MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

August 14, 2006 - M.T.H. Electric Trains is pleased to announce that the MRC Prodigy Advanced DCC controller, the only DCC controller on the market today equipped with F13 ﾖ F28 features, can be reprogrammed to comply with the NMRA standards for the new F features found in M.T.H. HO locomotives. By reprogramming the Prodigy Advanced, the MRC controller becomes the first and only DCC controller capable of activating all the DCC functions built into the M.T.H. HO Pennsylvania K-4 Pacific steam locomotive.

After receiving consumer inquiries about the Prodigy Advancedﾒs inability to access the standard F13 ﾖ F28 features on the M.T.H. HO K-4 ﾖ the only DCC equipped locomotive on the market today to take advantage of these latest NMRA DCC features ﾖ M.T.H. worked with MRC engineers and found the NMRA standard for these features did not match the MRC implementation.

Consumers interested in getting their MRC Prodigy Advanced controllers updated to current NMRA standards can do so by contacting MRC directly for details on returning the unit for reprogramming.

Like the DCC standards established by the NMRA, M.T.H. Electric Trains took significant measures to ensure that our first HO locomotive complied with other NMRA standards whenever possible. Since our K-4ﾒs release, some reviewer and consumer comments have been published that criticize the K-4ﾒs operational functionality with power supplies that meet the NMRAﾒs minimum standard of 12 volts maximum power output. Understandably, those comments point out that the K-4ﾒs top speed is less than expected when operating the train (with 12 volts applied to the track. A more typical max voltage output commonly found in todayﾒs DC power supplies is 16 VDC.

While the K-4 will indeed operate with a 12 volt power supply meeting the NMRAﾒs minimum standard, its performance will be affected in much the same way that a high performance sports car will not run well on lower octane fuel. Unlike a motor vehicle operating for long periods of time on lower octane fuel, no harm will come to the M.T.H. K-4 when using a 12 volt power supply. However, the K-4 wonﾒt achieve a more prototypical top speed of approximately 82 scale miles per hour unless 16 volts (a more typical max voltage for todayﾒs power supplies) is applied to the track. Applying even higher track voltage results in higher speeds. Like a sports car, the M.T.H. HO K-4 is a high performance model railroad machine outfitted with features and functions not found on any other HO locomotive available today. Like the sports carﾒs powerful motor, the K-4 requires a quality modern supply to fully maximize its features including speed control, synchronized puffing smoke, lighting and digital sound effects.

Over the past few years, the HO marketplace has seen a new wave of locomotives appear on store shelves, each outfitted with features previously not seen in HO model railroading. As more and more advances appear in the future, older transformer standards employed by the NRMA and product testers will have to adjust for the higher power requirements found in these new items. Cooperation between the NMRA and manufacturers, like that between MRC and M.T.H., will ensure that as standards change, consumers will continue to reap the benefits of product consistency between different manufacturers.