Does anyone know if True Line Trains is still in business, or is it kaput? I saw on facebook that someone had remarked that as of 5/1/2018 better business bureau report, True Line Trains is not doing business. Was thinking of getting one of their Central Vermont/ CN wood cabooses, but now will go with Bluford Shops MP short body bay window caboose.
My understanding was that TLT was not doing very well. From their website, the last update is from Aug '16. Also, in 2017, the NYCSHS Modeling Committee withdrew advisory support from TLT's NYC "Standard" (19000-series) wood caboose project after little communication from TLT over the past couple of years. (And it was NOT because of lack of orders.)
So, I wouldn't count on them for the CV/CN caboose, or any of their current offerings. I was really looking forward to their NYC wood caboose. Guess I'll have to start assembling the handful of Waterlevel Models kits I still have on the shelf.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
That's too bad that they may be going out of business, if they haven't already. I loved their long since discontinued line of paints, and I have a thing for their CP slab side hoppers.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Their last Facebook entry was on May 15, 2018: https://www.facebook.com/pg/TrueLineTrains/posts/?ref=page_internal
Their website is active too.Regards, Volker
Big plans - shoe-string budget. The Rapido SW1200RS hit them hard. I wouldn't hold my breath on anything until they actually have it in hand ....
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
This is typical in this business these days. It take capital to get into manufacturing, even if you contract out the actual production.
Most of these companies are under capitalized to one degree or another. Preorders are proof enough of that.
Sheldon
Do an advanced search at the PWRS.ca website and then True Line Trains under manufacturer. They have them in stock in HO.
TomO
tstageSo, I wouldn't count on them for the CV/CN caboose, or any of their current offerings.
They did release the CV/CN caboose, I believe:
https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/true-line-trains-ho-301192-wood-cupola-caboose-canadian-national-1943-white-leaf-78404/
https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/true-line-trains-ho-301207-wood-cupola-caboose-canadian-national-wet-noodle-78257/
I was in line for some of the promised NYC cabooses but I don't think I'll be around long enough to see them.
Cheers, Ed
True-Line made some nice Canadian bulkhead flat cars. I almost bought one at MBK when I was in the B&M store but wasn't sure if they made thru the Colorado Rockies so passed.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Many of these manufacturers that are basically one man shops seem to put a low priority on communication. The problem is at some point almost any rumor becomes believable.
I refuse to "do" Facebook because of the people who are behind it and other reasons. I do not understand companies that have allowed their webpages to look somewhat abandoned in favor of going entirely to facebook. But many have, just as many people now ignore their emails and assume all communications are by text. Not from me they aren't.
I do know that as a rule ya gotta keep paying to keep a webpage going and theirs is still up. So that is a positive sign. Reluctantly I went to True Line Trains' Facebook page and found this statement, dated May 15:
So lots has been going on, unfortunately I can’t speak about it yet. While I am sorry to leave everyone in the dark, things are going fine, and like I said, new developments are coming. I can say however, that for the people wondering and talking about a new manufacturer making a D-10, I can tell you it isn’t me. If anyone thinks I would make another steam locomotive after the U-2, they clearly don’t know me. Hopefully I’ll be able to divulge more in the near future! Cheers Darren
How interesting.. I am now dealing with a manufacturer who has not updated their site since 2014. Yep. Apparently they were quick to respond to my query if they are still alive but have since gone into hiding when the matter of parts came up. Anyway, it is a major red flag when they stop updating/communicating.
As for trueline, their FH36 is nothing but issues and cost cutting that they never corrected. Based on that model that they were so "proud" of, id expect nothing out of them in the future.
riogrande5761 True-Line made some nice Canadian bulkhead flat cars. I almost bought one at MBK when I was in the B&M store but wasn't sure if they made thru the Colorado Rockies so passed.
Not to derail the topic, but Walthers makes this flatcar as well. Actually, the TLT and Walthers have very slight and subtle differences (different prototype builders of similar cars) and the Walthers one is more accurate for 90% of the paint schemes.
And they definitely made it basically everywhere on the continent, so anyone can use them. CN spans coast to coast, and British Columbia Railway cars would head south on GN/BN through Washington and Oregon for California and other western states.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
@cv-acr
Thanks. Yes I was aware of the Walthers bulkhead and while I have not researched them, they do appear very similar to the TLT bulkhead I have looked at. Eventually I would like to add a BC scheme if any are appropriate for the late 1970's.
I might be wrong, but didn't True-Line Trains start out as the Canadian segment of Life-Like / Proto? Anyway, their Canadian cabooses show up from time to time at flea markets or online, so if you really want one you should be able to find it - although you might not find the exact paint scheme you want, may have to decorate it yourself.
I too was disappointed about the NYC caboose not being made, but I do have one of the Trix ones that is very nice. Those too haven't been made for a while but show up once in a while - I found mine online at a US company that specialized in selling German / Austrian railroad models (can't recall the name right now).
Hopefully the Trix caboose doesn't suffer from the zinc pest if it has a metal underframe. Some of the Trix box cars did. I picked up some Trix coal cars NIB second hand and haven't checked to see if they have any metal frame issues.
I'll have to double-check the one that I have but, IIRC, the underframe on the Trix/Markin cabooses are just styrene.
Gotta check my Trix hoppers too.
IIRC, the Trix NYC caboose has a flat metal "bar" weight inside the car. Found a review from MR of it - puts to rest the idea that MR only does flattering reviews I guess!
http://mrr.trains.com/news-reviews/staff-reviews/2005/02/trix-ho-scale-nyc-caboose
MR also printed a subsequent article on how to fix the issues with the Trix NYC caboose. It was quite informative and helpful.
And I checked the one I had and the underframe is plastic.
tstage MR also printed a subsequent article on how to fix the issues with the Trix NYC caboose. It was quite informative and helpful. And I checked the one I had and the underframe is plastic. Tom
The upgrade article by Terry Thompson (now with Walthers) that I think is the one you refer to was in the same Feb 2005 issue of MR as the original, and not entirely positive, review in MR. Page 28 for the upgrade article, page 104 for the review.
Dave Nelson
That sounds right to me, Dave. I do recollect it being in the same issue.
riogrande5761 @cv-acr Thanks. Yes I was aware of the Walthers bulkhead and while I have not researched them, they do appear very similar to the TLT bulkhead I have looked at. Eventually I would like to add a BC scheme if any are appropriate for the late 1970's.
Most of these cars were built in the early to mid 1970s, so almost all of them.
Pacific Great Eastern changed their name to British Columbia Railway in 1972, and then to BC Rail in 1984. So any PGE/PGER* or BCOL/BCIT* car will work as long as it does NOT have the later "BC Rail" logo on it.
CN and NAFX (North American Car Co.) will also do. Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific is a CN subsidiary and DWC* cars mix with CN cars fairly freely.
Algoma Central is also era-appropriate but comes from the other direction, being a regional in Ontario. (Serves a large steel mill as well as a couple of lumber mills, so possible to be seen throughout the US as well.)
* PGER, BCIT and DWC are "International Service" reporting marks and would be particularly appropriate for cross-border traffic on a US layout. However the regular PGE and BCOL marked cars would certainly also end up with loads to the US.
wjstix I might be wrong, but didn't True-Line Trains start out as the Canadian segment of Life-Like / Proto?
I might be wrong, but didn't True-Line Trains start out as the Canadian segment of Life-Like / Proto?
I don't think they were actually the same company but there is a family connection between True Line Trains and Canadian Hobbycraft. CH was responsible for a lot of Canadian Proto2000 and 1000 models from Life-Like.
Chris, thanks for the era related info on the Walters bulkheads.
In August 2020, Atlas Trains announced they acquired pretty much all the product tooling and molds from TLT, so I'm under the impression the boys have bit the dust. The report was covered by Trains in this link:
https://www.trains.com/mrr/news-reviews/news/atlas-acquires-ho-n-tooling-from-true-line-trains/
(sigh) It's sad. Glad I managed to get a few of their products when I did.
I have a very distant hope that Atlas will decide to take up what TLT didn't finish - i.e. releasing the offset cupola NYC & Rutland cabooses. I don't believe molds were ever produced for those so the possibility of that happening is pretty much nil.
Here's a link to the announcement as posted on the Atlas website:
https://shop.atlasrr.com/b-atlas-acquires-true-line-trains-molds.aspx
BTW apparently I was right about the Life-Like / True Line connection....
"Formerly known as Life-Like of Canada, True Line Trains was started in 2003 after the purchase of Life-Like by Walthers. They produced HO and N scale models of Canadian and US prototypes."