Locomotive Workshop List of Diesel Brass and White Metal Kits and Accessory Kits?

I'd be very surprised if such a list exists anywhere.

Jan’s son, also named Jan, is located in Brooklyn I believe. At the time I met him He was involved with a group trying to save and restore some traction equipment there.

When I met him he still had a lot of inventory of his father’s. If anyone has what you’re after, he might

John emailed, "When I met him [Jan] he still had a lot of inventory of his father’s. If anyone has what you’re after, he might..."

I talked to Jan (the son) about this List of Locomotive Workshop Diesel Kits years ago when I purchased a prototype Locomotive Workshop Alco C-630 from him and his Dad's estate.  Jan did not have a list of Diesel Locomotives made by his Dad's Locomotive Workshop at that time.  It seems the son at that time was more into Traction/Trolley models and his day job in Industrial Design than Diesels!

Regards, Steve

@Questor posted:

 It seems the son at that time was more into Traction/Trolley models and his day job in Industrial Design than Diesels!

 

At one time, LWS also made etched brass traction/trolley kits.

A comprehensive list of all of the LWS offerings over the many years would be quite an accomplishment (if not thicker than a Houston phone book.)  I have collected the monthly newsletters and the material difference in the listings can vary widely over just a few months, much more so over the years/decades etc. To describe it as a prolific variety may be an understatement, but I certainly appreciate how cool that complete list would be to see.

As an aside the Penn-Erie aluminum casting offerings correspond to GE's production of their Universal series as I believe the carbody molds were commissioned by GE for creating promotional models, with the molds in turn used to produce offerings via the LWS catalogue secondarily.

. 

Hello all ...Locomotive Work Shop ...made and or offered  a whole lot of products ...  normally in very small runs ... The Zephyr was one piece they offered RTR ...( in small numbers) 

You'll find ads for LWS in most copies of O scale railroading ... and a few photos of Jan with his products ... magazines 1970's- early 90's 

Cheers Carey 

Carey I forgot you had one of those ..........ok I'll get over it.

8^)

Hello all 

Atlpete..there is another L WS Zephyr on eBay ..as I type ...

Here are some photos of the LWS E units and BL 2 ....BL 2 may have been a Penn Erie project 

Cheers Carey 

@mwb posted:

I'd be very surprised if such a list exists anywhere.

I believe a partial list were in ads from the old O Scale Railroading issues as well as old 48"/ft.

Here is the only printed Locomotive Workshop product announcement I have...

Fascinating, thanks for posting this!

This is opinion because I don't have definitive knowledge of what is out there BUT: If I were interested in putting together a list of what was available from LWS I would try and acquire a set of  O Scale News 48/ft and buy the OGR disc with all the back issues (the early issues before the emphasis shifted to 3 rail would be of most interest) and look at the ads from LWS. I don't know when Jan started LWS, but his passing would be the later limit of your search. O Ssale News had pretty detailed advertiser list and it wouldn't take long to locate them.

His son might be able give you some details. I remember him trying to sell off what remained after Jan's passing. That would probably be covered in the magazines.

I never owned a LWS kit, But I heard certain of them could be quite challenging.

Simon

@Simon Winter posted:

This is opinion because I don't have definitive knowledge of what is out there BUT: If I were interested in putting together a list of what was available from LWS I would try and acquire a set of  O Scale News 48/ft and buy the OGR disc with all the back issues (the early issues before the emphasis shifted to 3 rail would be of most interest) and look at the ads from LWS. I don't know when Jan started LWS, but his passing would be the later limit of your search. O Ssale News had pretty detailed advertiser list and it wouldn't take long to locate them.

Much of what was announced by Jan in OSN adverts and his newsletters (used to have a couple of inches of them in the files) was not produced and then produced only if there was actual orders placed. 

His son might be able give you some details. I remember him trying to sell off what remained after Jan's passing. That would probably be covered in the magazines.

Jan Jr. was hitting the meets with a several table and crates of stuff for a few years - almost all partail bits and bobs, and leftovers.  Some useful even.

I never owned a LWS kit, But I heard certain of them could be quite challenging.

Simon

"Challenging" might be a very polite word to use. Last steam engine I got the drive was literally impossible to build and install as designed........and then the tires fell off the drivers.....

After more than a decade of intimidation I finally conquered (sort of...) a 2nd LWS MP54 kit in Feb/March.

Fun!  Nurse Ratchet tells me I'll be getting better soon......right after Godot delivers the meds.

mwb said, " 'Challenging' might be a very polite word to use," regarding the construction of LW Kits...

I fully agree! I own several of these LW Kits and find they are very basic that require significant skills and equipment for detailed brass soldering and construction. Often, the Kits' build instructions were incomplete, generic, or even missing!  IMHO, I take pride in constructing a Brass Kit that lasts a lifetime instead of purchasing a read-to-run plastic model, where detailed plastic models will become brittle and easily break over time.

LW specificly tried to sell products to a much smaller model builder market by reduced pricing for basic kits with mixed Brass/White Metal parts. IMHO, I believe that LW Brass Kits were made for a lower cost at a time when the needs and interests of O-Scale modelers were different... LW Kits seem intended for O-Scale Modelers willing to "get their hands dirty" while building these Kits for a sense of pride when completing a difficult task. Less detailed and fewer Brass Kit parts enabled lower LW Kit pricing. However, other smaller 3rd-party companies started to made individual detailed brass castings (ie Cal-Scale, PSC, and Bowser) that could be purchased as add-ons for LW Kits and other manufacturers like CLW.

The USA Consumer preference for O-Scaled products later changed where if a product breaks or needs repair, just throw out the old product and buy a newer product for immediate personal gratification! The USA O-Scale consumer market also changed where 2-Rail products with plastic parts and shells are now delivered ready-to-run with more detail at a lower cost. The higher manufacturing cost and time needed to cast Brass shells and parts led LW & other O-Scale manufacturers to slowly transition from Brass to to more use of Zamac or "White Metal" castings. 

Lionel blew away the vintage O-Scale collectors market for older and heavier pre-1970s USA-made plastic models when they flooded the O-Scale consumer market with mass-production of ready-to-run locomotives manufactured at a lower cost overseas. This over-production marketing "push" to consumers seemed to contribute to Lionel declaring corporate bankruptcy reorganization 2 times. I wonder if this type of marketing push and over-production recently resuilted in MTH going out of business without a coprorate buyer.

Many smaller companies that make Brass parts have merged, been sold off, or are no longer in business, while brass parts are much harder to  find.  As a result, I have started to make my own detailed Brass parts using a basic 3D printer. I am still learning about detailed casting my own 220/260 Grade Brass parts using lost-wax sand methods since I purchased a Thermolyne FD-1530 small Furnace for melting Brass. I wonder if the future of detailed O-Scale modeling will eventually shift back to "make your own" Kits with "print your own" Brass Kits...

Jan produced a newsletter most of his years.  It was an interesting read.   I doubt I saved many - I shall look.

I bought only one kit - a tank car.  Its wrapper was .010 - just right for boiler bands.  Domes were PSC, and wound up on a scratch tank car.  The rest was simply scrap brass with directions.

Judicious buying got me some really good stuff - Lobaugh Berk frames, really good coined drivers, enough 66" USH drivers to last a while, a Penn Line gearbox that still works, eventhough the worm was phenolic (unheard of in the gear world).

And he was a good guy, and smart.  Just not a good kit producer.

"Challenging" .

Got a set of drivers from LWS,   Noticed one was loose.   when I took the wheel off the axle,  I saw that the axle ends had been "knurled" by hand with a pair of diagonal cutters--very crudely .  They were all like that , and all out of plumb to there centers.  Not the end of the world, as I over bored them on my lathe and turned new axles , but it would have been better if LWS had not attempted to "assemble" them.

It is my opinion that anyone who has not scratch built or does not have broad metal fabrication experience, must not buy these kits as they still show up on ebay. 

@bob2 posted:

And he was a good guy, and smart. 

Indeed he was!

The drivers - you had to be very careful.  He ordered a bunch from Korea, and they were very good quality.  Then, after his stroke he sent the axles and crankpins out for nickel plating.  As you might guess, when he pressed those, a crescent-shaped piece of brass was broached out of the hole.

The only thing worse than varying crankpin throws is eccentric wheels.  The only cure is, as you noted, a good machine shop.

@mwb posted:

"Challenging" might be a very polite word to use. Last steam engine I got the drive was literally impossible to build and install as designed........and then the tires fell off the drivers.....

After more than a decade of intimidation I finally conquered (sort of...) a 2nd LWS MP54 kit in Feb/March.

Fun!  Nurse Ratchet tells me I'll be getting better soon......right after Godot delivers the meds.

Pretty much an affirmation of my opinion of LWS.  But, hey, to be considered equal opportunity, we got to try and satisfy those who are into masochism. 

Simon