I had a conversation with Dick at the NMRA convention in Valley Forge
and
also got the same impression of "tunnel vision" ... and without a doubt
his
kits had problems. But then Branchline and Proto2000, who produced some
of
the finest kits available, also folded up and sold out. So I think at
least
part of the problem was there was already a huge shift underway to
RTR by
the late 1980's. A one-man shop or any very small business without
Chinese
manufacturing partners is fighting a strong head wind in this
hobby, especially
with the decline in local hobby shops to stock kits for
the "browsers".
Tim O'Connor
>I rarely comment on other
people's business; today I'll make an exception. Dick fell into the trap that
many smaller manufacturers do... they become "married" to one tool shop and
refuse to see the limitations of that shop. Eastern Car Works is another
example. Dick relied on the same toolmaker from the beginning to the end of
his business... If Lloyd said it couldn't be done, by golly, it couldn't,
don't bother me with the pesky detail that others are obviously doing
it.
>
>I had an interesting conversation with both Dick and Lloyd
back in the nineties when Accurate Finishing was looking to get into
developing our own tooling; learned a lot, also saw the limitations. Why Dick
never could is beyond me.
>
>Dennis Storzek
