Point Pedro
November 2003 Newsletter
Archive:
January
2003 Newsletter
July
2003 Newsletter
As many you reading this are aware, while the detailing of the first test shots of our Dominion Car was excellent the carbody was found to be undersized owing to an error in the toolmaker's conversion factor. The process of correcting this error has taken far too long but is now complete. The re-cut mold cavities have been test shot and the results are very pleasing, as you can see from the photos accompanying this newsletter. Also shown is a lettered carbody to show you what the painted and decorated carbody will look like.
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Click on any image to enlarge
With the carbody now properly completed and running I believe it is fair to say the Dominion Car project is now 50% complete. Molds for the roof, underframe and details must all still be cut, however. The project will not be complete until all of the tooling is completed and completed properly. Hopefully, that will be accomplished by mid-2004 so we can deliver the final product without being more than a year late. While I am not at all happy with the time lost in completing this project the effort being made to ensure that everything is done correctly is reflected in the high quality of the carbody from the now corrected carbody tool work Test shots are being sent to those dealers who have standing reservations for these models. If your favorite dealer does not receive one, perhaps you need to ask him why that is the case.
Given the delays experienced with the Dominion Car project, it became apparent several months ago that an additional toolmaker needed to be found. With the assistance of our molder here in Vermont I believe that we have now found such an individual. Additionally, we have now selected the second model to be done and expect to begin tool work on it momentarily. No further information about the project will be released until we have test shots of the carbody and can make a pretty good determination of how much time will be required to finish the project once the carbody tooling is complete. The project should be very well received modelers interested in either freight or passenger train operation.
My apologies for not making further progress with our troop sleeper conversions as quickly as might have been expected. The issues involved in re-cutting the Dominion Car carbody mold resulted in nearly everything else being put on hold until they were resolved. Now that the carbody is complete, and we are back to the point we thought we were at during the first week in July, hopefully we can move along on all fronts. As announced, our troop sleeper conversion kits will consist of one piece, resin cast carbodies having separate floors. The masters for these are nearly all complete but instructions must be written and parts required from outside suppliers must be located and acquired in the needed quantities. By the end of this month we should know something definitive for the first kits to be released.
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Click on any image to enlarge
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