I'm writing from Italy
My name is Mauro Crisante, recently Ipurchased a Rio Grande HO model kit of D&RGW Pile Driver Ob. Unluckily the kit did not have complete assembly instruction. Is there anyone tha knows how to find it?
Thank you,
CMDR (ret:) Mauro Crisante
mobius1@tin.it
Eric Bracher announced the closure of Rio Grande Models some months ago. The web page shows CLOSED, but has contact info on it. You might try that.
http://www.riograndemodels.com/
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
mlehman Eric Bracher announced the closure of Rio Grande Models some months ago. The web page shows CLOSED, but has contact info on it. You might try that. http://www.riograndemodels.com/
Darn that information warrants more than one frowny face. They had some unique road maintenance vehicles and detail parts that I "intended" "someday" to look into. Another example of "never put off to tomorrow what you could do today." There are getting to be too many of those examples in this hobby.
Dave Nelson
I do have the OB Pile Driver kit with instructions. I'll scan them in for you and send to the email you have listed. Give me a couple hours to get to it.
I haven't started this build yet, so can't help with any tips there...
Ed
Dave,
I hear you on that. My layout would look a lot different without Rio Grande models. I've used his stuff in most of the scenes on my layout in some way. Very sad to see him close up shop. Not really a surprise as Eric has not been selling stuff at his regular train events for at least a year now.
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
Mauro, email sent with instructions and drawing sheets. Let me know if there are any issues receiving, it's about a 10MB file size. (I had to use an alternate email myself to send it, my main email didn't like it). I can scan at lower resolution if necessary.
What does the OB stand for? Surely not obstetrics.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
dknelsonDarn that information warrants more than one frowny face.
Want to know how I really feel, Dave?
I had just gotten back where between retirement and finances I could afford a couple of kits. Sorry, too late.
Nothing said about a potential hand-off of some kind that I'm aware of. The end may really be the end. The line has evergreen potential, but it takes some skills and practice to get to where it's a practical endeavor. Eric has been doing this since the 60s. He's certainly one of the godfathers of narrowgauge and prototype modeling as we know it now. If it existed, he could build a practical model of it.
I had the pleasure of meeting him once at the NNGC in Colorado Springs in the late 90s (98?) when a bunch of us on the old HOn3 list got together as it began. Got the chance to meet Boone Morrision (RIP), Jim Vail (RIP) and many others still with us (mostly) at that time. Eric made a lot of things happen because he set his mind and hands to it and he's certainly earned a welcome retirement. We would be blessed if somehow RGM continued. I'll always treasure the many kits I've built from RGM. They are exquisite.
BigDaddy What does the OB stand for? Surely not obstetrics.
The Rio Gramde had some strange numbering systems for MOW and other service equipment. In this case, OB is just it's place among other such equipment, which inlciuded flangers, rotary plows, a couple of dump cars, and the fabled lost OZ, which was a largish wrecking crane that disppareared during WWII after the g'ovt requisitioned it.
A big hat tip to Ed for helping out the OP with the info needed.
Thanks, Mike, for that explanation of the Rio Grande's "numbering" system for their MOW equipment, I had always wondered about this.
BigDaddyWhat does the OB stand for? Surely not obstetrics.
I would suggest to anyone visiting an obstetricians' office that has one of these in the exam room to run away, as quickly as possible.
Mike and Dave,
On the positive side. Given the difficulty of these kits and the habits of modelers to buy lots of stuff they wont build, there should be lots of RGM kits floating around for years to come. Unfortunately right now they are selling for a premium, but I suspect that will die down over time.
Thank you very much Ed!
Thank you!!
Mauro
trainnut1250On the positive side. Given the difficulty of these kits and the habits of modelers to buy lots of stuff they wont build, there should be lots of RGM kits floating around...
There should be, but perhaps not as much as you might expect. Eric sold via mail, at the National Narrow Gauge Convention (and a few similar events), and thru one LHS in California, so distribution was not as wide as some other similar items.