AristoCraft closing

[sir james I]

Besides losing 2 established company's. What comes to mind is another product(s) we have supported will leave us without repair parts once AGAIN.

S.J.

[scrambler81]

 The email I received is from Aristocraft, and it includes their great, big header, so it certainly appears that that line at least is done.

[jscola30]

Is there a way to re-title the post? Maybe I was a bit hasty. Maybe something like "Polk's Hobby closing (possible AC and RMT effects). I guess this would be like if Charles Ro closed and USA trains.

[overall]

I got the email about closing just a little while ago. It does not specifically mention RMT. I guess time will tell on that one.

George

[jscola30]

This does happen frequently in our hobby: Marx, Kline, Kalamazoo, Delton, MDC, etc. But I like I said, sad for the people loosing their jobs above all

[vsmith]

I believe RMT was spun off from Polk Hobbies per-say, the same way that Crest Electronics was spun off. I believe this was a long time in the offing and that the Polks have done everything they could to salvage Crest and RMT as separate entities away from Polk Hobbies . That being said its worth noting that the closure e-mail specifically relate to "Polk's Hobbies" and does not necessarily include Aristo, RMT and Crest. Aristo large scale trains have always been manufactured by Sanda Kader, and its Kader who has the molds and tooling, so don't be surprised if Kader announces next year that they are taking over the AC line. As for RMT and Crest, if they have been spun off as separate entities, they will continue to operate, just without the 'Polk Hobbies" association.

[sir james I]

Aristocraft  bought out RMT several years ago. So if they are going down RMT will be going with them. Hopefully some one will P/U RMT.

[Bob Keller]

I e-mailed Walter earlier this morning and asked for a clarification. I'll post something here when I receive it.

[overall]

I recieved an email from RMT back on friday advertising their GG-1's. I have some of their cars and really do like them. Maybe someone on the staff of CTT can call and find out what's going on?

[jscola30]

I just got an email this morning, Aristocraft going out of business, and I would expect that also means RMT, citing the downturn (and uncertainty in the debt ceiling debate...not sure how much I believe that) in the economy and large scale hobby.

Besides being an O gauge enthusiast, I also have a garden RR and have a few AC products from the late 90s. To be perfectly honest, I always thought their quality was below LGBs and I haven't run those trains in years They just were not reliable.. That said, I have a feeling they've made improvements since then.

Since re-entering the O gauge market, I have bought several RMT trains and have been VERY satisfied with them and have thought it wonderful that they have tried to keep Kline going. I had looked forward to the second round of Beeps. I love Lionel, but most of what they offer, particularly in motive power is not cheap, RMT (and Williams) was a great alternative. I hope someone manages to find a way to keep the product line going.

As I said, I was never a huge fan of their large scale line, but be that as it may, it's never good to see a manufactuer go out of buisness, with jobs lost, especially these ones around the holidays. I hope someone manages to find ways to keep the RMT line and the large scale line (I know many others DO enjoy their trains) even in a limited way. And most importantly, I hope those affected are able to find new jobs.