Another addendum: the steamers went first to George Sennhouser, of Babbitt, Minnesota, and hence the new name. The guy in Kentucky - Boyce Yates - continued the line under the Babbitt name. I did all his axle knurling, and he sent me spare parts.
This is an unforgiving business - it costs more to roll out a complete kit than it does to buy one on eBay, either kit or finished. That is what happened to CLW, and it will continue to happen. There is no future in paying money for dies, tools, or patents/copyrights. I love the Walthers 9000- series passenger car kits, but they can be had in pristine condition for $25, or less than it would cost to pack the box in low quantities. That is why the Pope children will never find a buyer. The stuff needs to be placed in an archive, with strict rules on who can use the fixtures and dies and how they are returned. Not gonna happen.
Opinion.
