MDC Motive Power

(remember: links to sub-pages at the bottom of this page)

click to jump to the bottom

Overview

Well, I don't know all the stuff MDC made, but most of it was in 1:32.

I have the speeder, and any other information on other MDC stuff is welcome.

MDC:

Apparently the original company was MDC (Model Die Casting) but some was also sold under the Roundhouse name.

Most of the products were 1:32, but they had a larger scale "bobber" caboose which Matt D. reports to be very close to 1:24.

MDC is out of business.

Mainline America: (owned by Midwest Companies Inc)

There was nothing heard for a while, then a new company in the US claimed to have the molds. They had some parts, but no new product.

The complete story is that they were going to work with Athearn to produce the product, but somehow the molds got sold to another company, and that company went away and PIKO ended up with the molds. My personal guess is that PIKO came in later and offered a sweeter deal. Too bad.

So Mainline America has the rest of the inventory, and is selling some of the products, from original stock and some new parts, notably wheels are made of a much superior plastic (the old MDC stuff could literally "melt" in the heat) with stainless steel axles.

The have a number of plans and have produced some improved details too, but have seen very little happen.

The website was: mainlineamerica.com but gone now. Their LinkedIn site still references G scale trains: https://www.linkedin.com/company/midwest-companies-inc.

Piko

I believe they bought some of the molds of the rolling stock. The ore cars, box cars and some others. The motive power is all new.

Sub-Pages

Click the links below to go "deeper" into details on individual motive power by MDC