Availability: The reservation process for this project has begun. If you have an interest in reserving an N5/N5b model, please contact us directly first to confirm availability. We will be happy to forward a package of literature upon your request. The project literature is also available for download on our Project Download page.

Price: $565 without antenna / $585 with antenna

Versions Offered: 24

Production Quantity: 250

12/20/11 - Just a brief update regarding the first production models for this project. The first production models should be complete and on their way to my shop based on the schedule arranged during my last visit to Korea in late October. I am still awaiting word of the scheduled arrival of the first group and will post photos as soon as the models arrive.

11/12/11 - As many reservation holders now know, your most recent payment have been processed since the final stage of our N5 production is finally progressing. The photos below were taken of the production in Korea and I will also be posting many photos of the completed models as time allows for the effort of shooting and processing the photos for this project site. I know and understand that many modelers have been anxious to see the N5's in color so the photos below will provide a taste of what is coming very soon.

The production will be proceeding as it was previously described in the last written update and I am trying very hard to coordinate the completion in a logical order of who paid first. I'll describe in future updates the new difficulties of producing brass models, but there is more timely information to provide in the meantime.

Shown above is a group of painted bodies being processed as a group as I described in my last written update. So far this approach seems to be resolving many of the issues previously experienced with all of our mass production efforts.

Shown below is the same group of bodies now organized with all of the major components that belong with each individual model based on version. This provides an opportunity for multiple individuals to verify that the correct components are being used prior to being actually assembled. With twenty-five different versions now available, it really is a time consuming process trying to make sure that the correct components and details are used on each model.

Shown in the photo below are three models nearing completion of the final assembly. You may notice that the model in the middle is one of the 'Express' version cabin cars that have created so much interest in this project.

The model shown below is one of the early N5b variations with the early paint scheme. You can see that the level of detail included on the underbody is commensurate with what has become routinely expected of our models.

Shown below is the complete interior detail included in our N5 project. Once again we are using real laser cut wood flooring and full interior and exterior lighting which is powered by a regulated circuit provided by Dallee Electronics which provides the most reliable electronics available. You may be wondering what the high-tech tooth picks are being used for; they are holding the exterior end doors slightly open during the drying process so there is no binding or stuck doors.

Below are two early versions of the N5 underbody, the one on the left is an 'Express' version which is determined by the inclusion of the plumbing for the steam heat radiators on the interior and the train steam line. As usual, we are providing complete brake, structural and piping detail on these models.

In the final photo, you can see two N5's w/collision posts, the model in the middle is a later 'Express' version, while the model on the right is a standard N5 w/cp. I have to mention that the fantastic graphics that we have for these models were again developed by Nick Seman who is the guru of PRR reference and design. Correct graphics can either make or break a project and I have always been able to rely on Nick for the best and most reliable information possible. This again is an example of the 'team' effort and the 'we' that I often refer to in talking about the models that Kohs & Company produces.

8/10/11 - I will be mailing out an update to all reservation holders soon and I will post exactly what day it goes out so there is no extra concern created about updates lost in the mail. Also, there has been a lot of concern about the fact that I have not processed the final payments that have been received to this point, that has been intentional, I have been waiting to get a bit closer to the actual delivery. If you are concerned, I will be happy to verify receipt, just let me know. I will assure you that the arrival dates of all payments have been duly noted to make certain that delivery happens in a fair manner.

629/11 - I have been made aware of the fact that several reservation holders never received their final notices, particularly overseas. The USPS has become less reliable than ever despite the fact that the rates have gone through the roof for the types of mailings we do. If you are a reservation holder that has not received your final notice for this project, please let me know immediately so I can get the information to you.

I expect to be posting photos of the first painted production samples shortly. Quality photos are always a matter of either shipping the samples from Korea or doing the photography during the next visit so as not to interrupt the work in progress. The first samples are used to establish the benchmark for the project, in other words, they represent the minimum standards by which the entire production is judged. Whichever way will expedite the photos will be done, because I know that everyone is anxious to see the results of our prolonged efforts.

4/20/11 - Reservation holders for this project should now be aware that final notices are going out, the way in which I receive the responses will determine the order in which the final finishing of the models will proceed. As described previously, we are going to try a new approach to the final processes that will have us finishing and shipping the full production order in smaller batches. This new process will hopefully not only expedite the completion, but will increase the quality of each model by allowing full attention to smaller numbers of models at a time.

There have been a number of recent inquiries about model availability, there are models still available for reservation, but I again recommend that you contact me before ordering to verify particular version availability. When the first model arrives and is seen by customers, the remainder of the production will sell out very quickly despite the number of versions that we are producing. I have tried to avoid what happened with the N5c project by increasing the production quantity, but our sales are far ahead of where they were at this same point with the N5c project, so we'll have to see what happens.

2/14/11 - Just a confirmation that the write update for reservation holders is in the mail and will hopefully arrive very soon. There have been continuing reports that mail service around the country has gotten worse instead of better, which I can confirm based on the lost checks and 'lost in action' pieces of mail that I have experienced. If you do not see the update in a reasonable amount of time, let me know and a new copy will be sent.

The project information page has also been updated to reflect the addition of the twenty-fourth model version which was in response to a special request. There is only one extra model being produced. The order/reservation form will soon be changed to reflect a change in status from accepting reservations with a deposit to accepting fully paid orders since we are getting very close to delivery.

1/25/11 - With my most recent inspection visit to Korea complete and the current status of our N5/N5b project assessed, a new printed update is going out to all reservation holders. In short, the project is near complete and will be wrapped up in short order, production samples will be available at upcoming shows and featured online in this project site. The patients of all that have ordered will be duly rewarded with our finest rolling stock project to date. Reservation holders should expect see their updates in the mail next week. Final payment notices will be going out near term to allow for processing and shipping organization prior to the arrival of the models. Further details will be provided in the postal mail update.

One final closing note; more than one reservation holder has suggested that I raise the price on any models that remain available for purchase without reservation once the project is delivered. Although such a plan would potentially affect only a very small portion of any production to date, I have to say that I understand the rational behind their suggestion, but more consideration has to be given to all the ramifications involved in such a decision. If you are a reservation holder, let me know what you think.

1/14/11 - A new printed project update will be going out to reservation holders immediately following the upcoming trip to Korea. We are getting close to completion and I hope to have good news for the update. Stay tuned!

7/31/10 - I need to advise that a printed update is in process for all reservation holders for the N5/N5b project. The update is long overdue, but it will bring you up to speed on where we stand with the project. As with the Union Pacific Challenger project, I have fallen behind on sending confirmation letters to new clients as a result of travel commitments for production and research purposes. I will have my paperwork caught up by the end of this week. Along those same lines, if you are interested in reserving one or more of these models, please contact me directly first to confirm availability.

4/29/10 - As the paint work continues on our N5/N5b project, I have just received a request for a special version of this project. I am now working to include a Pennsylvania Reading Seashores Line version of the N5. This version is the basic freight-car red exterior with black roof, the PRSL markings and car number are white in color. If anyone else is interested in this particular version of the N5 please let me know right away and I will try to adjust what we are producing to include enough models to meet the requests. The photo below was fprwarded by the individual requesting the special version and I believe the photo was provided by the PRSL Historical Society.

3/21/10 - There have been numerous inquiries about whether or not I am considering using our newly proposed wheel standards on our N5/N5b project, in short, no it is not possible. This project is too far along in production at this point to make a change of this magnitude. If we do adopt the new Kohs & Company standard on subsequent models, new wheelsets will be made available on a 'cost' basis and they can be changed over very easily by owners. I will continue to update on this issue as the project proceeds.

2/21/10 - All of the detail sorting issues have been resolved at this point and the concentration is on completing the paint work so that the project can proceed to the final assembly phase. I have to repeat again that this will be our finest piece of rolling stock to date and that is a real accomplishment. My observation is based on exactly that, comparing the work currently being done with that on previous projects. To the credit of those actually doing the production work, new 'tricks' and techniques seemingly are developed with every project which leads to finer and more consistent results. I believe that disappointment will be in short supply when we get to the delivery of these models. Considering what models from our N5c production are reselling for, our N5/N5b project is a real bargain! With so many versions spread over the production quantity each version will be represented by a very small group of models.

12/08/09 - Although the progress on our PRR cabin car project has been very good, the number of versions that we are producing has been a hand-full to coordinate. Making certain that all of the appropriate detail is included with each version has required more personal attention than usual and as a result we have fallen short of our goal of having this project completed before the holidays. In fairness, I have to bear the burden of this situation, but I hope to have everything wrapped up after the first of the new year. The results of our builder's efforts will certainly make the short additional wait well worth while.

The exciting news for us is that this project is almost completely sold out! I have to thank those of you that have once again placed your faith in our modeling efforts by booking your reservations for this project. I am admittedly a bit behind sending out order confirmations for the most recent flood of orders, but I hope to have that paperwork caught up in the very near future, your patience is greatly appreciated!!

I'll be posting new photos to this project site as soon as I can get them processed for the web, it's always a matter of time or lack of same, but I'll get it done as soon as possible.

7/30/09 - While production is progressing smoothly, we have added two new versions to our project, an early PRR paint scheme and a Cumberland Valley Railroad paint scheme. There are only minor detail changes required, but the paint schemes offer some unique character with these versions. You can see the graphics arrangements for the two new versions by visiting the project information page and click on the two added version links, the first two on the list.

7/17/09 - The series of photos below shows that we are in the final stages of this project. Thousands of individual parts have been produced and the very difficult part is to keep them all separated according to version types, particularly with the 21 versions of this project. Once the individual sub-assemblies have been been built and separated, they must pre prepared for painting, again according to version. Typically one individual in the shop is assigned the task of learning each version in detail and then being responsible for organizing the components as they move through the production process. With the volume of pieces involved, it is easy to understand how mistakes can happen and amazing that they are most often avoided. The production process had been held up by my absence, because I routinely inspect major assemblies at each step of the process, particularly before they are painted. Happily the routine has been reestablished and we are moving toward the completion of the project.

5/18/09 - We have updated our project information page for this project and it now includes links to graphics layout illustration pages showing each of the twenty-one versions we are producing. More development photos will be posted shortly.

4/20/09 - Although it had not been our routine practice to issue printed updates regarding our rolling stock projects, that is what we are in the process of doing for our N5/N5b project as a result of our prolonged distraction from our regular online updates. All of our reservation holders for this project will receive a printed update by postal mail so that everyone, including those without Internet access, will know exactly where we stand with this project. We hope to have this new printed update in the mail within the next 7-10 days during which time we will also be updating this project web site.

10/04/08 - We have spoken very often over the years of the unique modeling opportunities that each project we undertake offers and we again highlight that situation. While the N5/N5b cabin cars are very similar in design and construction to the N5c class cars, there is one very distinct difference which at first glance seems less than important until you consider the modeling implications. Shown below is a sample of the N5b cupola with functional cupola window sashes. Offering opening sashes seems easy enough when you consider interior mounted sashes and not many builders/importers have even offered those, but when you consider exterior mounted sashes, it's a whole different story especially when trying to maintain the scale of detail. We have worked with our builder Mr. Sin to develop what you see and it not only offers functional features, it contributes to the very exacting scale appearance that we always seek. At the outset we were not certain that this feature could be achieved without distorting the overall character of the models, needless to say we are very happy with what has resulted from our mutual efforts. Often times critics consider it am obsession that every door or window must open or that every detail that should be function actually is, they miss the larger point, the resulting character of the model that is achieved through the effort and the enhanced level of detail functional or otherwise. In the end, will the N5/N5b project cars be better models than the N5c cars? The circumstances and characteristics of the prototype force us to raise the modeling bar to be consistent with our goals so yes, the N5/N5b models will be finer examples of the modeling art. We hope to add more develop and construction detail information in the very near future as time allows. Please check back often!

9/28/08 - We have just reviewed the latest work on this project in Korea and it is outstanding to put it mildly. As popular as our N5c project was, it does not measure up to what Mr. Sin our builder is doing with our N5/N5b project. We'll be posting new photos shortly, but one of the most outstanding features is the operating cupola window sashes, the O scale hobby has not seen detail like this, the finest N5 scale model to date happens to be in 1/32 scale and it does not offer this feature. Stay tuned for more information.

7/14/08 - The project brochures and order forms are finally in the mail to all existing customers, if you are an existing customer you will be receiving the information shortly along with the Union Pacific Challenger information. If you are interested in this project and are not an existing customer, please make sure we are aware of your interest so we can get the project information to you while there are models available. Further details will be offered shortly.

12/14/07 - We have posted new photos of the project sample models on the project home page and information page and we are very close to starting the reservation process. The project is running ahead of where we are in terms of informing our customer base regarding the project because we have been so consumed with delivering new models that have recently been completed. We will be making every effort to catch up with the offering and if you are interested in the project be advised that the offering will be forthcoming. This again is a very complex project in terns of versions and variations and we are offering three different truck styles based on period information. Mr. Sin our builder of rolling stock has been doing a fabulous job with our projects and he has demonstrated what can be accomplished with a cohesive effort between builder and importer. We will be posting many detail photos as time allows, but we are still concentrating on model delivery, we'll take a break every once in a while to update things on the web so stay tuned.

8/17/07 - You have probably noticed that we have included in this project site the first photos of our first sample models for this project, please keep in mind that the photos do not represent complete and corrected models. We will have the finished samples in hand very shortly and will be posting an extensive array of photos showing three of the basic versions: an as-built N5, an N5 w/collision posts and an N5b w/antennas. The formal offering for this project will be mailed in approximately two weeks and we again caution based on our previous experience with our N5c project. that the most desirable versions will sell very quickly and it is a first come first serve situation starting with our existing clients. The variations that will be produced are listed in a document currently available from the download page, it is titled N5/N5b Production Variations. As good as our N5c project was, we have again broken new ground with our N5/N5b project and you will begin to see that detail reflected in the forthcoming photos. We will also be posting a series of construction photos which seem to be very popular with customers and general modelers alike. Stay tuned for much more information to come!

7/12/07 - We have posted a listing of the proposed production variations for this project and it is available for download from the Project Downloadable Files page. You will see that it is an extensive offering, but with a total production quantity relatively low each variation is going to be a very limited offering, some variations will have as few as four (4) models produced. There were additional variation possibilities that we had to rule out at least initially, but if there is something that we missed and there appears to be a significant interest we still have time to adjust our plans. This promises to be one of the most interesting projects that we have undertaken.

6/28/07 - Plans for our upcoming N5/N5b project have been further 'fleshed' out and it has been a difficult task making the decisions required regarding the versions to produce. We will be posting the official offering in the coming days. but just to give you an idea of where we are headed, we will produce versions ranging in service period from approximately 1930 all the way up to the mid 60's. We will build standard N5's, N5's with collision posts and of course N5b's. There will be variations with and without antennas, there will be 'Express Rider' variations in a couple of different time periods, there will be a limited 'Futura' variation and as we did with the N5c, there will be a 'Buy War Bonds' version. The versions selected will include the use of three different trucks to make the models exactly 'period' correct. The first samples will be delivered to us in approximately three weeks and leading up to that time the initial reservation information will be going out to existing customers. After we completed the N5c project and the models were delivered there was an extreme amount of complaining about not being able to buy the specific variations that individuals wanted, we will remind everyone again that the process is a first-come-first-serve proposition, first among existing customers and then the balance of individuals that have expressed an interest in the project. The only way to be certain to get what you really desire is to place an advanced reservation with us. We have seen the most desired versions of our N5c project fetch as much as $750 in the secondary market and that situation is not likely to improve. The quality of the work our new builder is doing with our rolling stock is the finest we have seen anywhere, the N&W cabooses and PRR G22b models that we will be delivery shortly will certainly set the stage for our N5/N5b project if the N5c did not already.

1/14/07 - We have posted drawings on this project site that represent the basic versions that we are producing. There will be variations in design and several variations based on period markings. The basic design is complete and sample parts are in the works as of this writing, so sample models are not far off. Some decisions regarding version have not been made as yet, for example, we are producing an N5b, but we have not yet decided if we will do an N5 with collision posts. You may be scratching your head or you may realize that there is a difference between these two cabin cars. We are also looking at producing an 'Express Service' version of the N5b, if there are specific versions that you would like to see done there is still time to let us know, but please do it very soon.

6/29/06 - Just a brief update to advise that the N5/N5b project is being expanded to encompass some special versions that were based on this cabin car class. Further details will be forthcoming in the very near future as we continue to develop and design this project.

12/25/05 - With new production capacity commitments in place, our N5/N5b project will be pushing forward in the coming months. We anticipate making the official offering and starting the reservation process early in the second quarter of 2006. More details will become available very quickly as we are actively planning the production at this time.