Reading postings on this site from time to time and posting on a less basis, in other words not a regular of either mentioned, not much is mentioned about Con Cor.
They go back to the early 1960's, manufacturing in a outline community of Chicago.
Then it's seems to me sometime during the 1980's, the owner moved his operations to Arizona.
Does anyone have current inside information to share on how manufacturing and distribution operations are today?
ConCor website
https://www.con-cor.com/website/
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
The owner of ConCor considered closing down about 4-5 years ago, but then reconsidered and simply changed his business model.
They were once a mini "Walthers", both a manufacturer and distributor.
They have moved away from distribution and now have a number of new and old products with and ever increasing move toward direct sales to the consumer.
Despite various trends, they seem to do well with "freelanced" paint schemes and freelance models still to this day, as well as the highly specialized limited run, high detail products.
I have about 40 of their 72' passengers cars, for which I have a standard set of modifications to improve them:
Including close coupling with American Limited diaphragms.
Sheldon
I own a few Concor products such as box cars and passenger cars and I'm very pleased with them. No one else but maybe Kato makes the cars that they do.
Con-Cor has been many things -- originally a line of what we would now call craftsman kits of wood and metal, but their ads said they were "quicky assembly" --meaning just 2 to 3 hours. Then they even started importing some brass, and had an exclusive on a line of N scale Japanese products that was very popular until more American prototypes began to be made. They also acquired a line of detail parts for the HOn3 crowd. They always did tend to acquire other lines to call their own. They even had a proprietary line of glue when I started the hobby.
Eventually they morphed over to the line of plastic rolling stock and structures that most people think of as Con-Cor. Some were originally Revell, others were original Con-Cor.
For a brief time Con-Cor's address was in Milwaukee but traditionally they were a Chicago based outfit.
Dave Nelson
They made some really nice PRR MU cars, the MP54s. For the 1,000 or so of us who model electrified commuter territory, they're great.
I wonder if they still have any ...
Eric White They made some really nice PRR MU cars, the MP54s. For the 1,000 or so of us who model electrified commuter territory, they're great. I wonder if they still have any ...
I haven't seen those cars in a long while Eric,but they did coem out with a very good PCC ( literally with all the DCC bells and whistles ) only Bowsers newest PCC's would be better dteailed ( sounds are better as well )
[/quote]eter from a detail point
Eric WhiteI wonder if they still have any ...
I gathered a nice collection of the first and second runs of their beautiful mP54s including a few with the modernized aluminium window frames.
I just saw an ad in a recent magazine showing a new release of a paired "Bride & Groom" powered mP54 and trailer available in "Late 2017" also other variations of PRR and LIRR paint schemes.
They are also offering both an HO and HOn3 D&RGW "OY" rotary snow plow for late 2018 delivery.
Regards, Ed
Con-Cor introduces me to Kato with their beautiful PA-1 locomotive in N scale.
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Thank you!
-Kevin
Living the dream.
About 10 years ago, Con-Cor produced an astonishing number of articulated trains sets from the 1930s-50s; two versions of the Burlington Pioneer Zephyr, the GM AeroTrain, the UP M-10000, and the New Haven Comet. Before, most Con-Cor products were average, but these train sets were top-notch. They followed it up with the Pennsy mP54s; since then, they added new versions of the mP54s, but no other new "big" project. I would guess that this is due to economic reasons. The original articulated train-set offerings had so much appeal that some people would buy them even if they were outside of their modeling range. My case is a good example, as I model the Santa Fe in West Texas, but have a Burlington Pioneer Zephyr and a Santa Fe AeroTrain (neither of those has ever been to Texas; at least the AeroTrain is the correct railroad). Once this market is saturated and you have only the modelers left which do not have such a broad artistic license, the numbers do not justify a "plastic" mass production anymore.