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New MTH? what I'd like to see.....


enginear joe
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Someday maybe we will get some new products from MTH in gauge one? I'm glad for anything we get. I look forward to the re-runs to get what I missed. The timing of this last catalog hurt as I was busy expanding my track supply. I also had to convert from brass to stainless rail clamps. I did manage to get a Big Boy.

 One thing that I'd like to model is the Susquehanna stack trains that ran back in the late 90's I believe? They had SD45's in their paint but that wouldn't work, unless MTH makes a version. Then, they acquired dash 8s and MTH released a version that I missed out on because I was out of work. So maybe they will release them again?

https://mthtrains.com/70-2030-1

They got SD70MACs later on too I believe?

 Anyways I would also look forward to any type of modern stack cars from MTH in gauge one. The USA version looks good. I think they are too light and need better trucks like their newer cars. Usually in O scale, if someone is releasing a new product, MTH challenges them with their own version. They don't seem interested in making any modern rolling stock in G? Most of their line-up is from the steam era so I understand. I just keep rallying for anything I can run with my MTH Dash 8s! Maybe someday a premier level release will come in G too!!!

 

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Well I don't see any newly tooled MTH locomotives being made...not yet. I think first they'll finish upgrading what tooling is already made, like upgrade the Hudson with maybe a die-cast metal frame, metal drivers & whistle smoke. Challenger needs die-cast metal frames & whistle smoke as well. Think we'll see the VO-1000 being cataloged again as last time they were canceled and being made only once I highly doubt if the return on investment has paid off. Same with the GG-1 and PA locomotives.

 

Then again there has been a rumor about a smaller steamer being considered...I hope like maybe a 0-8-0 switcher.

 

But Mike Wolf has been known to throw a few curves so who knows...I wouldn't put it past him to announce a FEF at 1/3 of the cost of the USA version...after all he announced and produced a G scale Big Boy before the other manufacturers "jumped on the wagon". 

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 I look forward to anything they release. I think we are overdue to get a new piece of modern rolling stock.

I'm not sure about the V01000 coming again as I believe there wasn't much interest? I really believe a more modern switcher like a EMD MP15 would have done better. I have been wrong before. There always seems to be the most interest in steam era stuff. Someday that will change. The V01000 is a great little engine that many overlooked though. Two of them will pull a really big train. They will run on very small layouts too. It's old for my tastes, but I learned to like it. It's fun to run.

I bought just about all the old era stuff that's been made by MTH. When I started, I only wanted modern stuff.

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I believe Mike and others are beginning to drop the ball... I have a 1:29 3D printed EMD 1500 and have dropped the plans to 1:32 and printed it out.

I am going to use the VO-1000 chassis to power.  With better 3D printers becoming available there will be less finishing work and your RR is only limited

on what you want.

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I.m waiting on 2 Dash 8's and the American Freedom Engine as well. :unsure:

 

I really don't think MTH is dropping the ball as much as I believe they have a lot of pokers in the fire as we say here.

 

G is so small of a demand .:Confused_Face_Emoji_large(24x24):

I'm just so glad they are doing something. :Slightly_Smiling_Face_Emoji(24x24):

 

Of course my opinion does have something to do with me wanting to stay DCS. lol:Wink_Emoji_large(24x24):

 

Larry

Edited by Larry Sr.
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I personnally don't mind if MTH comes out with steam era car at all, although I understand that there are fans out there who do want modern stuff. If you look at what they have come out with there is a lot for modern image fans: Diesels and cars, the tank cars are strictly modern and the  reefers although of a fairly old design feature pug doors a thing which appeared in the '60, the flat car design was developped in the mid '5Os, so I wouldn't say that they don't produce enough modern stuff. What I would like to see is an E unit and perhaps an Alco RSD7 or a Fairbank Morse trainmaster. Not only are there a lot of steam era fans out there but also many steam era cars stayed in use for a long time.

And I don't think G scale is such a small market. It is also important to realise that nearly all the live steamers running on gauge one track need steam era freight cars (except for say UP fans who have the priviledge of mixing with contemporary) and they represent a good part of the market that needs to be reckoned with. My analysis of the plunge G scale took after 2008, was that that niche market kept its head above water while other more toylike ones floundered. The reason is that these guys really like trains enough to invest some dough in it and won't give up like other folks who just played around with trains in their garden. That may just be what saved G scale.

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This is what HO scale gets for pilot detailing:

See the source image

this is the pilot detailing we get

See the source image

I didn't show the whole front of the pilot, and that's a good thing! There's nothing to see except a big hole.

as far as the MTH one gauge flat cars being modern? Really? I have to disagree. Don't even talk about the reefers that look like they are from the "ice age"!! (to me)

 
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Way I look at it is MTH doesn't owe anybody anything esp. a new piece of rolling stock...that comment is mainly aimed at the folks that never pre-order any items and whose collection was mainly all bought from the secondary market. If you want MTH to make any "new" products then buy from the dealer network as those are the sale numbers MTH is interested in.

 

 

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4 hours ago, du-bousquetaire said:

Thats the problem with the reefers : They are Ice age reefers since they were iced, but they have pug doors which don't relate to that age.= problem!

I don't know how this happens? It wouldn't sell in HO. I haven't seen that even in the cheaper cars out there in O scale! So why in G scale? There it is....

pictures below

A modern modeler won't buy a reefer that was made before refrigeration units. An older era modeler won't buy it with a plug door. So.... who was it made for?

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Well it looks like anybody that is modeling from the late 40's to the mid 70's would use the plug door reefer...

 

Quote

The plug door was introduced experimentally by P.F.E. (Pacific Fruit Express) in April 1947, when one of their R-40-10 series cars, #42626, was equipped with one. P.F.E.'s R-40-26 series reefers, designed in 1949 and built in 1951, were the first production series cars to be so equipped. In addition, the Santa Fe Railroad first used plug doors on their SFRD RR-47 series cars, which were also built in 1951. This type of door provided a larger six foot opening to facilitate car loading and unloading. These tight-fitting doors were better insulated and could maintain an even temperature inside the car. By the mid-1970s, the few remaining ice bunker cars were relegated to "top-ice" service, where crushed ice was applied atop the commodity.

 

I've driven truck hauling produce nationwide and let me tell you that top icing is still very much in use. I wonder if they do indeed top ice modern mechanical reefer cars? Be a real pia as would have to open the side doors to blow in the ice/water/slush mix.

 

5a58ccd0789a2_PFE9036.thumb.jpg.e8e50395733c329dfdd6eb1bdd6d45c4.jpg

 

 

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Yes Chuck, but those dealers deal only the very nice O scale stuff produced by MTH, I should know I worked for Trans Europe for four years manufacturing their N gauge stuff over 12 years ago. I asked them often and their repairman who is a good friend told me that even most O gaugers here have the whole DCS stuff torn out and redone either as analog (good for old farts like me) or DCC. (The reason they don't stock gauge one is that it takes a lot of room in their small shops just one boxcar shelve space could be filled with over fifty HO cars that would be sold out in a few weeks wheras the gauge one car would stay maybe years... Don't forget stores here pay taxes every year on their stock too! Its hopeless, been fighting this for over thirty years now. I even met Mike Wolf at the Rail expo in Chartres in November where we ran live steam and told him how I loved MTH stuff. But here its O gauge...

 

Now I want to thank you for telling a European modeler of US practices like me, the fact that pug doors began to be introduced in 1947 by PFE. I have an old article in model railroader with drawings that tended to say that thet had been introduced in the late fifties. And even my Morning Sun refrigerator cars book didn't really contradict that. As I model the Pennsy untill 1957 (end of steam)  I am now  glad that I have three pug door reefers in my stud! (Ruskin, Wilson and PRR). It was very interesting info.

 

Now as to why MTH did this I offer the following explaination: they wanted an openable door for kids, pug doors made that easy  hinged doors would have been too fragile. Otherwise those MTH reefers are great with drilled or punched holes in the roof walkways, so it is a diferent type than the Accucraft ones. and they are rugged which is great too.

 

 By the way fellows I found a neat way to represent the dark dust that most often weathers  yellow or orange reefers: when you are cleaning out your air brush, you run some thinner through it a few times, well keep what comes out and spray that over the surface from a distance so as to make a mist it captures that kind of grime very well and is easy as pie to do.

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2 hours ago, du-bousquetaire said:

Now as to why MTH did this I offer the following explaination: they wanted an openable door for kids, pug doors made that easy  hinged doors would have been too fragile. Otherwise those MTH reefers are great with drilled or punched holes in the roof walkways, so it is a diferent type than the Accucraft ones. and they are rugged which is great too.

 

I've been thinking on that plug door and came up with the same conclusion...that is hinged doors would be to fragile. I had some of the Accucraft 1:32 PFE reefers and yes they were very fragile...some detail parts always breaking or falling off...but very nice looking!

 

Oh..most dealers here don't really stock a lot of one-gauge or large scale items...they let the manufacturer stock it. Last real train store I was in that had lots of stock was St. Aubin....you name it they had it. It helped that they were also a distributor. 

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Yes its the same here one of the largest and best hobby store here in Paris is likely to close at the end of the year, the owner is nearly 79 years old and she wants to enjoy life. I feel the same about the Accucraft reefers: Very nice but I am not taking them around to train shows any more too fragile.

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Yes we were running on the Aster Europa stand at Rail expo in Chartres, the biggest rail hobby show in France and one of the biggest in Europe I went to see Mike and told him how great the Railking one gauge stuff was. I asked him to drop by and see us run in live steam with some of his stuff. And I asked him please to make some new stuff.  He seemed happy to hear that, gave me a nice polite answer. The only thing he seemed interested in was selling is very nice French O scale stuff. He never dropped by in three days of show! He is running after too many things: HO scale, O scale coarse, O scale fine, S scale , Gauge one and standard scale replicas, that's a lot of inventory... Its amazing he does do it all though.

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I for one certainly appreciate you giving Mike some feedback about Railking One Gauge.:Slightly_Smiling_Face_Emoji(24x24):

I to agree that they have so much in inventory we can only hope he continues at least putting some on the market.

I will make my plea to him (probably like others) at the upcoming April 2018 York meet not to forget us in One Gauge.:Thinking_Face_Emoji_large(24x24):

Larry

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