Dave, I have done research at the MHS for about thirty years now and have some idea of the lay of the (NP) records. The admonishment to "check on the hours" the library is open is a good one, and

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED Caveats: NONE Good points, and yes, someone could have done "kitbash" kits, with good decals, to a much larger degree than what we currently see in model railroading (it

Armand Premo wrote: "How about Sunshine's Mini kits?" Apples and oranges, Armand.  You're comparing resin detail parts to the injection molded kit parts described by Bill Welch.  Besides, Al

How about Sunshine's Mini kits? Armand PREMO

Early on we offered individual parts, made in separate molds. This proved to be a real pain so we haven't offered a new part in years. - Al Westerfield

I’m all for it... Good luck Tim! ;>) Seriously, In a “previous life” I had talked to China about this very possibility (not sure WHAT I was thinking....), even going so far as to send a couple

All of this speculating is entertaining but let's get down to it. Everyone that thinks Tim should go to China and start checking all of this out, raise their hands. Bill Welch

This is because all of the parts are ganged in one or two molds. Someone would have to throw away perfectly good pieces to make parts available while their production costs would be the same as for a

Tim, Right now, Gene's castings seems to be the exception. I maintain that all that folding and fitting of all that lovely photo-etch he includes would not go over well in a factory. I'm almost

I'm not convinced this is true, Pierre. Gene Fusco's castings are immaculate, flash-free, and ready for assembly. And Jon Cagle's Harriman passenger cars also fit in that category. Clearly,

Steve's son is a big SP fan. I hope Steve will do the A-50-10, the all-steel "single sheathed" auto box car. Steve also did the 40 foot War Emergency gondola -- T&NO bought 3,100 of them in 4 classes

Perhaps what COULD be done in China or even in the US, in a "resin factory", would be some limited pre-assembly of resin kits. In other words, consider what Proto 2000 did with their kits to simplify

Always wondered why more parts were not available for scratch building and cross kit building such as sides, ends,doors etc. . Armand Premo

Nelson, Not sure why you think I or any other custom builders would know what the pricing for RTR resin could be. The issues, as I understand them are mainly twofold. One, the Chinese factories

I thought the caboose was a Centralia Car Shops project, with IM doing production. Tony Thompson It may have started out that way, and may well be explained that way by IM and CCS, but the cars

Don't know the answer to your re-weigh question but I used to live in that area. Cooper Tire in Texarkana  Ark would have used carbon black. Can't remember precisely that far back but they would

Brian Carlson wrote: Amen. This one is tired. Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA 2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com (510) 540-6538;

Nelson Moyer wrote: Maybe you've forgotten, Nelson, but we are all Pennsy and NYC modelers if we're serious--probably should add B&O to that too--and I like the SP kits Steve has already done.

Each generation of modelers thinks they'll be the last. I'm 38, never experienced any of the lines I model, (ERIE PENNSY NYC 1957) they had all been merged out of existence by 1973. Do we need to go

Nelson Moyer writes: Well...actually, Ted says: "This has meant that releases have been slowed to a trickle and keeping an inventory of kits or packing those that have run out of stock has become a