2 questions: 1. Is it true the introduction of brass to North America was started by U.S. airline pilots on layovers in Japan after WW2 got unemployed jewelers to make brass models to sell back in the U.S.??? 2. Who designates new models of brass locos,do people submit ideas to importers for new models or do they do it on their own, where do the new models come from? and if a company makes a production run of say, 300, and they sell them all does this mean there is a market for more? the more they make may (may?) lower the price and they would sell a lot more engines-isn’t this called free enterprise? maybe General Motors should make limited runs of Buick Roadmasters and only make 1000 and sell them for big bucks, gee, maybe I’m on to something here!!!
Tatans,
I am not a brass expert, but I do know that the owner of Westside models, *** Truesdale, was an airline pilot for Pan Am when he started importing brass and did in fact do business while on layovers in Japan and later I believe in korea. There were others at the same time who were importing… PFM and United among others.
As to the rest of your questions I would say that the brass scene has always been a little convoluted with lots of ins and outs that are hard to follow from the outside. Ask any collector and they will talk for hours about the various aspects. I can also say that the brass market has changed quite a bit since the early days when *** started Westside models. I’m sure one of the brass experts that are on the forum can recommend a book on the subject.
I am not an expert here by any stretch of the imagination, but if you can find a copy of “The Brown Book of Brass Locomotives” 2nd edition 1994, there is lots of very interesting information in there. It is 11 years out of date now, but I still find myself running to it when I think i have found a desirable model.
I can’t say anything about the airline pilots side line business,but I have seen on a couple of the brass manufacturers websites that they sometimes have a heading or section asking customers for suggestions for models for possible production. So I would assume that they use that for marketing research in addition to requests from the importers/dealers for product plannig.
The “brass market” came into being in Japan in the years following the end of WWII, really closer to the early days of the Korean War. Soldiers on leave in Japan saw small brass RR specialty items like trains for sale in certain shops and asked if American locomotives (essentially one-offs) could be made. Given detailed drawings, the answer was yes, although many of the earliest models were very crude by today’s standards, and a few such shops grew well known by word-of-mouth to the GIs.
As some of these brass engines were brought home by GIs the idea of making a business out of this sort of thing surfaced quickly and several importers were soon active. The rest is history.
CNJ831