11/03/23 - With my efforts to establish renewed production in South Korea well under way, the work on this project is resuming. I am very enthused about the fact that the builder that will be handling this project is very familiar with the prototype and has extensive design experience with it. The project updates will become more frequent as the planning takes shape.

2/12/23 - Please see the 2/12/23 update on the General News page of this website. Project specific updates will continue to be posted to the individual project sites. Many thanks for your interest!

4/19/21 - It has been quite some time since the last update on future locomotive projects, but I can tell you that is not as a result of a lack of activity related to the individual projects. When I last wrote about the Class 'A' we were finalizing the design work on the UP Big boy project which was an excruciating effort to get it 'right'. Since then, we have had the arrival of the COVID virus which captured our collective attention and talk about future projects seemed like a questionable use of time. I am happy to report that I am more than just thinking about future projects at this point, there is active discussion and planning happening now that the COVID situation has become somewhat more manageable and goals can be set with the involvement of suppliers to move projects forward. Projects will certainly depend on the support of interested modelers and collectors to make them viable. While conversations have been ongoing with many of my faithful supporters and a surprising number of newly interested individuals, I'll be working to gain a better understanding of the level of support for my class 'A' and other specific projects.

Please do not hesitate to provide your individual feedback going forward, understanding the state of the hobby post COVID will be critical to setting and reaching our mutual goals!

12/19/18 - Expanding on my previous post below, with the Big Boy project in the production phase, all locomotive research efforts are now focused on the Class A. There is no way to adequately describe or explain what level of impact our new design and development approach has had on my projects going forward. Let it be said that all of the Class A material is being reviewed looking for the sort of detailing that has been added on the Big Boy. More complex construction is possible since many of the 'problems' can now be worked out in software rather than redoing hard parts multiple times which can only be pushed for so many times with a given project before the dreaded NO is heard and the 'atmosphere' turns negative due to increasing costs. In the future, when the project wraps up, I will be able to highlight for those interested in the process some of the extra things that were accomplished. I have to say that this really does put some of the real excitement back into a process that can be very tedious, hopefully some of that excitement can be conveyed along the way.

9/20/18 - Although a great deal of design work had been previously completed on the class 'A', based on what has been learned in the new approach being used for the production of the Big Boy project, the previous design work is being thoroughly reviewed and modified based on our latest findings. Again, the concept and plan is to be able to move directly from the finished 3D design package to the production prototype model with little or no design modification required prior to the mass production of the project. Creating the best models possible is the main goal, but keeping them as affordable as possible by eliminating waste is also a serious concern. Simply put, the latest technology allows me to more closely focus the incredible skills of the craftspeople that build my models, that increases quality and provides a degree of balance against ever increasing costs.

Stay tuned as we move forward with our 'A'!

8/05/18 - After a long hiatus and re-organizational efforts explained on the General News pages, the development process has begun to move forward again with more certainty about what we will be able to accomplish with this project. There has been little understanding by the peanut-gallery critics about what Kohs & Company has been up to in recent months, but knowing what my planning was leading to has made it very easy to ignore those uninformed individuals and look forward to even better results in the future for this and other projects. Stay tuned as we move forward with this very exciting project!

9/27/17 - This project has obviously been in a holding pattern for several months for the same reasons that have affected all of our projects. With the reorganization of our building plan that has been underway for a number of weeks, we are now evaluating the work that has been completed on this project with our new team and have an eye towards getting the scheduling in place to move forward with the actual production. Updates for this project should now resume at a regular pace, so be sure to check back frequently if the class A is of interest.

4/09/16 - I have heard some concerned expressed that our class A project is being overlooked, far from fact, the work has continued at a steady pace and only time has been lacking to keep the updates up to pace. With our latest rolling stock project complete, the focus of our efforts is fully shifting back to locomotive work. An extensive update for this project will be forthcoming very soon and there will be other important news regarding future Norfolk & Western projects as well. We will be talking about reservations again before long!

3/10/15 - As mentioned in the General News Update of this date, we will be having a gathering of interested modelers at the Chicago O Scale March Meet. This will be an opportunity to discuss the class A project and the new technology that we began introducing with our Challenger models and that will continue with our class A. If you're interested in this project, this will be a great opportunity to gather informally and have any questions you may have answered.

1/17/15 - We are now past the holiday season, but the work never stopped even during the holidays. We continue to make steady progress on the three locomotive projects that are currently under development including our class A. In the images below you'll see the latest work on the auxiliary tender for the class A, now nearly complete, it is a further example of how our new 3D build processes are being implemented.

With the first image captures from our 3D builds I was showing exactly what the construction looked like as it was created, complete with the assigned colors. Since the first releases, I've decided to remove the colors in an effort to minimize the amount of useful data that can be extracted and used by other importers and builders. As I have explained in other updates, the colors are not for aesthetic purposes, they have real purpose in the design and there is no point in sharing that portion of the data. What is important to a modeler interested in this and other projects that we are currently working on is the level of detail and the accuracy of the creation.

The overall images above and below provide a general overview of the nearly complete 3D construction. You'll notice that the finest of details have been included down to and including the chain links attaching the couple lift bar to the coupler locking pin. Unlike the 2D drawings that you have routinely seen presented throughout the project sites, these 3D images represent the exact geometry that will be used to build the first physical production sample model.

In the image below you can see how extensive the detail really is. Every feature that you see in the image, whether it is a bolt head or pipe attaching flange, will be present on the actual models.

12/23/14 - Progress continues on our Class A and further thought is being given to the versions being offered. With the number of tender versions and the various valve-gear arrangements in addition, I would like to further simplify the number of variations included in the production. Under consideration is deleting version #5 since it was such a unique variation in the overall history of the class. As I have said in the past, offering unique and interesting examples of original prototypes can be a very interesting aspect of any project. With current production pressures considered, I have to very seriously consider the pluses and minuses of the version planning. If this change would directly impact your interest in the project, by all means please let me know.

11/10/14 - The 2D drawings for the Class A project are complete and the next phase of the development has begun. Below is just a teaser, this is the beginning of the auxiliary tender 3D build. As I explained in the Big Boy project site, the colors shown in the build are significant, they're not for decoration. Each color represents a separate part and the color can indicate whether the part is a casting or a fabricated component. Additional image captures will be shared as the build continues.

10/28/14 - The 3D CAD work is progressing very well and I'll be sharing some image captures from the designs so that those interested will be able to see how the 2D and 3D designs compare. We've really come a long way from the days we spent hours feeding fax machines to share our daily design progress between Michigan and Korea!

A prototype image of an A-tank that represents the variation that we are building for our class 'A' have been added to the Auxiliary Tender page so you can see the difference between the new version and the one that was produced for our 'Y' series locomotives.

9/18/14 - Even though the production schedule for this project has changed, the development work goes on at full speed. Since a considerable amount of the design work was previously completed for our other N&W projects, primarily the tenders, the design work for this project was continued working in our customary 2D CAD environment. The 2D design work has now been completed and we are moving on to the next phase of the development process. As I have explained in the updates regarding the development of our Big Boy project, the early sample model is being replaced by a fully detailed 3D CAD solid model that will provide in more precise terms the fit, interferences and alignment of each and every part of the model. I will be sharing more information about this development approach as the project proceeds and will also present samples of the design work so you will be better able to understand what an advancement this represents in the development of our projects. The focus of this effort is to improve our models while cutting costs so that our pricing can stay as reasonable as possible.

7/22/14 - The road numbers that will be offered have been modified in the project information to reflect the results of our latest research involving the tenders used with the class A. Further information will be provided in due course regarding these changes.

7/17/14 - As we moved into the development of this project many months back, I was operating with the understanding from acknowledged Norfolk & Western experts that the tenders we had produced for our Y6a and Y6b projects would be applicable to our class A project. As it has turned out, that is not quite the situation at hand. Since it was decided not to do early model samples in an effort to cut costs so I could hold our pricing as low as possible, extra effort has been put into double checking the research and design work to eliminate any potential question marks before money was wasted on doing things wrong. As part of this process, all available published data, the contributions from the experts and more than seven hundred original drawing copies were reviewed to see if consistent conclusions were reached regarding major design aspects of the project.

Long story short, the review of recently acquired photos turned our tender data and research upside down. I had been told that there were four (4) tender variations that were used with the class A, including the original class B type used for the first build. As it has now turned out, there were actually six (6) variations used, the original class B and five other variations either rebuilt from older units or built new for the later production runs. Two of these variations were not referenced in the original drawings nor were they acknowledged in any of the books or articles written about the prototype. This is not a totally unique situation and I have been down this road before, but I mention it to reinforce how important it is to take the time to do thorough research and not rely on the work of others.

Even though many of our owners do not fully understand how much time, effort and money goes into project research, they have come to expect that we have done our homework so that our final product is as accurate as possible. I personally take this as a very serious responsibility and in large part, that is the greatest challenge routinely faced in developing a model project.

Adjustments are being made to our project offerings so that the versions we offer will be as correct as possible. I'll share more details about the tender variations in future updates.

7/14/14 - In case you have not seen the latest General News Update or the latest Union Pacific Big Boy project update, our class A project will now be delivered after our Union Pacific Big Boy. The development on this project will continue in parallel so that the delivery time will be minimized following the delivery of the Big Boy. The intent is not to jam any of our supporters with too many projects in a short period of time, but rather to finally reach a more consistent delivery time frame for our primary projects. More information will be provided near term regarding the anticipated delivery schedule for our class A.

In the mean time, the development continues and new information has just been acquired and reviewed that will lead to some changes in our planned tenders. It is well known that the tenders used with the class A's were also used with other classes of N&W steam power, but the latest data acquired provides for more changes from their alternate service configurations than had originally been realized. Some of these changes are very visual in nature and will be easily noticed in our revised tender GODs. Other changes are more functional in nature and would only be recognized in direct comparison, but as always, our goal is to get it as correct as possible in all regards. Revised tender GODs will be posted in the very near future and some of the other modifications will also be described in future updates.

Please check back regularly for the latest developmental and scheduling information!

5/23/14 - Following the most recent visit to Korea, the final preparations have been made to start the reservation process for our class A project. This promises to be our finest model yet, building on all we have learned from our previous projects. I want this model to reflect the true nature of the prototype which was certainly one of the 3-4 finest engineered steam locomotives ever built.

3/27/14 - Additional project information has been added along with some new prototype photos which have been cross referenced with our six different versions. The reservation information has begun to be processed and will be making it's way to existing customers near term. As has been our policy from the beginning, once existing customers have had a reasonable period to consider the project, anyone that has expressed interest will receive the same reservation information. If you are not an existing customers, make sure you let me know that you are interested so that I can include you in the mailing.

3/13/14 - The project site has been revamped a bit in order to coincide with the printed offering material that is going together now. Version numbers and specifics have been changed, so if you have a particular version in mind, be sure to check what the correct number is for that version. The official offering will begin going out in the next week so make sure your address information is up to date if you want to receive the mailing.

2/18/14 - As I prepare to launch the reservation process for our class A project, I have reduced the number of versions to select from. I did not feel that the three versions eliminated were historically significant enough to further complicate an already demanding project. The decision was in part made based on the feedback that I have received over the last several months. As I have explained recently with some of our other projects, as each project becomes more complicated as a result of the added features and detailing we are capable of producing, it makes sense to eliminate unnecessary 'clutter' in the production process.  By focusing on the crucial differences we can do a better job of representing a truly significant class of locomotives. If you are one that will miss one of the eliminated versions please let me know as soon as possible.

1/01/14 - Heading into the new year I am preparing the official offering our our class A project. Until now I have held back a bit while our Challenger project is being delivered, but since that is nearing completion, it's time to get moving on this project so we do not fall behind our schedule. This project will be delivered much quicker than previous projects since a great deal of the development is already complete. Check back for further updates in the coming days.

8/13/13 - The number of versions is now set with the addition of one more special version designated as #9. This version was added because of the significant development information that was generated by this version and the very interesting detailing this prototype variation offered. I am in the process of linking prototype photos to each listed version so you will be able to see what each of our versions looked like in service, at least the major characteristics. I will be updating the project specifications as well, to reflect the added features and modeling techniques that have been developed with our Challengers and that will be incorporated into the class A project.

Reservations will be starting very soon now that our UP Challengers are completed and on the way to be delivered.

4/22/13 - Just a brief update to let everyone that is interested know that the reservation information is being printed up now and will go out as soon as it is ready. I'll be using the many advances made with the Challenger as examples for where we will be heading technically with the class A. The Challenger is the most advanced model ever built and the class A will push that envelope even further! Stay tuned for the details.

2/11/13 - With our UP Challenger production in it's final stages, it's time to move ahead with the final planning and reservations for the class 'A'. Our pricing has been set and the versions are now being finalized, once they are set the reservation material will be printed and distributed to all existing customers. Anyone that has expressed interest will also receive the reservation offering. More details will be forthcoming very soon.

9/19/12 - It was previously mentioned that our new scale wheel technology developed for the UP Challenger project would be carried forward for use on our class 'A', but in fact we'll take the technology a step further. Not only will these models have the scale wheelsets, the gauging will be adjustable with presets for standard O scale as well as P48. There are additional advantages to adding this technology and they will be discussed as the project moves closer to production. It has taken a great deal of experimentation to come up with a system that would be reliable once set to gauge and still be easy enough for the average modeler to accomplish, but I am finally comfortable with what has been developed. I should add that I have already made application for patent production as I did for the adjustable wheelsets that will be used on our new rolling stock.

7/18/12 - It always seems to be an issue of best intentions being overruled by reality. Although the progress on the class 'A' has been moving steadily, there has not been any time for updating and promoting what is going on. With the Challenger project well in hand now, we are ready to make a major push on this project. The pricing is set and the first of the tenders have been completed.

With each project our development process evolves and again with this project, we are taking a slightly different approach. The technology used in the development is changing faster than we can digest in a lot of cases and we have to carefully target what approach is best for our purposes on a continual basis. The cost of every aspect of the production has escalated dramatically so in order to keep the models priced as a good value, we have to take advantage of every cost saving opportunity without compromising the project. As we continue moving forward I will explain more about our processes and will provide graphic illustrations for those interested in how the models come together. Hopefully from this point forward you will be seeing continual updates.

8/09/11 - Since early in this year, our production efforts for locomotives have been targeting our UP Challenger project trying to recover some of the time lost in previous months. We are now at a point where we can start moving more seriously towards getting our class A into production. With that in mind, our updates will increase in frequency as we get closer to starting the reservation process. In the time since the last update, I have received a number of new suggestions for this project which are being taken into serious consideration and some of those suggestions will be the subject of future updates.

1/25/11 - Just a brief update to advise that following my recent visit to Korea, the price and scheduling for our class 'A' project have been set. More detail will be provide moving forward with our next more extensive update.

11/21/10 - Our class A research and development is continuing, with most of that effort targeted at addressing inquiries and special requests that current or prospective customers have made regarding this project. A unique variation that has come up in discussion again is 1226 shown below, notice the cooling coils mounted on the fireman's side of the locomotive boiler, just above the running board. As a result of the additional interest, I am pursuing more detailed information that may lead to offering 1226 as another limited special version.

In doing our projects, rather than simply trying to duplicate a prototype as shown in photos, I prefer to base our models on a firm understanding of the railroad's intent and the relationship of the different variations to one another. As I have always said, I sincerely appreciate the feedback that I receive from my contacts. Many individuals are still surprised that I encourage customer feedback and actually respond to it personally. The process is time consuming, but it has made a real difference with our model projects.

9/23/10 - There has been a very exciting development regarding our class 'A' project which will likely affect all of the remaining N&W projects we anticipate producing. I have been contacted by the family of a retired N&W engineer that very recently passed away, they have offered to make available all of the photo scrapbooks and notes that their father had accumulated over the almost forty years of his carrier. I was very flattered by their offer and from what I have seen already, the information will prove to be invaluable. I look forward to sharing more information about this opportunity as I am given clearance to do so, I believe that a published volume may well result from the families efforts. This material in addition to the already accumulated data will likely make this project the most thoroughly researched to date.

3/21/10 - An additional subject of inquiry has come up with the class 'A' project, that being the inclusion of 'CTC' (Centralized Train Control) equipment on any of our model versions. That is an issue that I am researching currently and why I have not addressed further the subject of my last posting. If it is determined that 'CTC' equipment should be included, it would be good to target an existing version if possible in hopes of not creating a new one, much the same as I did with our Y6a and Y6b projects. Stay tuned for further developments as our otherwise simple project becomes more complex with every step!

3/01/10 - Based on looming support, I am reviewing the possibility of adding at least two addition versions to what has already been outlined for this project. First, I am considering the addition of a lagged smokebox version, just as with the Y6a and Y6b, there were a limited number of prototypes with this configuration. Secondly, there have been several inquiries asking about including an earlier version locomotive equipped with the Westinghouse aftercooler similar to our late series version #7 model. There are two other possibilities, but I will give them more serious consideration before mentioning them, stay tuned!

2/14/10 - The third tender version drawing has been added the the Tender Version page. If you compare the three tender versions, you can see how they transitioned from the first and earliest to the last and most modern version. The mid-version tender has a combination of design elements present on both the first and third versions. The changes can be attributed primarily to the advancement in build technology.

2/06/10 - Additional information has been added regarding the three tender versions to be included in our production. One drawing has not yet been finished, but it will be posted very soon. These three tenders represent an evolution in construction from rebuilds to freshly built new units, this provides a range of interesting and varied detail for each version of the project. It may be helpful in understanding the tender versions to refer to the model photos for our Y6a and Y6b projects, correlation for doing so is provided on the Tender Version page. Additional information will be posted very soon so keep checking back if this is a project of interest for you.

1/14/10 - It has been requested by one of our great supporters that I include photo dates for this project, so I will do this where ever possible. The obvious reason for dating the photos is to help in selecting a model for an appropriate time period, it also helps to document the development process of the prototype. The feedback is greatly appreciated, thanks Stephen!! More photos are in process and will be posted very soon.

1/13/10 - I have started adding more prototype photos that will help to illustrate the various versions that are to be included in our production. The photos may be accessed either from the Prototype Photo page or by clicking on the 'Prototype Photo' link associated with each version on the Project Information page. There are many more photos yet to be added.

1/09/10 - Our updates for this project have fallen way behind, but the project has not been sitting idol. The versions to be offered have been posted to the Project Information page and are available for your review. There will certainly be questions generated by our version selections and I will do my best to provide photographic and drawing reference on this project site to illustrate the differences between each version, these postings will begin very soon. The references listed on the Project Reference page are also a great source to help achieve a better understanding of this prototype class, if you are in need of copies of these two books, the Norfolk & Western Historical Society is a great place to buy them and it helps to support the society which does a great job. Our updates will become more regular from this point forward as I prepare to officially launch the project, so if this is a project of interest, check back regularly.

10/12/08 - We have had several inquiries about the development of our class 'A' model, in particular how it will compare to the gauge one model also built by S.J. Models. Our project is a unique design from the railhead up, working from our own design reference package we rely only on our own research and quite frankly, we do not even look at previous models unless significant feedback so directs us.. The easiest way to avoid the mistakes of previous efforts is not to directly consider their results. The most common reason why you see so many like models being imported that have common mistakes is due to the fact that most importers supply samples of previously produced models to be used by their builders as a guide, we never have and never will.

10/09/08 - We are very happy to announce that the preliminary design work for our class 'A' project is complete. You will see small samples of the design scattered among the pages of this project site and we will be posting larger and more detailed drawings in the next couple of days. We are now working on the design of the various versions that are to be included in the production, as previously mentioned, there will be a unique 'A' tank for this locomotive. More detail will be forthcoming very soon.

9/10/08- We have begun posting prototype photos which will help explain the versions of this project that we will be offering. We will be producing only those locomotives that were rebuilt and equipped with modernized tenders or that we built new post World War II. We have not heard enough support to justify producing the class A's as originally built in the early 40's. We will be updating this project site more frequently as our design process moves quickly towards completion. If there is specific information that you would like to see about this prototype be sure to let us know.

6/02/08- The class 'A' project is now in the active design phase and the production schedule has been set. There will be four primary versions produced, all post-war variations including the rebuilds and new power. We will also be offering a new 'A' tank (auxiliary tender) and it will be a different version than the one produced for our Y6b project. The Norfolk & Western Historical Society archives lead by Jim Gillum has again been a tremendous help in providing the reference necessary to do justice to this prototype, we have several hundred copies of railroad drawings on hand for our design effort. We'll be making postings on a regular basis from this point forward as the project continues to develop.

7/06/07- The Norfolk & Western class 'A' is announced as an upcoming project to follow the Union Pacific Challenger into production. We are soliciting feedback now regarding which versions should be produced, certainly the last production order is in line for development and that is already underway, but we do not want to overlook the earlier versions if there is a demand and we believe there is, at least for the second production group. Please let your thoughts be heard on this issue before it is too late. In addition to the Class 'A' we will be producing two new versions of 'A' tanks (auxiliary tenders) versions different than the one we produced for our Y6a and Y6b models.