First appearing in the MTH product family in 2006, many HO locomotives come equipped with Proto-Sound 3.0 and can be operated with a conventional transformer or in command mode with DCC or DCS™ (M.T.H.’s Digital Command System). Proto-Sound 3.0 offers more realism, more fun, and more variety than any other onboard locomotive control system in any scale. HO locomotives equipped with Proto-Sound 3.0 have item numbers ending with a "-1" (ie: 80-2280-1).
Locomotives described as DCC-Ready do not contain the Proto-Sound 3.0 onboard digital sound system but are instead configured with an 8-pin DCC socket to allow the user to install their choice of DCC decoder. DCC-Ready locomotives can be operated with any DC power pack, feature LED lighting and can be directionally controlled and speed controlled by the transformer.
Locomotives described as being equipped with Proto-Sound 3E+ are configured for operation on 3-rail HO track (like Marklin stud rail) and include an additional decoder for operation with the Marklin Motorola command control protocol, an older form of command control used primarily in the European market. HO locomotives equipped with Proto-Sound 3E+ have item numbers ending with a "-5" (ie: 80-2280-5).
Many of our passenger cars possess railroad specific details and are unique in appearance from each other. Our Daylight cars, for example, have some of the best operating end-of-car diaphragms found in any scale, and we’ve recreated ten cars from the 1938 Twentieth Century Limited. All of our passenger cars feature the smoothest rolling passenger trucks available today, and all are outfitted with flicker-free, constant voltage lighting. You won’t find better looking and operating HO passenger cars than those from M.T.H.
M.T.H. HO freight cars come in two varieties; our top-of-the-line models that feature industry-leading details like separate grab irons, intricate undercarriage detail and crisp graphics or the Ready-2-Rail series, our durable and value-packed freight car line with opening box car doors, smooth-rolling trucks and equally crisp and colorful graphics.
Regardless of your choice, all M.T.H. HO freight and passenger car rolling stock as well as locomotives come ready-to-run and feature industry-leading Kadee® couplers.