LOL maybe he wants to go part time

WOW!!!!!   You sure ask a LOT of rhetorical questions.

Years ago MTH was supposed to produce the Allegheny in Gauge One.  Was this ever done?

No one but Mike Wolf and some of his staff know the answers to your questions, which are quite reasonable questions, and rather important to prospective customers.  Anyone providing answers is just making an educated guess. Events will tell us the answers, but it will take some months, maybe a year or so, to have hard data regarding robust warranty service, parts, future production, where and how the successor parts of MTH will operate, if they operate at all.  Stay tuned and don't take any risks you are not comfortable with.

It's starting to sound like those 1980's electronic stores in NJ when I grew up that were going out of business for 10 years and their prices were "INSANE!!!"

In all seriousness, in China the factory needs continuous work or it will close.  MTH might just be keeping them busy with small runs until an agreement for someone else to take over the tooling can possibly be found.

@yardtrain posted:

I’ve been getting new engine Announcements from MTH. I don’t want to see them closing at all, I even preordered a one gauge Bigboy. From a MTH dealer.
But why are they still having new product announcements ? If they officially announced the company closure.
What about the warranty on these products ? Can’t send them in for repair to a company that is out of business.
Where are these products shipping from in the US ?  I heard originally from Mike’s home. That just seems impractical.

Is Mike wanting to retirement really the reason for closing ? If so then why keep producing ? This just doesn’t add up.

I think all the signs point to that MTH really is closing. Really!

- It takes time to close down any business, especially one that has been operating for decades.

- I think a lot of these locomotives were in the works long before MTH announced they were closing. These new announcements are just clean up and closing the books on projects that were all ready underway

- It doesn't hurt to squeeze some last minute $$$ from going out of business sales or inventory clean up. Its nothing unusual as part of any business's close down plan

- In any case, it really is over, in fact, significant parts of MTH have already left the building. I believe the building has even left the building! (ie, been SOLD)

- Anything now is just pure momentum as MTH coasts to a stop.  MTH is coming to an end, its not coming back and I don't think there will be somebody else to come along and build a train company from his boyhood bedroom all the way to a multi-million dollar giant of the rails. The hobby will never see another Mike Wolf.  The final chapter of A Toy Train Story: The Remarkable History of M.T.H. Electric Trains is being written.

@yardtrain posted:

What about the warranty on these products ? Can’t send them in for repair to a company that is out of business.
Where are these products shipping from in the US ?  I heard originally from Mike’s home. That just seems impractical.

I believe it has been mentioned that current techs at MTH are taking over continuation of support for DCS and repairs for at least the near future.

I can't find the exact thread. (of course)

Atlas has "aquired" at least some of the diesel tooling as well as some freight car tooling, and will reportedly be reproducing previous MTH items using the MTH overseas factory under the Atlas O name.

The jury is still out regarding the rest of MTH , i.e. steamers, your 1 guage etc. Some folks suspect MTH may very well still be around in a slightly different form.

Or ...maybe.... this is just Mike Wolf taking a play out of the band KISS's playbook.

@Allegheny posted:

Years ago MTH was supposed to produce the Allegheny in Gauge One.  Was this ever done?

No. I never heard they were even considering it? There was one from Accucraft. Is that what you're thinking of?

@Engineer-Joe posted:

No. I never heard they were even considering it? There was one from Accucraft. Is that what you're thinking of?

Dear Joe,

Very early on I recall that they were going to produce the Allegheny.  But it seems MTH never did.  I was aware of Accucraft model.

@RickO posted:

I believe it has been mentioned that current techs at MTH are taking over continuation of support for DCS and repairs for at least the near future.

I can't find the exact thread. (of course)

This was mentioned by MTH however it left some of the techs wondering

1. When did they agree to this
2. Where are they supposed to get the warranty parts from

Little details that haven't been ironed out yet

@cbojanower posted:

This was mentioned by MTH however it left some of the techs wondering

1. When did they agree to this
2. Where are they supposed to get the warranty parts from

Little details that haven't been ironed out yet

Those are big details. If you don’t have technicians and you don’t have a source for repair parts, you don’t have a DCS repair company.

Latest announcements have production almost to the end of the year.  So closed by this summer is out the window.  Personally I don't think they are going anywhere.  Yes a little smaller since Atlas purchase some of the tooling but not going anywhere.

@GG1 4877 posted:

It's starting to sound like those 1980's electronic stores in NJ when I grew up that were going out of business for 10 years and their prices were "INSANE!!!"

I'll drink to that - CRAZY EDDIE!!!  These prices are INSANE!

While Crazy Eddie claimed to have had insane prices, the outfit ultimately had significant legal problems.

I wonder if anyone has considered they're doing this just to keep themselves in the spotlight until a buyer is found.  Look at all the people talking about MTH and the new announcements, almost like they planned it.

I'm sure Mike Wolf must be enjoying this.

@Hot Water posted:

WOW!!!!!   You sure ask a LOT of rhetorical questions.

What if there is no such thing as a rhetorical question?

Nobody could have planned this. It's stranger than fiction.  Oh wait, that means it's real.

"

“The only difference between reality and fiction is that fiction needs to be credible.”

― Mark Twain"