Panic Buying MTH?

@Trainlover9943 posted:

I'm working on downloading some of my favorites too. Looking for the 2008 run R11 Subway file 20-2933-1. It's not on the site. You by chance have it. 

Alas I do not Matt. I'll ask around and see if one of my friends has it.

Bryce

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the point of having a bunch of sound files?  I've never had an engine that lost sound.  Do you guys change them up or are the files there as a back up in case you lose sound from your engine?

@IRON HORSE posted:

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the point of having a bunch of sound files?  I've never had an engine that lost sound.  Do you guys change them up or are the files there as a back up in case you lose sound from your engine?

You can change them if you want (and if they are compatible).  But if you replace a bad board either by buying a new one or robbing one from a donor engine, you will need a sound file.

I have upgraded some Premier PS1 engines cheaply by buying a Rugged Rails or RK PS2 or PS3 engine as a donor, then selling the donor engine as a dummy unit.  In those cases a new sound file would be needed too.

Ron

@IRON HORSE posted:

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the point of having a bunch of sound files?  I've never had an engine that lost sound.  Do you guys change them up or are the files there as a back up in case you lose sound from your engine?

Really simple.  Board dies, you put different board in.  Do you really want your steam engine sounding like a diesel?

You may also want to change the sound file if you don't like the one that came with your loco.  Some diesel files have blower whine that is obnoxious (to my ear anyway).  John changed one of mine to a file that had a much more pleasing diesel rumble.

@Hotpressmugs posted:

Ok I'll admit it I'm the elephant in the room lol. Since Mike made his announcement I said well this is a good time to finally log what engines I have and see what I'd like to buy before he closes down. When all was said and done after the week process of doing so, I'm currently sitting at 433 MTH engines combination of some Steam but mostly Diesels all of which are either PS2 or PS3, of the PS2's 95% are the 3 volt boards and what ever 5v boards I have will be switching over to PS3 or PS2 3 volts, like I stated earlier the 5v are time bombs.  In addition to the MTH units I have 6 Lionel Legacy Diesels.

During the past two weeks I did make a few second hand market purchases which I have no issues doing as long as the units are complete and free from damage and 100% functional. However I did pay second hand market pricing but not the ridiculous price gouging market prices we are now seeing from some dealer's on ebay and a few other sites. When you are listing a second hand engine for 399.00 and new is 419.00 from Train World it's a no brainier where to invest your funds if you truly want that unit, or just be patient as there are many MTH units that were sold which will eventually come up for sale and you can buy 2 for the same 400.00 investment.

I have been buying MTH PS2 since it's inception in 2000, so we have had a good 20 year run with it and hopefully it continues we shall see, but during all this time I have lost just 2 DCS boards. The two boards were both 5 volt boards, one I killed working on it with power on like an *** and the other just said goodbye over night I parked the train shut it down and the next day dead (died in it's sleep). Overall though they have been excellent performers with an awesome reliability record well for me anyway hence why I'm not too concerned when their doors close. They will still provide many years of great enjoyment so if something comes up that I like I will continue to buy it but for me it does have to be a 2004 or later unit with the ps2 3-2 boards in it. I find those to be the better IMHO but doesn't mean it is, just like the audio output and so fourth on them for I find some of the PS3 units sound like they have no audio drive to them to my ears.

So with all that I said I wouldn't panic buy as there will be more then enough of them around but I wouldn't be afraid to buy them as well just because they closed doors if a good deal pops up **** yeah go for it. Then there is always that rumor that the DCS portion will still be around for parts , enhancements etc but we shall see.

Wow, 433 engines, that is amazing. Hopefully they are all displayed. After the announcement, I did buy the recently released SP Cab Forward w/ps3. It was an engine I had always wanted, so the wife said go for. It is amazing. I got it $100 off retail with free shipping, and 1/2 the cost of Lionel version.

My problem is I am also into tinplate. Lots of those items on the bay, listed at retail or above. Lots are going for 50% above retail. Another went for 80% retail. Between all this going on their have been a few deals, but very few. With that said, I can wait instead of paying top dollar. Really would like to have the Santa Fe Blue Goose set, in New or mint condition.

Joe Gozzo

I can wait until sanity returns.  Truthfully, unless the world topples off it's axis, there will be plenty of MTH product down the road on the used market.

With the potential for MTH to slip under the waves in a few months, there are some MTH items that I really dont need, but really like, and had been on the outer edge of my radar for some time. I have bought a couple of these since the announcement from MTH, afraid that they may never be available again for me to buy.

Also, the prices for MTH items have risen on EBay and many LHSs now to catalog price or higher since the announcement, and late production MTH/LTC tinplate has become more scarce than ever, especially engines with Protosounds 2 or 3. The prices will probably go higher, and the items will probably get more scarce. So, that caused me to jump on a couple of items, but I wasn’t scalped on either.

The two items I bought over the last few weeks were:

-The MTH O scale Premier Pennsylvania 64’ woodsided passenger cars. I have seen these beautiful sets for sale at York but never all together, or in livery I wanted, always half a set of this, half of another livery. So, I pre-ordered all 7 cars out of the final MTH catalog from a dealer three weeks ago.

-A vintage 1990s MTH Tinplate Traditions Stephen Girard 4 car set to go with my 392e which I bought a few years ago to pull 200 series freight cars, great loco. I recently learned that the 392e was made for the Girard cars, I really like dual service engines, and thought the train would look nice on my small home layout with  0-57 curves, and at the SGMA club layouts. I ordered it online a week ago, I was fortunate to read about a shop that was having a good sale and voila they had this set, NOS, at a decent price, out of state so no sales tax, and with free shipping. I opened up the huge box last night, and they were brand spanking new, never seen the rails. A beautiful set, with flawless paint job.

Now I am looking for the baggage car and a No 9E to go with the cars. If you know someone or somewhere that has either item for sale please let me know. The hunt is never over. 

To add to what I have previously stated, I recently picked up a MTH SNCF Pacific in near-mint condition. Since MTH European locos are rare in the US to begin with, I am very happy to have crossed this one off my wish-list. 

There are a few other engines and sets that I would like to get but seldom see them for sale anywhere. At the end of the day, these are classified by me as "would be nice to have" and not "I need them now." Considering all things going on in the world, a majority of my paychecks are getting put in the bank heaven-forbid we have a very bad shutdown this winter and I am unable to work.

As @gunrunnerjohn mentioned there most likely will be plenty of MTH products on the used market.

When one considers that today's model and toy train market is saturated with mercandise in all scales, from Z to G, I fail to see why there is any panic buying in progress of MTH products to begin with?  Despite the fact that the MTH brand name may well disappear, I imagine O gauge (tinplate, scale and semi-scale) trains will continue to be manufactured as long as there are model railroaders who are financially able to purchase them for operation and/or collecting.

In the meantime, enjoy the trains you possess, sit back in your favorite EZ chair, and visualize a very happy retired Mike as he laughs all the way to the bank with the $$$ you spent on MTH trains that helped him make a billion plus dollars or more!

Wonder what Mike's next venture will be?  Politics perhaps?  Gads, what a thought...LOL...or maybe not?  Welcome back to the Twilight Zone!

@Craignor posted:

With the potential for MTH to slip under the waves in a few months, there are some MTH items that I really dont need, but really like, and had been on the outer edge of my radar for some time. I have bought a couple of these since the announcement from MTH, afraid that they may never be available again for me to buy.

Also, the prices for MTH items have risen on EBay and many LHSs now to catalog price or higher since the announcement, and late production MTH/LTC tinplate has become more scarce than ever, especially engines with Protosounds 2 or 3. The prices will probably go higher, and the items will probably get more scarce. So, that caused me to jump on a couple of items, but I wasn’t scalped on either.

The two items I bought over the last few weeks were:

-The MTH O scale Premier Pennsylvania 64’ woodsided passenger cars. I have seen these beautiful sets for sale at York but never all together, or in livery I wanted, always half a set of this, half of another livery. So, I pre-ordered all 7 cars out of the final MTH catalog from a dealer three weeks ago.

-A vintage 1990s MTH Tinplate Traditions Stephen Girard 4 car set to go with my 392e which I bought a few years ago to pull 200 series freight cars, great loco. I recently learned that the 392e was made for the Girard cars, I really like dual service engines, and thought the train would look nice on my small home layout with  0-57 curves, and at the SGMA club layouts. I ordered it online a week ago, I was fortunate to read about a shop that was having a good sale and voila they had this set, NOS, at a decent price, out of state so no sales tax, and with free shipping. I opened up the huge box last night, and they were brand spanking new, never seen the rails. A beautiful set, with flawless paint job.

Now I am looking for the baggage car and a No 9E to go with the cars. If you know someone or somewhere that has either item for sale please let me know. The hunt is never over. 

 

I had wanted to get a Premier ACL R-1 4-8-4, but never could find one or one that was in a price range I was willing to accept.

I looked on Ebay the other day and found a RailKing 4-8-4 with 8-wheel trucks for a total of $265 shipped.  It's close enough for me and when it arrives it'll go under the Dremel to remove everything that's not ACL R-1.  Mainly piping on the top of the boiler but the running boards will also be cut off and replaced with straight boards, plus the tender will undergo some revisions as well, mainly rounded sides at the top on the front.  It will also be getting BPRC, it's a PS1 engine as it comes.

That's quite a bit below what I was seeing them in the past and will hopefully result in a nice looking engine to add to my ACL fleet.  I'd say deals are still out there and will be for a long time.

    Glad to see you were able to get some of your MTH items Craig.😉

You're right about the sellers on the Bay.   They are way out of line unless someone really gets excited about some product and just has to have it.

Like you were saying , many shops have what you need and many times at a great price.

Have fun .......be safe 😷

ALRIIIIGHT   Bob .👍

As long as the engines have been before proto 2 there ARE some deals on the Bay. 

The work you are planning for reworking the 4-8-4 is above my pay grade .  You artisans amaze me with your desires for detail.

Are you planning to upgrade to proto 2 or 3  ? 🤔

Have fun..........be safe  😷

I've purchased quite a bit on EBay over the years -- mostly cars and accessories.  I've always been concerned about buying engines from private people on EBay.  I bought one last year that was a mint PS1 but I can't get it to move from forward to neutral or reverse without hitting the direction button on my transformer and reset did not fix it.  I don't have this issue with the PS1 Engines I bought new from my local hobby shops  years ago.  I have since purchased two engines on EBay (PS2/PS3) but they were from brick and mortar hobby shops and listed as "new" or "excellent".  I have no problem doing so because they have a real reputation to uphold and are good players and will work with you on issues.  Plus they likely test them before they list them.  As several have said, you really have to do some heavy searches to find deals, though  -- which is why EBay overall gives you a good feel for the market value of everything used -- especially if you search the "sold" listings, or what people  actually paid for stuff.

I'm still a little in panic mode buying MTH stuff.  This forum keeps reminding me that this stuff will be around for awhile -- so I need to keep it in perspective.  With that being said, I just bought a used Premier Soo Line GP38 PS2.  Couldn't help myself  

@Dallas Joseph posted:

ALRIIIIGHT   Bob .👍

As long as the engines have been before proto 2 there ARE some deals on the Bay. 

The work you are planning for reworking the 4-8-4 is above my pay grade .  You artisans amaze me with your desires for detail.

Are you planning to upgrade to proto 2 or 3  ? 🤔

Have fun..........be safe  😷

Dallas, not PS2/3, all my engines are now Battery-Powered, Remote-Control (BPRC).  As long as the motor is good in the engine I'm all set.

I really wanted the 8-wheels trucks, if nothing else I can always try making a new tender if modifying the one that comes with it is too much work.

Hey Bob ,

I hope nobody from the accurately  discerning gang ( a group I really admire for their diligence in realism ) is watching. 😒

I have a RK proto 3  gray /yellow stripe UP 4-8-4 which has been one of my favorite steamers........except when in reverse backing up a grade around a curve with a consist or backing up through some O31 switches to get lined up in the yard. 

That tender with so many wheels in a fixed position would once in awhile jump the track throwing some fireworks.  I tried everything  I could think of with little results for smooth operation.   Wheel adjustments,  different size drawbar ,  added weight to the tender , removed the spring at the drawbar at the engine , improved the front 4 wheel truck movement, etc. , etc.

In the end I finally took care of the problem.

I borrowed two 6 wheel trucks from a doner tender.  I attached the two trucks to the frame of the UP tender so that they would swivel.       In my example I felt the UP tender frame gave me at least the size I needed to start with.                           No real example of this configuration but perfect operation now. 🙃

It did end up being some work Bob .   Being at the house a lot now has made me more adventurous in the train room I guess 🤔

Hope you find a good solution for your adventure .

I know what you mean.  I'm looking to get close, not exact, but I'm already seeing things and asking myself "Who makes a part I can replace that with?".  I like my models to be as close as possible, but (I'll be 70 next year) I'm over worrying about the minutia of it all.

Funny thing, when I was searching on Ebay I saw a number of 4-8-4s, 1 had a really low price so I clicked on it to get a better look.  Whoever the owner was had taken the 2 inner wheel sets on each truck and either replaced them with flangeless wheels or ground them off.  I have 2-rail code 148 track and 90" diameter curves so I think I'll be fine with flanges on all wheels.  Plus with BPRC the center rollers are removed so no worries about them catching on anything.  I'm surprised 3-rail wheels will run fine on code 148 2-rail track but I've had zero derailments due to track (operator error is another issue).

Looking at the Bay Bob.

Saw a SP GS4 4-8-4 tender's wheel configuration . It looks like my modified UP tender truck arrangement. 

I'll still have to go back to the Bay site to try yto pick up on what you saw with the modified wheels on that tender.

I did round off the center wheels on mine first so that they would more easily move over the rails .     They were originally flangless new.   

I did some panic buying when I heard the news. I was waiting for for my house to be finished before I bought the higher priced items I want. When the news broke, I told my wife I probably won't be able to get those items and she green lighted my purchases of the stuff I wanted before the house is done so I wouldn't miss out. The prices were still fairly reasonable and I ended up with several locos, a couple of engine sheds and some bridges.

Dallas (hope that's your first name, if not sorry.  I used to work with a guy named Dallas, was an Army Ranger in WWII).

Anyway, it's still there for $399.99, which is way more than I paid for mine.  Nothing mentioned about the tender wheels being flangeless but you can definitely see them in the photos.

Yup Bob ,  Dallas is right .   

Went to Dallas when I was stationed at Fort Hood Texas in 1970 after my little adventure in Nam.   ( I don't know if I was named after that big city. )   Big country that Texas.

I'll have to look at the Bay again .  I'm assuming the engine was a RK.

Thanks again Bob☺

Don't recall, I typed in O scale MTH 4-8-4 and a list of them came up

Gah, I read this and went out and preordered the 2020 Christmas Dash 8 plus a few other related pieces. Now I'm gonna argue with my wife about the 2020 Amtrack F40. I like MTH for the easy DCC honestly, now that I have my DCC setup running. Their website was reasonable compared to Bachmann or Lionel for information, and they had some clever gimmicky models which is the stuff that gets me interested. I may end up still getting a Halloween setup just cause, and make our Christmas village start in September instead of late October.

Also, I gotta wonder, which is selling better, the Trump or Biden train?

@PeteB posted:

Gah, I read this and went out and preordered the 2020 Christmas Dash 8 plus a few other related pieces. Now I'm gonna argue with my wife about the 2020 Amtrack F40. I like MTH for the easy DCC honestly, now that I have my DCC setup running. Their website was reasonable compared to Bachmann or Lionel for information, and they had some clever gimmicky models which is the stuff that gets me interested. I may end up still getting a Halloween setup just cause, and make our Christmas village start in September instead of late October.

Also, I gotta wonder, which is selling better, the Trump or Biden train?

DCC or did you mean DCS?

Just wondering.

I meant DCC. I used DCS last year, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Besides not always getting to the TIU via WiFi, it only sometimes actually ran the train. Oftentimes, the train would run for a bit, and then just give up, and not show up in the App. I love MTH trains, but DCS was a tough technology given all of it's goals. It probably could have worked better given more engineering effort (I expect their team isn't huge), but I couldn't use it. DCC just works better, and I've got that running now on my new 4x10 layout. Since MTH is what I can find for good models with sometimes fun schemes (Halloween, Christmas are big winners in our house) AND it does DCC, I win.

I use DCC to allow me to schedule my trains when we're having holiday parties and gatherings. I can run the layout, or it can run itself. It's kinda a cool setup.

As a side question, which O Guage provider does DCC well? I can't find any information on the Bachmann or Lionel websites (neither is a very good site honestly) about DCC, and none of the big sellers have any details than I can find either. I saw some mentions that Lionel does DCC out of the box on this site but the one big post was refuted pretty quickly. I'm not a big enough consumer to modify my own engines honestly. I prefer it out of the box so I can focus on the other big ticket items.

I'm actually more worried about parts than finished items, as I need them to build new and bigger trains in standard gauge. MTH is running out of many of the parts I need pretty quickly. Chinese won't reproduce them unless it's an order for 10,000 (MTH words).

Jim

"I can't find any information on the Bachmann or Lionel websites (neither is a very good site honestly) about DCC,"

Neither Lionel nor Bachmann make O gauge locomotives equipped with DCC (Bachmann does make some On30, I believe, which run on HO gauge track).  

@PeteB posted:

I meant DCC. I used DCS last year, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Besides not always getting to the TIU via WiFi, it only sometimes actually ran the train. Oftentimes, the train would run for a bit, and then just give up, and not show up in the App. I love MTH trains, but DCS was a tough technology given all of it's goals. It probably could have worked better given more engineering effort (I expect their team isn't huge), but I couldn't use it. DCC just works better, and I've got that running now on my new 4x10 layout. Since MTH is what I can find for good models with sometimes fun schemes (Halloween, Christmas are big winners in our house) AND it does DCC, I win.

 

A lot of the problems with the DCS app can be fixed by upgrading the firmware on the WIU. Quite a few WIUs come out of the box with the old 1.0 firmware. Updating it to version 1.1 cures most if not all of the issues.

I see they fixed their capabilities. Last year, you couldn't do much with the lower cost wifi explorer, but I see they moved to an APP cost model, and made it possible to do the entire list of sounds and controls without having to buy the more expensive TIU setup. If I had known that change was coming, I may have stayed with it. I already cut the cord (literally) to switch to DCC, so I'm going to stick with it now.

I can't say I've seen panic buying but I have been seeing panic selling. The MTH section at one local train shop has grown quite large lately. Good deal to be had if you are in the market I suppose. I recently traded off my last MTH engine for some MPC era Lionel. Not because of the fear of parts or service but I just wanted to go back to traditional operation and locomotives.

I will miss those smoke units though.

@Jim Waterman posted:

I'm actually more worried about parts than finished items, as I need them to build new and bigger trains in standard gauge. MTH is running out of many of the parts I need pretty quickly. Chinese won't reproduce them unless it's an order for 10,000 (MTH words).

Jim

Darn Communist Capitalists.😬

@PeteB posted:

I meant DCC. I used DCS last year, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Besides not always getting to the TIU via WiFi, it only sometimes actually ran the train. Oftentimes, the train would run for a bit, and then just give up, and not show up in the App. I love MTH trains, but DCS was a tough technology given all of it's goals. It probably could have worked better given more engineering effort (I expect their team isn't huge), but I couldn't use it. DCC just works better, and I've got that running now on my new 4x10 layout. Since MTH is what I can find for good models with sometimes fun schemes (Halloween, Christmas are big winners in our house) AND it does DCC, I win.

I use DCC to allow me to schedule my trains when we're having holiday parties and gatherings. I can run the layout, or it can run itself. It's kinda a cool setup.

DCC may be fine (I'm not very familiar with its operation), but it appears a person has to be willing to drop about $750.00 for the necessary control system.

After receiving the email today in regards to new items shipping from MTH, I started to wonder how many of the items in the new catalog might end up being cancelled?

I also don't understand the high asking prices on E-bay for certain items.  I look for certain Railking cars and they are asking $100+ for some of them!  Can't wait for train shows to start again!

@Frank Mulligan posted:

...I also don't understand the high asking prices on E-bay for certain items.  I look for certain Railking cars and they are asking $100+ for some of them!  Can't wait for train shows to start again!

Now is a good time to be selling.  Buying, not so much.  Things will level out for those with patience.

@Mallard4468 posted:

Now is a good time to be selling.  Buying, not so much.  Things will level out for those with patience.

Since the announcement of the impending demise of MTH, I bought three MTH RailKing engines, new, but haven't even taken them out of their boxes. Big problem for me is finding space to display them. 

Right now waiting to sell off a bunch of books, which will free up display space. This is all complicated by Covid-19. Don't want to have people over here who could infect (and kill!) me...

@Andrew-Porter posted:

Right now waiting to sell off a bunch of books, which will free up display space. This is all complicated by Covid-19. Don't want to have people over here who could infect (and kill!) me...

Well, if I come over and accidentally kill you, can I have your trains?

As a side note, Trainworld.com just called me today and told me my first MTH 2020 Christmas car arrived and they are sending it. Not sure which one it is, she didn't say, and I was in the garage working on the layout, so I forgot to ask. Still waiting on the other 2020 backorders.

@Andrew-Porter posted:

 

Right now waiting to sell off a bunch of books, which will free up display space. This is all complicated by Covid-19. Don't want to have people over here who could infect (and kill!) me...

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, if I come over and accidentally kill you, can I have your trains?

Andrew 

could you put me in your will for the trains since gunrunnerjohn won't have space in his jail cell🤔

@Andrew-Porter posted:

Since the announcement of the impending demise of MTH, I bought three MTH RailKing engines, new, but haven't even taken them out of their boxes. Big problem for me is finding space to display them. 

I didn’t think I was panic buying, but I have also bought three locos since the announcement.  That’s well above my average, but I have to say that 2 of the 3 were at bargain prices.  There may be some that are panic selling their MTH stuff and if I see a great price, it’s hard to resist.