Pennsylvania Railroad N5c Project Update

All information and images protected, Copyright © 1997- 2023 Kohs & Company Inc, All Rights Reserved

Availability: This project was long ago sold out, if you are interested in purchasing an N5c model, please let me know using my contact information and I may be able to meet your needs. Also, be sure to check out the Roundhouse page for a listing of available Kohs & Company produced models.

Original Price: $460USD without antenna, $485USD with antenna

Versions Produced:12

Production Quantity:136

12/06/19 - A new information heading has been added to this page to make it easier to identify what model versions are still available for purchase, see the listing immediately above this post.

11/14/07 - The N5c mentioned below has already been sold, thank you for your interest!

11/13/07 - We are pleased to advise that we currently have one of our highly sought after and rare version #2 N5c models available for sale. The model is new and complete, this model does not have antennas.

2/19/06 - The cabin car for sale mentioned below has been sold.

2/17/06 - Just a brief note to let it be known that we just received one more N5c from our builder and it is available for sale. The model available is a version #3 without antenna and the price is $460. If you are interested let us know right away as it will not last for long.

12/28/05 - As noted above this project is sold out. There have been many unhappy people because they were not able to purchase the model of their choice once the models were available, I'm not sure what else we could have done to avoid this disappointment as the models have been available to reserve for almost two years. The bottom line is that if you are interested you have to reserve early to make sure that you get what you ultimately want. I can understand the reluctance to pre-order from some importers, but we have certainly developed a track record for delivering more than promised and at very reasonable prices.

12/16/05 - Make note of the above availability, we have two models available for purchase at this point, let us know right away if you are interested.

12/15/05

12/02/05 - A brief update regarding the shipping of our N5c project; it is progressing smoothly, but as always not as quickly as we would like. This project has generated a huge amount of interest since we started delivering and that is great, but the downside is that the phone has been ringing off the hook in addition to E-mails and that has taken time away from our inspecting and packing. The good news is that we expect to have all of the remaining models shipped in the next week. We greatly appreciate the patience of our clients!!

10/31/05 - As our shipping continues on this project, we have posted a new brochure to the 'Downloadable Files' page of this project site. The new brochure is intended to document this project in terms of exactly what was produced for future reference, this type of information is invaluable to collectors and we intend to make similar documents available for each project that we have completed. We hope that you find the information useful as well as entertaining.

10/19/05 - The N5c models have cleared U.S. Customs and have reached our shop, the shipping process is beginning. We have posted general arrangement photos of each version of the N5c produced and we will be posting additional detail photos shortly. Our intent is to still update the production photos page so that more of the production process detail can be seen, if this is something of interest to you, check back in the next few days and we should have this accomplished. The response to the first showing of the models at the TCA York Meet was overwhelming, it would be nice if we had more models to sell! Updates on this project will continue a while longer as we bring this project site totally up to date, it has lagged behind a bit under the weight of work that we have had to accomplish.

10/08/05 - The project is complete and the models are in transit to our shop!!! We have posted the first images of the production models and we are shooting photos of every version as of this posting date, the additional images will be available for viewing just as quickly as we can get them processed and posted. We feel certain that those of you that have had reservations and have waited patiently for the completion of this project will be very pleased with the results of our efforts, check back soon for more to see.

9/01/05 - We are pleased to inform all that have an interest in this project that it is scheduled for completion on the 10th of this month....finally! The final notices are going out this week to all of our reservation holders and as always, the final shipping will be done in the order of final payment. We are certain that once everyone has an opportunity to see the final production models the wait will be deemed justified. There has been no less dedication to detail and accuracy when compared to our largest locomotive projects, time has not been a driving factor, the final results have been. We'll be posting photos of the final painted versions as soon as possible so check back periodically, the paint and graphics bring our N5c to life. One last note, there is a handful of models still available from the extras we were able to secure from our builder, only versions without antenna are available.

7/04/05 - As of this writing, our N5c project is in the final assembly stage and very near completion. We will be showing a production sample of this project at the NMRA National Train Show in Cincinnati, Ohio on the 8th, 9th and 10th of this month. Immediately following the show the production sample will be photographed and an update will be sent out to all of our reservation holders, we expect this to be a delivery notice as well. New photos will be posted on this project site as they become available.

4/17/05 - Prior to our most recent inspection visit this project had reached a sold out status, during our visit we were able to arrange for about a dozen extra models and they are going fast. If you are one of the individuals that had inquired about placing an order and were told they were 'gone', please give us a call again soon and hopefully we will be able to help you.

As you probably gathered, the most recent inspection visit is complete; the good news is that the models look fantastic, the bad news is that as usual we have fallen a bit further behind in the production. We now anticipate the project being completed by the middle of next month (May). The delay this time is our own fault, with the personal issues that have been a factor in our day to day operations and the delayed inspection visit, there were issues to be resolved before additional progress could be made. It is of great credit to our builder that they delayed rather than rush to finish despite unresolved issues. This project will set the standard for our future caboose projects and promises to be the best and most historically accurate caboose (cabin car to Pennsy fans) ever completed in any scale. New photos will be forthcoming in the next few days.

3/31/05 - An update on this project is long overdue, we had planned on doing one based on a planned inspection visit, but that had to be postponed until now. Our trip has been rescheduled and immediately upon our return a mail update will be done for all reservation holders for this project. We believe our N5c will to be a very special model when completed and many of you must feel the same way since the project is now sold out!

12/05/04 - We wanted to provide just a brief update for the moment to let anyone that is interested in this project know that we have been provided a completion date by our builder; the project has been promised by January 15th, just after the holidays. We had hoped to have the models ready by Christmas, but as it usually goes, all of the corrections and modifications that we made along the way have taken their toll on the delivery timing. Ultimately, the results will justify the extra time, there is no point in taking the project part way. Additional information will be posted soon so keep checking back for the latest.

10/29/04 - The latest sample for the N5c project is in and we couldn't be happier, again the extra time and effort has paid off. It's difficult to tell from a single photo, but the difference between our first sample this production sample are extreme. Over the next couple of days we will be posting a complete series of new photos highlighting the detail, both inside and out. From the raised lettering on the cast truck side frames to the double-wall interior construction, it would be extremely difficult to come any closer to the actual prototype. There are still a few details that have not been applied to this sample that will be included on the finished models.


10/10/04 - The photos shown below are the first in a series of production images we plan to share in an effort to give those interested a better idea of how a project is actually developed and ultimately produced. It may be a bit easier to follow the production process with a rolling stock project which is considerably less complicated than a locomotive project although as the images will show, it's still not an easy proposition. The production of this project is being handles by a new builder that was established to work exclusively for Kohs & Company, we have high hopes that this new arrangement will allow us to continue the production of brass rolling stock well into the future, we would otherwise be out of luck in pursuing the level of quality that we are interested in delivering. Be sure to check back periodically to see how the process continues and if there is something specific that you would like to see in the photos, let us know and we'll try to include your request as we proceed


Above you can see the major parts of the carbody being prepared for assembly. The carbody sides are first etched from sheets of brass along with the beginning details such as rivet patterns that are too small to hand punch. Once the side sheets are separated from the master sheets they will be hand punched with the larger rivet patterns, then formed for shape and soldered into assemblies.


Above the cupolas are beginning to take shape; first they are pressed to achieve the basic shape, then the window sash openings are cut, rivets are punched and then the final shape is fine tuned prior to being soldered to the roof assembly. This should give a good idea of just how much hand work is required to achieve the final results that are desired, much of this individual effort is typically take for granted or overlooked entirely.


Above the interior partition components begin to take shape literally. The individual parts must be separated from their sheets, shaped, fitted together with mating components and finally soldered into a complete interior insert for each carbody. The interior of our N5c is far more complicated than rolling stock previously produced, we have utilized the prototypical double-wall carbody construction which not only increases the parts count, but complicates the fitting of components. Some would ask why go to all the trouble, but it is very simple, that's the way the 'real' ones were done!


10/04/04 - The production sample for this project is on the way! Hopefully we will be able to photograph the new sample in time to include the images in our pending update mailings, we'll certainly get them included in this project site as soon as possible. This is a particularly exciting project for us, it will be the first caboose (cabin car) project done the way we have always wanted with detail everywhere! The production of our N5c should be complete next month. More information will be forthcoming with the new photos so keep checking back often.

8/03/04 - The final design changes have been made and approved so the project is again moving forward in a three dimensional form. Even with a project as seemingly small as an N5c cabin car getting the details correct is an all consuming job if you really care about your results. During our latest inspection visit we reviewed the new parts being created for this project and are totally convinced that our N5c will be a suitable companion piece for our existing and future Pennsylvania Railroad projects. The timing for the completion of the project has been set and we are hoping to maintain the plan from this point forward. We will have a completed pre-production sample in hand by the end of this month and based on the work that we have seen, we should be pushing straight through to the completion of the production by the end of October. We will be showing the pre-production sample at the shows coming up in September and October.



6/1/04 - The revised design incorporating all of the changes, over 150 of them, has been received and is being reviewed for accuracy prior to pushing forward with the final production. We will be posting new data based on the design files over the next several days once our review is complete. Check back soon for additional update information.

5/18/04 - 90% reserved and counting! As usual, we are behind schedule, but for good reasons. After further evaluation we determined that we needed to make a total of nearly 150 changes to our first sample model to ultimately make it acceptable to us. We'll be viewing the first production parts shortly and we'll be sharing photos as soon as they are available. An update mailing will be going out to reservation holders in approximately two weeks.

3/18/04 - At this point this project is about 80% reserved, but this does not mean that we will relax our efforts in making this an outstanding model. We have identified 90 corrections or changes that are required to bring our sample model up to par, then we'll get serious about the final development. This project promises to be a 'must have' piece, but fortunately for us, we are nearing a sold out situation before the final production even begins.

Many thanks to all of you that have already chosen to support this project!

3/14/04 - For all that have sent in reservations, we have mailed your confirmation letters so they should be arriving by the end of this week. If your confirmation does not arrive by the first of next week be sure to let us know so we can get a new copy on the way to you. We are very happy to report that we are over 70% reserved on this project at this point!

3/03/04 - Just a brief update for those of you that have sent in reservations for our N5c project; do not be concerned if you have not received your cancelled check back at this point, we are just now processing the deposit payments made with the reservations. Confirmation letters will be going out shortly to all that have confirmed reservations.

2/13/04 - The reservation information for this project will be mailed on Monday the 16th to all individuals that have expressed an interest in ordering one of these models. If you have requested the reservation on formation and do not receive it by the end of next week, please let us know so we can send a replacement.

2/09/04 - The reservation information for this project has been mailed to all existing customers as of Friday the 6th of February, if you are a current customer and do not receive the package in the next couple of days, please let us know.

2/02/04 - The reservation information for this project is now available for download from this project site, the order form will be posted once our existing customers have an opportunity to place their orders. The reservation packages are being mailed this week to all existing customers and that will be followed by a mailing to all others that have expressed an interest in our N5c. Stay tuned for more details shortly.

12/29/03 - The first set of photos taken of our first N5c sample model have now been posted. While the sample does not include every detail that the production models will have, it does show our intent to produce the finest caboose projects possible, we believe our sample is better than anything produced to date and we have much more to do. Please take a look at what has been done thus far and let us know what else you would like to see accomplished with this project, your input is crucial to making these models as good as they can be. We anticipate starting the reservation process during the month of January, after things settle down from the holidays a bit.

12/20/03 - Just a brief update this time around to let you know that the first sample model has arrived and is shown for the first time on the project information page. We are thrilled with this first sample and our hopes have been met with an outstanding effort to produce the finest caboose ever offered in O scale. We will be posting a full detailed series of photos in the next couple of days, so please be sure to check back for a better look at what this project has to offer.

12/06/03 - Shown below are some of the major components used for the first N5c sample model. We expect the finished sample to arrive shortly and we'll be posted photos as soon as we have them processed. Once the sample is in hand and the versions are finalized, we will be starting the reservation process, that should be shortly after the first of the new year.



10/25/03 - The Serious work has begun on the N5c project as can be seen from the images below. The first image shows the press tooling that was developed for creating the main structure of the cupola. The second image shows the first of the test parts that were 'pressed' with the tooling, after pressing, the windows are die-cut in position. This will give you an idea of just how complex, expensive and time consuming it is to create just one part for what seemingly would be a 'simple' project. The updates will come on a regular basis at this point and we are approaching the point when we will start to consider taking reservations. There are certain versions that we would like to produce, but will only do so if the initial support is present to justify doing so. Check back regularly for new information.


8/24/03 - The design of our N5c is almost complete and work has begun on master tooling and the first sample. We anticipate having the first sample available for review during the month of October. In addition to the basic versions that we are doing, we have to determine if there is enough support for later versions that would encompass the Pen Central and Conrail years. If you are an individual interested in the later versions, please let us know. There are considerable changes required for the later versions including new trucks so it is unlikely that we will pursue these versions without a clear cut demand.