MOW Car Kitbash

I decided to kitbash one of the outside braced Caboose kits to show what might be done with this kit.   The possibilities are nearly limitless with your imagination being the limit.
Instructions for the Caboose kit are on the website in PDF format and all you need to do is cut it to match your ideas.   No need for a detailed description here, just some photos.

I don't receive much feedback on my kits and I tried something different with this kit.   I had optional cutout locations for doors & windows and the cupola which allowed the modeler to choose his own design.   But in doing this kit, I wonder if the difficulty in cutting out windows and keeping the square and the correct size is too much work for the average builder?   Also, care must be taken to not split the siding when cutting these out.

Anyways, here's the nearly finished MOW car.   It isn't painted yet as all of my paints are packed away.   And the windows will be installed after painting.   The cupola, roof, sideboards and body aren't glued down so I can remove them for painting.

More kits in stock

As the year winds down and winter proceeds, I have managed to get some more kits back into stock.
Including the outside braced Caboose or MOW car and the Hopper car.
These are both popular kits which sold out very fast last time.   Hopefully I have enough to last for the winter.
I did make some minor improvements to both kits so modelers should be happier.

Kits Back in Stock

Since the planned move is going so slow, I needed to get these kits back in stock.   Had the laser cutter make up the missing pieces and I've got the packaged up.   Up-dated the website and sent e-mails out to customers.
I may even work on developing a new kit.   Currently looking at a metal (say styrene) sided Reefer with rivets.   Wonder if there's any interest for this in On30?

Packing for the Move

Things have been slow on orders this summer, but that's OK.   We are in the middle of packing for a planned move South.
Some kits are out of stock but I will replenish those in the Fall after we move.   I still have Passenger Coach, Parlor, Combine and Caboose kits all made up and ready to ship.   You can get these just by going to the Purchase page of the website.
I will send notices to all past customers after we get settled in.

Caboose or MOW Kit

The new Caboose or MOW car has been released and is in stock.   All main pieces are laser cut but the difference in this kit is that I have provided for options that the builder can make when he gets the kit.

The prototype for this was the Tionesta Valley RR caboose which had one side door.   I know some folks won't want the door and others will want a door on both sides.   Soooooooooo, I have laser scribed the backsides with the option for you to cut out a door or window, or none!

The ends are also scribed so you can have them solid, or a small, cupola sized window or a large window.   And the roof has scribed options on the underside for either a center mounted cupola or a rear cupola.

I also had four outside braced cabeese cut with plain sides and ends.   Not sure how well these will sell so I'll wait for the feedback.
You can also cut the sides shorter to make a MOW car.   The flooring boards are scribed  in a longer area on one end to allow for this

This kit comes with all the necessary parts to finish it off, including end beams, railings and NBWs and windows.   As usual, the trucks and couplers are not included.   I do have Kadee #148 couplers on hand and Tichy archbar truck kits if you want to purchase with a kit.

 

 

Cars at work video

Here's a couple of the kits at work in the Netherlands.   Jaap Teeuw did a great job in putting these together and the weathering is terrific.   Jaap's layout also has some great scenes.

the new Combine & Parlor cars

PARLOR CAR

The new Parlor Car and Combine Kits have been finished and are packed, ready to go when your order comes in.
As always, free shipping to all 50 US states and the lowest possible shipping rates overseas to Great Britain, Europe, Australia, and all other places worldwide.
PayPal is the preferred payment method but I will accept checks or money orders.

COMBINE

Drawings Updated

The drawings for new cuttings of the Passenger Coach plus the new Parlor Car and Combine are off to the laser cutter.   I hope these will bring some interesting ideas for everyone to model a passenger short line using the 20' cars.
The success we had at the Mid Hudson meet has given some new life into these cars.   Pictures will be posted when they come in.

COACH

Reefer & re-stock

I've been busy re-stocking kits that I was out of.   Now all stocked up and ready for the Mid Hudson meet in April.

I also was able to finish my version of the Reefer with a metal roof.   Also practiced a bit with weathering it using the airbrush.

Flatcar Added

I've been able to finish adding the new width flat car to the line.   This is 6'6" wide by 21'6" long, same as the other cars I offer.   The narrow 6' car has been discontinued.

I also packaged up more kits of the Outside Braced boxcar which has been very popular.   Time to cut some more parts for that kit.

I have found some various frames and parts that I also hope to offer on the website if I can figure a way to price them.

2013 News Update

It's been almost a year since I last posted here.   It seems that keeping the website up to date and then the Facebook page, I miss this blog.

Since last time, I have added the Hopper kit.   This is one of my best designs and came out great.   Even has a special ratchet pawl assembly the I had printed at Shapeways.

 

 This sold well and the first 24 went fast so I had to get another 24 cut and they are now selling.

I then had the Flat Car kit run low and needed to redesign that to match the rest of the cars.   The new one has a 6'6" wide deck and the same 21'6" length as the other cars.   This one has a wood frame as opposed to the center beam frame.   I hope to also offer the CB frame when I get that designed.

 

I also have other plans but some personal kit building is also on the books.   I spent time at the Amherst Railway West Springfield show in January and picked up a few items.   One was the Camelback kit from Backwoods Miniatures.   This will go on one of the Moguls and will be a pleasant addition to my fleet.

I have also started on a Heisler kitbash using the Rivarossi HO locomotive.   I also have a Climax that will be the donor for many parts.   The final Heisler will be a close copy of the Tuolumne #2 (I hope).

 

So when I get something finished I'll add that to this blog.   Meanwhile, check out the website On30IMA  or the Railroad Line forum for what's happening.

2012 kit building

I spent the better part of January getting kits together for the Great Railroad Show in W. Springfield, MA. Not a lot of buyers of On30 kits there but some interest. I've got plenty packed up now and hope to get to the narrow gauge show in Gray, ME the end of March and April is the Mid Hudson meet. These two shows should provide a lot of great contacts.

Then I spent a couple weeks building one of the boxcars and taking photos. I needed to update the boxcar assembly instructions on line and this gave me the info I needed. I'm pretty happy the way the car turned out.

End of year Kits

Well, here we are at the end of 2011 with a solid year under our belts and no blog posts for 6 months.
I have been busy though, updating the website and adding a new kit and finally getting the stock car kit back on line.
I've spent a lot of time deciding on and getting enough detail parts from Grandt and Tichy to make these kits look finished. The builder can add more details if he chooses but there's enough in the kit to make the car look finished for the average modeler. The object is to keep cost down but still make a decent kit.



The gondola is based on the Bridgton & Saco River RR (Maine) coal cars and is a real nice kit for under $20.



This is the car that started it all....the stock car which put the impetus into me purchasing the entire stock and line of On30 kits. It is back and available on the web site.

I am also planning to have the kits at the Springfield show.......Amherst Railway Society at the Big E fairgrounds in January.

Overseas Shipping

After spending the past week getting shipments out to New Zealand and Holland, I had a chance to figure some pretty standard shipping costs for the kits.

I ship for free to all the US states and using the US Post Office figures I was able to determine additional costs for out of country shipments and have added PayPal buttons to the website for customers to add their own shipping.

No need for e-mails or other exchanges unless additional service is required. Hopefully this will spur some additional orders.

These kits are a bargain.
Just compare them to the others being offered.

more Summer activity

Well, I received my latest laser cut parts and have orders for 14 cars already.

I have also added Boulder Valley T-2 trucks and Kadee #148 couplers and gearboxes to the web site for purchase with a kit.

I also have a new car design in the works. It's a matter of time and money now.


This is our old stock car which we hope to have more available soon.

Summer update

It's been quite a few months since I've been able to write about the line of cars being offered. The website is up and running and sales are happening. New photos from modelers and even a new car in the works.
I finished a lot of the CAD drawings for laser cutting which has been an experience and I'm afraid not yet done as I now need to group them on a cut sheet.
So what about pictures? Here's some from Bill Andersen, "Geezer" on the Railroad Line forum.







These are 3 of the cars available, the boxcar with vertical siding or horizontal outside braced or the reefer. I also have a flatcar in stock which is a scale 6' wide and will work also for an On2 layout.
The stockcar is being redrawn for laser cutting as well as a new car.

The coach can also be purchased on the website. And most of the kit instructions are on the website also.

Kit Release for the New Year

I've been busy making CAD drawings to get the parts I need cut on the laser. The passenger coach sides, ends and window/door parts are in and I'm packing kits now.
The web site is up and kits can be purchased there at On30IMA.



I also have Flat Car kits available on the web site. This is a narrow car and very well suited for all sorts of different modifications.


I have also finished most of the instructions for each kit and posted these on the web site. If you think you might want to try one of these kits, look at the instructions to see if they will work on your railroad. On30 Tips

Passenger Cars

I've been working on the Freight Cars but a recent post on the On30 Conspiracy prompted me to get out the passenger car kits I had in stock. As it turns out, there were only 3 complete kits so I packaged these up and made an announcement on the Conspiracy.
Within 3 hours the three were spoken for. Looks like I need to get these up to speed and start laser cutting the needed pieces.

You can contact me at: On30IMA@comcast.net

Preparing Kits

Well, I'm still working on re-opening the website to offer direct sales. I still have some stock car kits on hand and have received orders by phone.
Plans are to get this setup completed in November after CSS 2010. I had hoped to have it all done for the Mid-Hudson meet but that didn't happen.
I still have my contracting business to tend to ( have to keep money coming in) so time has been limited. With colder weather I should have more time to put into the kits. I'll also be able to finish up the parts for the passenger cars.
Keep in tune here for more information.

New Owner

Well, after spending some months trying to get the kits back off the ground, the original owner has decided to sell the name and entire stock to me.
So I am busy trying to get everything back up on-line and re-listed. Working a full 1:1 job leaves little time right now but I will soon have the kits posted.
In the meantime, if anyone is interested in buying a kit, contact me directly. I do know there are those out there who are building or have finished kits lately.