Dimi-Trains - 1103 - Maintenance of Way Equipment, North American, Transition Era - Undecorated - Repair Car

Specific Item Information: Trucks and couplers were not included with kit and all were undecorated.

Model Information: Dimi-Trains produced this in kit form without trucks and couplers. Tichy Train Group acquired this tooling.

Prototype History: The definition of "Maintenance of Way" is the upkeep and repair of a railroad's fixed property (as track and bridges). Railroads have always used specialized and modified rolling stock and motive power for this purpose. Types of equipment run the gamut from snow plows to ballast spreaders to cranes to dedicated passenger cars.

Some equipment is purpose built such as modern ballast spreaders, while other equipment can be modified from revenue generating equipment such as gondolas, boxcars and passenger cars. Usually the equipment is painted in distinctive patterns to clearly indicate that these cars and locomotives are not being used for revenue-generating service.

Road Name History: Although they may be molded in color, unpainted and unlettered, undecorated products are marketed to modelers who seek to custom decorate their models for private roads and/or road and/or company names that were not commercially produced by any of the major manufacturers.

Undecorated models are frequently also unassembled or only partially assembled and required modelers to be comfortable with glue, paint and sometimes solder in order to prepare their models for display. Materials for these models can vary but often include plastic, pewter and resin. Models may or may not come with decals or other decorations such as plastic signage, railings and ladders to enhance the appearance of the final product.

Brand/Importer Information: Dimi Trains is a n scale company that either is very small or doesn't exist anymore. I cant' find much information on them, but recall seeing ads in all my old Model Railroader magazines. Their toolings are currently being produced by Tichy Train Group.