12/11/13 - A brief update regarding incoming E-mails to Kohs & Company; I recently setup a new computer server that among other things handles incoming E-mail. The new software unfortunately was not performing in a typical manner so a number of incoming E-mails had been cataloged out of sequence so they were not responded to until recently. I believe that all of the overlooked messages have now been reviewed and handled, but if you have tried to contact me by E-mail and have not received a response, please resend your message and it should be properly handled going forward. My apologies for this problem.

Project updates are now underway and I will start posting them near term. The emphasis is still on Challenger deliveries so the web updates are taking longer than usual, your patience is appreciated.

10/22/13 - As the effort to deliver our new UP Challenger models continues, my full attention is focused on that process and my availability by phone is being limited to avoid random interruptions which have slowed the process. If you need to get in touch with me, please leave a voicemail message if I am unable to answer your call or send along an E-mail and I'll be happy to get back to you either by phone or return E-mail. I will be taking time to update the web site very soon regarding our rolling stock projects as I know many people are anxious about those projects as well. The delivery period following the completion of a major project is always very trying being a very small business operation, but we'll get through it will everyone's cooperation. Your understanding during this process is greatly appreciated.

More news soon!

9/24/13 - First of all, I want to thank everyone that has provided feedback regarding my last update, as always, that feedback has provided great insight regarding your thoughts on my planning. I appreciate your time and effort!

The Indianapolis O scale meet was this past weekend and although the attendance was light, it was great to see those that showed up over the course of the two days. Thank you to all that showed up for the hospitality get together that Kohs & Company hosted on Friday evening, my wife Sharon and I really enjoyed the relaxed time together and getting to know everyone a bit better. We will be doing this more in the future and quite frankly are looking for ways to make the time at shows more meaningful.

The Indianapolis show was the first outing for our Union Pacific Challenger models and I have to thank everyone for their glowing comments about the models we displayed. I believe the most telling situation was the number of individuals that already had models reserved that were interested in acquiring additional models, this was very gratifying. Just so everyone knows, I am back from the show, have my head down and am diligently working on shipping the models out to their owners!!

9/16/13 - For those interested in our Union Pacific Challenger model project, I will displaying several versions of the production models at the O scale meet in Indianapolis, Indiana this coming weekend. If you are interested in attending one of the most important O scale shows of the year, check out our show information page for all of the details. I looking forward to seeing many of you there!

Kohs & Company is now a dealer for Micro Engineering Company products. As we do with many other supplies, we are offering special pricing to all of our model customers, check out our 'Backshop' page and download the price list of products that they offer. If there are items of interest, contact me directly for customer pricing.

For many months I have had conversations with a number of customers regarding two locomotive prototypes that I will refer to as 'passion projects' and I figure it times to acknowledge my interest and intent to produce the two prototypes. These are projects that will not fall in line with what has already been announced, they will be pursued on a parallel time line meaning that they will be produced concurrent with projects already on the schedule when the time is right. I'm calling them passion projects, because that is what is driving my interest in these particular prototypes, they offer unique modeling challenges and are unique in their design and character.

The first prototype is the D&RGW K-36 narrow gauge steam locomotive an example of which is shown below.

The second prototype is the Union Pacific 8500HP 'Big Blow' three-unit turbine. Shown below are a builder's photo of X30 and a classic in-service photo of X1 handling a sizable consist in the hills near Cheyenne.

Photos courtesty of Museum of Erie General Electric History

It's not that they have never been modeled before, but I do not believe that either prototype has ever been done justice with previous modeling efforts. I'll leave it at sharing the photos at this point, but as time goes on, I'll be offering more details. The research on these two projects has been ongoing for many months and it's about time to get some other 'hands' involved to move the effort forward, that is the purpose of sharing my intent at this point. Your comments are certainly welcome!

8/12/13 - A brief notice to customers and individuals wishing to communicate with us by E-mail, particularly, internationally. We are again having great difficulty with our E-mail service which is hosted by Network Solutions. It seems that we are receiving most of our messages, but we cannot be certain of that, the real issue is responding to or sending new messages. Most of our outgoing messages that have an international destination are being blocked due to SPAM concerns, so we are having to use alternate accounts to handle our daily business. This situation have been occurring repeatedly for several months. It seems that the core issue is that Network Solutions is unable to operate a secure network that prevents unauthorized users from accessing and using their servers to deliver massive amounts of SPAM which leads to the accounts of authorized paying users having their accounts blocked. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and we will do our best to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

8/04/13 - With our Union Pacific Challenger project completed and headed stateside for shipping, it's on to the next projects with a new intensity. I will be updating our next locomotive project sites as well as the rolling stock sites in the very near future following my return from my most recent trip to Korea. The business of building brass models in Korea continues to evolve and it certainly is not getting any easier. The builders that remain are trying a variety of approaches to survive and in my coming updates I'll try to shed some light on their efforts to help inform your future model purchases.

7/05/13 - Shown below is another benchmark example of weathering completed by Lee Turner, the subject model is one our Kohs & Company Norfolk & Western CF series wooden cabooses. Additional photos are available on the Weathered Model page of this web site, I obviously cannot say enough good things about Lee's outstanding artistic ability and craftsmanship.

7/02/13 - Below is a photo of the finished weathered model that I previewed in my posting on 6/28. Again, this is the artistry of Lee Turner who worked his magic one of our Kohs & Company G22b gondola. To see additional photos of his latest project, please visit our Weathered Model page located within this site.

6/28/13 - Some may have noted on my show schedule that the O Scale Nationals had been listed as a tentative event in terms of attendance. Unfortunately commitments to efforts in Korea precluded me from making the trip east. I'm hoping that the convention is a huge success and I will certainly miss being there. Apologies to anyone that was hoping to meet with me there!

A couple of months ago I posted some examples of weathered models done by Lee Turner on this page and elsewhere. I want to share a couple of preview shots of Lee's latest efforts with a Kohs & Company model, one of our PRR G22b gondolas with containers. What was particularly striking to me was the underbody weathering detail that correlates so well with the feature detail on the model, the streaking adjacent to the screen areas and so forth. This is a prime example of a weathering 'artist'. Photos of the completed model will be posted in the next few days, but I was so excited about this model, I had to share this preview.

The good news for anyone interested in model weathering is that Lee is taking his modeling efforts full time and will be available to work closely with anyone interested in having their models painted and or weathered. It may be a bit foolish to share this information as I may never be able to get another model done for myself, but as with all of my efforts in promoting the work of others, I would like to see Lee Turner succeed to the new degree that he is now aspiring in expanding his efforts. If you would like to contact Lee for further information you may do so using the following E-mail address: lehighvallee@aol.com

In the photo below, the sides of the carbody have not been fully weathered at this point. You'll notice that each individual rivet have been weathered prior to applying the overall finish. Also note that even the inside of the containers have been prototypically treated.  More exciting photos to follow!!

6/20/13 - The background site maintenance has been continuing to improve the performance and reliability of the web site. In addition, the effort to make the site more easily accessed with mobile devices has also continued. There is a new site index to which anyone using a device with a screen resolution of less than 800 pixels in width will automatically be directed. This same feature was already built into the site for the home page several weeks back. The video clips available on the UP Challenger site have also been redone to make them load faster and to provide smoother viewing, two new clips have also been added. The remaining video clips available on the site will also be redone in the near future to provide the same upgraded performance.

More updates and new site features are already in the works, so check back often to see the latest offerings.

6/08/13 - I would like to acknowledge the passing of Joe Giannovario, Publisher of O Scale Trains Magazine, Joe unfortunately lost his battle with cancer last evening. I would also like to pass along my condolences to Joe's family. Some that have followed the efforts of Kohs & Company may know that Joe and I did not agree about a number of things which is not really important, certainly now. We did share an understanding of the importance of family and following one's dreams in life. The passion that Joe brought to the hobby of O scale model trains brought him many friends and supporters, not an easy achievement in today's world. Joe Giannovario will be missed by many, may he rest in peace.

5/19/13 - The questionable eBay listing that was mentioned on the 15th was taken down after the listing company was contacted. Again, be sure to review any auction listings very carefully that you are considering to make certain that you will likely receive what you were expecting, this listing would have provided a real surprise for some buyer!

5/15/13 - As I am preparing to post project updates, I wanted to mention a current listing on eBay that was just brought to my attention. The listing is for a "Kohs & Company' GG-1 model, but the photos associated with the listing clearly do not show a Kohs & Company model. I brought this to the attention of the business owner responsible for the listing and am waiting to see what action is taken. This highlights the issue of being careful in evaluating listings that you see on eBay or any other site offering Kohs & Company models for sale. If you ever have questions, please bring them to my attention and I'll be happy to pursue the issue or possibly provide clarifying information.

Stay tuned for updates and a resolution to the above situation.

5/06/13 - Just a brief update to advise that I have been doing considerable maintenance work on my web site and although many of the changes are not visible, some of the changes have affected viewer's saved bookmarks. The homepage for example, although it looks unchanged, is built in an entirely different manner and uses a later file extension type. Long story short, please update your browser bookmarks. Web technology is changing at a rapid pace and instead of worry about people using one or two different browsers to access this site, there are six or seven browsers in common use with multiple versions, not to mention the millions of mobile devices! My effort is to keep all of you connected and interested in what I am presenting.

4/15/13 - A couple of items for today's update, one fun to share and the first very disturbing. I just received a listing if train models missing from the Chi-Town Union Station layout in Commerce, Michigan. This is the fabulous layout operated by Paul Gribbell. Please check the List of Models in questions, keep an eye out for them and contact Paul directly with any information regarding this situation.

Next, I just received some photos of three of our N&W caboose models that were weathered by Lee Turner here in Michigan. The quality of the work and the photography also done by Lee is incredibly realistic. The attention to the individual weathering details that make each model unique is truly an art form!

Above is one of our C2-1 steel cabooses and below is a C2-2.

The third caboose below is a C2-3.

4/03/13 - During a review of the the statistical data from this web site, I've noticed an ever increasing number of visitors that are accessing the site using a mobile device of one type or another, typically a 'smart-phone' or tablet. With that in mind, I have added a 'mobile' homepage to the site where users of mobile devices will automatically be routed if the screen size on their device is less than 800px wide. The modified page still provides full access, but it does it in a way that provides easier viewing of the links to subsequent pages. After testing the site with multiple devices, it seems that most every other original page works as expected and is totally functional, although visitors do have to zoom in a bit if they have old eyes like mine. As I determine a need for further modified pages I will add them to make mobile life easier. Any suggestions in this regard would be appreciated. I'm afraid that this site has grown to such proportions that building a complete new mobile version is not practical. The updating process for one site is a true hand-full!

All of our current projects are moving along nicely at this point and the UP Challenger in particular in nearing completion at the end of this month. More information on all current projects will be posted over the course of the next couple of days, be sure to check out the individual project sites for more information.

2/22/13 - The listing for the Samhongsa gauge-one AC-12 mentioned on 1/23/13 is now complete. Visit the dedicated page at the following link or from the Roundhouse page on this site.

2/21/13 - With another visit to Korea complete and great progress being made on all fronts, I'll be posting updates to all of currently active project sites in short order. Our Challenger project is nearing completion and all of our rolling stock projects are now progressing nicely. I am most excited about the new approach being taken with the rolling stock production, because it will lead to a longer term of viability for building brass models in Korea which is certainly my goal. Be sure to check all of the individual project sites for the latest news on each project.

The listing for the Samhongsa gauge-one AC-12 sale will also be complete later today, so if that is of interest to you, be sure to check back on our 'Roundhouse' page for the details.

2/03/13 - Just a brief update to revisit the subject of browser settings for the best viewing of the Kohs & Company site as well as many others. Quite often I hear from web site visitors that they are not seeing any new updates or specific information on a page that has been referenced elsewhere. The most common reason for this is that the web browser being used is viewing old or outdated saved pages that result from bookmarking links. If your browser is not set to either empty the history cache whenever you exit the browser or to check for updated pages whenever a bookmark is viewed, chances are that you will be viewing old data and will miss new information.

If you are uncertain of how to make the recommended settings let me know and I'll be happy to help you with the changes. The necessary settings are different for each of the browsers that are commonly used.

1/23/13 - The model mentioned in the 1/14 post is shown below. This is the first in a series of photos that will be posted on a dedicated page offering the model for sale. The cab-forward has been a long-time favorite of mine and this is the best miniature replication produced to date, many would argue the best model period that Samhongsa ever produced. Stay tuned for more details very soon.

1/14/13 - The new year is starting out on a very busy pace after only a short time to enjoy the holidays. Everyone involved with our projects is pushing very hard to make great progress and to get the new projects under way. Much of this progress will be reflected in the upcoming web updates.

I also wanted to mention that I will be offering a very special opportunity for serious model collectors. In the very near future I'll be posting information regarding the sale of a very desirable model. Many of you are probably aware that Samhongsa in their heyday, produced a gauge one 1:32 scale Southern Pacific AC-12 cab-forward, this was arguably the most desirable of all Samhongsa models and certainly their best effort in large scale modeling. I have only seen one of these models available for sale in the secondary market since they were originally offered for sale. Quite frankly this was the driving force for Kohs & Company to pursue the production of a large scale cab-forward in addition to our O scale offering. This particular model that will be offered for sale was the personal model of the most senior executive responsible for Samhongsa's train operations. I personally saw this cab-forward on display in the executive offices during my last visit to the company just prior to the end of the model train operations.

I'll be posting more information regarding the model and the sale when I have the photos ready for posting. I should add that my involvement in the sale is not a matter of financial enrichment on my part, the proceeds will serve a very worthy purpose. When I have more information available it will be noted on this page and there will be a link to a dedicated page for this effort.

More news very soon!

1/01/13 - Wishing one and all a Happy New Year! It has been an eventful year at Kohs & Company, some good and some bad as many of you know. A special thank you to all of our clients for your patience as we have worked through some difficult issues, but happily, we are headed in the right direction again and are very excited about the future. I look forward to wrapping up are existing projects and pushing forward on new projects, some already announced and some not.

Many have been talking about a decline in the model railroading hobby, but the interest in what Kohs & Company is working on seems to keep growing despite the negative projections. In 2012 there were more than a quarter of a million visits to this web site and the number of unique visitors has grown every year since we started, all things considered, I am very thankful!

As we head into the new year, I look forward to hearing more of your suggestions and hopes for current and future projects. Again, Happy New Year!!