Is Massoth still in Business

John Russo

John Russo

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I am trying to buy a couple of Massoth decoders. I get no response from Mohammed at AllAboutLGB or Massoth.

Does anyone know if they are still in business?
 
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Thanks.

I have since been in touch with Daniela Massoth and confirmed they are still in business. I think she was sick for a few days and hence the delay in responding. She also recommended OnlyTrains.

I have used OnlyTrains (Tom, Carrie, and Ana) for years. They did not have inventory at the time but I will end up ordering and waiting for them to order it.

I found a local shop 15 miles away but he has to order everything.

Last but not least, It seems AllAboutLGB is out of business. I tried every phone number and email and never got a response.

Thank you all for repsonding.
 
I too had difficulty in reaching Mohammed recently. Sent an email with no response since 2024, Christmas.
But I was actually very lucky this past week and spoke with him on the telephone.
First let may say, he is having difficulty with requests and responding as he is dealing with health issues.
I too was turned away. Our conversation was more about an understanding during this difficult time for him as for hobbyist too.
The issue in Germany with Massoth is not helping the situation either in getting any stock to the USA.
I also heard the same information about Massoth in Germany from an executive of another German brand that was present recently at Springfield MA show.

Old Dominion has been acquired by Choo Choo Barn with the passing of Thomas White. I spoke with new owners also.

Hoping things settle down as we all know lots of LGB (old) stuff was really Massoth under the covers.

Birger
 
I hope Massoth develops a new central station sometime soon. I love their old 800Z, truly bulletproof, but it's protocol is ancient and it has very difficult connectivity to the modern electronics world.
 
Software Tools said:
The current version in the 1210Z Central Station.
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I think released over 15 years ago (not sure, just going on memory). The last firmware update was in 2011. I looked at this a while ago however they are still using an antique OS so connectivity to the outside world is problematic if that is relevant for your application. It is in mine. If I had no reason for other integrations this would still be my choice of system, it is remarkably reliable and robust.
 
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craigwrdouglas2 said:
I got my 1210z in Sept 2022 - I had to wait nearly a year for it as it has a redesigned circuit board.
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It's funny they redesigned the circuit board but left the firmware and software where it was. I love their uncouplers and the new EVO slow motion switches are great. Their Navigator is still hands down the best wireless remote (unless you use an iPad & Z21). I heard they had some financial troubles so maybe there just isn't the volume there to warrant the development....
 
Slawman said:
It's funny they redesigned the circuit board but left the firmware and software where it was. I love their uncouplers and the new EVO slow motion switches are great. Their Navigator is still hands down the best wireless remote (unless you use an iPad & Z21). I heard they had some financial troubles so maybe there just isn't the volume there to warrant the development....
Click to expand...

There's also a pretty limited market for an $800+ control unit targeted at G scale. Most who are into it already have a unit, be it the 800z, 1200z, or 1210z. Unless something fails those folks are unlikely to upgrade for the sake of upgrading when there arent a whole lot of new features they can put into it. LGB is pushing the CS3, which is used for all scales. There's also ESU in Europe, so the market they are in for a new CS is already pretty saturated with other, much newer options.

Their software is really dated. The stuff works pretty well, so stability is one of the things they have going for them. A redesign of the firmware/software platforms would be a pretty big undertaking and its unlikely they have the resources for that.

Its great to see they are still focusing on making great products for the garden railroad, however, like the EVO switch drives, updating the feedback module platform, and other switch decoders.
 
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Slawman said:
I hope Massoth develops a new central station sometime soon. I love their old 800Z, truly bulletproof, but it's protocol is ancient and it has very difficult connectivity to the modern electronics world.
Click to expand...
Interestingly the 800z has BETTER connectivity than the 1210z does. The RS232 connection is much more stable than the USB implementation on the 1210z. I found this working with the iTrain dev where I would experience random disconnects on the 1210 that did not occur with the 800z. He said the USB protocol was not standard on the 1210z and the 800's RS232 was better. I concur.

USB is flunky in general and direct networking connection like the CS3 offers is far more modern and reliable, for those using computer control.
 
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