New MTH Website has Launched
Check out the new MTH site at www.mthtrains.com. If you have bookmarks to www.mth-railking.com you won’t see the new site yet. I guess MTH is still working on pointing all their domain names to the new site. You can read all about the new website and watch a video about it here.
Lawsuit Filed by MTH Against Broadway Limited
According to the December issue of Model Retailer Magazine, MTH has filed suit against Broadway Limited Imports, maker of HO trains, for unauthorized use of patented technology dealing with the synchronization of a locomotive’s sound and smoke to its track speed. Broadway Limited Imports was started by Bob Grubba, who was the central figure in the trade secret lawsuit filed by MTH against Lionel. Grubba was also the focus of other legal tangles with MTH. Read the Model Retailer article here.
If you want to take a trip down memory lane and relive the details of the many lawsuits that rocked the O Gauge hobby a few years back start with these OGaugeWatch.com posts.
In case you missed this….
Back in the summer of 2009 MTH started a Facebook page which now has over 600 fans. MTH is doing a nice job of posting status updates and photos. Check it out here.
Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine is a free quarterly electronic publication that was launched back in January of 2009. Check out back issues here.
Finally a new MTH Website?
I received the new MTH 2010 Volume 1 catalog in the mail the other day. Having viewed it a few times on-line already I hadn’t broken the wrapper on the dead tree version until my son spotted it tonight. We both were going through the pages together and when we got to the inside back cover I noticed a page entitled M.T.H. Online that I didn’t notice in the on-line version . To my surprise there was a breakdown of what seems to be an updated MTH website. Anyone who reads OGaugeWatch.com knows my biggest gripe with MTH is the poor design of their website.
After reading the page I grabbed my laptop and headed over to www.mthtrains.com to take in the new site. Unfortunately I was presented with the same old slow, poorly designed site. Ok, I thought, maybe one of MTH’s other domain names is pointing to the new site. No luck. Lets hope the site depicted on the back of the catalog is on its way some day soon.
MTH 2010 Catalog Released On-Line
Check out the latest offerings in MTH’s 2010 Volume One catalog (pdf). Be patient because it may take a while regardless of the speed of internet connection. The Premier Line European engines are looking good but my favorite in this catalog is the Turbo Train Passenger Set on page 96. Learn more about actual Turbo Train here.
MTH Announces Un-Cataloged Regional Items
I like the fact that MTH will build regional items for markets that can support them. According to the MTH email newsletter, three more items have been added to MTH’s regional line-up. Photos and descriptions were taken directly from the newsletter.
Marburger Dairy RailKing Modern Reefer Car
Item No. 30-78117 MSRP: $44.95 Anticipated Delivery: December 2009
Adam’s County Apples RailKIng Modern Reefer Car
Item No. 30-78118 MSRP: $44.95 Anticipated Delivery: December 2009
West India Fruit Premier Line 36_ Woodsided Reefer Car
Item No. 20-94359 MSRP: $49.95 Anticipated Delivery: December 2009
Each of these cars can be ordered from any M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.