The yo yo who set it all up married Charlie Sandersfelds widow. We had a real go around at the Syracuse convention. She basically owned their display business. Sold it but did not get paid. So I understand
John Armstrong ----- Original Message ----- From: JGG KahnSr To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, February 24, 2012 11:38 AM Subject: {S-Scale List} Hill Country (was Status of Kaslo Budd Passenger car kits While I was sojourning in north Texas six years or so ago an elderly fellow showed up at one of Brady Maguire's O scale get-togethers with a Ma&Pa 4-4-0 which he'd bought from the Hill Country operation. He couldn't get it to run, so I offered to see what I could do with it. The superstructure was not entirely awful, although well below what we commonly expect from either imports or top-quality custom builders; the drive was appalling: very small Sagami can which would just about move the locomotive and tender on a flat right of way, poor electrical contact. I was able to do a few improvements ("first do no harm") for him, but unhappily no silk purse. I suspect the majority of such failed operations are not deliberate scams, at least when they start out, but well-intentioned and ill-conceived (and usually underfunded) dreams. When the operator finds he is in over his head he has mostly spent the deposits and still cannot deliver. A good thirty years ago I invested in Bill Jensen's Two-Foot Cyclopedia; another case of big plans and not enough planning. Happily I did get a full refund eventually. It did make me more cautious. The post from John about Omnicon gives me pause; from what I've been reading in past issues of the journals, apparently the owner brought the MP 2-8-0 and the Erie 4-6-0 to market at some financial sacrifice to himself but was planning additional imports when he died unexpectedly. If I understand what happened next, some other S scalers came to his wife and offered financial support to complete at least the PRR I1 (the "Group of 100"--which suggests to me that a hundred of the Hippos were produced). Since that seemed to succeed, other projects were initiated--which must be what John alludes to. I'm not sure I had heard that there was embezzlement involved at that point. Jace Kahn General Manager Ceres & Canisteo RR Co./Champlain County Traction Co. 300 in 1976 would be 1255 and 27 cents today. YOW. So sorry to hear about all the woes you all are having. Mike Ever hear of Hill Country Train Shop, New Braunfels, TX? That one cost me $300 in 1976 dollars! At least that debacle made the pages of MR! I think Jan Lorenzen (Locomotive Workshop) went to the bankruptcy auction to buy nickel silver bar stock... You're right George - there is a real feeling of family with the charlatans' of our past!! <G> Jim --- In mailto:S-Scale%40yahoogroups.com, "gsc3" <gsc3@...> wrote: > > One good thing about these kind of posts is I don't feel alone. (8-) > > George Courtne > > --- In mailto:S-Scale%40yahoogroups.com, "John" <armstong5717@> wrote: > > > > Where is my $865.00 that Omnicon still owes me for a Pennsy J. ? > > Heard they skipped to Mexico! > > John Armstrong > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Alex Binkley > > To: mailto:S-Scale%40yahoogroups.com > > Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2012 4:43 PM > > Subject: Re: {S-Scale List} Status of Kaslo Budd Passenger car kits > > > > > > > >  > > > > Good point John, but thinking about things like that just speeds up insanity. I've made worse investments. > > cheers___ __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6912 (20120224) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6913 (20120224) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com
