One of the difficulties of this hobby is that you want stuff and don’t know if anybody makes it, or you need stuff and know somebody makes it but don’t know where to get it. Both the Walthers catalog and most hobby shops are not interested in stocking lots of parts and raw materials and other low turnover type stuff.
Today’s Trains.com new product announcement mentions catalog #16 from Crafsman Specialty Supply. This is the kind of catalog more model railroaders should know about. It’s just $3. I’m ordering mine today.
Ditto the Plastruct catalog – they make tons more stuff than you’ll ever see at their kiosk displays at the LHS. Actually in addition to the Plastruct catalog you really should get Dean Freytag’s Cyclopedia of Industrial Modeling, which is a sort of Plastruct catalog in and of itself, from a practical “what to do with it” standpoint. If you think you know everthing Plastruct makes you are very likely mistaken.
And more specific to HO parts and kits, the Bowser catalog is also a good one to pick up every now and then as a supplement to Walthers.
Just the thoughts of a hobby geezer …
Dave Nelson