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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Nigel<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'> Thank you for your professional input. My
investor has told me the current budget is $2 million. He and his two sons are
technically investing in me and “the passion I have for the N&W locomotives”
as they stated. I have loved trains for over 30 years, since my first set on a
4x8 plywood table. I first saw #611 in Manassas, VA in the early 90’s while
living only 100 yards from old Orange to Alexandria line formerly Southern
railway. I never liked steam on my layout until then, now I can’t get enough. I
unfortunately never got the chance to see #1218 under steam power in person. I first
met him when I worked for The Great Train Store retail store. He is a retired Microsoft
software engineer and now consultant. He purchased a lot of Lionel, MTH, Atlas
and K-Line O gauge for testing the software he was writing to control switching
operations for railroads. I helped him build his home HO layout which took
about two years and 4000 square feet. The “large group” is not funding the
project they are just very interested if it will workout and will be some of
the first in line to purchase if it does. Like me they are not all large scale
modelers but would like to have a large scale representation of Norfolk and
Western’s majestic steam locomotives. I know this is an enormous undertaking
but will give it my 100% best.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:20.0pt;font-family:"Vladimir Script";
color:#1F497D'>Jon Kelley<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>norfolknwestern1218@comcast.net<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>
nw-modeling-list-bounces@nwhs.org [mailto:nw-modeling-list-bounces@nwhs.org] <b>On
Behalf Of </b>NW Modeling List<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, February 06, 2009 12:19 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> NW Modeling List<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: Research<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Hi Jon;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Before you do all
of the historical research, I suggest that you do a quick economic analysis.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>For a 1/32 scale
J or similar size locomotive model, you are looking at approximately
$500,000 (½ million) in tooling, if done in China or similar economy, figure
50% more in the USA. This is for injection molded plastic and/or die-cast
parts. Above an beyond the tooling cost, you have between $100- and $200-
in material (includes equipment time). Not included in the above is the
product design time - figure $100/hr and a thousand hours if your are starting
from scratch. And then there is detailed research - photographs,
drawings, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Do the math - is
the "large group" big enough to support a reasonable quantity of
models to pay for the design and tooling?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>I am a product
design engineer, with experience tooling products in the USA and off shore.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>For comparison,
an simple HO diesel runs around $100K in tooling, the highly detailed ones like
Atlas's F-M TM are at least 50% higher. Atlas and similar are probably
running around 1000 hours research and design time for a highly detailed diesel
model, it is that short of time because they re-use many things from previous
models.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Nigel F Misso,
PE.<br>
----- Original Message -----<br>
From: "NW Modeling List" <nw-modeling-list@nwhs.org><br>
To: "NW Modeling List" <nw-modeling-list@nwhs.org><br>
Sent: Friday, February 6, 2009 7:24:49 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific<br>
Subject: RE: Research<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Stephen</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>
Thank you for your input. This is why I stated I am doing research into what it
will take to make this project come to fruition. If we find it will not be at
those prices then we will make the necessary changes if the project moves
forward after research is completed. If it doesn’t work out then I will scratch
build the locomotives myself for my layout. No one makes a ¼ scale J #611
static display out of wood either but it is in progress in my workshop.</span><span
style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I am primarily an HO modeler
that has a very good friend (investor) willing to help research the possibility
of manufacturing some large scale models of popular east coast steam
locomotives. We have a large group of fellow modelers here in VA supporting our
iniative. We know that it is likely it may not come to fruition but we are
willing to try because MTH, Bachmann, USA Trains, Aristocraft and so forth
currently have none to offer. Aristocraft I know has a 2-8-8-2 which from
what I have heard and read about sounds like a great locomotive. Just trying to
see if there is any interest outside of our group.</span><span
style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:20.0pt;font-family:"Vladimir Script";
color:#1F497D'>Jon Kelley</span></b><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>norfolknwestern1218@comcast.net</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";
color:black'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";
color:black'> nw-modeling-list-bounces@nwhs.org
[mailto:nw-modeling-list-bounces@nwhs.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>NW Modeling List<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, February 05, 2009 1:38 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> nw-modeling-list@nwhs.org<br>
<b>Subject:</b> RE: Research</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";
color:black'> At these suggested prices the models cannot be of any good
quality. The "Scale" scale is 1/32.<br>
<br>
MTH makes a good scale 1/32 product, if your source can follow these
premises then you may have something, but they will not <br>
be at the prices you quoted far from it! The HO market is reaching those
prices, how in the world does he think a G scale product<br>
would be when they a double their size. I so not think your investor is
living in reality. I wish him well, but this will not happen.<br>
<br>
Stephen Rineair<br>
<br>
<br>
Stephen, <br>
What experience do you have in actually designing, manufacturing, importing and
distributing a product that leads you to say this? Also, are you the
propietor of Track 2 Hobbies? <br>
Robb Fisher<br>
RFDI </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Internal
Virus Database is out of date.<br>
Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com<br>
Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.10.16/1930 - Release Date: 2/2/2009 7:51
AM</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><br>
________________________________________ NW-Modeling-List@nwhs.org To change
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Browse the NW-Modeling-List archives at
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<p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Internal
Virus Database is out of date.<br>
Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com<br>
Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.10.16/1930 - Release Date: 2/2/2009 7:51
AM</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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