March 2014 Newsletter

HO F7-A/B, N F7-A/B, N SD40-2W LOCOMOTIVES

All of the above items have been on reservation for an extended period of time as we have transferred our production to a new production facility. For locomotive production this has been a lengthy and difficult process. It will certainly be worth the wait as this month we will ship twelve HO locomotives and seventeen N scale locomotives. Many of these items are nearly sold out so confirm your reservations early and submit any new orders as quickly as you can.

There is a good mix of road names in both HO and N scale for the F7’s, and the N scale SD40-2W’s all carry Canadian National paint schemes. This locomotive was made specifically for CN.

We are pleased to have these models back in production and will have many new offerings through the next few months.

HO 4750 CUBIC FOOT HOPPER CARS

There are 13 paint schemes being offered this month with a little something for everyone. There is a good mix of private owners plus the ever popular decoration for the Burlington Northern and also the Santa Fe. As always these cars are equipped with Kadee® couplers and InterMountain brass wheel sets. The etched metal roofwalk and wire grab irons make this model one of the nicest hopper cars available in HO.

TRADE SHOW SUMMARY

With the exception of one altercation with weather, all of the trade shows we have attended during the past few months have been very well attended and the interest has been extremely high. Even with the dreadful economic conditions we have been experiencing during the past four or five years, model railroading is flourishing. While other aspects of the hobby industry have faltered, model railroading has continued to grow during this period. The historic element of model railroading, coupled with the ability to operate more elaborate layouts due to the technological advancement in electronics, continue to make it an attractive hobby activity. The strength of the hobby was very evident in Milwaukee, WI (Trainfest) and the Big “E” in Springfield, MA (Amherst Model Railroad Club show) as in each case more than 20,000 interested people strolled the aisles talking with manufacturers and purchasing product from the many exhibiting dealers. My prediction is that model railroading, while it has changed drastically over the past few years, will continue to be the activity of choice for a growing segment of North American hobbyists.