I cannot find a controller for MTH. The one similar to the legacy. I’ve found the remote control looking one, but I’d like to use my iPad. I cant find the DCS and Wi-Fi pack either, which is the way I think I want to run them. Is this a temporary thing or is MTH in shambles? My local stores actually tell me to stay away from MTH for the time being. Like to hear some opinions one here.
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You're looking for a WTIU which are out of stock in a lot of places. Your local stores tell you to stay away from MTH but they can't help me get my hands on a Lionel Legacy 990 these days. 
I am heavily invested in MTH so will continue to buy their products. If I was just starting out today would probably lean towards Lionel. I would also make sure to do large enough radius turns so I could run 3rd rail engines for another option.
I can certainly get too concerned about the future which is why I bought a back up MTH remote but I still think MTH is gonna be around in some form or another for a while. There is so much to this hobby. Even if I was just running engines conventionally I think the layout construction would just take on a bigger role for me. Good luck welcome to the hobby.
Something of a Lionel fanboi here. But I have owned an MTH CTA set in the past, and MTH PS2/3 works awfully nice in conventional mode. If you are concerned, just stick to rolling stock for now and see how the wind blows.
I would like to try that WiFi+TIU combo thingy; I have an MTH E8 Illinois Central DeathStar DAP set, no way in H-E-double-toothpicks will Lionel ever make that. Have also thought about converting using Electric-RR, but once you convert, pretty much killed any resale value.
The worldwide computer chip shortage has made it difficult to MTH and Lionel to manufacture their respective control systems. DCS will live on and I have a WTIU on pre order. Like it was said above, you can run them for now in conventional mode until the WTIUs are available.
MTH isn’t in shambles, they’ve been producing items and delivering as quickly as possible. With Atlas now manufacturing former MTH engines, I am even more confident DCS will be around for quite a long time. The engines I have received this fall from MTH are the same high-quality as before the corporate structure changed.
WiFi+TIU combo thingy ... I think you mean DCS Explorer
WTIU is a new device coming soon.
They have the WTIU device coming, as others have stated. The other option is to buy a TIU and the separate WIU. It may be hard to find brand new, but I’ve seen them for sale on eBay.
This is very intimidating with all the acronyms. And if anyone needs a 990, a shop called east side trains in Kirkland Washington has them in stock for $379 and they ship. I found an old thread on here for sidetrack hobbies and ordered one from them. The MTH stuff, no one has. Is MTH more popular than Lionel?
"Is MTH more popular than Lionel? "
Probably not, but it doesn't matter. What matters is whether either company continues to produce key items in the coming years. Only time will tell. Right now, MTH is going through a transition, while Lionel is not, as far as we know. That could change, of course. If you have MTH locos, consider running them using a transformer in conventional mode. They work more reliably in conventional mode, in some people's hands in any case. No need to panic. I agree that if you just starting out, sticking to rolling stock from MTH and focusing primarily on Lionel locos, track and transformers/command equipment is probably a lower risk approach in some ways. The transition at MTH is why dealers are urging you to be cautious. No one knows the final picture in these situations until the dust settles. As you read above, others feel strongly, differently, I know.
What about atlas locos? Is that a safe bet and are they just as good and reliable?
Atlas locos have been fine, generally. They just haven't produced many over the last five or so years. With purchase of MTH tooling, this may change. Time will tell.
@yamawho posted:WiFi+TIU combo thingy ... I think you mean DCS Explorer
"A Word About The DCS Explorer And The In-App Purchases In The DCS App
The DCS Explorer has a limited feature set and is intended for ready-to-run train set customers and hobbyists who are just starting out in the command control world. The app that controls the DCS Explorer has In-App purchase options that allow the user to obtain access to additional features and functions. While the feature set in the DCS Explorer is more than adequate for small and mid-size layouts and gives the user control of up to three locomotives on the same track at the same time, it cannot take advantage of the additonal features found in the In-App purchase options. Users wishing to utilize those features found in the In-App purchase options can only do so if they replace the DCS Explorer with the DCS WIU Wifi Interface Unit and the DCS TIU Track Interface Unit. "
And this was an interim solution as well since these two units are now combined into one WTIU so I suggest the OP should get his order in for a WTIU if he is interested in running DCS. They'll probably go fast when they do arrive.
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