MTL Made In America...

[JoeD]

 [/url]   Still in the game...

Joe

[ednadolski]

Is MTL (still?) doing Z scale?   (thinking of N scale TBOX, and/or 4650 weathered hoppers) (OohYaYa!)

Ed

[Point353]

Still in the game...

... as a customer since the cars were first made in 1972.

Same for Kadee when they started making HO cars near the end of the previous century.

Will continue to support both companies as long as they keep manufacturing in the USA.

[nkalanaga]

As far as I know MTL is still doing Z.  It appears they gave up on Nn3.

[Rivet Miscounter]

According to multiple sources including their Facebook page, MTL is no longer producing anything in Z except for trucks and couplers.   I think there was some reference to still doing the Micro-Mouse Christmas cars in Z too, but I don't recall where I saw that or if it is legit.

They had a run of 60ft flats that was still trickling out so I'm not sure if the remining couple of roadnames will get done there, but aside from that it doesn't look good for MTL doing any more Z.

[rodsup9000]

it doesn't look good for MTL doing any more Z.

This in my opinion:

 I really think it's about more volume, than leaving Z scale behind. Last I knew, they where backed up on N scale special runs for some of their customers.

Also they started painting/printing HO scale equipment. With their limited staff, there isn't enough Z scale orders to make it worthwhile. But if/when they get caught up and have slack time, they'll bring some Z scale back

[ednadolski]

This in my opinion:

 I really think it's about more volume, than leaving Z scale behind. Last I knew, they where backed up on N scale special runs for some of their customers.

Also they started painting/printing HO scale equipment. With their limited staff, there isn't enough Z scale orders to make it worthwhile. But if/when they get caught up and have slack time, they'll bring some Z scale back

If enough of the darker predictions wrt import costs turn out to be accurate, then it seems USA-based ops like MT could be looking at some real expansion opportunities.

Ed

[MK]

First they have to get the expansion labor.

[Rivet Miscounter]

I really think it's about more volume, than leaving Z scale behind.

Yet, nothing has really changed in that respect.   Z has always been low volume.  And (even though nobody actually used this phrase to my knowledge) I think "leaving Z scale behind" isn't far off the mark, given what they've said publicly on their site and at trade shows.

Also they started painting/printing HO scale equipment. With their limited staff, there isn't enough Z scale orders to make it worthwhile. But if/when they get caught up and have slack time, they'll bring some Z scale back

I've not seen anything that indicated that stipulation about "being caught up" is in place, but hopefully so.

I personally think that MTL left--ahem, "backed off"--Z at a really bad time, since the scale is achieving a critical mass with respect to locomotive and rolling stock coming available that makes modeling a broader range of eras and locales possible.  So my favorite example of BNSF GE's being available...pretty impossible to realistically portray BNSF without GE diesels in the mix.   SW1500's are another example...having a mass-produced DCC-capable switcher is huge and opens up a lot of possibilities, ESPECIALLY for Micro-Trains.   Their stable of magne-matic equipped 50ft boxcars and bulkhead flats is important for those wanting to do switching and 80's+ modern railroading.   And then there is the Alco RS-3, which is a locomotive that is so popular that a high-quality version of it pretty much single-handedly revolutionized N-scale back in the day...and again MTL's line complements that greatly.

And I'm not even talking about MTL doing ANY new tooling.   They could sustain YEARS if not decades of releases with their current tooling and their masterful implementation of freight car weathering and possibly some 3D additions like the CWR racks, military loads, etc.

[bbussey]

If enough of the darker predictions wrt import costs turn out to be accurate, then it seems USA-based ops like MT could be looking at some real expansion opportunities.

They’ve been understaffed since the Talent fires. They have been enduring the labor shortage that any manufacturer would if they returned production to the States. It seems that people simply refuse to recognize all of the obstacles that exist to manufacture here. Manufacturers certainly would produce product here if it could be done at the desired production levels and cost point.

[randgust]

I think the US injection molding skills are equal to about anybody.   Penn State has an excellent program for injection molding here at the Erie, PA campus (Behrend) and it's pretty impressive.   Not that I haven't seen some good stuff imported, just saying we're equal there.

But for tiny motors and electrical parts?   Does anybody left here still do that at all?   I have a feeling we'll be back to Japan, Korea, or someplace else, before anybody here can get a grip on that.   Those tiny, cheap little 6mm motors, and the basic electrical components - from my experience Japan is still superior to China in that area.

I was at a state railroad conference two weeks ago where it was presented that the top three colleges in the US are still only producing under 100 graduates a year specializing in railroad engineering (track, signals, mechanical, etc.).  That certainly was alarming. 

[peteski]

I think the US injection molding skills are equal to about anybody.   Penn State has an excellent program for injection molding here at the Erie, PA campus (Behrend) and it's pretty impressive.   Not that I haven't seen some good stuff imported, just saying we're equal there.

To me best injecton molding (and mold design/engineering) skills are still at Kato, and nobody else comes even close.  Looking at some of the parts from their Big-Boy left me in total awe of their designers.  And all the parts just snap together. Sometimes in a quite complex fashion.  No glue ever.  This type of precision has not been seen in any of the other manufacturers models.

[JeffB]

But for tiny motors and electrical parts?   Does anybody left here still do that at all?   I have a feeling we'll be back to Japan, Korea, or someplace else, before anybody here can get a grip on that.   Those tiny, cheap little 6mm motors, and the basic electrical components - from my experience Japan is still superior to China in that area.

I don't think so...  Faulhaber (Germany I think) and Maxon (Swiss) have pretty much cornered the market in small, precision DC motors.  I'm sure there's a manufacturer or two from Japan that have similar, but I don't know their names.

Some of the small/micro coreless motors out of China are actually pretty good too.  It depends on how well they're spec'd out and the QC involved in their manufacturing process. 

But from the US...  I can't think of anyone.  Even CNC machine tools use motors engineered/manufactured in foreign countries.

Jeff

[rodsup9000]

  Ametek Pittman still makes precision motors here in the USA (Pennsylvania).
They are known for their high quality servo motors.
Although they don't have anything small enough for N scale (that I know of), they do have some for all the larger scales.
I've use them in repowering some of Bachmann's 20.3 locomotives and some old 22.5 scale 4-6-0's

[C855B]

Pittman's still around? Amazing. I remember using Pittman motors in slot cars 60 years ago!