2020 Volume 1 O Gauge Catalog Sneak Peek

September 10, 2019 - M.T.H. Electric Trains will be including a Premier Line SD70ACe diesel locomotive in the upcoming 2020 Volume 1 catalog in Union Pacific's all-new "Powered by the People" dress. The catalog is slated for release the week of October 13th. The locomotive will carry an MSRP of $519.95 and will be shipping to the marketplace in February 2020. Additional roadnames will be produced, all of which will be announced when the new catalog is published next month. In the meantime, below are the SKU numbers for the Powered by the People version.

20-21264-1 Union Pacific (Powered by the People) SD70ACe Diesel Engine w/Proto-Sound 3.0 (Hi-Rail Wheels)
22-21264-2 Union Pacific (Powered by the People) SD70ACe Diesel Engine w/Proto-Sound 3.0 (Scale Wheels)

ABOUT THE SD70ACe

By the turn of the 21st century, the diesel horsepower race was over. The third generation of freight engines had found its sweet spot: a six-axle, computer-assisted, 4000–4400 horsepower locomotive with a wide, comfortable cab. Railroads viewed this as the perfect building block for multi-engine lashups to power virtually any size train. Development of the next generation of power would be born not out of railroad needs, but due to government regulations.

On January 1, 2005, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 2 emissions requirements for railroad locomotives went into effect, significantly reducing the pollutants that diesels could exhaust into the atmosphere. Electro-Motive Diesel’s SD70ACe, along with its General Electric rival, the ES44AC, inaugurated the fourth generation of diesel power in response to those regulations.

Rather than just upgrade its existing SD70MAC to Tier 2 standards, EMD took the opportunity to design a new locomotive from the rails up. Emissions turned out to be the easy part. Only slight modifications were needed to make EMD’s 4300 horsepower model 710 motor meet new emission standards. With 5000 such motors in service worldwide and a reputation for dependability, EMD reasoned that shop crews would prefer familiar technology.

Other than the prime mover, however, virtually every element of the SD70ACe was re-thought to create a 21st-century locomotive. Ergonomics were a prime consideration. The engine’s angular nose offers the crew far better visibility than most other locomotives, and the cab is comfortable for engineers of almost any size. Digital screens provide a range of information on what is happening both inside the locomotive and out on the road. The cab easily accommodates a crew of three — an important factor in a modern world without cabooses. And there is, of course, a cupholder for the engineer.

2019 Volume 2 O Gauge Catalog Now Online

See It Online

Order items through any M.T.H. Authorized Retailer.

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

September 11, 2019 - 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 2-Rail

Premier O Scale 3-Rail

RailKing O Gauge