Tuesday, June 26, 2007

BTS rolls out new boxcars.

Like the second punch arriving with surprising closeness on the heels of the first, BTS has announced the imminent release of two more pre-turn of the century wooden car kits - yet another wooden boxcar inspired by the B&O M-2 class car, introduced around 1870. They took some liberties; one model measures 33' 9", while the other measures 31' 9". Neither incorporates the distinctive herringbone-patterened ends that date the prototypes so effectively, but both are gems - and if they're as easy to assemble as BTS' Civil War-era 25' boxcars, they'll build up into very nice models. And they're coming faster than anyone accustomed to waiting on the cottage-industry speed of innovation and product introduction that's common in the hobby would expect. This strikes me as a realization of the possibilities of modern laser-enabled and CAD-driven manufacturing processes, coupled with the intelligent use of the internet to keep contact with the customer base. Bill is a frequent contributor to the Yahoo EarlyRail group, and it must have been about a year ago that I responded to one of his emailed inquiries about desired prototypes with a request for a B&O M-2 with herringbone ends - and his website promises those in the near future.

No comments:

Post a Comment