Hello, I am new here, have read several of the posts after searching for 'Railking', and would like to get your valuable opinion. I grew up with Lionel trains, switched to HO (all brands) when I grew up (!), and now I am back with Lionel for the grandkids, as the larger, more durable Lionel trains are easier for the youngsters to manage. I came across an MTH RailKing SantaFe ABA passenger train a few days ago, and it looked great. The price was quite reasonable - comparatively speaking. My problem is that other than for a few comments I have read on the web, I don't really know enough about MTH (Mike Train House?) to make a decision. • Do they run OK and are they reliable? • Do they require a different transformer than Lionel (I have a Lionel KW transformer that works fine.) I will appreciate any other thoughts you would care to share with me. Thank you for your time!
Estimado Ingeniero #1, Welcome to TrainBoard. Or maybe I should say "Bienvenido". Sorry I can't answer your question, as I am in N scale. But just as a suggestion, you might want to post the same question on the O scale forum here at TrainBoard. It's not the busiest forum, but posters there may have more experience with MTH equipment. http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=30&f=167 Also check your private messages. Regards Ed .
I haven't heard anything bad about MTH (formerly Mike's Train House) locomotives or rolling stock. In fact, I usually hear good things. I don't have any of their products yet but have been contemplating purchasing an Alaska set. However, I was asking about their Realtrax because I like the blackened center rail. I was told on on O scale board that their Realtrax is considered inferior to Lionel Fastrax. Make sure that the loco you're looking at is 3 rail like your Lionel (assuming that it is 3 rail). I'm not sure if MTH makes 2 rail locos or not, but 3 rail and 2 rail don't play together. If everything is 3 rail then your transformer should be fine. Check the output voltages on your transformer against the operating voltages on the MTH loco to be sure. According to the bio on Mike Wolf (the Mike in Mike's Train House) he started as a Lionel employee. MTH Electric Trains - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hope this helps.
MTH does make 2 rail versions also. The 2 rail versions are DC and the three rail versions are AC. The 3 rail versions should have no problems running on Lionel transformers. You just won't be able to activate all the sounds and functions. Be aware there are two versions. The older MTH and the newer V 2.0 versions. The older ones should go a lot cheaper than the 2.0 versions. The 2.0 versins have enhanced sounds and operating features.
