From a post on another forum:
This is the post I don’t want to make but the time has come. I just can’t do this without Lynda. Following is the notice I sent to all the magazines. =======
[edit] I don't do the Book-in-a-Face thing, but if you do here is a link to the post:
https://www.facebook.com/NorthWest-Short-Line-1470545813221465/
Ed,
That's a big loss for all of us in the hobby. They have been consistantly there for us with great products and help as long as I can remember. I certainly wish them well and pray for someone to step in and take over the business. Leaving for personal reasons leaves a viable business to step in to for someone. Then again, Champ left for similar reasons and they never were purchased. Let's just hope for the best.
oldline1
My, that would be a blow, they are the go to supplier for a lot of driveline essentials. If it's not RTR, they had your back. Increasingly, everything seems to be RTR. Even that needs hacking, though and NWSL could be counted on for that, too. A tragedy if this line ends.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Wow. That is tough. NWSL has helped me a lot. Too bad.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
That's really too bad! I use their products all the time, and I hope someone picks up the business. There are too many models out there that need their products to work better or even at all.
Based on my own communications with them a few months back, I think I have an idea of what the personal reasons are, and their wanting to close/sell the business is perfectly understandable. I do wish them well!
_________________________________________________________________
That's a shame.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Is there another company out there that can fill the void? Don't take this as me being insensitive to their reasons. I just need to know if there are others out there.
I wish the owners well
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
WOW! That will be quite a loss to the hobby!
We have to hope that someone will come along to keep the business going. I wonder how much of a hassle it would be to move the company to Canada? Jason??
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Wow, this is just terrible.
.
I need to spend some bucks quick. I have at least four projects that will need their parts.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Jimmy_BraumIs there another company out there that can fill the void?
I sure hope so. But there certainly would be a "learning curve" for the new owner/operator. Doing that kind of precision gear cutting is an art.
I wonder about the other excellent NWSL products, too, the Chopper, True Sander, pullers and quarterers?
I understand Dave Rygmyr's wife Lynda passed away in late 2018 and the business is becoming burdensome for Dave in his present situation.
I'm still holding my breath for someone to step in for Jordan Model Products to continue the much needed vintage vehicle line. Still holding my breath
Geezz, MB Klein just had a sell-out sale on lots of old-stock NWSL stuff, too. I passed on it thinking I can get what I need anytime.
Cheers, Ed
oldline1 Ed, That's a big loss for all of us in the hobby. They have been consistantly there for us with great products and help as long as I can remember. I certainly wish them well and pray for someone to step in and take over the business. Leaving for personal reasons leaves a viable business to step in to for someone. Then again, Champ left for similar reasons and they never were purchased. Let's just hope for the best. oldline1
Deano
That is sad news indeed..
I never found the need to use NWSL products as I always bought replacement gears from the manufacturer.I still have a supply of Athearn BB gears,screws and coupler clips tucked away in a small Plano storage box in my tool box.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I have never bought any NWSL products either - [edit] oops, actually I have a NWSL True Sander - forgot about that. I always think wheels and gears with that brand.
It does sound like a loss to a segment of the hobby.
Anyone who really needs their products should order anything critical now as they have until August before they shut down. They are entertaining reasonable offers so they could live on under a new owner possibly.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
hon30critter WOW! That will be quite a loss to the hobby! We have to hope that someone will come along to keep the business going. I wonder how much of a hassle it would be to move the company to Canada? Jason?? Dave
At this point, I wouldn't be surprized to see the tool line (Choppers, Tru-Sander, Dupli-Cuter etc) get acquired by Micromark - don't they already have some similar tools?
Fingers crossed .... Hoping, the company is acquired so it can continue .
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
This is not good. Most of my friends and I run brass. Without NWSL things are going to be pretty tough. I have at least 10 projects that need parts from them to complete. I was thinking I had the luxury of time to figure this out – apparently not.
This will definitely affect the brass market for those of us who like to run them.
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
And like you couldnt see this coming? Lets face it the game is changing, it has been for a long time. I doubt there will be any hobby shops of the type we were used to in future, just bigger online suppliers. Now the train show may make a comeback to some extent as these big companys need to show off their products but that is after the last hobby shop has died. As imersion printing becomes mainstream and other printing systems improve, many of the gears will be made if there is a need and prices will come down.
rrebell And like you couldnt see this coming? Lets face it the game is changing, it has been for a long time. I doubt there will be any hobby shops of the type we were used to in future, just bigger online suppliers.
And like you couldnt see this coming? Lets face it the game is changing, it has been for a long time.
I doubt there will be any hobby shops of the type we were used to in future, just bigger online suppliers.
Did you read the quoted message? Sounds more like the owner just wants to get out of the business, lost his wife etc.
Hobby shops close largely for similar reasons; owner gets old and retires or passes away.
Any single owner business is going to have an end-point unless there is a succession plan.
As for the loss of hobby shops, it isn't just hobby shops closing, it's all kinds of brick & mortar stores. Commerce has shifted to online in a major way. Many stores are closing as online shopping has taken over. Couple the loss of train shops because of single owners aging out, with the paradigm shift to online, and that's pretty much the story. Not necessarily a doom and gloom scenario.
IIRC, at some point in time, Micro Mark designed their own knockoff versions of the NWSL tools. I had heard this happened after they could not get a better volume pricing deal from NWSL.
I have many of the tools and love them. I also used lots of their wheels on my old Athearn engines
The motors and gears have saved many engines over the years. I suspect the 'replace it, rather than fix it' trend has eaten into the business...
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
Just getting back into the hobby after many years and recognize this as a huge loss.
Wondering if a new owner could be bootstrapped from some type of crowdfunding effort. I realize that this is not your normal company to pick up and run with, but for the right person with some resources, perhaps it could live on.
I do not believe its a loss in business that is the reason for the shut down, but more personal reasons. I more suspect the demand for his products, from the Stanton self containted drive trucks use by many in the traction modeling world, of which many hoped the O scale "magic carpet" drives would return soon. To the gear boxes and replacement gears for many different brass and non brass models, to proto84 and proto48 wheelsets and standard wheel sets. Many very good products that should still see a demand for several more years. I am really hoping someone steps in to aquire the business and keep it going. Mike the Aspie.
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
riogrande5761 rrebell And like you couldnt see this coming? Lets face it the game is changing, it has been for a long time. I doubt there will be any hobby shops of the type we were used to in future, just bigger online suppliers. Did you read the quoted message? Sounds more like the owner just wants to get out of the business, lost his wife etc. Hobby shops close largely for similar reasons; owner gets old and retires or passes away. Any single owner business is going to have an end-point unless there is a succession plan. As for the loss of hobby shops, it isn't just hobby shops closing, it's all kinds of brick & mortar stores. Commerce has shifted to online in a major way. Many stores are closing as online shopping has taken over. Couple the loss of train shops because of single owners aging out, with the paradigm shift to online, and that's pretty much the story. Not necessarily a doom and gloom scenario.
I am sorry to hear him go and I wish him the best.
Looks like I need to get an order in. Can any one make a recommendation between The Chopper I and The Chopper II?
Thanks,
--Jeff
The owner said he has been in business for 60 years. If he started when he was 20, he is 80 years old. He has lost his life partner, it's time to retire.
I wish him well.
SouthPennThe owner said he has been in business for 60 years.
From the news release:
After 60 years in business, NWSL will cease operations effective August 30th, 2019.
From that I gather the business is sixty years old.
The present owner bought NWSL about ten years ago.
NorthWest Short Line has been providing the widest selection of high quality model railroad upgrade and repair products since 1959. The company was founded by Fred and Sheryl Martin in Seattle, initially importing brass locomotives but later moving into the lines you see in our catalog today. In 2008 the company was purchased by Dave and Lynda Rygmyr and relocated to Hamilton, Montana. NWSL is, at heart, a machine shop; most of what we offer is made within our own shops.
I use to buy many years ago when NWSL was in Seattle, Washington and then later when Dave bought it.
More info in the MRH forums.
Wow, they allowed me to fix and upgrade so many engines... I hope someone takes it on.
Simon
sfprairieCan any one make a recommendation between The Chopper I and The Chopper II?
I have the Chopper 1 and at some point I suppose I will have the problem others have experienced - the masonite base gets a permanent gouge where the blade hits. Chopper 2 has a self healing mat instead of masonite. There are cures for the masonite gouge. I still get good service out of my Chopper 1 which is the only one they offered when I bought it. I actually prefer cutting/chopping on the solid base rather than one that yields a little. I think I get more precision. But then again, I think many things that turn out not to be so. But it is significant that the Chopper 2 did not eliminate the Chopper 1 from their catalog or offerings, so they clearly saw it as an alternative not a replacement.
As others have noted MicroMark has offered some knockoffs of certain NWSL tools, and some of the NWSL tools are things you could make yourself - indeed the Chopper is an adaptation of a home made tool written up in MR decades and decades ago.
The real loss for the hobby will be the many things NWSL offers that nobody else does (or perhaps, can) including the gears and drop in replacements for various diesels etc. Maybe that is why the business is going to be hard to sell: if MicroMark siphons off the low hanging fruit that makes the money, the rest of the business may not look attractive enough even if the person has the precision machine shop smarts to run the existing products and introduce new ones. Someone with those skills can probably name their price in other lines of work. Guys who are into a "labor of love" are not plentiful.
I think this is sad news for the hobby particularly for the builders and tinkerers.
Dave Nelson