Whoa!  Nobody is buying scale wheel stuff!

Good!

Maybe we will get the LIRR MU'S & B&O GP-7 Sunburst sooner!

Items in demand.

I buy only scale wheel versions when available and install hi rail wheels. Fortunately, I have no interest in the above offerings, however, I hope MTH does not decide to never make scale wheel versions of locomotives again.

 At the very least, they need to close that pilot gap a lot more. Lionel seems to have got it right with their new semi fixed pilot locomotives.

Ouch. That's quite a few cancellations.

 I tried to preorder this three times!

22-20365-2        Conrail GE U30C (Scale-Wheel)

maybe they decided to abandon the whole offering with fixed pilots for some odd reason.

 I wish there were a way to talk with them directly, besides facebook that I don't belong to and their phones and emails which go unanswered.

 The new 22- prefix seemed like it would have increased bass response from their description. I would have got at least one to try.

Bummer.  2-rail locos are not selling.  I have promised myself to only buy the fixed pilot versions in the future, because fixing it yourself is a lot of work.

I may not have that luxury...

Matt,

 That's quite a few cancellations.

Not really.

It's only 4 3-rail and 4 2-rail engines, out of an entire catalog.

I would certainly like to know if these models were cancelled due to lack of pre-orders or if there was another reason? I am shocked and surprised to see so many modern era Scale wheel models get canceled. It was my understanding that these had been selling well.

Wow. Now that it just plain rude. I hope you remember that the next time something you pre-ordered gets canceled.  Not enough to ask for what you want? Now you revel in the misfortune of others?

Really? I've called twice and gotten very good service. The first time the woman even did an email follow up. 2nd time, I had a sale question and a tech question. Got through to sales and when done they transferred me to tech support and talked to a helpful enough tech. Really can't complain.

I opened this thread with baited breath. I just preordered a PS3 Mikado. Even though I run conventional at this time, I bought a PS2 diesel and was beyond impressed with the conventional operation. Great sound, good speed (slow enough for me anyway), appears to already have cruise control from the manual and my running, operating rear coupler with conventional transformer. I bought a 2nd hand Mountain (Locosound) for good money after watching it run (dealer is replacing a nonfunctioning marker light as part of the deal, and I have a line on an older PS2 (5volt) Mikado for cheap) and had decided to buy the new one as a treat. Hadn't given them any money yet just confirmed over the phone when they called and said they could get one in June.

Glad mine isn't on the list.

Geez Barry,

Way to put a positive spin on this.  I counted 29 items.   But you only seem to count 8.  You'll make a great politician some day.  Or a bad mathematician. 

Son of a gun!  Looks like I'll keep my eye out for either a N.O.S or lightly used PS2 version.

I realize that an item's pre-order stats are a driving force if a cataloged product makes the often long, long, long... journey from catalog to dealer's sales counter.  But I think many of us are becoming hesitant to pre-order because of the numerous times a recent product's final production model differs from what was either pictured or described in the catalog.  As a result of this current practice each side, train manufacturer/importer and customer are hurting themselves as well as the other.  Ironic?

Mike,

There were only 5 individual engines cancelled for 3-rail and 17 for 2-rail, out of 140 engines total.

7 pieces of rolling stock were cancelled out of what looks like a couple of hundred in the catalog. IMHO, that's not even worth mentioning.

It would appear that 2-rail preorders just weren't there, and 2-rail is what took the big hit.

Too bad the M10000 got cancelled.  Perhaps sales could be improved if products with a regional history like the M10000 were marketed for sale in history museums as well as to electric train enthusiasts with the impact of having broadened exposure and appeal for our hobby.

MTH has always returned my e mails most quickly even on Christmas day.

I asked MTH on Facebook why these were canceled and the answer was simply lack of orders.

Personally I can't stand the pre-order process. I can think of many arguments why it isn't fair to the consumer. None of that matters though as it is here to stay. The moral of this story is that if we want products made in O scale we need to be prepared to pre-order. If not then we will see less and less product offered.

Grudgingly, I will be putting in my pre-orders for anything offered in my road names going forward.

Personally I can't stand the pre-order process. I can think of many arguments why it isn't fair to the consumer.

In all fairness Johnny, regardless of why this may not be fair to the consumer, the bottom line is that there is only one argument: Is it financially warranted by the company to go ahead with production of a product? That's the one and only concern.

If any company produces products they cannot sell in quantities needed at a particular price point, then they could go out of business. Then the consumer has lost all choices from that company. Just as no consumer of these train products would go about their own job and do that job for less money that it takes to complete the job.

With some regularity you read comments about the "rich" train companies with their executives rolling in the money. Nothing could be futher from the truth. Every time I see Mike Wolf speak some place, I see the stress on his face I never saw years ago in the early years of MTH. I don't think running a company like MTH is easy. Heck, it's not even easy being a brick and mortar hobby shop these days.

And it's not just the high end either. Although these products may be more prone to get cancelled immediately because of their higher production costs, lower profit margins, and smaller production runs. All that increases the necessity of making minimum order numbers.

Maybe the blowouts from RMT were prompted by the demise of Aristo Craft, but look how long it took for them to clear out. And on some products, there were many price reductions. So it isn't just the high end of the train market not selling at given price points.

And if other train companies look at these cancellations fom MTH as lack of interest in these products, well, again back to RMT: How willing will Walter be to re-run products that took the longest to sell with the most price roll backs?

Ultimately, despite the wants of some consumers, the financial health of the train makers comes first. If there's not a justification in the numbers, there isn't going to be a product made.

Thanks for the update Charlie.