The newest line is the I-Series . That I stands for Imagination.
In addition to the new steam engine releases, the 2009 Volume 1 catalog includes a new category in the M.T.H. HO lineup known as the I-Series. While we take pride in the prototype accuracy of most of our HO products, you will find items in this and future catalogs bearing the I-Series designation (and item numbers with an “81” prefix) that may feature imaginary graphics or stray from historical accuracy. These products are exciting and enjoyable for railroaders who like to use their imagination and just have some fun. Imagine if the BNSF developed a “Heritage Series” of locomotives like the Union Pacific. A SD70ACe in Santa Fe livery would be a knockout!
The first of the I-Series items are operating action and aquarium cars that take their inspiration from popular O gauge cars issued in the 1950_s. There were in fact a number of prototype cars built to carry live fish, perhaps the most famous being the Nautilus owned by Chicago’s John G. Shedd Aquarium but of course none had glass sides! Our new Operating Action cars feature backlit scenes that move as the car rolls by, with aquatic-themed cars featuring wavy glass to simulate water.
So it looks like they are running with the idea that Tower 55/T55 had when they were still around. I think they called it the “Classic Concept” series. You gotta love the the innovation of MTH!!
The I-Series stuff isn’t for me either. However, it’s not the only new stuff in the catalog. For me, the best new piece is the 1928 Paccar built R-40-2 reefer in Pacific Fruit Express. They have UP’s herald on one side and SP’s on the other per the prototype. MTH is offering 3 6-car sets (total of 18 unique numbers) for $170 msrp. Figure with pre-order discount they’ll be under $20 per car.
They’re also doing Powhatan Arrow cars to go with the J. The cars are up there price wise at $65 to $70 per car msrp. However, they come with grab irons installed, detailed interiors and overhead LED lighting, so they’re priced competatively with Walthers.
This is just the direction IHC is. Freelance style, not accurate, do what you wanna. Run a Big Boy on an Eastern road? on the model you can but the prototype would not, thats not the design required for the railroad purpose.
This is why they put the Virginian on the Erie Triplex, but its prototypically wrong.
I am building a layout that has prototypically accurate sensibilities, and that makes it even more interesting. There are several separate railroads but they all will interchange between each other somehow, a Nickel Plate 700 isn’t goint to get trackage rights over N&W and so on, (but on a leisurely time they may run anywhere). The imagination style doesnt fit my direction, although I bought the NY subway cars, its more a test for my Chicago CTA line, I wont be running NY subway cars on it on a normal run session, it just isnt Chicago. And its not the design.
Point is if your going to have a freelanced line, you borrow heavy from reality anyway.
Not really a good idea when modelers out there are looking for models for THEIR line and accurate when some model maker jumps up and does this…SOOOORRYyyyyyyy not for me.
The I-Series stuff isn’t for me either. However, it’s not the only new stuff in the catalog. For me, the best new piece is the 1928 Paccar built R-40-2 reefer in Pacific Fruit Express. They have UP’s herald on one side and SP’s on the other per the prototype. MTH is offering 3 6-car sets (total of 18 unique numbers) for $170 msrp. Figure with pre-order discount they’ll be under $20 per car.
They’re also doing Powhatan Arrow cars to go with the J. The cars are up there price wise at $65 to $70 per car msrp. However, they come with grab irons installed, detailed interiors and overhead LED lighting, so they’re priced competatively with Walthers.
Dave
The N&W cars will be very welcome to me and probably a lot of others out there. I already have three of the J’s but no real N&W cars for the J’s to pull. If the cars are done right, the price will be acceptable.
I have not seen the catalog, but the I series items are idea’s from previous models in O scale.
CZ
If what I heard is true, look for more MTH items the duplicate previous Broadway Limited/PCM models. Supposedly BLI sold some of their old tooling to MTH.
BLI didn’t sell any tooling to MTH, they had to give 5 of them to settle MTH’s lawsuit against them. IIRC, it’s the GG1, the Veranda Turbine, the Challenger, and two more I can’t remember.
The Korean company that caused all this trouble also has to supply 5 brand new tools to BLI.
It’s pretty much a win-win-win for all three companies. MTH gets 5 pieces of tooling they didn’t have to pay for. BLI gets 5 new pieces of tooling they didn’t have to pay for. And the Korean company gets to settle the lawsuits against them for the cost of 5 pieces of new tooling.
I was possibly considering those flatcars, but for what they are (lack of detail) at the price of 30 bucks, I think not. Shame really, since I really want some 60 foot flat cars but those detail shots just blew it. If it was in the 15-25 dollar range I might buy a few, as long as they work fine on DCC. Strange that they said this is a flatcar type based on a mid-70s design, yet they have a GN version of it?!?
For some reason or another, there SD70ACes (only because the possiblility of a BNSF heritage run) look kind of cheezy for some reason but I can quite place my thumb on it.
If you’re an SP modeler and your prefer the “what if” scenario of no Southern Pacific melding into UP, fine. If you want a bloody-nosed Gevo, fine. Blue and yellow warbonnet Santa Fe SD-70-2s? Go for it. It’s your model railroad, your time, and your money.
I like what I like and I do bend 1:87 reality a bit. BNSF does not exist so the SF carries on as it did in the early 90s. The other railroad I model is CSX so both are present just as the NS and CSX are in close proximity through Berea, OH. There is no Amtrak so both roads have F40PHs among others pulling the passenger trains.
BLI didn’t sell any tooling to MTH, they had to give 5 of them to settle MTH’s lawsuit against them. IIRC, it’s the GG1, the Veranda Turbine, the Challenger, and two more I can’t remember.
The Korean company that caused all this trouble also has to supply 5 brand new tools to BLI.
It’s pretty much a win-win-win for all three companies. MTH gets 5 pieces of tooling they didn’t have to pay for. BLI gets 5 new pieces of tooling they didn’t have to pay for. And the Korean company gets to settle the lawsuits against them for the cost of 5 pieces of new tooling.
Paul A. Cutler III *******************
Paul
The official press release from BLI describes the settlement against the Model Korean Trading Company and MTH. BLI never owned the tooling that was transferred and as far as we can know, was never in the actual lawsuit. MTH did receive 5 pieces of tooling in the settlement from MKT.
I saw the video on the new MTH J Class, and I’m really disturbed at the distance between the engine and tender! That’s reminiscent of the O-scale “toy train” junk. People have told me that the tender drawbar on MTH HO scale locomotives is NOT ADJUSTABLE as it contains the wiring between the two parts. I emailed the company and questioned them about this and have gotten no response (about a week and a half). I’m really intrigued by some of the features on this model, but I couldn’t tolerate the 12 (scale) foot gap between engine & tender. I’m running 34 to 36" radius curves, so I don’t need something to negotiotiate unrealistic curvatures found on O gauge! They need to realize the difference between HO and “toy trains”! I’d hate to see the gap between their PASSENGER CARS! ADVERTISEMENT: “two-inch gap between cars with OPERATING DIAPHRAGMS!!” HA HA!
OK, I just watched the video again. Strange thing is, the loco and tender are CLOSE-COUPLED in one scene, but WAY FAR APART on the next scene! I don’t get it just yet. Maybe it will be explained one day when somebody gets their hands on one. On another note, the passenger cars look really GOOD! I might have to eat my words on that one! ( I’ve had to do it before, nothing new). Just wondering how the color will turn out. Every manufacturer has it’s own ideas on what color (red) N&W painted it;s locos and passenger cars…
I suspect the scenes where the engine and tender appear close coupled are an illusion created by the camera angle.
The drawbar design on the later MTH engines is really easy to modify. The first design they came up with on the K4’s used a section of printed circuit board that is almost impossible to modify. However, the newer engines (GS-4’s, GS-6’s, Mohawks, and Mikados) all use a different design. The new design uses two pieces of phosphore bronze wire inside a plastic box section. All you have to do to shorten the drawbar is remove and disassemble the drawbar (3 phillips screws and 1 electrical connector) and drill a new hole in the top and bottom of the bar. It’s maybe a 15 minute project.
In O scale MTH offers ready made drawbars in 5 different lengths that are easy to swap (1 screw). However, the O scale designs are more like the K4’s drawbar made out of PCB.