Just to add a small note here. I personally hope locomotive kits make a come back, in HO.
At one point it was the majority of what we had, in any scale. There is only one HO manufacturer still in business from the old timers, hobbytown of Boston. They have been making quality die cast locomotive kits since 1946. Everything is made in the USA, with die casting & plastic injection molding all done in the same factories for over 50 years, and all the machined & turned parts being made locally to the factory.
That being said, they were looking to have a die made to make a die cast, 4-wheel diesel side frame for the FM C-Liner. Only one company in the USA wanted to cut the die, and the price was $11,000! (This is a piece no more than 2" long, 1/2" high and less that 1/4" thick.) This did not include the 3-D drawings.
A Chinese company quoted the tooling, including all 3-D drawings for $1,100.
It wasn't done, thankfully, since they know all too well how those guys operate.
So to date the only part made overseas is the can motor, and only because the prices here are in the $40 range per motor, as opposed to the $2.00 range there.
And before it's said, the company that offered the motors here stressed the motors were "assembled in China".
Nick
