Is IHC out of business? It seems their website is shut down.
I too am unable to enter the site but let's not jump to conclusions. "Things happen" to websites, including from time to time www.trains.com
Dave Nelson
They're no longer advertising in any of the hobby publications, either, which is not a good sign right before Christmas.
Web site has been down a couple of weeks, now. No IHC products available from any of the major on-line retailers such as Toy Train Heaven, First Hobby, 1st Place Hobbies, etc. that I could find when I searched for some passenger cars. Most dealers are listing IHC products as "Out of Stock."
Last time I looked at their site, the number of products listed was considerably less than a few years ago.
Enjoy
Paul
No IHC products available from any of the major on-line retailers such as Toy Train Heaven, First Hobby, 1st Place Hobbies, etc. that I could find when I searched for some passenger cars. Most dealers are listing IHC products as "Out of Stock."
What IHC passenger cars are you looking for? I have some brand new IHC cars, still in the boxes. I just changed my mind on them.
IF indeed IHC has gone belly up, I wouldn't be too worried. The company seems to have as many lives as the proverbial cat! Down through the years, time and again the company has gone under, only to resurface after a short interval under a new name. They date all the way back to the second half of the 1950's, you know?
CNJ831.
I think I heard that Mehano's train line was purchased by someone else, and is currently being moved to China. If that's the case, IHC may still be around for a while longer.
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I had read on one of the European web sites that the first of the former Mehano locomotives, now moved to China were now being produced. It appears that early production will be of European engines.
There was no mention of the production of passenger coaches at all. Did Mehano also make the IHC passenger coaches?
cacole They're no longer advertising in any of the hobby publications, either, which is not a good sign right before Christmas.Web site has been down a couple of weeks, now. No IHC products available from any of the major on-line retailers such as Toy Train Heaven, First Hobby, 1st Place Hobbies, etc. that I could find when I searched for some passenger cars. Most dealers are listing IHC products as "Out of Stock."
If they are reworking their business they could remove web access and whatever else till all the details are worked out and bounce right back.
I heard this from my LHS a while back, and yes, they have closed. For how long, who knows. They could resurface under another name. I rather hope so, I wanted to pick up a few old timer work cars.
-Morgan
Some former IHC employees told me about a year ago that Bernie Paul was in poor health, and they didn't think the company would survive him. Time will tell.
Nelson
Ex-Southern 385 Being Hoisted
I have been wondering on similar lines. Their site had said passenger car interiors will be "Coming Soon" for more than 6 months. In early November, I tried to contact them about this by e-mail and by the ContactUs page on their site. Both attempts to communucate failed to connect.
I hope someone picks up their line of products - I have a number of passenger cars that need interiors; fortunately I have picked up a number of coach interiors here and there at train shows.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
I received an email today from one of the hobby shops that advertises regularly that way and they said that IHC was closed. I've also heard that the phones are disconnected but I have NOT tried to call them myself.
That would be another loss to the hobby as IHC did make a rather generic looking but generally good running series of locomotives.
dlm
I talked to them around July and it sounded like they were barely hanging on. I used to sell a lot of their Carnival kits and was trying to see if they had any left. The situation with Mehano being bankrupt didn't help, plus the economy being bad for so long is taking it's toll on a lot of firms. I'm very sorry to hear they have officially closed.
Jim
www.pamodelrrsupply.com
James Sanchez
I received a reply from one of the IHC guys who sells at one of my local shows, and he said he was there last week and they have barely anything left, and are on the verge of closing. Bernie Paul is now in poor health and in a nursing home with his wife.
His involvement in the model railroading industry goes back a long time, so this marks the end of an era.
Geez! Bernie must be in his late 70's or early 80's by now! I used to manage the Allied Hobby shop on the second floor of the Plymouth Meeting Mall (from when the store opened in late '74 until sometime in early '77.) The owner was friends with Bernie and we did a lot of business with (then) AHM. I even went on a Sunday afternoon buying trip down into Philly - Erie Ave., I think.
Yeah, Bernie WAS the company. It may not survive without his direction! Too bad! They had some inexpensive structure kits that were good kit-bashing material!
Bil
BiL Marsland (P5se Camelback) Lehigh Susquehanna & Western Northeastern Pennsylvania Coal Hauler All Camelback Steam Roster!! "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others" -- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Chpt. 10
When I went to the newest Walthers HO catalog to look over IHC structure kits that I might want to add to the stash of future projects on the assumption that they might soon be hard to find, I was very surprised to see how cut back it all was. Too late! So I guess this has been coming for some time since the Walthers catalog is basically finalized in early summer. I don't much care about the passenger cars or locomotives but some of the structures are definitely good kitbashing material and can be nice looking in their own right.
In a email from a etailer, they said IHC was closed. It is poosible some unsold stock remains at some sellers. I was at a hobby show in Nashville & one vendor had some IHC sets for sale. May take some digging to find.
One side note, there have been some previous posts/discussions on this, but don't confuse AHM products with IHC products. There are similarities between the AHM passenger cars (which were I think made for AHM by Rivarossi, who later sold them under the Rivarossi name) and the IHC cars, but they are not the same cars.
The IHC ones aren't bad, but IMHO aren't as good as the AHM/Rivarossi ones. IHC cars I've had seem to like to "wobble" quite a bit, and I don't think the detailing is as good. I've hoped with the different sales and changes of owners of Rivarossi that they'd eventually start making the passenger cars again.
12/6/2011 Owner passed away at an elderly age. Business no longer active, closed.
I hope, some one, will pick up the product line, and start producing product again. Not too likely though, in this business climate, and with all the government hurdles to go through.
There is someone advertising as IHC Texas with the same colors and website information.
http://www.ihc-hobby.com/
RMax
Well, he had a long life, and helped bring the hobby to millions of people over that past 50 years.
IHC products were made mainly by Mehano, who is still in business. All they need is an importer.
Train World is selling a lot of their line, so someone must be importing them.
http://www.trainworldonline.com/catalog/index.php?catalog_id=1179
I had purchased one of the Trainworld locos a few weeks ago and it wass most assuredly old stock, new but certainly not something that had been recently manufactured. IHC TX does seem to be selling the current line of high speed TGV trains so they must be doing some import from Mehano.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
I thought since they listed it under Mehano, it might be new stuff. Maybe they bought a lot of IHC's stock when they liquidated the place. They have been selling them like this for a while.
This is the website of the new company, now in TX. Not sure of how it will evolve obviously,
Richard
SteamFreak I thought since they listed it under Mehano, it might be new stuff. Maybe they bought a lot of IHC's stock when they liquidated the place. They have been selling them like this for a while.
It was a green Mehano (not IHC) box, but the exact same style box as the IHC of the same era. The date of manufacture is stamped inside the box, again just like in the IHC days and it indicated that the model I purchased was made in 97! My guess is that Trainworld purchased the inventory on close out as a result of Mehano going into receivership in Slovenia and before they emerged and shifted the manufacturing to China.
The "new" IHC appears to be reinventing themselves as a shop selling other manufacturer's products. They may be also trying to get some of the old IHC product line back in production. I have been looking for their passenger car interiors, and a few months ago, they told me they may have them available around now.