Has anyone used Gargraves Large Gauge 2 rail track ( for indoor use) ? It is made from the same components as what we use in 3 rail. Not very expensive and looks more prototypical with American prototype locomotives...
As others have said so well, the O gauge market is shrinking a bit. Not god or bad, just the way it is. We've been thru ups and downs before. With the O gauge market a bit down, their other lines, particular HO, European and S gauge will help them to financially weather any down turn in the U.S. O gauge market(nice business planning).
MTH HO initial offerings were well received for their quality and scale fidelity, but had some initial issues with hard core(old school) DC/DCC users. There was a lot of MTH bashing going on. Some was justified, most was just bashing, some people like to be mean and nasty.
My opinion is that younger, less hard core DC/DCC HO operators love MTH HO products. MTH HO are high quality products, and their users have noted that.
Most HO operators are not brand loyal, they are era/ scale loyal. Make something that fits their Railroad era, with scale fidelity and you'll gather their attention.
MTH HO was my favorite HO company after BLI and Atlas. I had many of MTH HO Steam and Diesel products and I was very happy with all their offerings. BLI was a close 2nd. I actually ran them in DCC and DCS and I did like the DCS HO operation, many sounds with DCS.
My first O scale loco was the French 2-3-1 with scale wheels. I looked so nice and it ran very well, this is what got me into O scale and now I am almost fully into O scale and I am selling my HO stuff to fund O scale.
I think MTH HO stuff is very high quality and I do hope that they continue in that scale, however I hope they do not spread themselves too thin with other scales which ,ay effect the O scale and HO scale they offer....
BigBoy4014 - Didn't see an email for you. Please write to me offline as I might be interesting in trading with you for some MTH HO if interested. Looking for a yellowbonnet F3 and PA's.
Am of to sleep but will look for you tomorrow,
Sam
Agree with Mr. Miller here. I too was heavily into LGB when they were at the top of the G scale. I used to run LGB on the floor but I also had an HO on a 4x8.
I had owned many of LGB's steam and diesel engines, their cars and tracks too. I NEVER ever had one single quality problem with their product. The only problem I had was their.....PRICE! they were always very expensive. Only G scale brass has better details but the LGB drive system and track were great. Their plastics bodies were made of the highest quality to withstand UV and direct sun rays. Their paint was the best too...
I do believe that the expense of running a company in Germany, with all its expenses to provide for its workers, Government labor regulations and the competition of the Chinese product that were made by other G scale companies, forced them into bankruptcy.
I know, this is not an LGB thread so I will stop here 
Originally Posted by Allan Miller:
I agree with just about everything Ted wrote (above). As I've noted for years, the demographics of our hobby are slowly changing (evolving?) and there's little that can be done to reverse that trend. That is something both manufacturers and consumers have to adjust to and accept. That does not spell doom and gloom for the hobby; it simply means some adjustments have to be made to meet a changing market and changing market conditions.
Of all the popular model railroading scales, I think it's safe to say that Large Scale (G gauge, if you will) has suffered the most in recent years. I don't like to admit that because Large Scale continues to be my personal favorite of all the major scales. But once the original LGB, under ownership of the Richter family, left the scene, things began something of a downhill slide, at least on the domestic scene. Aristo's departure from the market has also not helped things. A number of other factors have also contributed to the decline of the Large Scale market, not the least of them being the ever-increasing cost of track--the most basic of items in any scale--and the declining number of brick-and-mortar dealers willing or able to devote shelf space to a diverse assortment of Large Scale items.
It has been my experience in talking with other Large Scale enthusiasts and groups of enthusiasts such as garden railroading clubs, that MTH products were and still are highly regarded. They are well made for outdoor running and quite durable. Offering more in the way of smaller motive power would have, in my view, helped to grow that segment faster for MTH, but that's just my personal opinion based on knowing that many garden railroaders in general, and indoor modelers in particular, simply don't have the space needed for extensive layouts with broad, sweeping curves. That said, there are still, in my view, excellent reasons for MTH to continue its involvement in 1:32 scale trains. The demise of two market leaders--LGB and Aristo-Craft--provides even more opportunity for growth among the remaining competitors.
Originally Posted by c.sam:
BigBoy4014 - Didn't see an email for you. Please write to me offline as I might be interesting in trading with you for some MTH HO if interested. Looking for a yellowbonnet F3 and PA's.
Am of to sleep but will look for you tomorrow,
Sam
Hello C. Sam; sorry man. I am overseas now and internet access is very flaky. I just got some wifi now that is why I am reading OGR a lot!. I will be back in California in a couple of weeks and I will certainly be happy to contact you asap...have a good sleep!
Visited my LHS today and asked about the MTH HO. LHS Owner said it was doing well there, they are selling quite a bit of it.
There HO sells very well. We just got in another load. Waiting for the re-issue of the Triplex and Heavyweight cars.
Did they produce a HO Triplex awhile back Charlie?
I bought a G gauge Triplex from you guys at York last April...
Sam
Yes, MTH did the Triplex in HO. It was one of their earlier HO locomotives and it is back in the 2014 HO catalog.
The Triplex was made a few years back and was a huge seller. Big seller overseas too
For those who may have missed it earlier, here is the video of Mike Wolf's presentation at the TCA Museum during York week in October 2013. In the program, Mike presents a number of his thoughts related to production in other scales.
Originally Posted by Allan Miller:
For those who may have missed it earlier, here is the video of Mike Wolf's presentation at the TCA Museum during York week in October 2013. In the program, Mike presents a number of his thoughts related to production in other scales.
Saw that last fall, but good to get a refresher. Sounds like MTH is still planning on expanding the O-gauge line with 9 new steamers being designed. Only thing I heard that didn't sound too good was 1-gauge. Sounded like that was drooping a bit, but they are sticking with it. Mike is definitely a hands on train guy, makes me want to go out and purchase a new diesel! Said he wants to do this for another 40 years, I hope he makes it!
For those who may have missed it earlier, here is the video of Mike Wolf's presentation at the TCA Museum during York week in October 2013. In the program, Mike presents a number of his thoughts related to production in other scales.
Thank you Allan. I wonder how many people actually watch these YORK presentation videos so graciously posted by the TCA? All you need do is watch the first couple minutes of this video and many questions will be answered.
I think people forget that the train companies are businesses that need to make a profit. People get annoyed when a product is cataloged and then cancelled. Well, I see it like this: They wanted to make the product, but not enough people wanted to buy it. Should they make the product anyways and lose money on it, putting them deeper in debt? It's not personal against the disappointed hobbyist... its just business.
And it obvious from watching this video that the sometimes-posted generalization that the train company executives are living the high life, is hogwash. Mike makes the comment he's been in the business for 40 years and wonders when will it get easier? (Obviously it's not getting easier!) He then mentions every time he comes up with a new product idea, that his sales manager tells him "you're digging us deeper in the hole." (Meaning, they're in the hole now, spending more than they're making). He mentions new steam engine designs that cost around $15K each... just the design alone... not dies, tooling, paint masks, assembly and production costs.
I could easily ask, "Where are the new Rugged Rails products?" But the fact that they're not cataloged tells me they're not making enough money on them to warrant production (yes, they do make a few which are in starter sets, but not separate sale).
So MTH is putting investment into other areas right now, like HO products. That doesn't mean they are abandoning O gauge. Its just means they're trying stay in business like many other companies today.
Originally Posted by brianel_k-lineguy:
Thank you Allan. I wonder how many people actually watch these YORK presentation videos so graciously posted by the TCA? All you need do is watch the first couple minutes of this video and many questions will be answered.
I will probably never make it to York, too far for me, so I eagerly watch all the TCA presentations from all the manufacturers. Just have a poor memory and forget most of what they said within a few weeks/days of viewing... BTW, although I didn't quote it all, nice post.
Originally Posted by brianel_k-lineguy:
Mike makes the comment he's been in the business for 40 years and wonders when will it get easier? (Obviously it's not getting easier!)
ay in business like many other companies today.
I recall that he's also often said that when it's time to ship product from their warehouse to the dealers, he rolls up his sleeves and loads the crates up with the rest of his employees.
I also recall him saying that in the aftermath of the MTH/Samhongsa partnership when production moved from the Samhongsa plant to the new Korean subcontractor plant (yes, they still have product that's made in Korea) that he was there helping to load all the heavy dies, etc. too. I think he's done that when moving operations from prior facilities in China as well to their existing one that they "own."
So he's definitely hands-on when it comes to engaging in the grunt work at his company, and not so high-brow that he leaves it up to just his worker bees.
