# MTH Shipping Schedule



## MarkLewis (Jan 2, 2008)

If you had the GG1 in the MTH 1-guage Pool for February, guess again. In the shipping schedule posted today MTH now lists everything that was supposed to ship in February as shipping in June 08. That includes the various GG-1s, Triplexes, and passenger cars originally listed as shipping between August and December 07. 

So, once again, the advertisements in _Garden Railways_ and other publications that indicate current or almost current availability of these models may safely be ignored, as usual. _Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

_Mark


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## Chucks_Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

All that got pushed back around the first of the month ..but..the F7's got bumped only 1 month..

Ya' gotta remember that MTH is adding more memory to the onboard DCS boards and DCS v. 4.0 is getting ready to be released to take advantage of the added onboard memory.

Also the swinging bell & smoke emitting whistle is being developed and just those two upgrades are well worth the wait...


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Chuck,

Does the swinging bell apply to any of the current MTH locomotives for large scale?  Mabye the triple dipple had them, but the others :Big Boy, Challenger, Hudson, GG1, diesels, all have mechanical clappers, non swinging bells.  Right? Is there some smaller prototype with a swining bell that MTH is making but didn't announce?  Smoke emitting whistle sounds kind of neat. 

Protosound 4.0? What happened to 3.0?  Or is it base 2l?! Protosound 2.0 to the second power is PS 4.0.  I guess that'd mean the next version of PS2 is PS2 to the third power or PS. 8.0.


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## MarkLewis (Jan 2, 2008)

There are only two steam locos shown on the current delivery schedule:

1. three flavors of 2-8-8-8-2 Triplex Steam Engine w/Proto-Sound 2.0 - due in May.

2. two flavors of J3a Steam Engines w/Proto-Sound 2.0 - one shown (NYC)  as March and the other (SF) as July. 

Since all are shown as Proto-Sound 2.0, we really don't know if new bells & whistles are going to be there; When they announced the new features they demoed them on pre-release versions of the Triplex. It's possible that the new features are add-ons to Proto-Sound 2.0 and do not rely on new full versions of Proto-Sound.  MTH's initial announcements of the new bell/whistle features described it as requiring new hardware and a downloadable upgrade of the software. The announcement never mentioned a DCS 4.0 at all.

In looking attheir software offerings w have torememr that they use the same DCS software/hardware for the features of Proto-Sound 3.0 in O- and HO-gauges and for Proto-Sound 2.0 in 1 Gauge. All three gauges run off the same DCS system components, differing only in the hardware/software inside the locomotives. The DCS TIU is the same for all three.

Mark


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## Chucks_Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

You're correct about most prototype steamers having mechanical bells but when it comes to MTH..they'll put them on anything because they can..

MTH is out of stock with the Big Boys & Challengers but more are on the way. Any loco in the current catalog is scheduled for production and most of the steamers are going to be upgraded..at least with steel centered drivers..that's in the item description. The only steamers that have steel centered drivers from the last production run is the Big Boy and I've heard that some Challengers have them also.

The swinging bell was demoed on the Hudson..the Triplex had the smokin whistle.

I didn't say ProtoSound 4.0..I said that DCS v.4.0 is getting ready to be released..right now it's being beta tested and was scheduled to be released around last Christmas but the beta testers weren't satisfied with it. DCS v.4.0 is the free software download for the DCS system.

Here's some of what DCS v. 4.0 will do..

DCS Version 4.0 Software Features
The latest upgrade of M.T.H.'s Digital Command System (DCS) software, version 4.0, will be released this fall as a free download from www.protosound2.com. Like previous versions of DCS software, version 4.0 is compatible with all DCS systems and all Proto-Sound® 2.0 and 3.0 and TMCC® engines ever made. The most exciting new features in version 4.0 fall into three main categories. 


1. New engine control options:
New options for existing features like brake, boost, and speed control to make Proto-Sound engines even more fun to operate. 

Quickset Speed: Press the thumbwheel, enter a desired speed on the keypad, then press the thumbwheel again. Your engine will smoothly accelerate or decelerate to that speed setting. Observe speed restrictions on your railroad like a real engineer! 

Engine Stop: Double-press the Brake button and your engine will smoothly brake to a stop, complete with squealing brakes. Tap the Boost button to smoothly resume your previous speed. This also works in "All" mode. 

Boost/Brake Hold: The Boost/Brake button can now function in two different ways, which you can select from a menu. Select the "Stay" option and your engine will remain at the faster (Boost) or slower (Brake) speed when you release the Boost/Brake button. But select "Return" and your engine will return to its previous speed when the Boost/Brake button is released (as it does with previous software versions).
 
Quicker Response Time: We've increased the speed of commands sent between the engine and the DCS system, so you'll notice faster response times when you enter commands. Response times have also been improved in Super TIU mode (used on layouts controlled by multiple TIUs). 

Improved Individual Engine Control in Lash-Ups: Select an individual engine in a lash-up, change its settings (lighting, sounds, or smoke, for example), and those changes will be retained when you go back to controlling the lash-up. 

Improved "All" Mode: Lashups and Record/Playback can now be included in "All" mode operation. 

Automatic Coupler Slack Sounds: You can now elect to have the coupler slack sounds play automatically every time an engine pulls away from a stop, or only when you press the SCS soft key. 

2. Improved TMCC® control:
Virtually complete control of all current TMCC features from the DCS handheld, including lashups, full Acela and wrecking crane operation, and Engineer On Board speed control. 

Relative Speed Stepping: set the handheld to "Relative" and the DCS thumbwheel emulates the big red knob on the TMCC CAB-1 - for swinging the cab on the TMCC wrecking crane, for example. 

AUX 1 and AUX 2 soft keys: Use AUX-1 and Aux-2 soft keys on the DCS handheld, along with the numeric keypad, to access a full range of TMCC features - just as you would on a CAB-1. For example, the DCS handheld can now control all features on the Lionel® Acela. 
Create Lash-Ups: Create a TMCC lash-up using the same procedure you use to create DCS lash-ups - a much easier process than using a CAB-1. 
Engineer on Board speed control: Access the full 128 speed steps on TMCC locomotives equipped with Train America Studios_ Engineer on Board speed control. 
MOM (Momentum Control): Under control screens for any TMCC engines, one of the softkeys is MOM (momentum). Press MOM and the handheld will display softkeys for low, medium and high momentum. 

3. Remote backup:
Download the data from your DCS remote handheld - Proto-Sound and TMCC engines, routes, scenes, etc. - onto your PC for backup purposes or to clone the data to another handheld. 


All the data you have entered into a DCS handheld, including engine setups, routes, scenes, etc., can now be downloaded to a personal computer and uploaded back into any DCS handheld any time you want. In addition to backup purposes, this provides an easy way to clone identical handhelds for multiple operators on your layout. 


Additional Features
DCS version 4.0 include a variable sleep timer. Set your handheld remote to enter sleep mode after anywhere from one to 60 minutes of inactivity.


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## Chucks_Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

WOW..I forgot to mention the most important thing of all..that's the new MTH Quilling whistle...
The quilling whistle is why the PS2 top (processor) board needs to be swapped out with the new version that has x2 the memory...to play the quilling whistle! 
I have heard rumors that the new PS2 upgrade kits have the new boards..there's a way to tell but I can't find it now.
And DCS 4.0 has the upgraded software so the remote can play it...

Swinging bells, smokin' quillin' whistles...I can wait...


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## yardtrain (Feb 18, 2008)

Chuck, 

Can you provide more info on the board that has to be swapped out.  Is the board on the remote or on the engines? Also what will the cost be?

john


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## adelmo (Jan 2, 2008)

Any word from MTH on DCC compatability for their One Gauge product line?
Thanks, Alan


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## MarkLewis (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Chucks_Trains on 02/16/2008 9:45 PM

I didn't say ProtoSound 4.0..I said that DCS v.4.0 is getting ready to be released..right now it's being beta tested and was scheduled to be released around last Christmas but the beta testers weren't satisfied with it. DCS v.4.0 is the free software download for the DCS system.


You are indeed correct about DCS 4.0, but one problem I have is that I cannot find anything about it in anything MTH has published since October 31. In the short time I've been buying MTH 1-gauge products I have learned that MTH's announcements are no more reliable than their shipping schedules for 1-guage products.

Mark


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## Guest (Feb 19, 2008)

check out the o guage rr forum they have full updates on everything MTH, hope this helps yaaa.


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## MarkLewis (Jan 2, 2008)

Actually MTH updates their shipping schedule regularly. It can be found at MTH Shipping Schedule


The problem is that their schedule* is* updated frequently, usually with items moved back for months at a time.

Mark


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## N1CW (Jan 3, 2008)

Mark 

>If you had the GG1 in the MTH 1-guage Pool for February, guess again. 
Sorry you/I loose once again.....Now its changed from June 08 to Aug 08.


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