May 18, 2021 - M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing several limited-edition releases of the Premier 55 Ton All Steel Drop Bottom Gondola Car in four different liveries. The cars will be available in two different car numbers and will begin arriving on M.T.H. Authorized Retailer shelves in December 2021.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

ABOUT THE PREMIER 55-TON ALL-STEEL DROP BOTTOM GONDOLA CAR

While gondolas come in many lengths and types, their common denominator is extreme versatility. Almost any weatherproof cargo can and has been carried in gondolas, from coal to sugar beets to machinery to logs to telephone poles. A particularly versatile variation was the AAR (American Association of Railroads) Class GS, with drop bottom doors hinged along the center sill, enabling loose cargos to be unloaded by gravity to either side of the car. From the 1920s through the 1950s, class GS gons were built in large quantities, especially for western railroads that did not own large coal hopper fleets.

Our models, both the all-steel and composite wood and steel versions are based on GS gondolas built for the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads in the mid to late 1940s. While the UP’s composite cars were built during the war to conserve steel, the SP ordered composite cars after the war to save weight when transporting lighter loads such as wood chips and sugar beets. Although composite cars were often rebuilt with steel sides, the Southern Pacific is known to have operated composite gondolas in beet service as late as the 1980s. Our superbly detailed models feature added-on ladders, corner steps, and grab irons, as well as intricate, non-operating drop-bottom doors and door mechanisms.

Each car is offered in two car numbers which makes it even easier than ever to combine them into a multi-car consist. Many of MTH’s Premier Rolling Stock offerings can also operate on the tightest O Gauge curves giving them even more added versatility to your layout.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

May 19, 2021 - M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing several limited-edition releases of the RailKing 50’ Modern Boxcars in four different liveries later this Fall. These unique releases, including the 43rd entry in our series of Pennsylvania cars, are expected to arrive in October 2021.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

ABOUT THE 50’ MODERN BOXCARS

The RailKing 50’ modern boxcar is modeled on the fleet of cars originally built for Railbox service in the 1970s and early 1980s. Formed in 1974 as a subsidiary of Trailer Train Company (now TTX Company), Railbox did for box cars what Trailer Train had done earlier for piggybacking: established a pool of cars that could be used by all member railroads, without the burden of routing rules that prioritized empty cars for return to their home railroad. With its slogan of "Next Load, Any Road!", Railbox strove to minimize empty backhauls and keep loaded cars flowing wherever needed, throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

The initial 1974 Railbox order was for 10,000 boxcars with the reporting marks RBOX, supplied by a variety of car builders including Pullman-Standard, American Car and Foundry, and FMC. The 50’ RBOX cars exemplified modern boxcar design at the time: welded rather than riveted construction; exterior support posts to maximize interior space and provide a smooth interior wall; and a lack of roof walks, which had been outlawed in the 1960s for safety reasons. With roof access no longer needed, the cars’ end ladders only went partway up the sides, to allow crew members to ride the cars during switching moves.

Beginning in the 1980s, the need for boxcars — once a mainstay of American freight trains — began to shrink as loads that had formerly moved in boxcars shifted over to containers. Many Railbox cars were sold off to other railroads and repainted in a variety of paint schemes. Although the earliest RBOX cars are approaching the end of their legal 40-year service life, many are still plying the rails for various owners, and TTX Company still supplies 50’ and 60’ RailBox boxcars throughout North America.

High-quality, traditionally sized RailKing Freight Cars provide detailed bodies and colorful paint schemes for the O Gauge railroader. MTH makes an enormous variety of RailKing Freight Cars, including many different car types and roadnames. No matter what era or part of the country you are modeling, RailKing is sure to have something for you.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

May 19, 2021 - One year after announcing M.T.H. owner Mike Wolf's 2021 retirement plans, the company's evolution is coming into focus with the move from the current Columbia, Maryland facility at the end of May to a smaller location in nearby Elkridge, Maryland. The new location will house two of three smaller spin-offs from M.T.H. Electric Trains including MTH Parts & Sales, LLC. The parts company will feature an all-new parts website with a new online ordering platform slated to go live this Summer. M.T.H. Electric Trains' R&D Division will continue developing DCS and other electronic products on its own in the satellite location it has occupied in Western Michigan for the past 24 years.

The third spin-off, to be managed by a few long-time M.T.H. employees will be operating alongside the parts company in the smaller Elkridge, Maryland facility. The train company will continue to operate as M.T.H. Electric Trains - marketing and producing new model train products - after many discussions with various companies to purchase the entire portfolio of M.T.H. tooling were unsuccessful. The new products will include select RailKing and Premier O gauge models and occasional production of RailKing One Gauge G Scale models.

Learn more about the plans by reading the rest of the story HERE.

M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing several limited-edition releases of the RailKing Boxcars w/Power Meter in four different liveries later this Fall. These unique releases, including entries in our series of Halloween and Christmas series, are expected to arrive in October 2021.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing several limited-edition releases of the RailKing 50’ Double Door Plugged Boxcars in four different liveries later this Fall. These unique releases, including another entry in our series of NASA cars, are expected to arrive in November 2021.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

Hurry Before They're Gone, Just Five Or Fewer Of These O Gauge Items Remain In Stock

May 19, 2021 - Each week, M.T.H. releases product lists spotlighting quantities of Five Or Fewer Premier and RailKing items that are remaining in our onhand inventory. In many cases, these items will NOT be re-run in the future and these lists could be your last chance for ordering them before they're GONE FOR GOOD. Don't miss out on these items! Click on the appropriate product line link below and then any item number in the corresponding list to purchase that item from the M.T.H. Online Store or order directly from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

Premier O Scale 3-Rail

M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing several limited-edition releases of the RailKing Flat Car with Billboard in three different liveries later this Fall. These unique releases, including another entry in our series of U.S. Army cars, are expected to arrive in August 2021.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

May 4, 2021 - M.T.H. Electric Trains will be releasing several limited-edition releases of the Premier Line O Scale GP-9 diesel locomotive in four different liveries later this Fall. Each of these offerings is available in two cab numbers and is expected to arrive on M.T.H. Authorized Retailer shelves in October 2021.

Check out each of these offerings HERE.

These items are available to order from your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

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