If you get on the SP list, there are a lot of people
there who could be of invaluable help. The 1981
Southern Pacific Review carried an extensive article
on these cabooses, including a (sort-of) accurate
drawing of one. Joe Strapac, who did these books, is
on the list.

There have been rumors for some time about die work being done on an SP
caboose in styrene. If I were contemplating such a kit, I woujld touch as
many mfgr. bases as I could, starting with Des Plaines or other large hobby
shop, and find out the status of that project.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2942 Linden Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 http://www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroads and on Western history

--- Tim O'Connor <timoconnor@...> wrote:

Or how
about some nice gondolas -- 48' foot NKP cars

Tim:

These are in the works from Sunshine along with a TON
of other gons.

Ted

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Bill, I am on so many lists now. If I get that far, I will join. Don

Don,

If you get on the SP list, there are a lot of people
there who could be of invaluable help. The 1981
Southern Pacific Review carried an extensive article
on these cabooses, including a (sort-of) accurate
drawing of one. Joe Strapac, who did these books, is
on the list.

Bill Daniels
--- Don Winter <guaruba@...> wrote:

The SP Caboose sounds like a better bet. Don

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The SP Caboose sounds like a better bet. Don

Don,

How about an SP steel cupola caboose...there are a lot
of SP modelers who would kill for an affordable one. I
would hazard a guess that 500 would disappear in a
heartbeat (especially if they were of excellent
quality). A flat kit wouldn't be any problem...you
wouldn't be building a huge fleet of these.

You might float a trial ballon on the SP list...

Bill Daniels
Tucson, AZ
--- Don Winter <guaruba@...> wrote:

I figured a needed missing caboose might be a good
bet. Tooling is simply
my labor so not problem there. It is the incentive
to do the second car if
the first doesn;t sell which means a second car
never happens. 500 is ok in
volume. Don

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I figured a needed missing caboose might be a good bet. Tooling is simply
my labor so not problem there. It is the incentive to do the second car if
the first doesn;t sell which means a second car never happens. 500 is ok in
volume. Don

Schuyler, hmmm...500 low? I'll mull that over. Don

Oh GREAT another convention car I'll never see... Those Espee
USRA gondolas disappeared like hotcakes at a church breakfast.
If this is true I'm gonna have to snag me a "convention buddy"
who will grab a bunch for me before they're gone too...

Maybe there's a message being sent out into the ether by the convention
organizers, Tim...

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2942 Linden Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 http://www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroads and on Western history

Tim sez:

Or how
about some nice gondolas -- 48' foot NKP cars, 52' PRR G31D, 65 foot
welded cars of the late 50's...

No, no, TIm, it's a PRR G35 we want, cuz we can use it for SP too.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2942 Linden Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 http://www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroads and on Western history

Complete agreement on the need for these, Guy. But Don wouldn't be wise
to do them. As I understand it, Red Caboose has dies already for these (Jim
Booth did the die work), and they are expected to be the convention car for
the SP Society meet in Austin.

Oh GREAT another convention car I'll never see... Those Espee
USRA gondolas disappeared like hotcakes at a church breakfast.
If this is true I'm gonna have to snag me a "convention buddy"
who will grab a bunch for me before they're gone too...


Tim O'Connor <timoconnor@...>
Sterling, Massachusetts

Schuyler wrote

Don, I think the number 500 is amazingly low. And I think that there are
cars that, if done correctly, would sell about that many on this list. Some
of the suggestions here have been good ones, and you have the right guys
here to "vet" your work. I think I go with the "pick one and get on with
it" notion.

It depends what he picks. And also, he is not a "mainstream" vendor
and so there are marketing and distribution issues.

Don, if you're serious about 500 kits (in plastic? Is that economical?)
I like Guy's suggestion of the SP F-50-7, or even an SP steel cupola
caboose like the C-40-1 or C-40-3. Those are needed by every modeler
of the SP from 1940 to 1980 and are only available in brass. Or how
about some nice gondolas -- 48' foot NKP cars, 52' PRR G31D, 65 foot
welded cars of the late 50's. Since resin cars usually sell hundreds
of kits, I find it hard to believe that one could not sell 500 plastic
kits of desirable prototypes.

However, I am skeptical that anyone can economically produce 500 plastic
kits. Even if you do your own tooling, it's got to be pretty expensive!

I tend to agree that freight car kits are fading fast. Some dealers
won't stock them anymore.


Tim O'Connor <timoconnor@...>
Sterling, Massachusetts

Guy Wilber writes:

And then there are the F-70-7 flats from Southern Pacific that every modeler,
regardless of his favorite road, should have (at least) one of -- loaded with
lumber from the West, returning with tractors, pipe or any other open top
load suitable for flats.
A run of 500 would be perfect...this list alone might suck 'em up all up.

Complete agreement on the need for these, Guy. But Don wouldn't be wise
to do them. As I understand it, Red Caboose has dies already for these (Jim
Booth did the die work), and they are expected to be the convention car for
the SP Society meet in Austin.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2942 Linden Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 http://www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroads and on Western history

Don, I think the number 500 is amazingly low. And I think that there are
cars that, if done correctly, would sell about that many on this list. Some
of the suggestions here have been good ones, and you have the right guys
here to "vet" your work. I think I go with the "pick one and get on with
it" notion.

SGL

<<Pick one and have at it.>>

I picked several for 1:20.3 and none of them amounted to anything, and some
literally nothing; thus I am more cautious this time. No living needed, not
too much concerned about profit; life was good to me, now retired and all
that jazz; but, it ain't no fun to spend weeks making master patterns and in
some cases when the item was ready getting orders for exactly zero, not
three but zero...literally zero. Now of I made something so esoteric that
no one would want it, I could understand. But an example. Accucraft
brought in C&S number 60. No one makes C&S cars or even the hardware. So I
made the truck patterns and cast them up, offered them for $33 pair ppd
whereas serious trucks in that scale normally sell for $40-$85. To date,
have sold zero. Gave one pair to a friend.

I do not want a repeat of this in HO land where THEORECTICALLY the number of
modellers is higher. But when split into microcosms, maybe the same number
in each 'cosm?

But twenty years ago, I did around 10,000 kits in On3 and sold them all no
matter how goofy. Today's modelers rarely build anything. Kits are passe'
for all practical purposes, save structures.

I like steam era mainline cars. That's why I joined the list. If nothing
else I'll keep buying the available ones for myself and meanwhile ponder if
something viable jumps out at me.

Don Winter

Guy Wilber wrote

And then there are the F-70-7 flats from Southern Pacific that every modeler,
regardless of his favorite road, should have (at least) one of -- loaded with
lumber from the West, returning with tractors, pipe or any other open top
load suitable for flats.

A run of 500 would be perfect...this list alone might suck 'em up all up.

I could suck up at least 40 of them... half of them for piggyback
service, half a dozen bulkhead conversions and the rest for plain
old lumber etc.


Tim O'Connor <timoconnor@...>
Sterling, Massachusetts

Don - You're throwing a whole lotta "what if's" around. Are you planning
on making a living at this? Because if you are, one kit isn't going to
cut it. If you're going to do this on the side while you keep your day
job, why should you care how many you sell?

You sound like you want somebody here to convince you it's a worthwhile
project. Only you can make that decision. There's lots of cars needing to
be made into decent kits. Pick one and have at it.

Shawn Beckert

Bruce, a vet? I do birds, met Richey and Scott at seminars. Rehab wild
birds, have a collection of 30 Queens. Do amateur research on plucking and
DIS.

Ok, PRR H25....hmmm... Don

OK, let's suppose I choose a car that hasn't been done and is NOT close to
another car so it has seemingly high sales potential. Then add the fact I
have no painting facilities so the car is offered only unpainted. Then add
the fact that I can't compete pricewise with the big guys, so the car sells
for $20 plus and you have to glue it together. That car will only sell to
the rivit counters, unless it fills a very unique overlooked popular nitch
which I doubt that a single one exists.

But let's suppose I do a steam era structure, complete with errors that
kinda resembles something. Some of those mega kits go for big bucks and are
less costly to develop.

Comments?

Don Winter

My machines are a bit too small to punch out O Scale Standard and that is a
rather tough market to boot.

Don