February 15, 2008 - M.T.H. Electric Trains is pleased to announce that the third steam locomotive in the company’s HO product line will be a Southern Pacific Gs4 Northern steam locomotive. Faithfully recreated in all-metal die-cast construction, the locomotive will be produced in a variety of versions in differing paint schemes and cab numbers.

M.T.H.’s HO locomotives feature the firm’s most sophisticated version of its highly acclaimed Proto-Sound sound and command control onboard electronics. The Proto-Sound 3.0 system found in M.T.H.’s HO locomotives includes features not found in previous Proto-Sound systems including battery-free operation and a command control receiver that can operate with M.T.H.’s DCS Digital Command System or any manufacturer’s DCC system.

Unlike other HO sound-equipped locomotives currently on the market, M.T.H.’s steam locomotives include synchronized puffing smoke timed to drive wheel revolutions for an incredibly realistic operating experience. First appearing in M.T.H.’s O Gauge locomotives in 2000, each M.T.H. HO locomotive features a prototypically correct four chuffs/puffs per each drive wheel revolution.

Digital sound features including whistle, bell, chuffing, squeaking brakes, authentic Doppler, passenger station announcements, air let-off, air pump, blow down, pop-off, injector and dozens more are included in each engine – a variety unmatched in HO today. In addition, each engine features 120 speed steps, each in scale one-mile-per-hour increments for a true prototypical operating experience.

The locomotive is completely compatible with any analog DC power supply. Under analog operation, the user retains direction control, synchronized puffing smoke, digital chuffing (synchronized to driver revolution and smoke puffing), squeaking brakes and speed control.

When operated in command mode using M.T.H.’s DCS Digital Command System (DCS), operators will have access to hundreds of features and sounds, including crossing signals, a user controlled “quillable” whistle that simulates an engineer’s differing pressure on the whistle pull cord for seamless whistle pitches, and the optional city horn.