S Gauge - Sequestered and quiet here??

@poniaj posted:

Joe,

Be very careful, or acquiring 1:64 cars can become another hobby!  I know of what I speak...

And they keep delivering MORE!

Gee. All Fords. What a surprise!

Looks like they are all '57's. 1957 was one of the years that Ford outsold Chevy.

Have fun.

Bob

@poniaj posted:

Joe,

Be very careful, or acquiring 1:64 cars can become another hobby!  I know of what I speak...

And they keep delivering MORE!

I'm sorry, you are too late. I already have about 200 "fine" 1:48 models...one costing me $350. However, the 1:64 cars are only for my small S layout. The trick is parking lots, a trailer park, and downtown streets. Understand that I grew up during the 1950s (8-18 years old), so its also a nostalgia thing for me.

What is interesting is that a few of the 1:64 M2 cars at $8. had cost me a small fortune finding them in 1:43...namely a '55 DeSoto ($250) and a few others at $85. each.

@Joe Hohmann posted:

 

What is interesting is that a few of the 1:64 M2 cars at $8. had cost me a small fortune finding them in 1:43...namely a '55 DeSoto ($250) and a few others at $85. each.

Wowsers... Now I don't feel so bad for spending 80 bucks on a truck:

Rusty

@Rusty Traque posted:

Wowsers... Now I don't feel so bad for spending 80 bucks on a truck:

Rusty

 

What scale is this 1953 Mack? I have a white/green one in 1:50 (I think) that is pulling a car carrier for 1:43 scale cars. I also have a 1947 International pulling same.

@Joe Hohmann posted:

What scale is this 1953 Mack? I have a white/green one in 1:50 (I think) that is pulling a car carrier for 1:43 scale cars. I also have a 1947 International pulling same.

It's 1:64 by First Gear.

<Correction: I paid 70 bucks.  Still more than I would have liked to pay, but I was looking for a Navajo tractor trailer.>

Rusty

Even though my layout is "finished" there are always little details to add. Been working on some cyclone fencing to add in a few spots. Anyone who has built a layout knows that things evolve during construction and one has to remain flexible as to how late additions are added.

Tool shed leak being repaired

Next project is repairing a bunch of Flyer steamers and building a GE 44 tonner and painting an AM RS3 in southern colors.

Rich

Sure like your layout, Rich. LOVE the C&NW stripe schemes!

Andre

Well, I'm gonna be honest here.  I'm not as optimistic as I once was.

As I'm in the still working through the early phases of relocating, MTH closing down is giving me pause about what I will do when it's time to build a new railroad. 

I've actually given some thought to doing retro-HO: Forsaking the high-detail, high-tech HO world for the likes of working with Athearn Blue Box, MDC Roundhouse, Mantua-Tyco, etc.  I still have some "leftovers" from 30+ years ago, plus good used stuff abounds.

Of course, I could accomplish pretty much the same thing with American Models and original SHS.  Or I could even go Hi-rail. 

Part of this reasoning is, assuming someone does buy the Showcase Line from Mike Wolf, it would probably be another two years before production would resume as the new manufacturer figures out how to fit S into their operations.  It was a bumpy ride when MTH took over the Showcase Line, never reaching it's full potential.  I look at the way the former K-Line and Williams products have been handled in O and it's not a pretty sight.

Also, Ron at AM is no spring chicken, who knows what will happen when he decides to retire.  Things are also pretty fuzzy about the goings on at S Scale America/Des Plaines Hobbies and Fox Valley Models (track.)

The future is written in Silly-Putty for both S Scale and my involvement in it.

Rusty

I am happy to report that North Penn S Gaugers will have it's first in person meeting in June.  Last fully attended meeting was February.

Wow Rusty. That's pretty heavy stuff right there. I can understand your dilemma, though. IF you decide to return to HO, be advised that you can get some very GOOD non-DCC engines from essentially all the manufacturers. Bachmann, Atlas, etc. If you purchase these RTR, the it's open the box, set on the track, and play.

I wish I had a more upbeat outlook for S scale. But it really seems that over and over again, circumstances have conspired against S scale.

In view of the S side of MTH, I a'feared the scale will brace themselves for what may happen in view of the SHS line: Nothing. Adios SHS line.

As I see it:

Lionel will be fine and dandy with the former SHS line fading away. Lionel's market is Hi-rail and traditional S. Make no mistake, Lionel is very aware of the demographics in motion within the very small niche of S, which is similar to what is happening in the O 3-rail world, but the numbers are even smaller (less profit potential) in S.

As we all know, Boomers are aging out and passing. This is already putting a lot of product on the secondary market (with much more to come), but NOT new customers with money burning a hole in their pocket for S scale products (or O 3 rail). I would be highly surprised if Lionel obtains the S line from MTH, and if they DID, it will be at least two years before any motive power product starts trickling through, for the product will have to be redesigned to be "Lionel-ized" with Lionel electronics. NO way on God's green earth would Lionel EVER use DCS tech. Thus, IMHO, Lionel is very doubtful for picking up the SHS line.

The only other option, American Models, will not have the deep pockets required to purchase the SHS line. Besides, as Rusty pointed out, Ron is aging out, also. Like many small businesses, I suspect that AM is asset rich, but cash poor. I also suspect he makes just enough money to keep afloat and have an acceptable living, but would NOT have the needed venture capital to purchase SHS from MTH. Frankly, I think the SHS line was a very expensive experiment for MTH, and, as I perceive it, became a liability. Piece meal sales of specific products may happen, but again, this depends on just who has (or if they do, would be willing to risk) the venture capital they're willing to sink into a retracting model railroad industry, especially at this precarious moment in US history?

"This precarious moment in US history": To wit: Co-19 with its dramatic downturn of the economy, resulting in countless small business shuttered forever, wide-scale violent insurrection in the streets, losing infrastructure because of same, etc, etc? It will be a HUGE job to rebuild this Nation after the panic-induced economic damage, along with the property damage (once the violent tantrums are over).

All of the above and more makes it terrible timing for MTH to attempt selling their business segments.

Having said all of the above, I do wish Mike and his family the best and I don't blame him one iota for wanting to cut his business losses so as to minimize damage to his personal finances and move on.

All fer now. Off to ride my motorcycle.

Andre

I could see a faint possibility where 3rd Rail could pick up the former S Helper tooling, but it's probably a pipe dream.

Most of you would disagree, but I believe it would actually make more sense for a entrepreneur to bring out a line of TT scale trains from scratch than to buy the S Helper line from MTH. There would be a much bigger potential market, and all of the scale-Hi-Rail silliness would be avoided--everything could be made scale, state of the art, and run on scale railed (Code 65 or 70) track. 

Jeff C

Guys...those of you that stated your unhappiness about the mods editing and deleting the multiple threads about the current situation with MTH...well....we deleted your posts per our TOS.  The Publisher posted the request/explanation as to why (found in the featured topics) we want the discussion consolidated into basically one or two threads.  We put those threads in the featured topics and you are certainly welcome to discuss in detail how the MTH announcement will affect the S-Gauge community within those threads.  What is so unreasonable about us asking for a little help and cooperation so that we can manage the huge responses....please try to consider more than just one side of this story.

Hi Alan,

We understand why you consolidated the threads down to the featured topics area which happily serves the O members.

You also kindly allowed the S fraternity to have a space on this forum to specifically discuss our little world because it has connections with the mainstream O manufactures as a common interest. Would it be possible to ask if we could have our own featured topic area for S or to allow us to have just one thread in our own area?

I suspect that if we posted in the main threads they will get lost amongst all the O content and would make it nearly impossible for us to see anything connected to the S world. It just wouldn’t be viable to keep tabs on our postings by scanning up and down the thread.

Ukaflyer has put into words what I struggled to form a response for. 

The main discussion has ballooned to 12 pages in a day.  The S Gaugers here wouldn't generate that kind of volume in a year.  We might be able to generate two, possibly three pages regarding this subject before we moved on the next stage of grief and turned our attentions elsewhere.

The news about MTH is pretty much devastating to the S community.  MTH was 1/3rd of the suppliers of mass market locomotives in S and 1/2 of "high visibility" S manufactures to the outside world.  Unlike with O gauge, where there is a pretty good possibility that MTH O products will be picked up by someone else, the chances of the S product line stands a relatively poor chance of becoming someone else's property.  It's been reported many times that the sale of S-Helper to MTH was a difficult proposition, in the current environment resale will be even more difficult.

Rusty