Because I buy only the scale wheeled power units, I haven't bought any dummy units in a while, and when I do it is with an eye toward using them for upgrade projects to fixed pilots and the like. I doubt that the problem is so much that non-powered units "don't sell," at least in the sense that they sit in inventory. They sell out rather quickly. I suspect the issue is relatively low sales and production cost in comparison to what MTH and the manufacturer make on each unit.
I think the post above (attributed to a reliable source) that lighting is an issue is interesting. Notice that in the last maybe two catalogs, Premier dummies have not been issued, but a number of Railking Scale models have been offered in powered and dummy versions. I don't believe the Railking Scale units have lighting (the only one I've purchased did not). Of course the Railkings have lower production costs because they typically don't have the add-on detail. Nonetheless, if people want MTH to re-think offering Premier dummy models, maybe lighting is something they should be prepared to give up. If so, you might speak up.
For my part, I never thought the insistence that lighting be added to dummy units was a good idea. Lighting only added to the cost, and in the real world, trailing locomotives in a multiple unit consist run with relatively few lights and rarely the ones illuminated on a model engine. In the age of three-rail traction tires, I suspect few people run dummy units in the lead. It seemed almost as if people were insisting that for the money, they get something inside the shell.
RM
You don't have to lash up a dummy unit in the trailing position. Im confused by that question.
