Mth Rail King
Mth Rail King
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 1990s MTH Rail King Pennsylvania 2 8 8 2 USRA Mallet Steamer 30 1156 0 L1043L  US $1,127.00
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 MTH Rail King Millennium Gold New York Central NYC Hudson Steamer 20 3040 1 US $850.00
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 HARD TO FIND MTH RAILKING 30 2273 NYC SUBWAY NW 2 SWITCHER SET MINT US $799.00
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 MTH RAIL KING O 27 4 6 2 CRUSADER 8 PIECE TRAIN SET US $759.97
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 MTH RAIL KING UNION PACIFIC BIG BOY 30 1129 1 W SOUND US $750.00
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 MTH Railking New York Central 5 Car 70’ Madison Passenger Set No 20 4029 MIB US $750.00
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 Norfolk Western 2 8 8 2 Imperial Y6b Steam Engine MTH Railking 30 1438 1 New US $749.99
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 MTH RAIL KING 2 8 8 2 Y6B NWLOCOMOTIVE 30 1163 0 W LOCO SOUND US $500.00
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 MTH RAIL KING O 27 NY CENTRAL HUDSON 5 PIECE TRAIN SET US $499.97
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 MTH Railking BO F3 ABA With Proto Sound Plus 4 Passenger Cars US $465.00
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 MTH RAIL KING 30 1127 1 HIAWATHA HUDSON STEAM ENGINE BEAUTY EXCELLENT US $459.99
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 RAILKING MTH READY TO RUN ALASKA RTR TRAIN FREIGHT SET US $450.00
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 NEW HARD TO FIND MTH RAILKING 30 6707 GOLD PLATED MILLENIUM PASSENGER SET MINT US $449.00
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 MTH 20 5511 1 RAILKING MILWAUKEE ROAD E 2 BI POLAR ELECTRIC LOCO W PS 2 US $445.00
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 MTH RAILKING O SCALE 4 6 0 DH CAMELBACK STEAM ENGINE PROTO SOUND 20 – CAB816 US $429.67
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 MTH RAIL KING UP 60FT ALUMINUM PASS SET 4 CAR MT6015 US $425.00
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 MTH Railking Aerotrain Diesel Passenger Set w Proto Sound 30 New York Central US $439.99
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 MTH RAIL KING 20 6021 SANTA FE STRIPED PASSENGER SET BEAUTY EXCELLENT US $399.99
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 MTH RAIL KING CHESAPEAKE OHIO E 3 DIESEL ENGINE SET WT SOUND IN BOX US $379.99
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 MTH RAILKING 30 2162 1 MTA SILVER SUBWAY SET 4 PACK MIB RARE HAMMERPRICE NR US $415.00
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 MTH RAIL KING 4 4 0 GENERAL30 1120 1 WARR GENERAL LOCOMOTIVE US $350.00
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 MTH RAIL KING COMMODORE VANDERBUILT HUDSON LOCO 30 1133 1 W SOUND US $350.00
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 Long Island Railroad RDC Budd Car Set MTH Railking Ps 2 US $349.99
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 MTH RAILKING PENNSYLVANIA 4 6 2 K 4S PACIFIC STEAM LOCOMOTIVE 30 1138 1 US $349.95
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 MTH Rail King 0 TCW GP 20 Diesel Engine NIB 30 2686 1 US $345.99
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 MTH Railking Budweiser Annheuser GP 9 Diesel Engine w Proto Sound 20 2920 1 US $345.00
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O Scale Model Trains –Take Another Look
When toy trains were first introduced in the early part of the 20th century the 3 rail O scale model trains were king. Originally manufactured as toys for kids they were a staple around the Christmas tree in December and easily pulled out from under the bed and set up in the playroom or bed room the rest of the year. The original Model Train sets were simple ovals or circles, were large enough for kids to handle, and were sold as toys, not for scale modeling.
When adults started to take interest in trains as a hobby, big in England first, the O scale lent itself to easy model making but to have a large permanent layout was next to impossible. The O scale model trains were just too big. Most new houses in America at the time were Cape Cods, and unless you wanted to devote the entire basement or the 3rd floor to model railroading, the large scale layouts were impractical. Then along came the HO scale.
When the HO scale was introduced with its 2 rail track system, the hobby became a viable option again for large realistic layouts. Being only 1/187 in scale an entire HO town could be set up in miniature on a table or a 4 x 8 platform with plenty of room for detailed landscapes and buildings. The O scale was relegated back to being made for toy trains again, not model railroading.
Let's jump forward to the 90's when bigger houses were sprouting up every day and basements and spare rooms were now large enough to accommodate realistic O scale model trains and buildings. With Atlas and MTH supplying the parts, O scale, with it's blackened center rail or new 2 rail tracks, could be taken seriously as a viable option to Model Railroad with. If you haven't seen the new trains; you really should take a look as they are light years away from the toy trains you played with as a kid.
I think some of the current appeal for O scale trains is the memories we have from childhood of playing with those 3railed oval tracks, which were easy to replace after a derailment, something kid's hands just struggle with in HO scale, let alone N scale or Z scale. The appeal of O scale to me is partly that and partly something else.
When you're trying to build scale models for backgrounds in the smaller scales, it becomes difficult to provide a lot of detail on the pieces without muddying them up. It's also hard to maintain proper scale across your entire layout when you wish to hand make smaller detailed items like buckets, a stack of logs for the fire, or some outdoor furniture. The small detailed components for items that have handles or hinges, or knobs simply can't be made well in the smaller scales. This is why I love O scale modeling. With it's 1/4 inch equals 1 foot scale it becomes easy add all kinds of details and props to your layouts.
The most realistic building models I've seen have all been done in O scale. A multitude of intricate details added to them created scenes that when photographed can barely be distinguished from real life. That's what model railroading is really all about for most of us anyways. The trains become secondary to the scenery and buildings, and O scale allows you to have the best of both. Take another look at O scale model trains, you may be surprised at what you find.
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