Further to the earlier messages regarding the Lionheart loco and O14 I have news.
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O14 isn’t commercially viable – but then you knew that didn’t you?
For the loco's O14 wheelsets would have cost them ?25 a set for a minimum order of 100 with fitting not being straightforward
["Not for the faint hearted" is the public phrase, questionable parentage was used as the description on the phone]
The result is that Dapol/Lionheart won't be producing O14 wheelsets for the loco and will only produce O14 coach wheelsets to my order. In both loco and coaches it isnt as simple as pushing the wheels in a bit
John Clutterbuck, Richard Webster and I aren't happy with this state of affairs and I spent a long while on the phone with Richard this morning discussing ways forward. Samples of loco and parts are en route to me and there will be more conversations in the coming days.
The chances are that any solution to provide O14 will be available from me and not Lionheart and be a limited time/quantity thing but I am not prepared to give it up without a push.
I'll finish with two appeals and then add a final note
1/?? If you know of any O14 modellers who have ordered there loco other than from me suggest they get in touch so as to be included in any provision
2/?? If you've got ?3K and are prepared to buy a 100 O14 loco wheelsets please get in touch urgently
Many of you may have your models on order with me in which case you are already on my mailing list for this
My conversation with Richard revealed that this is very much his baby but that to produce it he is spending Dapols’ money and is subject to their oversight and that its not going to be a run away money spinner based on the presales. That view limits the expenditure on this project and will impact any future developments. This prompts my ?final thoughts which are no more than musings given that I am skint but if we want to demonstrate that there is a place for O14 perhaps the community should fund the wheelsets we need hence my rather tongue in cheek “anyone got three grand they don’t need”
Paul Martin
EDM Models
Paul Martin