Does any one know when the MTH factory will be back in business for track? I need at least 8 sections straight & 2 right tounouts & 2 left turnouts also a 90 degree crossing. I recently purchased one of the MTH O scale trains but it had no track, I found enough to make a 31" circle (not very big for this scalr).
Al E.

The recent announcement by MTH that they intend to close in the spring of 2021 has instigated quite a bit of conjecture as to what will happen in the O-gauge segment. Certainly, first and foremost, are the fears of all those that own MTH toys and how/if service will be available in the future. Electronics, IMHO, has always been the weak link in the MTH product line, and the serviceability of such by most owners themselves is doubtful (say, as compared to postwar Lionel). Hopefully a third-party will step in to take up the service side of the business.

Otherwise, it would seem losing MTH is a hammer-blow to the hobby, albeit O-gauge trains being a distant third to HO- and N-gauge. Competition between Lionel and MTH, for all the tribalism that it has instigated, has been good for the hobby. It's hard to argue that much of the innovation, and to some degree the pricing, has benefited from too such highly motivated competitors. With Williams and Weaver gone, it would seem Lionel is the last "man" standing (okay, Bachmann did acquire Williams, but that seems a husk of Jerry Williams' organization and marketing effort).

The inevitable march of demographics has not been kind to the O-gauge segment of the hobby, and the casualties are starting to pile up. It seems to me that Mike Wolf, principal if not outright owner of MTH, will find a buyer, possibly in pieces, for the business. It seems unlikely he walks away leaving forty years of effort on the table. That said, sometimes big egos lead to poor decisions. Finding a home for MTH would be good for those of us that have a stable of MTH products. In the meantime, you might want to run down the parts you expect you might need for the foreseeable future.

Paul II

A friend said that some of these parts are turning on EBAY...if that is any help....

Some parts, but not many. There's a dealer up in Hanover, Pa. I've bought bits from in the past, and I'm hopeful he can help me run down what I need. It seems that right now it's tough to reach the parts guys over at MTH. I've been kicking around the idea of gutting the original Protosounds units I have and replacing them with Dallee gear. Hopefully the Proto-2 stuff holds up, although I've had some problems there as well. I don't have any of the Proto-3 product. I have two traditional MTH tinplate locos, and both required service out-of-the-box.

Electronics can be great fun, no doubt, but the boards won't last forever. Prewar/postwar, on the other hand, are pretty much bullet-proof.

Likely the last MTH set I'll acquire, a Lionel Corp. Flying Yankee:



Finding this was tough, as I wanted a "traditional" set (no Protosound, no electronic reverse, no smoke, etc.). MTH didn't make many of them, and those that they did make, are likely in the hands of collectors/operators (this set was made seven or eight years ago).

It's painted in Lionel's final scheme for the Yankee, aluminum paint with red trim. Most Flying Yankees were manufactured with chrome bodies and gunmetal-painted trim. I always liked the aluminum painted version over the somewhat garish chrome, but that's just me. Best thing was it ran out of the box, which has been a problem for me and MTH over the years. Sending something back for warranty work might be a bit risky in light of the company's impending closure (or whatever is going on over there).

Anyway, it's a lovely toy, one The Old Man would surely would have loved in his collection.

Paul II

A friend says some of this is slowly coming to the EBAY market---at very high prices