Craftsman Manufacturers

It’s sometimes easy to forget just how good we have it in model railroading today, from the quality and detail of the trains themselves to all the accessories that breathe life in to our model rail scenes. After all, with no accessories, we’re all just playing with trains on plywood.

I was again reminded of this fact when I received an email last week from the folks over at Showcase Miniatures (one of our advertisers here at Raildig.com) announcing a new MOW product, their ballast regulator in N scale. My first thought was of course… amazing. At just under 3” in length, the detail, the look and feel of this piece is just that, amazing. It’s hard to look at a model like this and not appreciate just how good we now have it in model railroading.

I’m not sure if there’s a specific title for companies like Showcase Miniatures, do we call them small or mid-sized manufacturers, cottage industries or something else altogether? Personally, I like Craftsman Manufacturers because so many of the good accessories we’re seeing today really have heart poured in to their designs. To me, that’s why we build our model railroads and obsess over the details (come on, you know you do!), because model railroading is an amazingly personal journey and statement.

Craftsman Manufacturers of today make options available to us that were simply not possible just a few years ago and I have to tell you, I appreciate and support their efforts. Along this line, it’s also a great idea to drop an email to these manufacturers when something they produce catches your eye. Let them know if their offerings work for you, what you’d like to see in the future, etc. Most people in model railroading are very approachable and this is a great way to build relationships in the hobby.

Category: Blog