I am not sure if this is old news to everyone.....but I just came across this news: https://www.mthtrains.com/news/686 Atlas To Purchase Select M.T.H. O Gauge Tooling Assets Columbia, Maryland, March 17, 2021 --- M.T.H. Electric Trains has announced that it has sold a selection of its Premier O Scale molds to Atlas as part of its continued divestiture of tooling assets in light of M.T.H. President Mike Wolf's retirement later this year. The selection of models includes diesel locomotives, freight cars, and passenger cars from the Premier line. In addition, a number of O Scale accessories from the RailKing lineup are included. Like the January 2021 Scale Trains tooling purchase of M.T.H.'s HO and S Gauge lineups, the Atlas purchase is only for the tools and molds of the selected items. Since the announcement last Spring that M.T.H. President Mike Wolf would be retiring and closing down M.T.H., Atlas becomes the second model railroading company to purchase some of the vast tooling assets M.T.H. developed over the past 41 years. According to Wolf, "Atlas' longtime presence in the model railroading marketplace makes them a great place for these exciting models to now call home. Their decision to continue producing locomotives with Proto-Sound 3.0 makes Atlas a great destination for M.T.H. fans who've long appreciated the value found in these models." A few of the models included in the sale were previously promoted under the M.T.H. brand in either uncataloged announcements or the 2020 O Gauge catalogs but have yet to arrive on retailer shelves. Those models will still be produced in M.T.H. branded packaging and will be supported, like all previous M.T.H. releases, by the M.T.H. Authorized Service Center network. FULL TOOLING LIST Diesel Locomotives Alco S-2 Switcher Diesel Locomotive Dash-9 Diesel Locomotive E-6 ABA Diesel Locomotive Set E-8 A Unit Diesel Locomotive E-8 B-Unit Locomotive ES44AC Diesel Locomotive ES44DC Diesel Locomotive F40PH Diesel Locomotive G.E. 44 Ton Phase 1 Diesel Locomotive G.E. 44 Ton Phase 3 Diesel Locomotive GE U30C Diesel Locomotive GP-30 Diesel Locomotive GP-40 Diesel Locomotive GP38-2 Diesel Locomotive P42 Genesis Diesel Locomotive SD40-2 Diesel Locomotive SD45 High Hood Diesel Locomotive SD45 Low Hood Diesel Locomotive SD70ACe Diesel Locomotive SD70Mac Diesel Locomotive Passenger Cars 70' Heavyweight Baggage Passenger Car 70' Heavyweight Coach Passenger Car 70' Heavyweight Observation Passenger Car 70' Heavyweight RPO Passenger Car 70' Heavyweight Diner Passenger Car 70' Heavyweight Combine Passenger Car 70' Streamlined Baggage Passenger Car (Ribbed) 70' Streamlined Baggage Passenger Car (Smooth) 70' Streamlined Coach Passenger Car (Ribbed) 70' Streamlined Coach Passenger Car (Smooth) 70' Streamlined Full Length Vista Dome Passenger Car (Ribbed) 70' Streamlined Full Length Vista Dome Passenger Car (Smooth) 70' Streamlined Observation Passenger Car (Ribbed) 70' Streamlined Observation Passenger Car (Smooth) 70' Streamlined RPO Passenger Car (Ribbed) 70' Streamlined RPO Passenger Car (Smooth) 70' Streamlined Skytop Observation Passenger Car (Smooth) 70' Streamlined Vista Dome Passenger Car (Ribbed) 70' Streamlined Vista Dome Passenger Car (Smooth) 70' Streamlined Diner Passenger Car (Ribbed) 70' Streamlined Diner Passenger Car (Smooth) 70' Streamlined Sleeper Passenger Car (Ribbed) 70' Streamlined Sleeper Passenger Car (Smooth) Amfleet Passenger Coach Car Amfleet Passenger Diner Car Rolling Stock 2-Bay Flat End Offset Hopper Car 2-Bay PS-2 Centerflow Hopper 20K Gallon 4-Compartment Tank Car 3-Bay Centerflow Hopper 4-Bay Hopper Car 40' Box Car 50' Airslide Hopper Car 50' High Cube Box Car 55' All-Door Thrall Box Car 75' Depressed Flat Car w/Transformer 8000 Gallon Tank Car Coalporter Hopper Car Dump Car w/Operating Bay Funnel Flow Tank Car Hot Metal Car w/Flickering Molten Load O Scale Crane Car O Scale Crane Tender O Scale Die-Cast Test Car Operating Log Dump Car Ps-2 Hopper Car PS-2CD High-Sided Hopper Car Rapid Discharge Car Snow Plow Steel Caboose Tank Car
What about the MTH sound systems? Will they still be available? Looking to upgrade several PS-1 to the latest PS-3 sound. Also have many that need to pigtails between locomotive/tender that need to be replaced, due to internally broken wires. Locomotives either don’t run, or sound doesn’t work. Good to know that MTH will still be around, even if under a “new” name.
Atlas has announced one of the 70' passenger cars as their first release from the MTH tooling. Don't remember exactly which one though.
Keith, a while back MTH announced that DCS and the Proto Sound system would continue. If I remember correctly MTH employees had bought the rights to DCS and Proto Sound and were keeping it alive so PS3 boards and parts should be readily available.