If you would like email regarding any MTH Gauge-1
related news, offers or alerts then please send a message to
If you are interested in items from MTH's other product ranges, their various O gauge lines and HO then please read this.
For general articles, news and views on Gauge 1 standard gauge (1/32 or 10mm/ft) we would recommend the Gauge 1 Model Railway Association. The G1MRA website hosts a short messageboard alongside a more verbose Yahoo group. The membership encompasses most eras and countries but with the bulk of the information relating to live steam. Electric power and american outline does get a look in on a less frequent basis. In terms of magazines Finescale Railroader, an american publication, might be worth tracking down. The magazine itself was extinguished in early 2007, the bulk of the coverage always was for G scale but 1/32 scale featured from time to time. In terms of British magazines both Continental Modeller and Garden Rail cover 1/32 scale items in their trade news section and may also feature 1/32 on an occasional (CM) or pretty much consistent (GR) basis. Both of these magazines, I am very happy to report, contain more pages nowadays than ever before.
Do you have any spare couplers?
I know that some of you prefer to couple up with Kadee, please get in touch if you would you like to sell some of your spare MTH couplers back
(demand pretty much satisfied for the meantime,thank you).
Just in case you are interested in a methanol-electric "live diesel", the last few of Mr.Hyde's UP F7s
News Update March 2008
MTH have announced that the Flying Scotsman will be in their next O gauge catalog(ue). For Gauge 1 the limited "dealer" item is a flatcar with "Coors Light" trailer, please shout if this appeals to you. On the HO front the SP GS-4 has now been announced, 4449 Daylight, AFT or BNSF paint, 4437 black, 4460 black GS-6, WP 483 GS-6 and finally 4432 Daylight as part of the limited "dealer" program. These locomotives are stated as getting Kadee compatible couplers and being suitable for code 70 to 100 track, 22" radius curves. It has to be said that the flanges look better in HO than for O or gauge 1. Also appearing in the HO lists are a series of 60' Trailer Train flat cars in TTX, ATSF, Southern, BNSF, BN, CN, GN and UP paint with optional grader, excavator and scoop digger loads.
January 2008
Now that I am adding the HO triplex models to my shelves it seems appropriate to thin out some of my personal collection of HO items. Unless otherwise mentioned you may take it that these have been kept in their boxes, neither displayed nor run. I am kicking off with the UP Challenger and Verandah Turbine by Lionel and may add one or two Broadway locomotives. Please note that since I only have one or two units per item it would help if you phoned to confirm availability before pressing the button. I am also having a small sale of a few older MTH 1/32 scale items to try and ready some space for the forthcoming products, hoping this helps both of us.
December 2007
Given the frequent slippage on MTH production schedules full marks for getting the first HO triplexes shipped out on time (item 80-3112-1).
News Update, October 2007
A bit of a cheat here but if you know anyone who might fancy an HO Erie triplex I'll be happy to take orders
July 2007
Not much actual news at the start of the month though
Continental Modeller have now reviewed the EMD
F3 diesels. Those who have wondered about the likely effectiveness
of repainting (given the missed tie-in sales opportunities that have been
mentioned before) might like to have a look at these N&W coaches
.
June 2007
The Union Pacific ribbed tail-end observation cars have now been produced, so if you want one please shout. I will mention that these last few weeks have seen me trying to dredge up more "old stock" than for any previous month. I was lucky in that I have found more than three-quarters of the wish list but it might be worth my while reapeating that MTH does not want to act as a large warehouse for old production, they try to build to expected dealer demand and not carry inventory for any longer than necessary. Some of the relatively recent products such as the UP and WM individual hoppers and sets (blame the Big Boys, Challengers and Aster shay if you like) ran out of availability a while back. To this end I was surprised to see that the UP caboose is having a production rest and may become hard to find before it is run again. In a similar vein I have to say that I think they could have considered offering some C&O and NYC&StL freight stock, and the same goes for planning CN but not CP coaches. I will also mention that one customer has pointed me in the direction of a UK mains power supply that, on the face of it, seems to be well matched to the TIU. It will not be the very cheapest method of powering the TIU (but considerably cheaper than the LGB Jumbo unit) so if it has all the relevant CE safety stickers and in due course it turns out to be up to the job I will be delighted to recommend it.
May 2007
With the MTH dealer deadline now here I am enacting the replacement pre-order discount scheme, that is the earlier you order the greater the discount. The other item is that I have contacted Gary Raymond, who is very much a 1/32 enthusiast including MTH and I hope to be able to offer a selection of his highly regarded wheelsets soon.
April 2007
For the moment just a couple of comments regarding the Triplex. The catalogue mentions this as having twin motors (both are located within the boiler shell) implying that the tender engine would just be dragged along for the ride but I am told by MTH that it will be powered by a cardan shaft from the locomotive. The illustrations show exhaust smoke from the boiler but no steam vapour from the tender. The catalogue text does mention that two smoke units are fitted so in use you will get the unique full Triplex effect. Mid-month update: Firstly my apologies/sympathies to those who use Internet Explorer as their default browser, I had simply forgotten how pony IE is at displaying images. Thank you to those few who took the trouble to gently point this out. Secondly I will most likely be re-jigging the pre-order discount scheme. To get the full pre-order dealer terms I need to have all the orders from the new catalogue in by 25th May (this year). As ever I can only state that the production dates shown on this site are as shown by MTH and are very prone to slippage. I propose to change the scheme to allowing the full 10% to those who order up by the May deadline and reduce the discount by 1% each month thereafter.
March 2007
The MTH G1 catalog(ue) will be on it's way over next month but for those that want a preview they have made it available in .pdf format. I have to say that with nothing being trumpeted at Nurnburg last month I thought my previous prediction of no new moulds but a lot of different paint would be the way of things. On the rolling stock side this is perfectly true, the carriages have more roadnames in the smooth side versions but are still limited to the coach and observation formats. For freight it is a mixture of new liveries and roadnames throughout the range but no fresh designs. When it comes to motive power I was completely wrong, I had been vaguely hoping for a smaller steam loco that would suit switching and short line duties, what MTH have in fact dished up is the Erie Triplex (two versions and also lettered for the Viginian if you can overlook the trailing truck and other differences in design). For diesel fans the Alco PA will be arriving at some point with seven liveries, as will the Baldwin VO1000 (which does lend itself as a switcher). Not only that but the Pennsy GG1 is set for production with a choice of six liveries. Nothing much new in the sundry department unless you fancy trying out any of their 9 (yes really) new types of smoke oil!
Steam Diesel Coaches Freight Sundry
January 2007
On the MTH front this month sees the arrival of the triple hopper car sets, so if you have had singles before and like the idea of building up your consist with different road numbers then this does give you a slight saving. Sadly there is no headline MTH product due to be announced at the Nurnburg show. I have been told that the next MTH G1 catalogue should appear before the end of March, it would be nice if there was a new passenger car or some fresh item for freight trains but I am not holding my breath.
The other item of news is that we are now dealers with Accucraft (UK). I expect initial interest will be with the forthcoming live steam model of the CPR Royal Hudson, the steam and electric SP cab-forward models and their other announced locomotives such as the Flying Scotsman but please bear in mind that they also produce some rolling stock in 1/32, a string of reefers and the complete SP Daylight passenger train consist. If your interest in Accucraft spans to their much wider range of "G scale" G1 narrow gauge scales then anything that they list as either in stock or as future products may be ordered.
November 2006
The first of the observation cars in SP Daylight livery have now arrived.
October 2006
Continental Modeller have now reviewed the Big Boy, and I believe that there is also a Challenger review in Garden Rail. It seems there will not be an autumn G1 specific catalogue this time round. A mid-month update is that the first of the F3 A units (including the ATSF version) will be here before the month is out, if you want these then please say!
September 2006
Further delivery slippage news seems to be the norm with MTH, narrow-nose Dash-8s are now reckoned to be set for November, F3 A units may arrive stateside in October (whilst the unpowered B units have now landed) and some of the rolling stock is dribbling through such as the ATSF coaches (but not the B&O version). Some of the arrivals have been so far behind the originally predicted date that it may just be simplest if I just add a year when punching the dates in or simply omit any date information altogether. Looking through the Big Boy instruction manual brings forward a couple of points. Firstly MTH had previously warned not to use other smoke oils (such as Seuthe) in their products (or indeed substitute the MTH oil for other brands) due to compatability problems with the heaters but I now see that Seuthe, LGB and LVTS fluids are acceptable. The second point is that the manual mentions an adapter plate if you should want to plut a Kadee coupler on the tender, none of the models I have had this part. The third point is that the Big Boys did arrive with the DCS controlled Protocoupler and it is to be expected that all future locomotives will gain this useful feature. Finally may I recommend Mr. Mark Wood to anyone who desires a finer scale set of wheels than come from the factory. Whilst I have simply trimmed down the diameter of the flanges on some wheels Mr. Wood can provide wheelsets with a proper G1MRA finescale or absolute scale profile and he also stocks wheel castings that you can custom machine to your own standards. His website also shows what some MTH freight wagons look like with his wheels and some weathering.
July 2006
So where are the big boys? Well at long last they have arrived! Incidentally the same consignment also contained a few of the HO scale Pennsy K4 variants and finally some of the oft requested spare elephant ears for the earlier Challenger models (what is more in both black and grey versions) so shout if you want these and I'll know how many to reorder. Other items should arrive in next month but, as usual, it is difficult to tie them down to a definate date.
March 2006
So where are the big boys? Simple question, unpleasant answer. According to my sales contact I can expect my allocation in May. I know that the MTH site is still giving a February date in their shipping schedule (possibly updated now that I have told them), and that a quantity were shipped for the Nurnberg show, and that none of this really helps. I reckon this means than an extra 2 to 3 months delay on the F3s may soon be announced. In the meantime if you like your Challengers with smoke deflectors they are in stock. I have added some relatively high resolution images of these Challengers in the hope that this will give an accurate idea of what to expect detail wise on the Big Boys. Please note that the DCS handset is no longer included as a freebie with the recent Challenger models (and that they no longer proclaim themselves to be 3-rail). And whilst I am at it I will mention that the owner's handbook does now list the jumbo LGB transformer/controller as being up suitable for powering MTH locos, strange that!
February 2006
Production models of the Big Boy are just starting to come off the line. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9I-UlN5li8 Sadly, though I suppose no great surprise given the track record, a lot of the items slated for January have been pushed back to March .
January 2006
Just a quick note to relay a few of the most recent shipping schedule announcements. Elephant ear Challengers should ship this month, Big Boys set for february, as are the the HO scale PRR k4's.
October 2005
Not much at the moment. MTH sent out a flyer which gave details on items which fill three "gaps" in the numbers, these are for Harley-Davidson and Dallas Cowboys box cars and a Caterpillar flat car with generator load. Going by last year's calendar MTH may shortly be going to press with their 2005-2006 catalog(ue), one can but hope. The Southern Pacific GS-4 has now been reviewed in Continental Modeller. End of month update. There will not be a further 2005-06 catalogue, the August announcement was it for this year. I do wonder whether there might be some new items announced come the toy fair but basically don't expect a new catalogue until next August. If this means that MTH can and does catch up with the backlog of previously announced items and can then keep to schedule then perhaps no real harm done. In the meantime I have been told that the 2006 club car, the SP flat with trailer, has already been fully subscribed whilst it has only been on the lists for a fortnight. Since, as far as I am aware, none of the trailer units have yet been shipped this does seem a mite strange.
September 2005
Continental Modeller has now reviewed the coach, caboose, hopper and some of the trackside figures.
August 2005
The best news at the start of the month is that the
GS-4 and GS-2
locomotives have finally started to arrive in the states and our
initial batch should be on its way over. The other news is the
announcement of some "new" products. There are no truly fresh
designs in this crop, merely repaints, including: Amtrak and unpainted
smooth side coaches, 6 tank cars, 9 sensible box cars plus half a dozen
with US team logos for the stamp collecting modeller. Going on from that
there are hoppers in five new roads with ten roads now being available in
a set of three, giving different car numbers and a lower unit price. Flats
are now available with articulated trailers and a large diesel generator,
and finally for the rolling stock 7 new paintjobs each for the reefer and
caboose, which includes a different NYC scheme. For locomotives there are
some more Dash-8s and Hudsons. The Big Boy has been put back to December,
F3s to the new year. The diesel locomotives and tenders that are issued
next year should be fitted with DCS controlled couplers. If you had been
wavering over the GS-4 or GS-2 then please note that MTH will be raising
the price at the end of September, orders received before then will be at
the lower price.
End of month update, a new arrival on
foreign shores, now delivered. End of month update, The MTH
site now has the Big Boy pushed back to February 06, and please note
that there is just a month left to get the GS-4s at the original price,
the expected increment will put them on a par with the challengers (look
what has hapened to the pricing on the later Hudson models compared to the
original). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1-yIoerBW4
June 2005
A few more coaches have come in, this time for the UP and SP (for which the GS-4s are now perhaps a couple of months away) along with the UP box car and ATSF reefers. The surprise this time was the arrival of a few hoppers in DRGW lettering. Don't ask why the #8 item on the hopper list gets first shout but that is a minor point, the main thing is that the hopper mould is up and running producing a really worthwhile model. If I had to pick a fault with the hopper it would be the dummy coal load (easily replaced) and the best bit would be the fine scale look to the multitude of hand rails.
If I might make a request I would be interested in adding in some "customer pages", simple images of your G1 stock (hopefully including some MTH items) on your own track or at other events would be very welcome, with or without accompanying text, and either with accreditation or anonymous as you see fit.
April 2005
No sign of the F3s, but an initial batch of reefers did arrive. To my surprise they were accompanied by a few NYC coaches so we know the coach mould is up and running and can hope that the other liveries are not too far behind. Whereas I and others had some misgivings concerning the length of these coaches I have to say that when you have a string of these actually sat on the track in front of you the overall effect is quite satisfactory. I measure the coach body width at 95mm, height off the rails at 128, body length of 667 (spot on for 70 foot), 694 between diaphragm ends and 718mm coupled length. Still no news on the GS-2 and GS-4 models, sorry.
March 2005
The Challenger has now been reviewed in Continental Modeller, along with the remote control and TIU. Whilst I think the review is a fair one I would point out two things, the first is to reiterate that all the gauge 1 Challengers received so far have been supplied complete with the remote control handset. The second it to state once again that these models as supplied are set up for 2 rail only (though it should not be beyond the wit of the average railway modeller to convert one if required). I wrote to the editor regarding the 3-rail claim on seeing the Hudson review, exactly why it gets a second mention in CM, or why MTH still put the 3-rail label on the inner carton is beyond my knowledge. The first of the F3s should arrive next month along with some of the reefers.
January 2005
MTH have formally cancelled the "Xmas" and two "USPS" boxcars. They also seem to have withdrawn all the non-sound diesels, one wonders about the chances for the non-sound steam engine variants (it has now been confirmed that all the non-sound locomotives have been cancelled). The first Dash-8's have now been shipped out to those who pre-ordered with one sent off to Continental Modeller for review. Most designs can still be ordered.
November 2004
Please Note that, despite what it might say in Continental Modeller, the MTH gauge 1 Hudson locomotive models are 2 rail (not 3 rail).
August 2004
Supplies of the 2004 catalogue have finally arrived and there are several things to mention. The tools for the GS-4 have been modified for a Gs-2 version, and the Challenger has been spun out in several roadnames. The NYC Hudson is having a limited reissue with a new cab number and finally on the steam front there is a another UP locomotive. For diesels there are new narrow nose versions of the Dash-8 along with EMD F3 A and B units. Steam and diesel locomotives are now being offered without the Protosound unit, with a consequent reduction in price, so when ordering please be careful to choose the variant you want. The Gs-2 and Hudsons are on limited availability so if either of these appeal then please act soon. In terms of rolling stock tail end (observation) coaches have been added to the list, new roadnames have been announced for box cars, reefers and hoppers but there are no new freight car shapes.
March 2004
Some prices have now been reduced with regard to the recent weakness of the dollar. The 2 1/2% "UK cheque" discount has now been withdrawn as PayPal do not like it. For those that are now chasing up the newly obsolete models I offer my apologies but hope you will understand that once MTH's production run has sold out I cannot obtain any more direct from MTH. There is an inter-dealer network and I can often obtain the odd item but the price is likely to be higher. With certain items such as the NYC and UP cabooses running out within the month I would respectfully suggest that there has been the option of pre-ordering most items right up to the end of last year.
Some customers have been noticing a "thrum" noise under certain conditions when operating their boxcars on Tenmille track. This seems to be due to the relatively coarse scale flanges touching the tops of the moulded chairs. Of course for american style track the equivalent spikes would be far smaller than the chairs and the flange rims would be nowhere near. On the pieces of Tenmille track I have to hand the wheelset has to be pushed to one side to give this interference but the moulds used for the sleepers may have changed over the years. If you have any suitable workshop equipment then skimming say 25 thou off the flanges is not a difficult operation. If you need this operation to be performed for you then please get in touch.
MTH have finally let me know that our batch of Challengers is slated for April despatch so, for the sake of safety, lets call it a May delivery date.
There is further, probably permanent, bad news in that Jersey Post have warned that their off-island parcel post rates are set to double in April.
February 2004
Needless to say the Challengers are now slated for March (so I'd say an April delivery was more likely). There has been further slippage of one or two months on most other items though for some reason the hopper cars have now been put on the back burner with an eleven month delay! There has been some comfort with the arrival of cabooses and boxcars for those that pre-ordered.
Egg on face time. I have in the past suggested the larger LGB transformer/controller as a potential power unit for the MTH locos (on the basis that it was rated 10A at 18V) but the MTH site now clearly puts it in the "not recommended" category.
January 2004
MTH has now indicated that the first batch of
Challengers should be ready in time for the Nurnberg show so a February,
or at the latest March, delivery seems likely. Other items such as the
first group of non-railroad boxcars (private owner wagons) and, at long
last, some of the caboose variants should already be on their way over.
December 2003
Please note that any orders received after
December 5th will not be despatched prior to the Xmas holiday. Sorry for
any inconvenience and we hope you have a good one.
10 November 2003
"New" items continue to arrive, recent additions being a limited quantity of flat cars with container loads.
A major change has been instigated in the web site with the addition of "buy" buttons on the loco and rolling stock pages and a "view basket/checkout" button in the side frame. Due to the way that carriage charges are processed within the shopping cart there is no simple way to build an order and then select from several shipping options. In order to give you a choice as to speed versus cost and insured/uninsured we have consequently produced a set of similar pages with the following postal options: UK parcel post, UK parcel post (insured- pending), UK letter post, UK letter post (insured), EEC parcel post and EEC parcel post (insured). In order to get the correct postal service it is neccessary to order from the correct page. If you should change your mind on shipping an item then it may be removed from the shopping basket and the same item with your preferred option reinstated from one of the other pages. If you want to mix and match shipping methods within an individual order then you are at liberty to do so. If you live outside the EEC, or prefer an alternative courier such as UPS, then please contact us. Please Note - the EEC post options have yet to be finalised
For the moment the link to the old web-shop is still active and, if the new "buy" and "checkout" buttons fail to operate for any reason, you may click through to the old system (we would be obliged if you would also let us know what went wrong). This link should be removed shortly (now removed) whereupon the one to the "forum" (which was our attempt at providing the gauge 1 community with free internet small-ads) may be reinstated.
The "availability" codes are being slightly re-vamped :
IS - In Stock (and/or available to order)
AS - Awaiting Stock
AO - Available to order
PO - Pre Order (predicted manufacture date, subject to change)
LS - Limited (or last) stock, we may have one or two left (please
enquire)
BC - Book Closed, possibly worth enquiring, we can ask round the
inter-dealer network but no promises
BG - Been and Gone, enquire if you like but chances are very slim
CA - Cancelled, proposed model only listed for the historic interest
RK - MTH RailKing Club item, if required we can order the current unit,
they are more expensive than the standard items
October 2003
The issue of the MTH 2004 Vol 1 catalogue introduces some 27 new items of rolling stock. At heart these are fresh liveries applied to existing and previously announced products rather than brand new moulds but does include some sensible and attractive designs. Flat cars with vehicles have now reappeared, these are not a reintroduction of the the previously cancelled range but feature Pennzoil tankers and tow-trucks and Pepsi delivery trucks on top of Pennsy, B&0 and UP flats repectively. It seems we must wait a while longer before we see the likes of stock cars or gondolas, which we think would give useful variation to consists. There are no new announcements with regard to locomotives or coaching stock but for those that like to populate the trackside six sets of gauge 1 figures are listed, each containing three different figures. The gauge 1 RailKing Club model for 2004 is a State of Maine liveried reefer. The catalogue does contain a good range of items first announced in previous issues but similarly a large number have been removed from the order list. Since the freight car page is becoming quite lengthy now we will shortly be introducing a page limited to the current in-stock/available-to-order and pre-order items. If you had been considering any of the now unlisted items please act swiftly.
September 2003
Our thanks for your patience during August. Some new stock continues to arrive, recent items being flat cars and side-tipping log cars. The tank cars are now starting to ship but MTH has once again announced further slippage in the predicted production dates of other items: The Challengers and the other Hudsons have been put back to December, as have the reefer cars, whilst the Dash-8 diesels are currently set for November with the second group of boxcars expected next month.
23 July 2003
Please note that due to urgent family needs DPA will be going into a "plant shutdown" for the greater part of August. If you need to contact us email would be best, followed by brief phone message. If you had been wanting to order up anything then there may still be ways and means but your patience during this time would be appreciated.
MTH have advised us of slippage in the predicted production dates. Delays of one to three months compared to the original predictions may now be expected. The diesel locomotives have been put back one month, the Challengers together with the majority of the freight cars by two months and a three month delay is now expected for the caboose. The GS4 locomotives and the passenger coaches are, at this point, still slated for December production but we would not be completely surprised if these dates were ammended. If there are discrepancies with production dates on the site then please take it that the later date is the current estimate.
26 June 2003
Following a couple of requests we have initiated a deposit scheme for some of the proposed steam locomotive models. The additional terms and conditions applying to partial payments are available here.
12 June 2003
After a short delay the web-shop is back with a working shopping cart. We are now using PayPal as the card accepting service. For those that have not used PayPal before we mention that, when making an initial payment, it is a slightly more long-winded process than for most other card accepting services (basically you have to log in to create an account with a password). After the initial effort subsequent PayPal transactions are far more streamlined.
We appreciate that not everybody will want to use PayPal and for those that preferred our previous card accepting system we apologise for the inconvenience caused. If you prefer not to use the internet for any financial transactions then please use the traditional mail-in order form.
May 2003
Freight cars are now starting to arrive, the first batch includes box and ore dump cars. For those running Aster we can confirm that they do couple up without modification to the Big Boy, Hudson, GS-4 and Maryland Shay and expect that the same is true of the Mikado. Some images comparing the MTH and Aristocraft box cars are now available. Reefers and 4-bay hoppers have been added to the freight car pre-order lists, both types to be available in five roadnames.
April 2003
Our batch of NYC Hudsons has finally arrived and we have a few left unspoken for.
February 2003
This whole site is new so please see the other pages. Any further pieces of information coming to hand, new items arriving in the catalogue, ordered items coming into stock or any special offers that are running should be mentioned on this page.