2018 Premier GE U30C Diesel Engine Now In-Stock

July 4, 2018 - In 1953, Alco and General Electric went their separate ways, ending the partnership that had produced some of the most handsome first-generation diesel units, the FA and PA. Seven years later, GE was back in the market with the U25B, its first self-produced road locomotive and the product of an intensive research and development effort.

By 1963, GE sales surpassed those of its former partner, and the company became a serious threat to EMD’s market dominance. The nation’s diesel builders were locked in a horsepower race as railroads bought second-generation power to replace the first-generation diesels that had killed the steam engine. In 1966, General Electric introduced the six-axle, 3000 hp U30C, aimed directly at EMD’s equally powerful SD40.

While the U30C did not outsell the SD40, it became General Electric’s best-selling "U-boat." It set the stage for GE to pull ahead of EMD in diesel sales by 1983, and stay ahead to this day. Over the course of a 10-year production run, nearly 600 U30Cs were sold to 17 class one railroads, while other roads such as Conrail acquired them in mergers. Union Pacific and Burlington Northern owned the largest fleets, with BN using its U30Cs to haul coal from the massive Powder River Basin deposits in Montana and Wyoming. Many U30Cs served nearly three decades before retiring in the early 1990s.

GE’s most popular Universal-series diesel returns to the M.T.H. lineup for 2018, loaded with all the features you expect in a Premier diesel: superb, railroad-specific detailing, accurate paint schemes, bold prototypical sounds, and smooth, steady operation at any speed from a crawl to full throttle.

Our Premier General Electric U30C diesels are the most detailed, most accurate models of this landmark "U-boat" ever produced in O gauge. As with many of our latest diesels, the tooling for the U30C is engineered to produce a multitude of different, railroad-specific versions of this engine. Details found on all versions include etched safety tread on the walkways; opening cab doors; folding drops steps on the end platforms; optional snow plow; underframe air tanks with pipes; superbly detailed trucks with speed recorder cable, shock absorbers, and brake cylinders; legible builders plate and warning labels; and separately added grab irons, windshield wipers, and platform safety chains, MU cables, and coupler lift bars.

You can see the locomotives in action on video by clicking HERE.

Click HERE to learn more about these latest releases.

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

July 4, 2018 - Each week, M.T.H. releases product lists spotlighting quantities of Five Or Fewer 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.

RailKing One Gauge

M.T.H. HO Scale

Lionel Corporation Tinplate

Premier O Scale 2-Rail

Premier O Scale 3-Rail

RailKing O Gauge

M.T.H. S Gauge

Tinplate Traditions

Tinplate Items Just Released During The Week Of June 22, 2018

July 4, 2018 - To review last week's list of the Tinplate items M.T.H. Electric Trains released during the week of June 22, 2018, click HERE. You'll find these at your local M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

As always, you can stay apprised of the latest shipping dates by checking the M.T.H. Shipping Schedule. Once items have shipped, use the M.T.H. Product Locator to find a retailer reporting the item in stock.

You Should Really Make…

Turn Your Favorite Paint Scheme into Reality in the 2018 M.T.H. Freight Car Deco Contest

Dig into your files, archives or library — or your desk drawer — and send us the prototype paint schemes you’ve always wanted to see on a Premier or RailKing freight car.

This is your chance to show us The Cars You’ve Always Thought We Should Make and have them become reality — and have your fellow hobbyists know it was your idea that got them made! Click HERE for contest rules.

Deadline for submissions is midnight Saturday July 31, 2018.

It's Easy To Add WiFi To Your DCS Layout

Check Out The Quick Start Video

Click HERE To Learn More About DCS and WiFi Control