Andy Edleman, MTH's marketing VP, mentioned at last months York DCS users group dinner that the O scale operating coupler is still in the works. He also mentioned some of the other R&D projects that have pushed the O scale coupler down the hardware development priority list. Since the O scale coupler was first talked about MTH has gone into production on O scale diesel and steam Proto 3 hardware, developed new versions of the Proto 3 hardware for HO and added S scale to their product line.
None of those products has directly helped the O scale operating coupler to make it into a catalog yet some of them may give an indirect boost to it. The most recently cataloged HO steam locomotives have operating couplers on both the pilot and tender. Only HO diesels have had operating couplers so far and O scale steam has only had operating couplers on the front end of switchers. An HO Mike with operating couplers front an rear would be great and so would one in O scale. Also, MTH has decided to develop new proto 3 hardware for S scale switchers and road switchers that has an amperage capacity between their existing HO and O scale boards. Look for the S scale catalog early next year. If those locomotives feature operating Kadee compatible couplers I would take that as a good sign for O scale.