Our Favorite MTH Trains

Arnold....great idea......but I cannot just have one! Here are a few:

Looking forward to seeing more pics!

Peter

I have quite a few favorites but this guy is at the top of the list. Milwaukee EF-3 ABA combo, 4 motors and all diecast.

Looks like we've gotten off to a great start.

Peter, I agree with you that it is very difficult to say one particular MTH locomotive is the favorite because there are so many great MTH engines. Yours are magnificent.

Bill, the best way to describe your 4 engine Milwaukee electric is awesome in every way.

My favorite trains tend to be Northeastern railroads, being a life long New Yorker, but this MTH Railking Proto 1 Texas & Pacific steamer is a beauty IMO. I bought it 20 years ago from a LHS because it was blue and could be my Blue Comet. LOL.

Arnold

This one - named after my home town!

Rusty

Arnold - An absolutely great idea for a thread.

I say that Mike Wolf has been a visionary in O gauge model railroading. I can't even begin to select a favorite among my MTH locomotives. Mike deserves great credit for having produced so many model locomotives that had never been done before. In the early days of MTH, every catalog offered beautiful new scale-sized models in the Premier line. And I would look forward, sometimes for more than a year, until each model arrived. My locomotives are mostly MTH, so the models shown are just a small sampling of my MTH collection. If not for Mike Wolf and MTH, I would have been much less enthusiastic about the hobby, and wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much. And now that we probably won't have new MTH trains, the hobby will never be quite the same for me. Thanks again to Mike and the people at MTH.

MELGAR

Here are a couple more outstanding MTH locomotives. I'm going to have to resist continuing to post more pictures on this thread...

MELGAR

This could become a depressing thread but I'll do my part to keep it lively. MTH has released so many wonderful locomotives in a relatively short span of time, many of them having never been made in O-gauge...and possibly will never be made again. Some of their models still set the bar for die-cast model making. The Triplex, Climax, a tremendous variety of articulated mallets in both Premier and Railking, and those wonderful diecast electrics of the PRR and Milwaukee Road. Here's two: the Climax logger and the Milw. Road F7 Hiawatha Hudson.

Great idea, Arnold.

Here are just a few:

Jim

@Paul Kallus posted:

This could become a depressing thread

There's no denying reality. The closure of MTH is a sad development. Mike Wolf's model trains have been a source of countless hours of enjoyment for me during the past 23 years. How can the end of MTH not be depressing? At the same time, I continue to be a great admirer of Mike Wolf and MTH.

MELGAR

Who can pick just one?  Thanks Mike for all you have done for this hobby!  

@MELGAR posted:

Arnold - An absolutely great idea for a thread.

I say that Mike Wolf has been a visionary in O gauge model railroading. I can't even begin to select a favorite among my MTH locomotives. Mike deserves great credit for having produced so many model locomotives that had never been done before. In the early days of MTH, every catalog offered beautiful new scale-sized models in the Premier line. And I would look forward, sometimes for more than a year, until each model arrived. My locomotives are mostly MTH, so the models shown are just a small sampling of my MTH collection. If not for Mike Wolf and MTH, I would have been much less enthusiastic about the hobby, and wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much. And now that we probably won't have new MTH trains, the hobby will never be quite the same for me. Thanks again to Mike and the people at MTH.

MELGAR

OMG, what gorgeous MTH trains you have, Melgar.

I find that both Railking and Premier, and PS1 through PS3, all of them are just reeking of quality.

Arnold

 My favorites? Anything and everything Subway. MTH was trailblazing on this side of our hobby.  The R-21 redbird was my first and has a deep place in my heart. However, the R-40s, R-1s, and R-32s are equally great. Heck, they’re all great. Thanks MTH for going where no train manufacturer had gone before. 

Arnold, this is a good way to show our appreciation to the MTH team and Mike Wolf.  I, like so many, got more than knee deep into this hobby because of MTH Trains and their products.  DCS was my first venture into digital control, which was a game changer for me. Being able to walk around the layout to view and operate trains from different vantage points really made the hobby more enjoyable. I too cannot pick just one engine as a favorite. Here are a few however:

My son just purchased his first O Gauge locomotive: An MTH Rail King NYC Mohawk #3001.  When he was a young boy we visited Elkhart, Indiana to see the real one.  Now as a young man, he’s glad to have a model of the same engine.

I have a few favorites.... METRA F40PH; GN Hustle Muscle; CTA 6200-series L cars; Santa Fe Doodlebug.

A few come to mind, several of which were already pictured in this thread.  Sorry, no pics right now.

In no particular order:

1) The first subway set, R42 D Train. (maybe not first ever, but first for MTH, and it started it all in the very successful subway line for them)

2) The first Proto 2 subway set, the R21.  The introduction of Auto Mode was huge, IMO.

3) The Climax logger, partially because Lionel never made one.  The flip side was Lionel did the Heisler, which MTH never did.  (obviously both did plenty of Shays)  Probably  a testament to the large effort required to make such mechanically unique offerings.

4) The Rocket Motor Transport set.  Definitely an interesting set.  And being able assemble the rocket  is a great feature. (luckily they never tried to make the scale space shuttle to go with it! )

-Dave

My diesel fleet is all Lionel TMCC but all my steam locomotives, except one, are MTH Premier, and I like them all pretty much equally.

Whether completely stock PS2 3V:

PS1 upgraded to PS2 3V:

A PS2 5V that came to me with no boards and now has PS3:

A stock PS3:

And finally a couple "junkers" I repainted and upgraded to PS3:

So thanks MTH for making scale steam locomotives that allow me to model the ATSF & SP and have given me hours of enjoyment. It's hard to pick a favorite, as they are each neat in their own way. 

I’ve not been in O3R long, but the MTH Premier K4S is definitely one of my favourites. I always felt that if I ventured into US outline, a K4 would have to be part of it, and I’m not disappointed. 

For my birthday in 1994 or 1995, cannot recall which, my wife bought an F3 AB in Texas Special at my request.  Beautiful locos.  

These are two of my favorites that I bought as a tribute to my paternal grandfather who was a conductor for the L&N so many decades ago.

@rjsmithindy posted:

Arnold, this is a good way to show our appreciation to the MTH team and Mike Wolf.  I, like so many, got more than knee deep into this hobby because of MTH Trains and their products.  DCS was my first venture into digital control, which was a game changer for me. Being able to walk around the layout to view and operate trains from different vantage points really made the hobby more enjoyable. I too cannot pick just one engine as a favorite. Here are a few however:

My son just purchased his first OGauge locomotive: An MTH Rail King NYC Mohawk #3001.  As a young boy we visited Elkhart, Indiana to see the real one.  Now as a young adult, he’s glad to have a model of the same engine.

Rob, you got it: to show appreciation was the inspiration.

I say: MTH equals MFT (Mighty Fine Trains)!

Arnold 

Because of my sharp 031 curves, almost all my MTH trains are Railking.

I've enjoyed seeing the photos and videos of Premier and scale MTH trains on this thread.

I believe this early MTH Proto 1 Burlington Northern diesel was a Premier locomotive. Here it is hauling coal:

Arnold

Speaking of scale MTH, here is a massive MTH Proto 3 CSX hauling a mixed freight of scale train cars.

Sure sounds like a real diesel locomotive to me. Love them smokin' diesels. Arnold

Another excellent topic, Arnold!  My entrance from HO to O gauge 3-rail was via MTH.  I really like Mike's engines.  My favorite is the Premier Western Maryland H9 Consolidation.  I have two, both PS2.  As for diesels, the RailKing Scale Western Maryland RS-3.  I have two also, both PS2.  Honorable mention to the Premier Western Maryland Shay PS2, the Premier Western Maryland BL2 PS3, the Premier PRR GG1 in Brunswick Green PS2, and the Railking Pittsburgh Port Authority PCC car, PS1.  I'll see if I can dig up some photographs of all of these or take new photographs!

@Mark Boyce posted:

Another excellent topic, Arnold!  My entrance from HO to O gauge 3-rail was via MTH.  I really like Mike's engines.  My favorite is the Premier Western Maryland H9 Consolidation.  I have two, both PS2.  As for diesels, the RailKing Scale Western Maryland RS-3.  I have two also, both PS2.  Honorable mention to the Premier Western Maryland Shay PS2, the Premier Western Maryland BL2 PS3, the Premier PRR GG1 in Brunswick Green PS2, and the Railking Pittsburgh Port Authority PCC car, PS1.  I'll see if I can dig up some photographs of all of these or take new photographs!

Would love to see photos/videos of your favorite MTH trains, Mark.

This gallery of marvelous MTH trains is like a wonderful parade. 

I await with anticipation to see what will be shown next.

So glad that so many of you are enjoying the parade.

Here is another contribution of mine. This MTH Railking PS2 Pennsy Turbine is one of my most treasured steamers:

IMO, it can't be beat for navigating sharp curves like I have on my layout. It has slow, smooth speed, pulling power, and great sounds and smoke. And, it looks great leading a coal unit train with Pennsy caboose.

Arnold

I could be wrong, but I don't think I saw any pictures of the B&O Dockside that MTH produced. Nice little loco (weathering by me).

On a side note to Arnold and Melgar...no Winter Toy & Train Show in White Plains this year as the County Center is supposedly closed to the public until the end of 2020.

Tom 

Great photo Tom!

My layout is almost exclusively Lionel, but a friend gave me an MTH B&O Dockside...

The MTH steel industry cars:

• 20-92801 Hot Metal cars
• 20-90011 Slag car 3 pack
• 30-7522 Pennsy Ore jennies

The PRR cabin cars:

• N6B - only one I know of that isn't brass; I've got a bunch.  They ran on the Panhandle
• N8

George

@PRR8976 posted:

I could be wrong, but I don't think I saw any pictures of the B&O Dockside that MTH produced. Nice little loco (weathering by me).

On a side note to Arnold and Melgar...no Winter Toy & Train Show in White Plains this year as the County Center is supposedly closed to the public until the end of 2020.

Tom 

Thanks Tom for that information. Your weathered MTH Docksider looks great. 

Many of us this year will miss the train shows we typically attend. However, we can think of this Forum as a wonderful virtual ever-present train show.

Arnold

Here is a short video of a couple of MTH Rail King holiday-themed sets our family looks forward to running around the Christmas tree every year: 19th Century Christmas Express set and the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer set.  The sound sets for these two are festive and fun to play.

The Silver Bullet Coors train. Love it or hate it, it's certainly is unique with some cools features, and one of the few modern trains that actually appreciates in value.

I'll also give my honorable mention to the vast John Deere products that MTH made.  Again, the Premier and Tinplate engines has wildly increased in value. I really hope Lionel would do some more John Deere motive power in LC 2.0. The rolling stock they have done so far it pretty good, just hungry for more.

Lately I find myself running the Christmas stuff with LED lighting, they had a real winner there.

CNJ SD-35 Best sounds of all units -

Here - 

https://youtu.be/aAmeo8zG2Wc

@PRR8976 posted:

On a side note to Arnold and Melgar...no Winter Toy & Train Show in White Plains this year as the County Center is supposedly closed to the public until the end of 2020.

Tom 

Tom,

Thanks for the information. I hadn't heard that. I had also been wondering about the Amherst Railway Society Show at the Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

In the meantime, here are two more of my older MTH Premier locomotives that, I believe, MTH was the first to offer in O gauge.

MELGAR

Arnold,

You are really a creative guy!

Arnold: Great thread here are a few on mine:

Here are a few clips with some of my MTH engines on the point of trains. 

I'll add a few of the operating cars:

The coal dump car with the smoothly engineered dumping mechanism that is so much better than the simple plunger activated  or cycling rachett versions.  That was a nice improvement.

Also the operating reefers that pushed out the boxes and also had the smoke unit to simulate the cold air.  Bit of a pain in the butt to fill the smoke unit on those (at least it was on the first version I had, might have evolved over the years), but those were pretty cool too.

The handcars with the bumper reverse was a nice touch too.  Nice to have handcars you can use on a point to point mode without having to use external circuitry and/or modify the car to allow it to run in both directions.

-Dave 

That is a tough question since I have a few.  I still remember the day the PRR Centipede (PS1 version) was brought home.  Ran it on the outer O72 loop of the 6-6 X 8-0 sectional layout was building.  A few years later the Pennsy Q2 (PS2) great model of a magnificent engine running on the floor loop.  Had to get the DCS set.

But Now most special is the YS&T (Youngstown  Sheet and Tube) Alco S2 switcher last purchased.  This is a little bit of hometown.  We were only second to Pittsburgh in steel production back in the day.

Also ,thanks to member Mark Boyce,  found that MTH made the BL-2 Demonstrator.  I liked this engine but none of my "roads" had them.  But the demonstrator would fit in anywhere.

Two other engines are pretty special.  The P&LE (The Little Giant")  A-2a Berk.  We were the terminus point for the P&LE and I think got a glance at it one day.

And there is the UP #9000 MTH model with operating Gresley Valve Gear.  The sound of the three cylinder lope and haunting whistle.  Sounds just like a two plus minute recording I found.

Enough!

Ron