Well, it looks like we are in for another wintry storm!! This winter has brought us more snow than we have had in quite a few years. Oh well, at least it covers up the brown grass!!  I'm taking advantage of the day to photograph and upload pictures of all of our new pilots. It takes a while to get the photos uploaded - between only having dial-up internet access and having an insistent 4 month old little boy who loves his "Momma time"!!

Thank you to the people who contacted me with suggestions regarding the website (keep 'em coming!!!). One of the things that I am trying to do is provide enough information in the product title so that you will know more about the product without clicking on each individual product. Getting this website to where we want it to be is definitely a work in progress.  Sometimes I feel like there should be construction dust all over my computer screen from the changes that I make!! A lot of it is trial and error - please have patience with us - we will get it perfected one of these days!!  I told Christopher tonight that I can remember sitting in HTML programming class and wondering what an accountant would need that information for.  Well, now I know!

Another thing that we are working on for the website is an applicability list. Christopher truly tries his best to always be available to help with any applicability questions you may have, but alas, he has to sleep sometime and we both know what it is like to shop online. Well, I should say that I know what it is like to shop online - Christopher's too busy designing to do much shopping. Anyway, I know that when I go on a store's website I want easy access to the information I need and clear explanations on everything that I am interested in. We feel that that is just as important at Railflyer. We want to make sure that as many of our customer's questions are answered as easily as possible through the website. So, to that end, we are working diligently to be able to provide as much info as we possibly can. An applicability list is just the beginning. We have detailed instructions for our products in the works. More comprehensive descriptions of our products. Pictures of the Railflyer part, pictures of the prototype part, pictures of the built-up Railflyer part.  Therefore, the virtual construction dust.

As for the pictures, just a quick note: when you click on the product that you are interested in you will notice 1, 2, 3 underneath the photo. If you move your mouse over the numbers, additional photos will appear in the box. If you see a photo that you would like a larger image of, simply click on the photo and a larger one will open in your window. (Please note that some pop-up blockers will limit your access to the larger images.  Make sure that you have your pop-up blocker set to accept pop-ups from our website).

Anyway - gotta run for tonight. I hear a little boy rustling. Have a great night!

Wendy

Hi everyone!  I thought that since it's been almost 2 months since Christopher has had time to blog, that maybe I should write one today.  By now, many of our existing customers have probably received an email from "Wendy".  Well, I'm Wendy!!  :)  By training, I am an elementary teacher, with training/work experience in accounting.  I have previously worked for various companies in the USA and Canada, and now I am a full-time Momma to our sweet baby boy and full-time Manager, Operations for Railflyer.  I would have to say that my current professions are the hardest, most demanding jobs that I have ever held, but they are also the most rewarding responsibilities ever.  (Especially the Momma part!) 

I have been involved in Railflyer from it's beginnings when we were in NY, but since our son was born in October 2007, I have somehow become responsible for more things in the company.  My "official" title is Manager, Operations - which loosely translated means that I'm responsible for more things than I can list.  Let's do the Cliff Notes version - I'm your go-to person for any questions about invoices & shipments and  I always welcome suggestions about the website and our packaging.  You can contact me at wendy@railflyermodelprototypes.com with any questions/suggestions.  Now, I may not always have the answer, and although I now know what a GP 38-2 loco is, I can pretty well assure you that I haven't the foggiest idea what type of tread-plate you'd need or what version of steps.  That's where my incredibly talented husband, Christopher, comes into play.  He has an amazing talent for knowing what most types of locomotives need for detail parts off of the top of his head (and the ones he doesn't know - give him about 10 minutes and he can figure it out for you!!).  

So, as we start into 2008 (where did January go, anyway?!?!), I look forward to working more closely with you, our customers.  Since we redesigned our website in the Fall, we have been diligently working to get it where we want it to be - if you have any suggestions / concerns about the website, please let me know.  If you think there is something that needs to be fixed/addressed - website or otherwise - send me an email.  I have always liked to maintain an "open door" policy at my previous jobs and I would like that to continue in my work at Railflyer - so take advantage of that and let me know your thoughts about how we're doing.  I look forward to hearing from you!!

I would like to personally thank you for your continuing support in 2008.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Wendy

A couple of weeks have past since the last blog so here is an update.  Wendy, Terence and I are in Bangor, Maine for the weekend.  We took the weekend off with her parents to get away.  I went rail fanning with my father in law yesterday.  We drove up to a few northern Maine areas that are serviced by the Eastern Maine Railway (NBSR), Montreal, Maine & Atlantic (MMA), and Pan Am.  I have to say that the MMA is a first rate operation for rail fans.  I got to climb on the deck of an SD45 and measure some treads and also get the pilots photographed with dimensional references. 

This is our first trip since Terence was born two months ago and he has been a joy to travel with.  His Daddy has been able to get a few naps in as well which are very much needed.

Our Frame / Walkway Module and Fuel Tank projects were officially closed two weeks ago when I completed all of the pilot options for the initial release.  Everything is in production or in transit if not already here. 

We are renting a winterized cottage from one of Wendy’s family members and while not quite the size of most starter homes, it is bigger than the two bedroom apartment which we had in New York for 4 times the cost.  Anyway, the reason I mention this is we had a 53’ truck pull up the other week with our packaging supplies and it dwarfed our place.  Its kind of funny to think that if we were located in a suburb, what the neighbors would think of this scene and a bundle of foam on the from drive to big to fit into the entry of the home.  Out in the country, things are more laid back.

A lot of new tooling has been arriving.  This is excellent stuff and represents a significant investment of capital and design time on my end.  Also, this would not be possible without customers willing to support us and some dedicated modelers who are willing to risk termination by sending us photographs and dimensional data while on the job. 

Once things get cleared out, I have only 28 projects remaining that require some form of drafting and design, I will start our drives full time.  We already have some components of the hoods in progress.  A change in our GMDD NBM Bell means that we can release it this month and also jump start our Spartan Cabs in early 2008. 

We wish you all the best and thanks for the support.  With your help we are on to better and bigger things.

Christopher Howard

Railflyer Model Prototypes Inc.