ScaleTrains.com Acquires M.T.H. HO & S Scale Tooling

[scaletrains]

ScaleTrains.com™, Inc., a leading manufacturer of HO and N Scale model trains, announced the acquisition of M.T.H. Electric Trains® HO Scale and S Gauge tooling assets. Learn more from our announcement video:

“MTH is recognized as a leading manufacturer of HO scale steam locomotives. The purchase of MTH’s HO products also allows us to broaden our product line into passenger cars, track, and more. We believe there is an opportunity to grow the S market as well.” said Shane Wilson, President of ScaleTrains.com.

The acquisition includes steam and diesel locomotives, freight cars, and track in both scales. The HO tooling also includes turbine and electric locomotives, subway sets, passenger cars, and more. Engineering schematics for several all-new steam era HO projects were also received as part of the agreement.

“ScaleTrains.com has a great reputation in the industry and the M.T.H. HO tooling will make a great addition to their already impressive HO lineup.” Stated Mike Wolf, President of M.T.H. Electric Trains. “S Gauge fans will find the ScaleTrains.com team loaded with talent and model railroading experience.”

Both scales are being melded into ScaleTrains.com umbrella of brands including Rivet Counter™. Several molds have been transferred to the ScaleTrains.com factory and testing is already underway. Over the next few months design will begin to convert the models to accept the ScaleTrains.com motor and change to ESU-LokSound® electronics including DCC & sound. The first models are expected to be available in 2022.

ScaleTrains.com is making significant investments in infrastructure to better service more brick-and-mortar retailers in the future. Although ScaleTrains.com is currently not accepting new retailers, dealers are welcome to send their contact information to retailers@scaletrains.com in anticipation of opening new brick-and-mortar accounts within the next year.

M.T.H. Electric Trains will fulfill all outstanding customer HO and S Scale preorders. In addition, service and support for products sold by M.T.H. Electric Trains will be serviced by the current M.T.H. Authorized Service Center network. This includes part sales.

Products manufactured by ScaleTrains.com will be serviced by Product Support in Benton, TN.

For additional information, please contact Hollie Smith at Hollie@scaletrains.com.

[CSXBaltimore]

Whoa.

J

[learmoia]

Damn...

That more than doubles your product line.. doesn't it?

Definetly catapults you firmly into the big league!!..

Now I'm curious where the O scale is going.. (I assume not Lionel)..
(.. seems like one of those 'I wouldn't sell it to Lionel for 1 trillion dollars!)

You'd think Atlas if thier pockets are deep enough... or Horizon maybe..

I'm still curious if Menards is talking with them.

[C855B]

...Now I'm curious where the O scale is going.. (I assume not Lionel). ...

Did the MTH employee buyout founder? Or is that still happening, and selling-off the HO & S lines is helping to finance it?

Personally I think the S lines will be a distraction, and not good news for the N scale line, which I also think is already maybe a red-headed stepchild. (I surmise their coupler misfires may have soured them a little.) They've done some real winners for N, but the N scale lineup is... what?... half? a third?... of their HO selections. Anyway, tinplate is a totally different market than current ScaleTrains.com offerings, and it will no doubt move production priorities around not in "our" favor.

For that matter, and excuse my ignorance, where did MTH's HO stuff fit in the marketplace, be it quality, scale fidelity, variety, price or market presence? Every time I passed their booth at shows it was dripping with Lionel-scale, with HO lost in the clutter just like what happens to N at HO & N manufacturer displays. 

[ednadolski]

Oooh, time to start looking into Proto:64 

<Looks thru MTH S scale catalog....>

[dem34]

For that matter, and excuse my ignorance, where did MTH's HO stuff fit in the marketplace, be it quality, scale fidelity, variety, price or market presence? Every time I passed their booth at shows it was dripping with Lionel-scale, with HO lost in the clutter just like what happens to N at HO & N manufacturer displays. 

The consensus I've always heard from friends that do HO themselves has always been. Ok details and mechanisms, with god awful electronics with MTH attempting to shove O scale electronics into the HO models with actual DCC treated as an afterthought to running the engines with DCS.

[Mark5]

The HO Powhatan Arrow cars are pretty nice (although the color was off). With correct color a winner I think.

Don't know much about the other tooling (other than the wonky electronics).

Mark

[learmoia]

The MTH Diesels look fine and would fit right in with Scale Trains Economy/RTR line..

The steam locomotives are beautiful and prototype specific ! 

And all of this is not to say that ScaleTrains can't modify tooling to add scale specific details.

.. Some of the freight cars are Lionel..ish.. but most of them generally resembles basic prototypes.
-- MTH had the O scale habit of slapping fake paint schemes on cars.. (similar to Con-Cor in the 70s).
-- If Scale Trains takes the tooling and puts accurate schemes on the cars.. then they will do well!

The S scale... is NOT American Flyer... it's S-Helper type stuff... It's built to scale and somewhat detailed.

I wouldn't see this expansion lead to an end of N scale for ScaleTrains, but we need to give them a year or two to grow into the production capacity they just purchased!..

MTH took gambles and made some pretty oddball stuff (Triplex, Little Joe, ect).. which fits right into some of Scale Train's product line.

.. I think it's a good fit, and I'm excited to see what they do with it.

~Ian

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'm glad to see it's not disappearing and hopefully will be good for ScaleTrains.com.

I might be puzzled by some releases (like a C39 instead of something like an SD40 or 45) or the HO SDLs, I'm hoping they know their business better than I do.

[learmoia]

I'm hoping they know their business better than I do.

They must be doing something right to have the capitol to purchase the HO and S lines from MTH..

Or they just cashed in thier Gamestop Holdings

[greenwizard88]

MTH's line is a mix. Some of their stuff, like Pennsy H9½s (a steam loco that was part H9s and part H10s) was just god awful, with no real prototype, a remote controlled coupler that couldn't easily be replaced with a Kadee, and a drawbar that was so difficult to couple the authorized repair store I took it to broke the engine more just trying to connect the tender.

On the flip side, their J (using the old tender connector method) was really really nicely done, and my only complaint is that it used MTH's DCS. The passenger cars that went with it were nice as well. On the 2nd run they changed the color slightly, I'm not sure which one is more prototypical but the cars themselves roll nice and are detailed/prototypical.

The freight cars are nice, well detailed, etc... At least the ones that are prototypes and not clones of the Lionel Aquarium car

I have no experience with their diesels, but I've heard that they aren't bad, except for DCS. The unique models are well done, while the generic models such as GP's and gevos would be better suited for an operator line.

[learmoia]

So the only complaints are....
The Aquarium car..
DCS
And Couplers?

One thing (DCS) Scale Trains already said they would change, and the other, I assume they would change (the samples in the video already have std knukle couplers)

And the Aquarium car... I'm sure they will find something fun to do with it...

[sundowner]

Looks likw ST is fixing the biggest issue, getting rid of DCS

[basementcalling]

Did the MTH employee buyout founder? Or is that still happening, and selling-off the HO & S lines is helping to finance it?

Personally I think the S lines will be a distraction, and not good news for the N scale line, which I also think is already maybe a red-headed stepchild. (I surmise their coupler misfires may have soured them a little.) They've done some real winners for N, but the N scale lineup is... what?... half? a third?... of their HO selections. Anyway, tinplate is a totally different market than current ScaleTrains.com offerings, and it will no doubt move production priorities around not in "our" favor.

For that matter, and excuse my ignorance, where did MTH's HO stuff fit in the marketplace, be it quality, scale fidelity, variety, price or market presence? Every time I passed their booth at shows it was dripping with Lionel-scale, with HO lost in the clutter just like what happens to N at HO & N manufacturer displays. 

Ditto. My first reaction was their goes what they do manage to get around to offering in N scale.

[perezbill]

I am interested to see what they do with the tooling and what items they release with the MTH tooling. I am glad that Lok Sound will be inside their locomotives. I am entrenched in the Lok Sound camp. I have all Lok sound decoders in my locomotives.