RPO Newsbag
This is the Lowell Smith Signature Series and RailSmith blog, (or perhaps it's better called, ‘stories around the caboose stove’). Either way, bookmark this page for updates as they happen and check back regularly!
Christmas Is Coming – and so are your trains…
Christmas is Coming! And so are your trains! Presently, there is one release arriving in November, three releases coming in December, with two more in January. That combined with the RailSmith cars arriving will prove to be a very busy winter, and Christmas season. It’s never the plan to get it all at the same time,…
RailSmith Samples Arrive!
What an amazing delight to get an email in the morning from the factory that RailSmith samples will arrive on that same day! I am delighted, and I know you will be as well, with these beauties! Delivery appears to be on time and planned for a December arrival. I will post here on the…
Which San Francisco Train?
While at the National Train Show, I saw my friend Fred Hill.  He produces amazing HO models under the brand of ’The Coach Yard’.  If you know him, you know he is very knowledgeable about most all things Southern Pacific (ESPEE).  As I described the ‘City’ train, I was building and announcing to release, he pointed out several…
2018 National Train Show Experience
This year’s big show was held in Kansas City.  With Kansas City being the geographical ‘center’ of the U.S., I thought this would be a great show and would draw from all parts of the country, and I was right because folks from every corner of the nation attended.  This annual event is the biggest ’traveling’ train show, as it…
Breaking News: China Factory Closes
By now, many of you have heard about a major model train manufacturer suddenly shutting down in China. This news is only days old, so the situation remains pretty fluid.  Many companies here in the US used this factory. The RailSmith product will not be effected. Our trains made here in the US at Micro-Trians…
RailSmith Plans: Chapter 2
RailSmith Models – ‘More of the Story’ Since the National N Scale Convention in Salt Lake City, we have had many people complete the short (updated) survey on the web site, and we have had lots of encouragement and suggestions. With your opinions shared, we realize that we need to tell more about the plans for…
RailSmith Plans Revealed
My plan and hope is to create some very famous ‘name trains’ that have, in some cases, never been done in N scale. Production is expected to be releases of 8 paint schemes at a time, with two road names (or numbers) per scheme. Releases like this will continue about five months apart. Naturally, future…
Who Knew? – A Pennsylvania ‘Fleet’ Executive Line Update
Who Knew? Just a few weeks ago I announced the next in my Executive Line Series trains, the Pennsylvania Railroad.  I figured that since the Penn Central took the existing car #120 named ‘Pennsylvania’ and put their logo and name on it, it would be an easy thing to offer that option and thus more variety…
Zephyr Stop in Glenwood Springs: Journey from the Past
Zephyr Stop in Glenwood Springs – Mike Danneman’s Journey from the Past… Our train charter this past February was a great journey back in time. Riding the classic railcars of the California Zephyr really is traveling in style. My friend Mike Danneman, who is an amazing rail photographer, artist and model railroader, came along for part…
Will you see all the trains you want in your lifetime?
Will you see all the trains you want in your lifetime? Creating an exact model of a passenger train comes one-car-at-a-time. Only Kato has given us complete train sets. But, hold that thought… As a consumer we want it all and are pretty fickle about criticism of those manufacturers when they decorate a car that…