Walther's selling tooling

[Philip H]

http://mrr.trains.com/sitecore/content/home/articles/2017/11/lowell-smith-purchases-tooling-from-wm-k-walthers-inc

Not totally surprising, but it makes one wonder what else they might be induced to sell off from the N scale side.

[mcjaco]

http://mrr.trains.com/sitecore/content/home/articles/2017/11/lowell-smith-purchases-tooling-from-wm-k-walthers-inc

Not totally surprising, but it makes one wonder what else they might be induced to sell off from the N scale side.

See the Last Car from Walther's thread in N.

Locos are up for grabs too, from what I was told. 

[peteski]

Hmmm . . . Lowell Smith produces low-volume custom special runs (read: expensive and collectible). It would have been better if the tooling was picked up by a "regular" model train manufacturer. But I guess this is better than having the tooling sit idle with no models available at all. Maybe Lowell will change his operating methods and will offer standard lower priced models, or even undercoated models.

[tom mann]

I don’t remember Walthers even using that tooling before?

[C855B]

I have at least one Walthers-labeled something-or-other sleeper. It'll take some rummaging through boxes to locate. I know I don't run it with my Kato and Centralia cars because the Armour yellow is off.

[Philip H]

Hmmm . . . Lowell Smith produces low-volume custom special runs (read: expensive and collectible). It would have been better if the tooling was picked up by a "regular" model train manufacturer. But I guess this is better than having the tooling sit idle with no models available at all. Maybe Lowell will change his operating methods and will offer standard lower priced models, or even undercoated models.

the notice says they are starting a new product line called Railsmith to produce this tooling.  We shall see I guess.

[thomasjmdavis]

I don’t remember Walthers even using that tooling before?

I have a whole bunch of them.  10-6 sleeper, 64 seat coach, and a baggage based on CGW "economy" baggage car from the early 1950s.  Available with and without fluting.  Walthers did one big run (2010 ish) and issued the cars in a bunch of roadnames- with a bunch of foobies (ATSF, for instance, owned a bunch of 10-6s, but all Budd or ACF- no PS 4140 to match the Walthers car).  I bought most of mine when they held the big blow out sale and some were, I think, $12, marked down from 39.95.

I recall having some issues with them running around curves (15" r), but that would have been addressable with some adjustment of couplers (which I will do sometime between now and getting the next layout up and running).  But overall nice looking, well detailed, fit and finish similar to Kato cars.

I am hoping that the "Railsmith Line" (see the MR press release) is aimed at folks like me- that is, he will release them more like a MT release or runner pack, and not as a limited edition $75 each car.  Still, better to have them be produced by somebody at some price than to have the tooling sitting in a warehouse somewhere unused.  Look forward to hearing more from Lowell Smith on plans for these.

[High Hood]

"RailSmith also plans to expand its line of N scale passenger cars."

Looks like we'll see more than just the Walthers cars from Railsmith.

[peteski]

BLW has a page (with photos) dedicated to that series of Walthers cars. All sold out of course.

http://blwnscale.com/walthers-sleeper-10-6.htm

Links to the other body styles are on the bottom of that page.

[wcfn100]

and a baggage based on CGW "economy" baggage car from the early 1950s. 

Yeah, that was quite the surprise.  Only followed by a bigger surprise when I ordered my undecorated car and in was fluted.   

But a free PRR car was the perfect compromise to get me to quite bothering them. 




Jason

[peteski]

Those Walthers smooth-side baggage cars are pretty good stand-ins for modeling the American Freedom Train (that's what Lowell Smith did).  Better than the Kato baggage cars.  I have enough of them accumulated to some day model my own version of the AFT.

[thomasjmdavis]

I think the baggage came in 3 versions- smoothside, corrugated, and 1/2 corrugated.  The full corrugated came decorated for Pere Marquette and the 1/2 corrugated for C&O (and NKP??)

I used the sleepers for stand ins for my "New Dixieland" consist.  I was a bit disappointed that the ACL scheme offered was the later black lettering, so I fixed that-

(OK, I think I am starting to like this "post and upload to gallery" feature)

Car is named for a 4-5-1-4 sleeper that were unique to the Dixie Line roads, and will probably never be mass produced.  Someday I may get around to building those cars from USP sides, but still have 50+ car side projects backed up.

[thomasjmdavis]

Hmmm...I see I have one of those annoying modelflex paint scratches above the second L of CAMELLIA we were talking about on the other thread.  Gotta fix that....

[mcjaco]

"RailSmith also plans to expand its line of N scale passenger cars."

Looks like we'll see more than just the Walthers cars from Railsmith.

He mentioned at RPM-Chicagoland he was working on a woodside heavyweight.  I told him I was really interested in that. 

[chessie system fan]

It's good to see the passenger cars getting produced again.  They're nice cars.

Maybe MT can buy the SW1200 tooling.  Or at least the mechanism tooling.