Posts by Lowell Smith
The 1947 North Coast Limited on the North Bank Road
My very good friend, Keith Lyons, a great fan and modeler of the Northern Pacific, suggested years ago that the 1947 North Coast Limited had never been done and would be a fine addition to my line-up of special runs. I looked into it and decided to call this new series the ‘Mainstreeter’ as I knew that…
Read MoreWhere Shall We Eat?
The thought process in choosing the right diner to model I was rather surprised to see such a variety of floor plans that different railroads used. It was not just as simple as 48 seats or 32 seats and a lounge. We went to produce several variations on the diner theme and found the choices…
Read MoreImportant Ordering Tips
Please remember that orders are not shipped until all items in your order have arrived from the factory. Before placing your order, see the product page for ‘expected arrival dates’ as shown. Ordering items that are arriving soon, or in the next month, ALONG WITH items that are ‘in stock’ is smart, but will…
Read MoreA Yellowstone Celebration!
We love to celebrate our parks. This year we must celebrate ‘all that America is’ in our parks, with the sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary of YELLOWSTONE, our first park. Only 150 years ago, in 1872, President US Grant signed the document making Yellowstone a national park. ‘National’ because Wyoming was still a territory and not a state yet.…
Read MoreTo BSB or Not to BSB
Building an Accurate Train… We always want to do the best we can to create an accurate train in our Build-a-Train process. That said, lets consider the Big Sky Blue sleepers we recently announced in our new P-S 4119 (Duplex) plan. Our research for this GN ‘River’ series (each car having the suffix ‘River’ in…
Read MoreNew Duplex Sleeper
We have selected and begun production on our latest RailSmith N Scale model – a new duplex sleeper! As railroads entered the ‘Streamline Era’, sleeping cars were developed that had a variety of accommodations all in the same car. These were a popular choice in this time of expansion. Pullman-Standard led the way with the…
Read MoreMatamerism
Desiring to do the very best that we can, we look for resources in every facet of the models we build. When it comes to getting a color right, it is always best to go to the source. In the case of the Northern Pacific Railroad, we are blessed to have the actual color cards,…
Read MoreThe Florida Trains
Travelers to Florida had several rail lines they could choose to get to Jacksonville. But south from there, there was only one railroad, The Florida East Coast. Owned by Henry M. Flagler, the road was founded in 1895. The simple chart here shows how all lines lead to the FEC. This chart is not at…
Read MoreNewly Tooled Coach!
New N scale model is in production! Our ’newly tooled’ Coach, is a Pullman-Standard car that follows the plan 7510. We are very excited to bring this car that has never before been produced in N Scale. This coach was seen in several paint schemes and will offer a nice variety to the N Scale modeler…
Read MoreA Time To Build
“For everything there is a season… A time to tear down and a time to build up.” Ecclesiastes 3:3 (NLT). ‘A Time To Build’…. This recent title on the issue of Cowcatcher magazine really caught me. If we take just that part of the scripture, it sure rings true right now. It really is a ’time to…
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