH TIU and Wifi with Realtrax.

Happy with my Lionel trains but MTH is what got me into the hobby.

Brad

I'd like to see some special runs of NYC, New Haven or Great Northern standard gauge tinplate.

Also, I'd like to see MTH partner with Lionel to offer their MTH special runs either without electronics, but ready for ERR upgrades, or actually offer them with TMCC/LionChief 2.0.  This would require Lionel to license TMCC (which they have already done many times before for Weaver, K-line, 3rd Rail and Atlas) or to for the first time license LionChief/LC +/LC2.0.  Now that Lionel and MTH are no longer going to be direct competitors overall, perhaps this is the moment to revisit the Lionel Corporation type licensing agreement to the benefit of both companies?

Probably none of this will happen, but it would please me, and hopefully a few others.  With minimum orders now around 25 instead of the 500 of some years ago, the possibilities seem greater.  (Source for this: latest Notch 6 podcast with Derek Thomas).

@JR Junction Train & Hobby posted:

Thank you!

OGR Forumites:

Why not give us some suggestions of what you would like to see MTH Electric Trains to produce and let us dealers know?  The minimum quantities for custom runs isn't unreasonable and if there is demand for a particular idea it just may become reality.  We have a bunch of ideas, but we are going to need your support of those ideas to make those ideas reality.  

Do the requests have to be existing tooling or is / will there be opportunity for new tooling?

@Madockawando posted:

Mini MTH has made it clear that they have no room to store any inventory of any kind. Period. Once it comes in from oversees out it goes.  The DCS company may have engineering expertise but they are a separate company, not part of the new Mini MTH. Same with the separate MTH Parts company.

It will be interesting to see how well the three new spin off companies coordinate their efforts.

Please stop already.  All the information you are postulating has been in various releases, including a podcast/you tube where the two guys continuing discussed these things.

If you bother to do some very basic research, you can find it like a bunch of us did.     I have no idea why you keep popping up when DCS or MTH is mentioned, only to explain why you don't buy MTH.

As far as the so called separate companies you mention above.... again, you have absolutely no idea.

@JR Junction Train & Hobby posted:

Thank you!

OGR Forumites:

Why not give us some suggestions of what you would like to see MTH Electric Trains to produce and let us dealers know?  The minimum quantities for custom runs isn't unreasonable and if there is demand for a particular idea it just may become reality.  We have a bunch of ideas, but we are going to need your support of those ideas to make those ideas reality.  

Been waiting and waiting for them to do an Arcade and Attica GE 44 tonner.  Matching coaches would also be great!

@MartyE posted:

Do the requests have to be existing tooling or is / will there be opportunity for new tooling?

I was wondering about this too. If the opportunity for new tooling is possible, a nice start would be some proper models of N&W hoppers

"Do we know the minimum quantities?  "

Many dealers are offering special runs of 25 locos.  I assume rolling stock might be similar or a bit higher number.  Used to be you needed 500 for the LCCA and TCA special runs.  Apparently advances that lower the cost of decorating make smaller runs feasible, or so I'm told.