RailSmith Plans Revealed

My plan and hope is to create some very famous ‘name trains’ that have, in some cases, never been done in N scale.

Production is expected to be releases of 8 paint schemes at a time, with two road names (or numbers) per scheme. Releases like this will continue about five months apart. Naturally, future scheme runs will be based on the success of previous runs.

Great attention will be given to the paint, lettering, colors, and scale, to match historical societies and actual production records.

Prototype versus Classic

The RailSmith 10/6 Sleeper is based on the common Pullman Plan 4140. In some cases, a prototype may have had the roomettes on the vestibule end (a different floor plan of a 10/6 sleeper). In the case of a variation such as that, I will label these small variations as “CLASSIC” on the insert packaging.

A ‘Classic’ car is very, very close to the actual car but not 100%. Otherwise, a model that is 100% prototype will show “PROTO” on the insert label. In a coach example, the RailSmith coach is a Pullman 64-seat coach. I plan to produce, under the “CLASSIC” label, a 52-seat coach. As long as it was still built by Pullman and has the rectangular-shaped windows, it is my belief that a correctly decorated railcar with window arrangement close to prototype will be well accepted and appreciated by the modeling community. Especially since no other car like it may ever be done in that scheme. Most all other passenger car producers do this but don’t indicate when a car is ‘close’.

A Couple Questions Answered

Q: Will you produce ‘ complete’ trains?
A: My completing the American Freedom Train is an example of my commitment to do that. However, in this case, I can say that I will produce accurate cars for a particular train as long as the inventory moves. There are many body styles that have never been done, and I will hope to add them to the RailSmith line-up.

Q: What new body styles are you considering first?
A: *Plan 7510 -56 seat coach, *Plan 4119 -Duplex Sleeper, *Plan 7540 -Fluted diner, and *Plan 7536 -Fluted RPO. When this formally begins, I will make that announcement.

In just a few weeks I will share what ’TRAINS’ I will be working on first. In the mean time, here are some logos to give hints of the first year.

 

 

RELATED: Visit my RailSmith page here!

Lowell Smith

A native of Portland, Oregon, Lowell Smith married his church choir sweetheart Barb in 1978. After a lifetime of rail-fanning, Lowell and Barb ventured out in 1992 to launch a new business in Portland, Oregon. Read more

Latest On The Track

What They Say:

P.B.

Thanks for all the great trains – it’s nice to have such wonderful rolling stock on the layout.

Gordon and Dorothy

I have never been treated as graciously and in a manner more suited to a VIP in my life, as I was on our train trip.  It’s obvious how you’ve made your life a success story.  Looking around the train and seeing your friends I’m pretty sure they  were all made to feel very special by you, and your…

K.

I am looking forward to many more releases in the new year. I stayed up really late on Christmas to talk to Santa when he came by our house. I asked him for an n-scale SP&S 700, and he said that was out of his league and I’d better call you.

A.M.

“You seem to be the shining light in an industry that’s seen a lot of change since the early 2000’s when I was last in the hobby”.

R.L.

Ferdinand Magellan is great! This really fits your mission of offering significant cars that otherwise wouldn’t be produced.

S. S.

I got my new Santa Fe business cars, they are superb and worth the wait ten times over.

George H.

Blunt End Observation is a GRAND SLAM! I’ve wanted this car for ages but never figured out a good way to kitbash it.

Charlie S.

Thank you for producing such well researched quality offerings.

J D

Thanks, Lowell, for another awesome addition to an already incredible train.

Rick S.

Every new release from your Signature Series gets me revved up for the rails.