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New Bid Management and Watch List Improvements

The DASH Marketplace has already become one of the premier places to buy model trains, but we're always looking to improve the form and function of the buying experience. We've made some incredible new changes to our watch list and bid management areas, and we're here to show them off. 

Managing your watch list and bids on the DASH Marketplace just got a lot more intuitive and user-friendly. We've added a number of key features which will help you during last-minute bidding frenzies and make your life on the DASH Marketplace much easier in general.

The My Favorites/ Watched area of the site is where many users manage all the listings they are interested in buying. We now made it a functioning "dashboard" where almost all of your buying activity can take place without bouncing around the site. Take a look at the improvements and a photo of them in action below.  

"My favorites / Watched" Section Improvements

• We made it easier to see when you are currently the high bidder
• It's now obvious when you have been outbid
• It's easier to increase bids right from this screen
• Changed "Auctions" to "Listings" for clarification
• Can now sort by listing end dates to focus on the most important auctions first
• Included pagination for easier management of long lists of items
• Refreshes every 5 minutes to help you stay up to date during last minute bidding sessions. 

 

 

We also made improvements to the Your Bids section of the marketplace, if that's where you like to actively manage your auctions. This will enable you to specifically track all items you've already bid on, not just items in your wanted or watch list. You'll never lose an auction if you keep an eye on this new and improved page. 

"Your Bids" Section Improvements 

• Easy to see when you are currently the high bidder
• Easy to see when you have been outbid
• Easy to increase bids 
• Easy to re-bid on all items from one screen
• Included pagination for easier management of lots of items
• Added listing image to more quickly see what items are

We want your buying experience on the DASH Marketplace to be a pleasant one, and we're pretty sure these changes have already made it a lot better. If there are other changes you'd like to see implemented or improved, just leave a comment below and we'll do our best to address those too!

Lionel Spotlights Charlie Brown Halloween Set

Halloween is quickly approaching, and it's time to bust out the decorations! Unfortunately it's hard to express your enthusiasm for such a spooky holiday as a railroader. Lionel is here to change that with their latest product spotlight. 

Meet the Peanuts Halloween Set, which will allow you to add a few ghosts and ghouls to your layout, or add a train to your typical October decorations. No Halloween would be complete without a viewing of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and this train set brings that classic television special to life on the rails in a really fun way. Check out all the details and photos of the set below.

New Product Spotlight – Peanuts® Halloween Set with LionChief® Remote

Treat yourself this Halloween with our new Peanuts® Halloween train set. This train combines all the family fun of a Peanuts Halloween with our extremely user-friendly LionChief Remote control system.

Thanks to this new control system, all of the power is in the palm of your hand. Control the speed, direction and sound effects from anywhere in the room.

Set up is easy and perfect for a seasonal train garden. Just snap together the track, plug in the power supply and you’re ready to roll. The Peanuts train can run on layouts with our conventional, TMCC and LEGACY control systems as well.

The set includes:

• 6-18789 2-4-2 Locomotive and tender
• 6-37080 Two-dome Tankcar
• 6-39374 Boxcar
• 6-25926 Caboose
• Eight curved O-36 FasTrack sections, one 10″ straight FasTrack section, one FasTrack wall-pack terminal section
• Wall-pack power supply
• Remote for locomotive (requires three AAA batteries, not included)

The locomotive features:

• Chuffing sounds in sync with speed of locomotive
• Clanging bell and whistle sounds
• Special Halloween sounds
• Steam background sounds
• Operating headlight
• Puffing smoke unit
• Operating coupler on rear of tender
• Maintenance-free motor
• Traction tire
• Die-cast metal locomotive body

Our 2-4-2 remote-controlled engines have a recommended ten car train limit. That gives you plenty of room to add some additional Peanuts Halloween cars (like the aquarium and pumpkin flatcars seen here), other spooky rollingstock or just some traditional freight.

The set retails for $ 299.99 and should begin shipping next month. See your Lionel dealer or order online through LionelStore.com.

*Peanuts and all related trademarks are copyright Peanuts Worldwide LLC.

This won't interest the more serious railroaders out there, but the Peanuts® Halloween Set with LionChief® Remote is a great way to introduce your family and children to the world of trains. The friendly imagery of Charlie Brown keeps things light throughout the Halloween season, and the variety of cars give railroaders an excuse to educate on the rails without losing the interest of onlookers. Although $ 300 seems like a lot for a train that only comes out for one month a year, the potential for display and fun with the family makes it well worth the cost.

In other words, I've convinced this is more "treat" than it is "trick." Keep an eye out for this set and other "Halloween-themed" trains on the DASH Marketplace, because you might just make this Halloween the most memorable in a very long time. 

Win a Free Lionel LCCA Convention Exclusive Train

To celebrate the continued success of DASH and our many partnerships, we've decided to give away this brand new $ 140 Lionel LCCA 2013 Convention Exclusive Switcher. Keep reading for all the details!

We have an unbelievable prize to give away to one lucky registered DASH user. It is one of just 400 exclusive units offered to the first 400 members who registered for the LCCA 2013 National convention in Chattanooga earlier this summer. The Lionel Lines Vulcan switcher wears the traditional Lionel orange and blue colors to great effect, and was designed by LCCA and manufactured by Lionel. We'd thank LCCA for a great convention and making this product available!

It's a fantastic piece, and if you're a registered DASH member, you could be adding it to your collection for free. On Friday October 4th at 11:59:59 EST we'll be randomly selecting one lucky winner from all registered DASH members. That means there's never been a better time to register for free and experience the awesome features DASH has to offer. Check out all the contest details below. 

Full Contest Details All registered DASH users are eligible to win. One grand prize winner will be randomly selected from all entries.  Winner will be notified within three days of the giveaway's end date, and must respond within 3 days or a new winner will be selected.   Contest period ends October 4th, 2013 at 11:59:59 pm EST. You must have completed a Free registration before this time to be eligible to win.  Shipping within the United States will be free.  International shipping will be paid by DASH up to $ 10. The remaining costs must be paid by the winner.  Must be 18 to enter.

We'd like to thank you for taking the time to read about our latest contest and wish you luck towards winning! Even if you don't claim the prize this time around, you'll be able to enjoy a useful, fun, and free DASH membership.  

First Look at Fox Valley Models Silverside Coal Gondola

Railroaders rarely get to see behind the curtain when it comes to manufacturing the trains they love, but Fox Valley Models has provided an open-door early look at their new HO coal gondola.

If you're in the market for a new HO Silverside Coal Gondola, you might love the latest test shots from Fox Valley Models. Not only are they showing off an upcoming product, but they're giving railroaders a closer look into the thinking and planning behind its product. That's always appreciated! Read all the details and check out the informational photos below.  

HO HO HO...Y'all HO Silverside Test Shots

Today we received the first shots of our HO Silverside Coal Gondola. We took a few quick shots and thought we would share. Please keep in mind that they are first shots and it is being reviewed. The cars will have all of the bracing included in the box. Interior braces will be modeler applied for those that want to run empty trains. Why not install them at the factory? Extra work? - sure. But since the braces are very near the top of the car, any loads could not sit down in the car - unless you like live loads. We are also including the extra side bracing that some cars received later. Again, these are optional as all cars did not receive them - add as desired or to match photos. An etched metal brake platform will be added to the B end as well. The car will be finished with metal wheelsets and #5 couplers. First run announcement will be in the next few weeks. Enjoy the photos.

A Request For Help

If anyone has photos of these cars in service - especially anything after "as built" - we are looking for any specific road numbers that were in the other schemes - Green lettering, white lettering and NS Schemes (white NS logo with SOU reporting marks) We have a good collection of numbers and have seen most on-line photos. If you have any photos or videos from your personal collection, confirmations of scheme/numbers will help make more accurate paint schemes. Thank you for any additional info.

The car sure is coming along nicely, and it's great to see the detail and planning that went into its construction and accessories. The internal bracing and side bracing options are leaving control with the modeler, and the care is doing its part by looking as accurate as possible for the scale. I can't wait to get a closer look at the final product.

Fox Valley Models is also asking for your help! If you have any photos of these bad boys in action, you might just influence the final production run! It won't be too long before we'll be able to hold this gorgeous Silverside Coal Gondola in our hands, so keep your eyes out for it and other gondolas on the DASH Marketplace. 

You're Invited to a DASH Webinar

We're always looking for ways to make our users more comfortable with DASH as both a site and collection management tool. That's why we've designed a new Webinar to train users how to track and value their collection.

And you're invited! With the help of MTH and the MTH Railroaders' Club, we've created a webinar that's useful and rewarding. You could win a new MTH train just for participating! Check out all the details and register for a spot in the webinar below.  

MTH and DASH User Webinar

Please take a moment to read the session details and click the "Sign Up" button below to select a date and time to participate.  Session Name: Keeping Track of Your Trains and Their Worth Target Audience: Model Train Enthusiasts Overview: Keeping track of your model train collection can be fun and rewarding. There are new free tools to make this simple and worthwhile. Additionally, understanding the value of specific items and your collection as a whole is important when buying or insuring model trains. Join MTH and our new partner DASH in getting the tips and tricks of managing your collection. Attendees will learn how to keep track of their items as well as look up the value of items they have. Session attendees will be entered into a drawing for a free MTH product and a premium DASH subscription. Dates: Thursday Oct. 10th, Oct. 24th, and Oct. 31st at 1:00 PM EST Session duration:  30 minutes, plus time for Q&A

If you want to get a head start, head over to the DASH Catalog and visit My Collection to start playing with our collection management tools. You can also try out a Premium membership to get an early look at our extensive values guide. We can't wait to show you everything in action! 

It's a Huge O Gauge Auction Weekend

There are currently more than 3,000 O Gauge model trains on the DASH Marketplace, making this weekend's O Gauge auction event the biggest we've ever seen. 

Don't miss out on all the bargains, because you're sure to find something unique, affordable, and perfect for your collection or layout. Items range in price from $ 5 to $ 1,000, meaning there's something for railroaders of every level. We've hand selected some special deals below, but they're only a small sample of the incredible auctions ending this weekend on the DASH Marketplace. 

Lionel 6-28085 N&W 2-8-8-2 Y6b Mallet Steam Loco Lionel 6-18373 Nyc S-2 Electric Loco W/Tmcc Lionel 2349 Northern Pacific GP-9 Diesel Loco

Mth 20-3294-1 Union Pacific 4-12-2 9000 Steam Engine W/Ps2 Mth 20-2169-1 Rock Island E8 Aba Diesel Loco Set W/Ps Lionel 6-8753 Pennsylvania Gg-1 Electric Locomotive

Weaver O Gauge 3-Rail Freight Cars (5 total) EX/Box K-Line K693-1931 Reading Flatcar W/Bethlehem Steel Pipe MTH 30-77215 RailKing Offset Steel Caboose-Denver Rio Grande

Mth 20-6514 N&W 5 Car 70' Abs Passenger Car Set Lionel 2562 Santa Fe Regal Pass Vista Dome Car Mth 30-6500 Amtrak 4 Car O27 Superliner Set

Lionel 6-12958 193 Industrial Water Tower MTH 50-1001 DCS Remote Control Set EX/Box Lionel 6-14087 Operating Lighthouse

If none of the above items caught your eye, head over to the DASH Marketplace and browse the other 3,000 items currently for sale. I promise you'll find something you like. 

New Images of the MTH Premier Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 Challenger

The Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 Challenger is one of the most recognizable and visually magnificent trains to ever hit the rails, and the latest images from MTH prove they've created one of the most visually magnificent models ever as well.

If you're looking for a new prize piece for your collection, you've come to the right place. This train is an absolute beauty no matter which roadname you get it in. But in my opinion, there's no replacement for the classic Union Pacific long black train seen below. Keep reading for all the details and the gorgeous new images. 

MTH Premier Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 Challenger Steam Engine

Now arriving at MTH Electric Trains the Premier O Gauge 4-6-6-4 Challenger Steam Engine with Proto-Sound 3.0. This IN-STOCK Premier Challenger is featured in Union Pacific (Black paint scheme), Union Pacific (Two-Tone Gray w/Silver Stripes), Union Pacific (Two-Tone Gray w/Yellow Stripes), Clinchfield, and Denver Rio Grande roadnames. Ask your MTH Dealer about getting a Premier O Gauge Challenger today.

Some of these shots look like they were taken straight from real life! This train is jam-packed with an unbelievable amount of refined details and perfect sculpting. I think every single rivet, wire, and groove and in place and perfect to scale. Whether looking at the locomotive as a whole or examining it piece by piece, everything is in place and absolutely stunning. Watching this train in action from your home layout would be an unmatched joy. 

The MTH Premier Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 Challenger Steam Engine is available for purchase now, so keep an eye out for it and similar products on the DASH Marketplace. This train would be the epitome of many O Gauge railroaders' collections, and we'd all be lucky to have one of our own. 

Polk's & Aristocraft Trains to Close Doors

In a new email, Polk's has announced that they will be closing the doors on their business at the end of the year. As the folks behind Aristocraft Trains, this is a unfortunate announcement and a definite loss to the hobby.

We haven't received all of the details on this announcement, so it's still unsure how various brands and elements of the business will be handled. It's possible that Aristocraft and RMT could be spun off and survive, but at the moment, most readers assume that the announcement represents the closure of the business in total. You can read the news yourself straight from the Polk family below. 

Polk’s Will Close Its Doors 12-31-13

Since 1935, we have provided service and innovation to the Hobby industry. In this latest downturn, we cut back staff to the minimum required to survive. Then the government battle over the debt ceiling drove the consumer market down even further.

We’ve managed to stay in business, but the continued depression for the consumer has caused us to fall into debt that is unsustainable. We have put several million dollars into product development over recent years, but the need for customers to cut back on non-essentials has caused this investment to be lacking in returns.

We have seen leisure activities like golf courses plunge in popularity, as funds for such recreation have dried up. It seems to be the same for hobby time investments. Our products are no longer inexpensive as they were in the 1930s-era Depression. The cost of manufacturing along with minimum production runs and long lead times has caused a lack of ability to continue as a sustainable entity. It’s no longer a business!

It has been a pleasure to help our creative consumer base to enjoy their hobby and we have no regrets in doing so. Our business grew every year until the 2008 as the recession caused a shrinking of the mindset to stay active in our large-scale model train arena. We know that smaller scales have remained viable, but the higher cost of Large Scale trains and the space required to run them have not maintained their share of the market. Our airplane R/C portion of our business was lost when our patented frequency changer was lost to the 2.4Ghz portion of the marketplace, with no frequency compounds needed any longer.

For 80 years, the Polk family has made a fair living in the Hobby industry. I can’t help but remember the scores of co-workers that have helped make this organization as special as it was. Thanks to them all, but notably: Gil Rose, B.M. Song, J.K. Kim, Sam Kimm, Tom Flynn, Cliff Crane, Charlie Binder, Marvin Binder, John and Sherry Shievdayal, Aixa Lebron, Joe Bamberger, David Newell, Walter Matuch, John Mikesh, Navin Shievdayal, Marguerite Hubert (Rose), Michael J. Vickey, Jonathan Polk, Scott Polk, Fred Polk, Irwin Polk, Nathan Polk, Maryann Polk Bob Calandra, George Adams, Michael Hauptmann and so many others, it would take a book to list them all. While I can’t list all the hundreds that were part of the team, they remain in my heart and mind.

Our humble thanks to our loyal customers. Our apologies for not being able to keep this almost 80-year-old business going. It’s a heartbreaker for us all.

All the best,

The Polk Family

The large scale train community has certainly lost a big piece of the hobby today. This touching letter is a heartfelt message to railroaders everywhere and represents how wonderful our hobby can be, if nothing else. We 'd like to offer well wishes to the entire Polk family and all of the employees who've worked for almost 80 years to make such a wonderful piece of the model railroading community. 

Although Aristocraft may not be producing new trains in the future, they still have a rich production history, and many of their great trains and accessories are available on the DASH Marketplace right now. You can help keep them a relevant and living part of the hobby by shopping their Aristocraft products on the DASH Marketplace. 

MTH Announces Fall TCA 2013 Special York Car

The Fall 2013 TCA York meet is only a couple weeks away, and MTH has announced their great new collector box car to celebrate this edition of the show. 

It's always a pleasure to see the latest edition of MTH's York Car, because they're always a high quality and consistent reminder of MTH's entire product lineup thanks to the Catalog facade featured on the side. Railroaders looking for a way to commemorate the event once again should certainly consider picking up this car. You can read all the details of this year's car below. 

Fall TCA 2013 Special York Car Announced

M.T.H. Electric Trains has announced its 22nd TCA York Show collector box car to be sold at the TCA York Show in York, Pennsylvania on October 17, 18, and 19, 2013.

Like the previous 21 cars sold in the York Car series, the latest edition will again be a Premier Line model and the 20th in our "Catalog Series" - this time featuring the cover of our 2014 Volume 1 Premier & RailKing Catalog which will be released in October 2013.

As in the past, a very limited number of these cars will be produced and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis for $ 40.00. MTHRRC Members attending the York show can purchase the car for $ 35.00. The car can be purchased at the M.T.H. booth in the Orange Hall.

Interested, MTHRRC and non-MTHRRC Members can speed up the time spent waiting to pickup your car by pre-ordering it from the M.T.H. Sales Department. NOTE If ordering the car in advance, you MUST attend the York show and personally pick up your car. Cars will NOT BE SHIPPED to show attendees who fail to pick them up at York.

Orders can be placed by calling 410-381-2580 and connecting to the Sales Department

It's a little confusing for this car to read both 2013 and 2014 depending on the location, but I actually like the catalog cover artwork featured on the side of these "Catalog Series" cars. It's a great way to add a little color and variety to an otherwise standard box car. The blue and cream color scheme of this year's edition is a sharp contrast that catches the eye quite well.  

Attendees can order this car in advance to save some valuable time at the show, or pick it up for $ 40 on location as long as supplies last. If you don't manage to grab one at the show, be sure to check the DASH Marketplace when you get home to see if any attendees are selling theirs.  

Lionel LCCA Convention Exclusive Train Contest Winner

Thanks to the continued success of DASH and our many partnerships across the model train world, we just gave away a brand new $ 140 Lionel LCCA 2013 Convention Exclusive Switcher. The giveaway was well received by railroaders across the globe, and now we've selected one lucky grand prize winner.

This giveaway's lucky winner was  selected randomly from all registered DASH users and beat the odds to claim an incredible prize in our second DASH Model Trains giveaway. The winner is DASH member:

LeeOgauge We've already notified LeeOgauge and can't wait to hear their reaction! I know I'd be awfully excited if I was getting an exclusive train like this one for free.  Although we're not sure what kind of layout or collection LeeOgauge has, based on their username we're going to guess that this O Gauge train is going to fit in nicely. One thing's for sure, their collection is going to be a little bigger and a whole lote cooler after adding this neat little switcher to it. There's nothing quite like the rich Lionel blue and orange to liven up a display, and we're happy to give our lucky winner a great new piece. They'll just have to thank the random number generator and luck that's on their side. Take a moment to offer LeeOgauge your genuine congratulations with a note in the comment section below. If you didn't win this time around, don't lose hope just yet! We're going to be launching even more contests and giveaways in the near future, and you're going to be a part of all of them as a DASH member.

Thank you for taking a moment out of your day to read about our latest giveaway, and good luck towards winning next time around! Just remember, you've still got your useful, fun, and free DASH membership to enjoy.  

DASH Contest Winner Takes to the Rails

A couple months ago, DASH and MTH teamed up to give away an incredible new $ 430 BNSF ES44 Diesel Locomotive. The winner was DASH user EngineerBob, and he was kind enough to send along a photo after receiving his prize. 

EngineerBob didn't just settle for taking a picture of his new train sitting on a shelf. He took to the rails for an amazing photo opportunity that you can see below! 

Here's what he had to say about his adventure, "I thought a photo with a real BNSF diesel might be cool. This took a while to schedule." It sure is cool! That's an awfully beautiful train in his hands, but it's nothing compared to the real thing behind him. Here's a closeup of EngineerBob holding his prize.  

Please take a moment to thank EngineerBob for taking the time to send us this awesome image. You can also offer him your congratulations for getting this fantastic prize from the fine folks at MTH Trains. And be sure to stick around for the new DASH contests, because you might be able to send in a photo of yourself next time!