I currently do not have any HO scale locomotives (steam or diesel) from MTH. I was wondering how MTH compares with other manufacturers such as Broadway Limited, Atlas, Kato, and Proto 2000. Any experiences or thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Terry
I own Diesel locos from all these manufacturers, I think MTH SD70ACe, the only MTH I have, is equal but no better than the others except may be BLI.
Some details are oversize and to my eyes the trucks sideframes lack relief, mine has problems with handrails and run a little louder than Atlas, Kato and P2K. Overall it is a good buy.
Jack W.
If you search this forum with the key word "MTH" you will find tons of pages with information on your subject, so I won´t repeat all of that.
In general, MTH´s HO scale products are high-quality products. The only drawback I see is that they use their own proprietary DCS system, which has some limitations on a DCC operated layout.
MTH entered the HO hobby with a bit of a chip on its shoulder, and it built a chip on the shoulders of many HO hobbyists as a result. However, there are signs that they are mellowing a bit and they are now producing models that are able to be retrofitted with a DCC decoder with ease, and those models are strictly DC when they are sold. Their DCS models so far can operate effectively on DCC systems, but a DCC user can't access all the capabilities that the DCS decoders offer.
Quality wise, they are very good to excellent, judging from comments I have read. They are not immune to some quality assurance problems, just like everyone else.
Crandell
Although I don't personally own any MTH locomotives, I have seen a couple of them up close. While I don't think their detailing is quite as nice as BLI, the Mohawk and Empire State Express I saw had a very smooth drive train. I'm not very keen on the DCS decoder because of its limitations when operating in DCC.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I've only been spectator to the MTH engines. A firend of mine owns a diesel (maybe 2 by now) and it rnns fine. May be a bit pickier on power needs than some, but it does.
the MTH K4 I've seen had the smoke on, and it tripped my asthsma that hadn't done anything in YEARS. But she sounded purty. Haven't seen it bvut the one time.
The 4449 not so much. Nice enough engine, the chuff sounds nice, but that stem whistle IS NOT the 4449. Way high in the octive. It's also the most frequent vistor to the club, and I've spent many a trip chaising down a runaway locomotive, due to that blashphemy of a decoder they put in it. For whatever reason, it'll start or stop on its own, make random sounds, turn random sounts off, accelerate rapidly, and the only cure is to tip it off the rails. (kills power to it to refresh, but is easier to re-rail because the flanges fall back into place)
FAr as details go, I see no real difference between them and anyone else. I've not had a Kato engine, but between MTH, P2K, Atlas, BLI, I really see no difference. there are clues in any engine if you are familiar enough, but nothing to makeme say that MTH is vastly superior.
-Morgan
I have 4 MTH loco's and am happy with them. The Steamers all have cast boilers which is a plus over most others but a tad pricey. The Diesels are good quality as well and are on par with the likes of Atlas, Athearn, Bli etc.
Springfield PA
I also have a few MTH models - a mix of steam, the UP Turbine and LIttle Joe. I will also say they are exceptionally smooth runners, and their decoder/speaker combo puts out a nice crisp sound. But, I wish they'd dump this DCS-only business model and give us more DCC-ready options.
I operate diesels from Atlas (Gold). BLI (Paragon), and MTH. I only run engines with sound. MTH puts out a very nice clear sound, it's sounds are also louder than the others. There are times I find myself "leaning" to hear some of the sounds from the other engines, not with the MTH. She is a very smooth runner, a monster puller, probably has a lot to with the fact that she has some weight to her. I'm very happy with MTH and look forward to new releases.
Enjoy!
David
Flashwave the MTH K4 I've seen had the smoke on, and it tripped my asthsma that hadn't done anything in YEARS. But she sounded purty. Haven't seen it bvut the one time.
The MTH K4 had the worst smelling smoke of all time. I distinctly remember that awful stench from several of their K4's on different layouts. It smells like really strong burnt popcorn smell or some other electronic burning smell. It was very nauseating which prompted me to sell mine. I couldn't figure it out, and again, this was on all of their K4's apparently, I've heard similar reports from others.
That engine was kind of a disappointment compared to their newer offerings. It was a tad jerky at slow speed and the wireless tether was primitive in comparison to later releases. It was a nice looking HO engine though.
In the past I have owned several others, the Class J and the Empire State Express which ran flawlessly (and they fixed the smoke problem on these btw), but the DCS issue drove me batty, so I traded them in for some more Broadway stuff.
From what I have read here, MTH locos are really no better than other other locos in their price range.
The biggest reason I will not buy one from them has been mentioned a few times here already....their proprietary DCS system is the best to use for the full value of their locos and they want you to buy their propriety DCS system to run their locos on. I will not buy a product that will not play nicely with my DCC system or that I have to buy their system to run, and then buy only their locos to run on it to get the full use. I think that's bogus. Industry standards were set up for a reason, not for someone to go off on their own proprietary tangent to make you buy more from them.
If you do a search on MTH threads, the DCS dislike and limited use on DCC systems keeps coming up.
Just my worth.
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
terryb ... Any experiences or thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Terry
... Any experiences or thoughts would be appreciated.
Terry...
I own both steam and diesel locomotives from MTH and they are reliable, and durable models, very well done, well detailed and excellent performing pullers.
Each model has its own characteristics, so it may depend on which model you are considering.
I can tell you that the DCS (protosound3.0) versions run just fine(flawlessly) with any DCC command system and can also run with Kato, Athearn and Atlas locomotives without any problems(a few posters on here elude to DCS being a 'problem' which is a misconception) with some minor programming.
DCS has nothing to do with the operating performance of the locomotive in conjuction with your dcc system or other locomotives - only it's internal features - if you have a 28 function capable controller, you can access the same features, allthough the DCS TIU will allow you even more capability.
The speed steps are set and programmed at the factory to scale mph increments so these engines start from a crawl very smoothly. I routinely match my other locomotives to run with the SD70ACe models and they really work well together.
As a matter of fact, the others run better with the newer settings. You can utilize JMRI software, or others available - or, just custom speed match if you want.
More importantly, if you like to install your own decoder, MTH is starting to offer DCC ready versions at a lower cost that the factory sound versions.
You'll see more of these being released in the future but some may not be available with DCC only.
If you want a locomotive that will last for years, nicely detailed and can pull exceptionally well you can't go wrong with this brand.
Their selection of available models is limited compared to others but new releases are always in the works and are released on a regular basis.
I've been very pleased with mine and I'm sure you'll be as well.
HeritageFleet1
Heritagefleet1 terryb: ... Any experiences or thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Terry Terry... I own both steam and diesel locomotives from MTH and they are reliable, and durable models, very well done, well detailed and excellent performing pullers. Each model has its own characteristics, so it may depend on which model you are considering. I can tell you that the DCS (protosound3.0) versions run just fine(flawlessly) with any DCC command system and can also run with Kato, Athearn and Atlas locomotives without any problems(a few posters on here elude to DCS being a 'problem' which is a misconception) with some minor programming. DCS has nothing to do with the operating performance of the locomotive in conjuction with your dcc system or other locomotives - only it's internal features - if you have a 28 function capable controller, you can access the same features, allthough the DCS TIU will allow you even more capability. The speed steps are set and programmed at the factory to scale mph increments so these engines start from a crawl very smoothly. I routinely match my other locomotives to run with the SD70ACe models and they really work well together. As a matter of fact, the others run better with the newer settings. You can utilize JMRI software, or others available - or, just custom speed match if you want. More importantly, if you like to install your own decoder, MTH is starting to offer DCC ready versions at a lower cost that the factory sound versions. You'll see more of these being released in the future but some may not be available with DCC only. If you want a locomotive that will last for years, nicely detailed and can pull exceptionally well you can't go wrong with this brand. Their selection of available models is limited compared to others but new releases are always in the works and are released on a regular basis. I've been very pleased with mine and I'm sure you'll be as well. HeritageFleet1
terryb: ... Any experiences or thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Terry
Very well said Heritage!
I own 3 of the diesels and I am overly pleased. They run great with all of my other locos on DCC. They are great pullers too, the best that I own. The detail is upscale compared to many others.
John
I am following up on this thread. I appreciate all of the insight everyone offered. After considering everyone's comments, I decided to try one of the MTH 2-8-4 Berkshire locomotives with the Proto 3.0 sound.
The locomotive and tender are detailed very well including the cab interior. It is smooth running at all speeds. The chuffing is in sync with the starting and running speed. The smoke also corresponds to the "chuff bursts" when starting then becomes more steady at speed. It runs well out of the box without adjustments. There are many settings that can be adjusted with DCC. The locomotive will run in DC mode as well with smoke and sound but there is not a way to sound the horn and bell. All in all, I would say that that I'm well pleased with the locomotive.
Thanks for taking the time to close the loop, Terry. Despite some resentment and misgivings by quite a few posters here, the fact is that MTH does a credible job in the production of HO scale locomotives, especially now that they have agreed to allow purchases of strictly DC/DCC-ready items. If people such as you continue to try them, and they prove to gain an enviable reputation, it can't be bad for the hobby in general.
I have no problem with theMTH locomotives per se. But regardless of the DCS/DCC controversy, I would never buy a MTH product as I would then condone the business ethics of that company!
They could make the best locomotives in the world and sell them for bananas, I still don´t need them in the hobby. Regardless of how MTH try to revamp their image, they still have a tainted corporate logo in my book.
I think they might believe that I´m stealing their intellectual property as I write this, so I better stop......
As I don´t want to go to Court!
Swedish Custom painter and model maker. My Website:
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Actually much of the MTH bashing has been correct and the result is that MTH actually released a DCC ready loco. I own 4 of their loco's and am happy with them. 2 of them I changed the decoders because of their insistance of limiting dcc functions and putting out un-truths about a pending free upgrade for the SD-70Aces a year ago. A search of the forums will back it up. MTH never put out an official statement but trickled it out by word of mouth which was repeated many times over on the forums. If the posters were incorrect, MTH should have corrected for the record.
I will say though that they put out a quality product.
OK, how about some fact based comments:
From everything I have seen first hand on the several models I have been able to inspect, the build quality of MTH models is very good - maybe the best in the industry.
If you operate with DC, you will likely not be happy with the performance of thier DCS/DCC models. They require more voltage than is commonly accepted as standard in HO based on NMRA Recommended Practice. The voltage they require to run at prototypical medium to high speeds is more than ANY other product in the industry and is at the very top of NMRA Standards and Recommended Practices.
They are now starting to offer DC/DCC ready versions of their product - this is a welcome change in a policy that left a large part of the market feeling "snubed" by MTH. It has yet to be confirmed if ALL future models will be offered DC/DCC ready - let's hope so.
Many of the models I have seen first hand have excelent detail. Some however seem to have at least some details which seem crude and oversized. Some details on some pieces are clearly larger than they should be.
In their defense, they are not the only brand that seems to have compromised detail for durablity or because they think the play value of sound & smoke are more "valued" features - I guess that depends on your target market.
Tender spacing on some steam loco models has been an issue. The tenders on many earlier models where way back to allow sharp curve operation with no provisions for closer coupling on larger curves. It is my understanding that there have been improvements on this issue as well.
These locos ALL get very good reviews regarding there running quality - smooth, great slow speed, etc.
Prototypical accuracy has been compromised on serveral models - example - many of the road names offered on 2-8-4 do not have road specific details, but rather all are just NKP versions of this loco. Other brands seemed to have no problem tooling up these small changes on similar locos. Bachmann and Proto have made this same 2-8-4, all with very close to perfect road name specific details - and both at lower prices.
Prices - even in the area of comand control sound equiped locos, MTH is the high price leader. It will be interesting to see were the prices are for DC/DCC ready versions are after a few more models are offered that way.
Selection - So far the selection of items offered has been a combination of items already done recently by other high quality brands, and/or models of rare, unsuccessful prototypes, somewhat "novelty" type stuff. Seemingly aimed at either cutting the throats of other manufacturers, or apealing mainly to collectors and casual hobbiests as oposed to more focused type modelers.
But again in their defense, they are not the only manufacturer seeming to have that business model.
Be it MTH or some other brand, I would caution the OP or anyone against being too brand loyal or brand phobic. Ratther I would suggest that EACH model be evaluated on its own merrits and against the needs/wants of the user and against any similar products in the marketplace.
I have been in this hobby for 40 plus years and at one time ran a train department in a hobby shop. You can pick any brand you want, and I can likely select a list of products from that company that I own, would buy or think are very good by my standards - AND I can likely also select a list of products from that company that I would not buy and would not recommend that anyone buy.
For me, the two things that have kept MTH locos off my railroad are the DC operational issues (since I run with DC) and their high prices compaired to similar products.
Will I buy any in the future - hard to say. It's not likely that I would buy anything they have out so far because nothing they have so far meets all the criteria it would have to meet - but no one knows what they will come out with that might fill a need on my layout.
Sheldon
Why is this such a big issue? I mean really, who cares. If you like the MTH locos, then buy them, if you don't, then don't buy them.
End of story, enough already....
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
Pardon me for inserting my opinion, but as a model railroader who appreciates the input provided by these forums, (whether or not I agree with the input) I find the tone of this thread to be in direct opposition to the normally friendly banter that we all enjoy. Let's all cool our jets, so to speak. OK?
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Neither the big steamers nor the modern mega-diesels fit in my layout, but I'll give MTH a lot of credit for coming out with models of the Little Joe and the bi-polar electric. Both of these are primarily of interest to Milwaukee Road modelers.
These are interesting engines. They aren't going to generate the kind of sales that Big Boys or SD70s will. So, it's kind of a service to the hobby that MTH is willing to go to the expense of producing an interesting engine that's not likely to be a big seller.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
[Edited for content by selector]
My heartburn with MTH - under Mike Wolf's direction - is their "scorched earth" policy with regard to others manufacturing unauthorized copies of MTH products. Having that policy is one thing when your own products are fresh designs. But when your business was started from making unauthorized copies of Lionel products (as MTH was), the policy seems a little light on ethics.
I am also rather disgusted with MTH's refusal to sell DCS decoders for separate installation, or to license the DCS technology for use by other manufacturers. Bottom line of that policy - if you want the full benefits of MTH technology, you must buy MTH and only MTH products. Kind of like Apple in that regard - and why I don't buy Apple products.
That said, I do own several MTH products. My opinion, based on the locomotives, cars, and track (3 rail O) is that the products are good, but not superior. And they are generally more expensive than the equivalent competition. I have big problems with MTH's refusal to admit that there are any flaws in their designs, despite real world experience to the contrary. Real Trax fails to join solidly and make good contact after several take downs and setups. DCS 1.0 decoders got their brains scrambled when the battery was discharged or would no longer take a charge. The 1 scale mile per hour per speed step locked speed curve means all their locomotives run unprototypically fast on DCS and DCC. And the same locomotives won't run at a normal maximum speed on 12 volt DC.
My bottom line is that I generally prefer to stay away from MTH products for the above reasons. Given that their product selection seldom matches my desires, and the prices tend to be beyond my pocket book, it's not been much of a sacrifice to date.
my thoughts and experiences, your choices
Fred W
I find myself shaking my head reading as this thread continues. The original poster asks for opinions from those who have compared differant manufacturers models. While that is a rather broad question, I think we can safely assume that he is looking for general feedback on operating characteristics, quality of the model ect. ........and it turns into an opportunity to do some mud slinging. To answer Terry's question, MTH puts out a high quality product. They are loaded with features, some never before seen in Model Railroading. If your a rivet counter, looking for a 100% accurate flawless scale representation of a particular model from a particular year down to the smallest detail, you might be disapointed (but I don't think that's what your looking for). I'm sure we can take any model, from any manufacturer and find some innacuracy somewhere. I mean come on, we are talking about model trains, you know, toys, it's a hobby for petes' sake..MTH puts out a pretty darn good representation. As far as the whole DCC compatibility thing, I've followed posts where people have literaly ripped MTH for their "incompatibility" with whatever system the user happened to have. Others who also have DCC systems follow up with a "I have not had any issues with the features, works great". I can't offer much help here, I currently am using the basic Bachann EZ Command, a simple, basic no frills DCC, very limited, but on my MTH SD70 I can blow the horn(and a nice one at that), ring the bell, turn the lights on/off, open the coupler remotely and have a darn smooth running engine. I'm happy with it, and look forward to more offerings. Might want to do a little further investigating on this issue. Why not check with MTH directly about any DCC/DC questions you might have. Best to go right to the source.
As far as all the MTH company bashing you might have read about, all are entitled to offer their "opinion", whether informed or not. I have read Mike Wolfs story, For those so compelled, It lists names, dates, products, relationships, agreements, contracts and yes, even a lawsuit or two. The MTH story is nothing short of the American Dream. After reading his story I have a much better understanding of how and why the lawsuits have taken place. His story should be an inspiration to all of us. Don't let the "opinion bashers " steer you away'. It's a great company, with great leadership leading with new innovations never before seen in the model railroading hobby. There are many fine names in our industry, Walthers, Accurail, Atlas, Bowser ect......If MTH continues to produce high quality products, the bar will be raised, others will follow and we will all benefit from the choices available. Wow, we are living in great times for this hobby.
Hey, now go run some trains!
Oh, and for those who feel compelled to label me an MTH'er, well, I operate Atlas Gold, BLI Paragon II, Bachmann, and MTH. I do my best to model CSX, & NS. I guess I just don't like to see people rip into maunfactures like what I have read. It's not fair, it's not right. I'm sure these forums' were not intended for that purpose. How about if you have a beef with a company, contact them directly. That's the honorable thing to do. That's the respectable thing to do. Not just MTH, any Company. The words we use can directly affect the company, it's employees and even down to the families of the employees, so let's be careful in what comes out of our mouth. Nuff said. Now lets get back to the original topic ................trains
Terry, sorry for the rant,
I am sorry, but it is this kind of dialogue which keeps me from participating in certain forums. I don´t think we should abuse this forum in such a way.
Time to move on?
I would agree with Ulrich's sentiments, and with those of others who have expressed their dismay over the recent tone of this thread. However, I have deleted several offending posts, and modified several others as indicated if you care to go back and read them. It should suffice that I have made an effort to stabilize this thread for the sake of the originator...his is a worthy question, and only those who can answer it directly based on their first-hand experience should be commenting. The rest is really irrelevant opinion about orientations to one of the companies, and frankly, he's not interested.
Yes, move on by all means if you have nothing substantive to offer.
Beam me up, Scotty.
Ditto Micheal!
Hi all,
To answer the OP's original question, I own several MTH locomotives and many others from competing manufacturers. The MTH engines are by far the best performing engines in my fleet in several categories. Smooth low speed operation, quiet drivetrain, draw bar pull, and ease of consisting are all superior. Part of this comes from good basic mechanics. All the MTH engines use Canon 5-pole skew wound motors. They also have the most accurate speed control system on the market. The Protosound 3 decoders use an optical speed sensor to detect actual speed. This method is far more accurate and repeatable than BEMF, which is susceptible to changes in motor temperature and production variations.
As others have noted, they're not perfect. There have been some production defects. Generally they have been minor and MTH's service department has been very good about quick repairs. My most serious problem was an SD70ACe that short circuited after a few hours of operation. MTH corrected the short under warranty and the engine has operated flawlessly since.
Most of the complaints about the Protosound 3 decoder have a lot to do with what people are use to. Out of the box every MTH engine will run in 1 scale mile per hour increments on 128 throttle steps in DCC. Some folks have established their own custom speed curves and aren't satisfied that the MTH speed curve can't be changed. If you haven't established a standard speed curve for your fleet this won't be a big deal. In fact, it ends up being a plus if you want to consist the engines because the consistent speed map allows you to mix different engines without reprogramming. Another frequent complaint is that the engines can only be consisted with "universal" consisting and do not support "advanced" consisting. The other common complaint is that you can't remap the functions. Some people simply like to adjust the functions to the keys they prefer. Others need to work around older DCC systems that don't support 29 functions. To date all of these capabilities have been missing from MTH engines equipped with Protosound 3. However, each of these features will soon be added to PS3. It has taken quite some time to get this right, and some people are more patient than others.
Hamltnblue I own 4 of their loco's and am happy with them. 2 of them I changed the decoders because of their insistance of limiting dcc functions and putting out un-truths about a pending free upgrade for the SD-70Aces a year ago. A search of the forums will back it up. MTH never put out an official statement but trickled it out by word of mouth which was repeated many times over on the forums. If the posters were incorrect, MTH should have corrected for the record.
I own 4 of their loco's and am happy with them. 2 of them I changed the decoders because of their insistance of limiting dcc functions and putting out un-truths about a pending free upgrade for the SD-70Aces a year ago. A search of the forums will back it up. MTH never put out an official statement but trickled it out by word of mouth which was repeated many times over on the forums. If the posters were incorrect, MTH should have corrected for the record.
Hamltnblue, I was NOT incorrect when I posted about these updates, no "un-truths" were posted, and in fact there was an official announcement made by MTH's VP of Marketing, Andy Edleman. MTH has recently completed the first engines that will be delivered with expanded DCC support. The engines in question are the O-scale NYC Empire State Express #999's. These are the first O-scale engines to be released with PS3 and are getting the latest software updates. Three weeks ago I spoke with one of MTH's top R&D people, Jason Wenzle, at the I-Hobby show in Chicago. He told me the code modifications for HO will soon be done and promised to send them to me for beta testing in my SD70's and Little Joe. Once I have the updates in hand I will post about it on the forum for those who are interested. Cool your jets and quit slandering people just because they don't put out FREE software upgrades on your schedule.
David wrote:
"If your a rivet counter, looking for a 100% accurate flawless scale representation of a particular model from a particular year down to the smallest detail, you might be disapointed (but I don't think that's what your looking for). I'm sure we can take any model, from any manufacturer and find some innacuracy somewhere. I mean come on, we are talking about model trains, you know, toys, it's a hobby for petes' sake."
We are not talking rivet counting here - we are talking major, across the room identifiable features in the case of the NKP Berkshire lettered for C&O and Erie.
Compared to the NKP locos, the C&O locos had: A larger cab with different window positions, COMPLETELY different (reveressed) sand box and steam dome positions, different headlight position, different compressor shield in front, different pilot, and a MUCH larger tender with no deck rails.
And the Erie locos, well they are not even close to a NKP Berkshire - so I won't even bother with the discrepencies.
As for the DC performance issues - WELL PUBLISHED FACT - even by our host Kalmbach in a number of product reviews. MTH just blows it off and tries to "minimize" it. Their attiude is "who runs DC anymore anyway". Well actually MOST people do. Best market info says no more than 40% in HO & N are using DCC. And conversion to DCC by existing modelers has slowed to a near stop.
"It's a great company, with great leadership leading with new innovations never before seen in the model railroading hobby. There are many fine names in our industry, Walthers, Accurail, Atlas, Bowser ect......If MTH continues to produce high quality products, the bar will be raised, others will follow and we will all benefit from the choices available. Wow, we are living in great times for this hobby."
If the hobby is being "rasied" to high priced incompatable proprietary products than I am happy I have almost all the locomotive models I need or want.
You may consider smoke, station announcements, GROSSLY inaccurate models, and lack of compatiblity "leading with new innovations never before seen in the model railroad hobby", all I see is the hobby being pushed farther to the extreem of expensive collectable novelty toys like Marklin.
I will stay out of the issues about the company, except to repeat one simple product issue point - I will not buy products no compatible with the 125 locomotives and the control system I already have. Their unwillingness to sell DCS decoders for installation in other brands and their reluctance to supply products to the 60% or more of us still using DC, makes them an enemy of the industry and the hobby, not a leader in my view. David, I have worked in this industry off and on since 1969, I know at least a little about the "business" side of this hobby.
David - one more thing, hopefully as you read this you will keep in mind all the good I had to say about MTH in my first earlier post.
dave hikel Some folks have established their own custom speed curves and aren't satisfied that the MTH speed curve can't be changed. If you haven't established a standard speed curve for your fleet this won't be a big deal.
Some folks have established their own custom speed curves and aren't satisfied that the MTH speed curve can't be changed. If you haven't established a standard speed curve for your fleet this won't be a big deal.
So what you are telling me is if I have two MTH loco's with DCS that I have to reprogram the rest of my fleet (all 40+ engines) and use a universal consist system to run them together?
That mixed with the fact that I can't program CV's makes DCS an absolute no-go for me.
Incorrect road specific details, no CV register programming, bad speed matching, high price...I think I'll pass thank you.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
dave hikel Hi all, .... The MTH engines are by far the best performing engines in my fleet in several categories.
.... The MTH engines are by far the best performing engines in my fleet in several categories.
These superlative comments always make me raise an eyebrow. My DCC equiped roster consist of 54 locos, 17 Atlas, 18 Kato, 12 P2K, 5 Genesis, 1 Athearn RTR and 1 MTH.
That single MTH while it will hold its own with the rest of my locos, it is in no way superior to the rest of my fleet in several categories. Atlas, Genesis and P2K have better details. Atlas, Kato and P2K run as smoothly and quiet. I have 5 P2K locos that outpull the MTH SD70 ACe. They all consist together using either Advance or Universal consisting except for the MTH.