Command Control From Your Smartphone

Since 1992, M.T.H. Electric Trains has released nearly 25,000 different items. In 2014 alone, we'll have announced and produced nearly 1,600 new items in our nine different product lines. HO, S Gauge, O Gauge, One Gauge, Tinplate and European fans can all look to M.T.H. for trains and accessories that will surprise and delight them. No other model railroad company can make that claim.

By producing "model trains that do more," we not only ensure that our customers remain excited about the hobby — we make it easier to attract new hobbyists and keep model railroading alive and growing, with a constant supply of new items to entice current and future hobbyists. M.T.H. fans know that our products get better each year and come with new and exciting features that reflect the vitality of our brand.

Over the years, we've continued to expand our onboard technology. All of our product lines now feature locomotives that can operate on AC or DC power in conventional or command mode. We offer HO models that can run on 3-rail track and O gauge models that can run on 2-rail track. Our electric locomotives — including HO models — began arriving with motorized operating pantographs that can work with powered catenary nearly five years ago. With the release of Proto-Sound 3.0, we added a third operating mode: NMRA-standard DCC. M.T.H. locomotives can sense what type of command signal is present on the rails and configure themselves to operate accordingly, with little or no input from the operator. In the age of the smart phone, we've been building smart trains for years. M.T.H. trains really can “do more.”

But at M.T.H., we say “What’s next?” Technology continues to expand in all aspects of our lives; we believe it must continue to do so in our products and our control systems if we want our hobby to remain relevant in the world of smart phones, tablets and wearable technology.

Why put a remote control in the hands of an operator when he or she probably has an even more powerful device in their pocket? Why shouldn’t a modeler control their layout with their phone, when they can already use that phone to run their television, adjust their thermostat, and activate their home alarm system? More importantly, how many new members can we attract into our hobby when we bundle that hobby with technology they use every day?

Enter our first model railroading mobile app

In 2015, M.T.H. will release smart phone and tablet mobile apps that will allow operators to run their trains from Apple iOS or Android phones or tablets. That means your Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S4 can do one more thing we only dreamed about fourteen years ago. Your favorite Android tablet or Apple iPad will bring the DCS Digital Command System to life in a way you never thought possible when you first picked up a DCS remote control. Any of these smart devices can run our new app. That means anybody who visits your layout can run trains — the days of fighting over the remote control are over!

Click HERE To Go To Google Play

Click HERE To Go To iTunes

Whether you're running Android or iOS, our DCS app will allow you to control your entire layout in command or conventional modes without using a DCS handheld remote. You'll still need a TIU (Track Interface Unit) along with a new, separately sold DCS WiFi module. Simply plug the module into the TIU, search for its WiFi signal on your phone or tablet, and you'll be running your layout in command mode in no time. Everything the DCS handheld remote can do, the app can do — but your experience will be better and in full color!

Our new app isn't limited to just DCS control either. With it, you'll be able to access special pages on the M.T.H. website, see the latest catalogs and news articles, and shop for M.T.H. products.

Look for the app in the Spring of 2015 — it’s gonna be fun.