Scenic Express is for sale

[wazzou]

From the Proto-Layouts Groups.io list...

If any of you are interested in changing careers, retiring from your 9-to-5 early, adding to an already estabished model railroad business, or acquiring a retirement business, Jim Elster would like to sell Scenic Express to a qualified individual. He has perhaps the best overseas connections already established for many scenery product lines and a lot of unique machinery for producing his own product lines. He moved the business to Colorado about five years ago with eventual retirement in mind.

Just FYI, SE had the best sales day ever on Saturday at the West Springfield, Mass., Amherst model train show last January, so the business is doing very well.

If you’re interested, contact Jim at customerservice@... or through his web site. Serious inquiries only, please.

Tony Koester

[mu26aeh]

We have a hell of a time keeping SuperTrees and their ballast in stock at the shop.  Guess now it will be even worse 

Hope someone jumps up and takes over.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Hope someone jumps up and takes over.

Be the change you want to see in the world

Seriously though, I really hope this all works out and they end up somewhere local again. From my recent clinic:

[learmoia]

Intermountain..... Factory Direct Trains?...   

God I hope not..

[flight2000]

Hope they can find a buyer that is capable of carrying on the business, unlike another Colorado based hobby shop that went the wrong direction after that retirement sale....   Anyone know how old the owners of N Scale Supply/Rocky Mountain Train Supply are.  That might be a good fit if they want to expand even further??

This thread triggered another large order as I have a lot of scenery to get through and I use most of their products.  Super Trees are also still on sale along with their Super Leaf material.   

I noticed they got a new shipment in of the Martin Welberg stuff as well, so that is at least a good sign for now.  That is some of the best scenery material that I've come across that is ready-to-plant out of the box.

Cheers,
Brian

[basementcalling]

Unless the new owner has similar connections to suppliers of many of the unique materials SE offers through the owner's European sources, I would expect the business to be less robust than under current management. This is an all too common tale in the hobby. Very often our best vendors are that because of the unique skills, talents, and knowledge of the owner, which cannot easily be replaced when they decide to sell.

[Chris333]

They make a bunch of stuff in the backroom. I remember they had garbage cans full of foam to grind up.

[peteski]

Unless the new owner has similar connections to suppliers of many of the unique materials SE offers through the owner's European sources, I would expect the business to be less robust than under current management.

Wouldn't the current owner pass those connections to the new owner, keeping the product lines going?

[mu26aeh]

I went and ordered a jug of ballast and 2 boxes of super trees.  $27 shipping.  It's no wonder our prices at the shop have gone up on their stuff since they moved to Colorado

[Chris333]

Shipping on super trees is high because it is a huge box. That is why I drove there once.

[mu26aeh]

The super big box is $49 shipping alone

[DirtyD79]

I got tree fiddy. Anybody else wanna chip in?

[Englewood]

I got tree fiddy. Anybody else wanna chip in?

I might have a little left over after I order the Santa Fe 4-8-4s and a Kato Surfliner set, but I doubt it. 🙄

[ai5629]

Does anyone have any suggestions for what size of trees works with an N scale layout?  I am looking at deciduous trees.  2-3 inches would seem to be appropriate, but any first hand knowledge would be appreciated.  Thank you.

Jeff

[wazzou]

Does anyone have any suggestions for what size of trees works with an N scale layout?  I am looking at deciduous trees.  2-3 inches would seem to be appropriate, but any first hand knowledge would be appreciated.  Thank you.

Jeff

This is only on a diorama but 2-3” is about the average of what’s here.
You’ll get taller ones as well.