Next from PSC?

C&O 2-8-8-2 apparently has been built, as some prototype models have shown up, in websites like brasstainsdotcom. Other then that, Precision scale has been quiet, o gauge-wise, for at least 10 years. The C&O locomotive had been promised for at least 5 years. They are still doing HO.

The 2-8-8-2 locomotive has shown up? My dealer has said nothing to me asking if I would like to re-order. I cancelled my order YEARS ago when after it was just one delay after another. Same story with the Santa Fe 5001 class they were supposed to be offering Years ago that I had 3 reservations for.

What I find weird is that they don't even have a list for reservations, how can they figure what's profitable unless customers can cast a vote?

I think they are stuck in a holding pattern.

Who is left importing high end, high detail, high fidelity to prototype O Scale models these days ?     Only Glacier Park, Key, Overland for diesels, Kohs.  20 years ago there was an abundance of importers.

I suppose I could guess why PSC left O Scale (too low volume) - anyone know additional information?  Fortunately I bagged a good group of fine O Scale models during the salad days of the '80's, 90's and early 00's.

SANTIAGOP23 posted:

What I find weird is that they don't even have a list for reservations, how can they figure what's profitable unless customers can cast a vote?

 

I heard from a pretty reliable source they will be selling off or closing down their detail parts business sometime in the near future. I think they are looking to retire.  The 2-8-8-2 was wrought with problems/corrections that slowed it down and still bears some uncorrected issues. I think they just wore out trying to get the builder to do it right. 

BH

mark s posted:

Who is left importing high end, high detail, high fidelity to prototype O Scale models these days ?     Only Glacier Park, Key, Overland for diesels, Kohs.  20 years ago there was an abundance of importers.

I suppose I could guess why PSC left O Scale (too low volume) - anyone know additional information?  Fortunately I bagged a good group of fine O Scale models during the salad days of the '80's, 90's and early 00's.

Sorry, but I thought Overland quit O scale?

E-Joe - The only diesels I follow are old ones.....made by Key, Like E5's.......so I take your word for it, Overland is completely out of the O Scale marketplace.    

Sure hope someone takes over the PSC parts inventory, if true.

I'm not sure Mark. I should have posted it as a question? Buyers were hoping for another modern engine like an ES44. It was posted that Overland wouldn't be in O scale any longer. Maybe I read it wrong? Was it just that they weren't making that engine?

Perhaps if Precision sells their lost wax casting business, the next supplier will  sell the castings at better prices.  They have really raised their prices . It just does not pay to re detail models anymore. You can buy later runs with the super castings already on it.

I was a long time customer buying their castings. Priced me and probably others out

 My hope they retire in Good Health and the new supplier prices the castings a little more fairly.

Don't look for castings to get cheaper. With fewer customers wanting them the cost of producing, cleaning and painting them per unit will go up. In China, the new Chinese EPA is clamping down on all small companies, and I mean ALL. If they are found to emit smoke, odors or chemicals they are promptly shut down. As it is right now if we want nickel plated parts it has to come from Korea.

I hope China is able to clean up their environment. Seems that now they are serious.

Also, they are not accepting trash from the US anymore. They used to use the trash to get recyclables. They have enough recyclables now coming from their own consumers.

Sorry to get off topic, but I hope Mark Morganson (President of PSC) finds his sweet spot in life.

Scott

Originally posted by up148:

I heard from a pretty reliable source they will be selling off or closing down their detail parts business sometime in the near future.

I think they are looking to retire. 

Oh NOT not again! First Weaver models, Custom Signals, now this! I need to stock up on parts and complete my projects!

Soon no more brass and Shapeways will be the only sources for fragile custom parts... lovely! Just... Lovely!

I went on-line to get brass rods for cooling coils.  Detail Associates has nice .040 wire, and it used to be a couple bucks at the local hobby store.  On-line they tell me list price is $5.20 for four, and shipping is $9.95.  

This is the way it is going.  Four of these rods weigh just over .2 ounces.  That is $416 per pound of brass.  If you include shipping, it comes to roughly $1248/lb.

I can buy an Alco power reverser from Weizman (sp?) for nine bucks.  A bargain in comparison.

Scott is correct.  Nobody can make a living selling trinkets that appear to be grossly overpriced.  The days of nice lost wax, and even raw brass, are drawing to a close.

My other hobby - flying antique airplanes - is also seeing a sunset, except for the very wealthy.  I guess I lived at exactly the right time.

Thank you Scott for continuing to provide the wonderful projects you are doing for us. It’s such a privilege and I am grateful. 

The two E7s os Sunset that I just got from the Seacrest auction that are beautiful. Thanks to Scott. I guess I still don't understand how he produces the locos and ships when he says they will, eg. Atlas.

Keep it up, Scott.

Dick

I posted "Mark", but should have been more clear, that I am talking about "Mark Morganson" president of PSC. Not anyone else.

I just saw in the current episode of BrassTrains.com Monday Morning Express that they said in their next episode (9/25), there is a planned Skype interview with Mark Morganson of PSC to give an update on what PSC has in store for the future.  Maybe worth sending an email to the BrassTrains staff to add a question to specifically address PSC’s future O Scale plans.

https://livestream.com/brasstr...mondaymorningexpress

Scott

The last time I spoke with Mark about 1/48 was at Caboose when I was brass department head over a year ago the answer on O scale standard gauge was no more.

He is however doing On3 as evidence of the recently arrived WSLCo shays at the NNGC and they are drop dead gorgeous  

Erik - From your brass dept experience, did On3 sell better then standard gauge O Scale models (of course, you were in the state which is the narrow gauge capital of the world) ?  Any leak on why PSC is abandoning std gauge?

Thank goodness for Sunset 3rd Rail, our last, best hope !!

Mark,

I vaguely recall when sitting in on a conversation at Caboose with Roger Clark (PSC sales rep) and a client on a canceled PSC project in standard gauge steam due to production issues and headaches versus time invested and the such. This was maybe 2010-2011. The last steam SG projects I felt are absolutely fabulous. These Boo Rim models and the best of their prototype to date, period albeit with all the non-operating issues common to these incredibly detailed monsters and buyers not accepting the issues rightfully so. I managed after repeat trips to pro rebuilders getting all my PSC Boo Rim steam to run flawlessly and they do once you tweak. And as ChipR always said you tune your model to your layout or was he quoting John Armstrong either way this is true. 

As far as Narrow Gauge sales versus SG; the SG was always clickie and slow to move while On3 was always out the door. 

Thanks for the response, Erik.  I have a batch of PSC Burlington locomotives, and they just "feel" like the prototypes. Hefty and heavy.   

Guess we won't be seeing too many of their kind any time soon.

It probably didn't help that what ever PSC or any other importer brought in, there was a barrage of complaints. I'm sure importers get fed up with that. We humans, as a species, are an unappreciative lot !!

They seem to be very prolific in importing ''HO'' scale trains. Are those incorrect also? Is the ''O'' scale builder  not the same one as the ''HO'' builder? Are they new to this? Why is it so hard to get right after all these years?  They killed the proposed  Santa Fe #5001 class. Just asking?

It is the size of the market, not the difficulty of getting the first piece done correctly.  And many high end collectors are not operators, so they get away with sub-par machinery, for the most part.

I had a PSC Cab Forward.  Flimsoid.  Traded it for a pair of USH models.

From your videos, I can tell your M-68 runs like a Patek, Erik. 

I started this thread because I was not aware of brass until 2014. I'm 31, and eager to acquire more brass, but clearly there just isn't as much offerings as in the previous decade or so. I like to think that  there is more young blood as well as regular buyers that would love to see PSC offer more stuff. 

SANTIAGOP23 posted:

From your videos, I can tell your M-68 runs like a Patek, Erik. 

Indeed maybe like a Philippe I say more a Panerai ... I’m 43 and want these things.

Bob2 got it spot on 

Hey my 3 year old will be into brass... he’s a model railroader now. 

too cute!

You need to post this over on the Scenery section next time someone asks about how to spread ballast....so simple a child can do it!

SANTIAGOP23 posted:

I started this thread because I was not aware of brass until 2014. I'm 31, and eager to acquire more brass, but clearly there just isn't as much offerings as in the previous decade or so. I like to think that  there is more young blood as well as regular buyers that would love to see PSC offer more stuff. 

For what it's worth, I heard more than one person at this weekend Indy O & S Scale Meet, state the PSC has just sold their entire inventory to Mr. Bill Davis. Thus, one might assume that PSC is no longer in the "brass models" nor "brass parts" business?

Well, the jives with what I was told a month ago and poster here 10 days ago. Bill Davis buying is a blessing so the line doesn't disappear. Just not sure if Bill is buying and just selling it off or if he'll add it to his line of detail parts and cast new as needed?

BH

If the above is true, THANK God! I hope that Bill posts a picture of each part so we can REALLY see what we are buying!

Does anyone know  if it's true?

I hope it's true also, we all need those parts to be available.

I phoned Mark today and he said he sold Bill Davis only the spare parts from PSC's previous import projects.

I know, a novel concept actually asking one of the participants directly.

Mark Mogenson is interviewed on this week's Monday Morning Express from BrassTrains.com. Brass Trains has taken receipt of the C&O 2-8-8-2's in O Scale; Mark noted that they took an excruciatingly long time to be completed (7 years). He cited a number of HO projects, 90 ton shays, RF&P Berks, etc., but, alas, nothing in O Scale.  He gave no indication of retiring.....good news ! So I guess one might presume that maybe some more O Scale might be possible.

Saw that, Mark. I had the same impression. Perhaps simpler projects  with wider appeal, not everything has to be a head ache of a steam engine! Protocraft and American Scale Models seem to be doing well with their boxcars, and Sunset just keeps putting out wonderful stuff. Key did their FT's and cab forwards, and seems to be getting close to producing the CZ. Hopefully they'll say something about O in the near future.

I suggested to Mark about 10 or so years ago, during the  period when he/PSC was doing the On3 die cast locomotive line, that he do the Wabash Mogul in die cast.  After all, PSC had all the castings from the old Kemtron line, which produced the original Wabash Mogul kit in 1959. Mark felt there was not enough commercial draw for that project to succeed - my bet was the opposite. Of course, my money wasn't on the line. But die cast was a way for PSC to bring in some low-cost, pretty well detailed O Scale locomotives. Maybe that might be a direction that they could go, again.

I would vote for a die cast SP S-9 switcher in 17/64.  Bet the market for that is just slightly smaller than the Wabash Mogul.

Banengo posted:

I phoned Mark today and he said he sold Bill Davis only the spare parts from PSC's previous import projects.

I know, a novel concept actually asking one of the participants directly.

 

 

Well, it works best if you know the fellow. I don't know him from Adam, so not sure I would get the same info. But, always good to check with the source. 

Butch