The MTH no. 30-9022 Dispatch Board lets you add one of these unique accessories to your O gauge layout. This 10 /2 by 41/4 by 71/2-inch operating accessory makes the perfect companion to a large terminal.
Although MTH doesn’t say so, its RailKing Dispatch Board is an updated version of the Lionel no. 334 Operating Dispatching Board (cataloged between 1957 and 1960). That item featured an oversized attendant who, at the touch of the controller, moved across the base of the board before turning around and appearing to change the information displayed.
The MTH Dispatch Board also boasts a large, painted worker in front (in O scale, he stands over 8 feet tall). Once you have wired the accessory to your postwar or modern transformer and activated the control switch, red LEDs on both sides of the board flash and the figure moves from right to left. He then shifts to face the board and continues to the end of the path, finishing by turning around.
As the worker in his black uniform glides along, the eight three-sided boards behind him flip around. Once they come to a stop, miniature travelers learn which of their Amtrak trains are on time and which – surprise, surprise, surprise! – are late.
Watching the boards spin and then line up is a cool effect that I don’t think I can tire of. However, as a magazine editor I couldn’t help but notice a misspelling (the “Cresent” instead of “Crescent” running between New Orleans and New York) or the presence of a digital clock reading 10:40 and a nearby analog clock with its hands indicating 8:30.
On the reverse of the board, where the postwar no. 334 depicted a fisherman using Airex gear, the MTH accessory shows an Amtrak Genesis RailKing engine barreling forward. Elsewhere you find a sign for the MTH Travel Center, a door, various railroad heralds, and the MTH logo.
Spelling aside, this is well-made. If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to add life to a passenger station and want to keep visitors amused and tiny passengers informed, the MTH Dispatch Board is just what you need.
I installed my #334 dispatch board in accordance with the MTH instructions and the red lights went on. However, when I pressed the button nothing happened.
I checked the voltage across the various connection terminals using a Simpson Meter to verify that I had the required 14 volts. I obtained the following results:
14 volts across + to –
6 volts across Switch to 1
6 volts across switch to +