MTH Premier "O" Scale VO1000 Diesel Announcement

April 20, 2022 - M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing the Premier O Scale VO 1000 Diesel Locomotive in four select liveries in 2022. Each of these unique schemes will be available in limited production quantities and will begin shipping to M.T.H. Authorized Retailers in August 2022.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

ABOUT THE VO 1000 DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE

The Baldwin Locomotive Works had been building steam engines for a century before it sold its first production diesel in 1937. While most of Baldwin’s diesels were ultimately disappointments to its customers, the engines’ unique looks won the hearts of American railfans and modelers. Nothing else on rails looked like the baby-faced 24-wheeled Centipedes or the Raymond Loewy-styled Sharknoses. The distinctive VO-1000, perhaps the most muscular looking of all first-generation diesel switchers, was Baldwin’s most successful product. The U.S. military and over 30 class one railroads bought 548 copies of the 1000 hp. engine between 1939 and 1946.

All Baldwin diesels were powered by variations of the same De La Vergne diesel motor. Acquired by Baldwin in 1931, the De La Vergne Engine Company had started life in 1880 by making mechanical refrigeration machines for breweries. Its power plant for Baldwin’s locomotives was unique among diesels of its time. In order to make the fuel burn slower and give their 4-cycle engine a longer power stroke, De La Vergne’s designers used massive cylinders more than a foot in diameter and added a separate combustion chamber above each cylinder. To allow the fuel more time to burn, they ran the engine at a maximum speed of 625 rpm — just over half the speed of most competitive diesels. In the October 1936 issue of Baldwin Locomotives Magazine, the company claimed that "slow combustion gives low fuel consumption, absence of smoke, quick pick-up, and smooth idling."

Ultimately the massive De La Vergne motor proved to be both a blessing and a curse. Teamed up with equally heavy-duty traction motors supplied by Westinghouse, Baldwin’s prime mover found its niche in low-speed lugging assignments, which it handled relatively well. But those were just the types of assignments in which crews tended to abuse equipment and push an engine to its limits. As a result, Baldwin engines eventually developed a reputation for high maintenance costs. The VO-1000 switcher, with its normally aspirated 8-cylinder engine, was actually one of Baldwin’s most dependable locomotives, and many served for decades. The turbocharged models that succeeded the VO-1000, however, were plagued with problems that included excessive piston wear. By 1956 it was clear that Baldwin was no longer a contender in the diesel business, and the nation’s oldest locomotive builder threw in the towel.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

April 19, 2022 - M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing additional RailKing O Gauge Bump-n-Go Trolleys this Fall in three new liveries. Each of these unique schemes will be available in limited production quantities and will begin shipping to M.T.H. Authorized Retailers in October 2022.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

ABOUT THE BUMP-N-GO TROLLEY

One of the earliest notable trolley designs was the patented Brill Convertible Car which included removable side panels enabling the same trolley to be an open car in warm weather and a closed car in colder seasons. Later, the patented semi-convertible design enabled the removable panels to be stored in the car's roof. Other Brill innovations included the Narragansett car, an open car with a patented two-step running board to facilitate boarding by women in tight skirts; heavy steel high-speed articulated cars built-in 1926 for the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis interurban; and lightweight, high-speed Bullet cars developed in 1930.

Each colorful trolley features a lighted interior, metal wheels and gears, and a long-lasting motor. The unit operates on any O Gauge track system and features an Automatic Bumper Reversing Mechanism (ABRM) that changes the car’s direction when it hits a track bumper.

The North Pole scheme features the maroon and blue livery offered by other manufacturers and will complement those offerings quite well. The North Pole also features body-clad colorful LEDs making it a perfect addition to your Holiday layout.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

Hurry Before They're Gone, Just Five Or Fewer Of These O Gauge Items Remain In Stock

April 20, 2022 - Each week, M.T.H. releases product lists spotlighting quantities of Five Or Fewer Premier and RailKing items that are remaining in our onhand inventory. In many cases, these items will NOT be re-run in the future and these lists could be your last chance for ordering them before they're GONE FOR GOOD. Don't miss out on these items! Click on the appropriate product line link below and then any item number in the corresponding list to purchase that item from the M.T.H. Online Store or order directly from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

RailKing O Gauge

New Features Added To RailKing UP Auxiliary Tenders

The RailKing Auxiliary Tenders announced last month with the RailKing Big Boy Locomotives will feature operating LED backup lights and an operating Proto-Coupler that can be plugged into the 2022 Big Boy tender and be triggered with the DCS System or a transformer equipped with a whistle and bell button. Learn more about the Big Boy and the Auxiliary Tender by going HERE.

M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing two different RailKing O Gauge operating boxcars, each in four select liveries in 2022. Each of these unique schemes will be available in limited production quantities and will begin shipping to M.T.H. Authorized Retailers in September 2022.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

4th 2022 Premier O Scale Union Pacific Auxiliary Water Tender Announced

M.T.H. Electric Trains has added a fourth Auxiliary Water Tender to 2022 production announced in late March. The fourth scheme is black and like the other three will make an excellent complement to the 2021 Union Pacific Big Boy Steam Locomotive arriving this Spring. Each will be available in limited production quantities and will begin shipping to M.T.H. Authorized Retailers in July 2022.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing the RailKing O Gauge MP15 diesel locomotive in five select liveries in 2022. Each of these unique schemes will be available in limited production quantities and will begin shipping to M.T.H. Authorized Retailers in September 2022.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.