Old MTH Locos worth it?

stevej,

    The very 1st thing you need to determine is whether the P1 engines have been damaged, if so maybe George (GGG) here in the forum can help you decide what to due with them,  I passed on more than a few of these P1 engines that had been damaged by low batteries, George might even be able to give you a fix however.

PCRR/Dave

What do you have?  To upgrade them to command will be costly .(at least 250 to 300 maybe more. To fix proto-1 issues may also be costly if you have to ship both ways and pay for repairs.  Maybe put them on the buy and sell board here and see what happens. .

Having said that I actually like the early stuff. I think it's better built however it doesn't have all the features we have with todays electronics that we can't go without..  Anyway good luck with your stuff.

You could always turn them into lighted dummy units.  At least you won't need to shell out more $$$.

If they're Premier models, they're still worth upgrading for someone that wants that road name and model.  I doubt I'd spend the money to upgrade a RailKing unless it was a unique piece.

If you can do the work yourself, upgrade kits (ordered from MTH railroad club thru the end of the year, are $150.

I tend to agree with Gunrunnerjohn, but saing said that, I've upgraded everything I own that has a can motor, and a couple that don't.  The old MTH were generally made by Samhongsa in Korea, & I feel they were a better quality than the current from anohter Asian land.

Ps1 locos damaged by dead batteries are generally repairable, I am told, by a kit that MTH sells.

I've brought many PS/1 locomotives back to life, generally it's not that difficult to wake them up. 

I recently bought a dead P1. I was absolutely, positively told not to run it until the older batteries were replaced. Trying to run them could cause additional damage.

Replaced the battery, charged it overnight, and the unit now runs like a champ!

Good Luck with yours! 

I personally like the PS1 era stuff - lots of great models, with near scale size, but not so much detail that you can't touch them.  The PS1 board may be locked but for people converting to Bluetooth / RC / PS3 / TMCC - these can be great options. Of course, can also be converted to dummies.  Look for $60-125 depending on the model on the market.  As others have mention, PS1 can be unlocked.

To update yourself, depends on what you want to do.  PS3 is pricey - $250-300.  TMCC control is running about $80.  Sound will cost more.  Bluetooth is just entering the market and will be between $70-100.  RC depends on manufacturer.  Could be converted to base Conventional for under $70.

It all comes down to what you want to tackle.  There's definitely a market to sell them.

Went heavy on PS1 engines early on. Then came the dead batteries and stripped out mounting posts from taking the bodies on and off. When MTH came out with PS2 3V I sold everything except a couple of steamers. All of my PS2 engines have BCRs and never had to remove a body because of a dead battery.

My advice with old Premier PS1 locos is either sell them or install a BCRs. They were good running reliable engines for their day which was over twenty years ago for some. Most of them were made by Samhongsa in Korea too.    

I have this MTH 0-8-0 stored in its box for years. I just took it out for a test run and it works perfect. Has a solid precision feel to it.

Were all MTH ps1 sounds systems made by QSI? Did MTH switch suppliers and thats when the dead battery/scrambled chip issue started?

franktrain

That was quick. Given all the other things going on in our lives right now, I'll not be doing anything to restore them. I might offer them to the local hobby shop if he wants the stuff.

Thanks all

If you want to get rid of them shoot me an email. It's in my profile, to get there click on my name under the avatar...

Send them to me!  I'll run them with my boys, like I do with all my PS-1 locomotives.  I have one running behind me right now as I type.  I love them!

Don't premier MTH ps1 locos tend to have undersized fuel tanks, oversized grab bars, and generally unprototypical details?

Don't buy em...

Martin H,

    They are all little boys toys of different quality levels, each to his own.  Tin Plate Trains are still the best Trains ever made.

PCRR/Dave

I have two PS1's Chessie F3A and Chessie SD40-2 engines and i love them.  

QSI was the maker of MTHs Proto Sounds system, modified from their design.

There was an evolution and stuff from 1997 and up is more robust and less susceptible to issues with weak batteries.

Batteries DO NOT DAMAGE PS-1 engines.  A weak battery may cause a software issues which can be restored by an MTH ASC Tech.

Occasionally a diode or trace can be damaged from over exertion, but these are easily fixed.

Engines from this time frame are well build and high quality construction.  But they are conventional engines.

My recommendation is put a list out there and sell them.  Plenty of folks here that will buy them.   G 

You could always put a good ole e-unit in them. 

Many of the PS1 molds are in the Railing Scale line - a little less detail, but mostly to scale.  Far more durable than current "scale" offerings and at a price tag acceptable to someone interested in conversions.  Also many of the paint schemes have never been offered elsewhere.  Examples:  MTH is the only company to do FP45s. The last one released in Santa Fe Cigar Band paint was in 1997.  Santa Fe Sd-45s have rarely been released in yellow freight (ps1 premier and ps2 premier) and Cigar Band (RKS PS2).  So if you want models from the late 60s period of EMD locomotives that aren't switchers - the PS1 / RKS models are mostly the only option.  

OP - if you decide you are selling and you have Santa Fe, please let me know.

I agree, put them in the for-sale forum, you might be surprised.  You'll get a lot more than a hobby shop will offer for the lot, I can tell you that!

Yep!  If you have a 4-8-2 I might be interested, if it's close to what I'm looking for.  I'll gut it and install battery powered RC