22/01/2024
An update from Division Point Inc....
“The Only Thing Constant is Change”
Photo courtesy of Brian Marsh
….a very smart little bald guy once said “The only thing constant is change“. He was, of course, correct! And so it is here at The Division Point Inc., 2024 will see some changes for the company. We will spawn another branch of The Division Point called “The Diesel Shop”. It will be dedicated to producing and selling the newest and most modern diesel engines now at work on the railroads around the world. That would include the SD70 and AC44 models and the most recent derivatives of those models.
Most of you know I’m a dinosaur and have little interest in anything without a caboose tied to the end of it. However, I will be getting some younger blood in the company in the form of my production manager and new partner, Dennis Bartholow of ELS Train Service. He and I will collaborate and run this “Branch” of The Division Point Inc. together. It will be social media heavy and direct only sales, or through what we are going to call “Value Added Dealers” (VAD). This means that the dealer will have to offer additional services to our customers or stock a certain number of our models to qualify. Dealers will work on very limited markups and we will set the retail prices on our website and also sell direct from that venue. I hope to provide the dealers additional revenue adding to our offerings and getting the markup revenues from those outside vendors for the DCC Decoders, Speakers, and all of the other goods and services that won’t come on our models. What will come on our “Top of the Line” Brass Models?? A “Decoder Buddy”™ board with a plug in capable 21 pin connector, all of the lighting and details we can stuff into each model, an engineered speaker platform, a new or bullet proof EN-22 motor, and a tried and tested top of the line Ajin Gearbox and drive train assembly along with all of the bells and whistles you can expect from a premium Brass model. Of course, a built in collectability and an excellent resale price will come with each limited and numbered model.
Our main thrust for this change is to offer you the customer or if you’re a dealer, your customers, a top of the line Brass handcrafted model at a price that is not going to get you divorced! As I have from the day I opened The Division Point, I am building these models to be RUN! Sure you can display them….but RUN them! They deserve it! Like all Division Point models, they will run as good as they look.
We have planned to start with some of the hardest to find models (if they have even ever been done) by OMI from their last years in business. My builders have been with me over 20 years, and if you have any of the Division Point diesel models from the first FT series out there, you know how good they run. Not only do they run the best in the industry, but they are also highly collectable….to wit, each of our new series of modern diesels will be serial numbered pieces with an etched plaque on the engine and a number on the box. Right now the plan is to do at least several series of the SD’s or AC’s per year. We haven’t picked the exact models to start with yet, (; wink, wink ;) but all is in place to do this….”shortly”. We will also have the ability for you to order and pay or Layaway the models via a “Lay-Buys™” option right on our website. If you have a favorite Value Added Dealer, we are happy to work with them within our dealer policy. Deposits will be required of around $200 per reservation, and I’m working on a way for you (or your Value Added Dealer) to be able to pay in full and get a discount off the MSRP.
Here is the best news on this page. We plan to retail the first models (and others within the first year of production) for $1995.00 + tax and shipping. This will be a true “Plug and Play” model that only needs a decoder (of your choice) and a speaker to make it a work of art! Don’t want DCC?? No problem, the DC Plug supplied with the “Decoder Buddy”™ will get you the lights and the DC running you want…..just take it out of the box and you’re ready to go.
We’ll be telling you much more in the weeks to come. I’m looking for our first and maybe second offering in early 2024. We have been thinking about this quite a bit lately and we are ready to pull the trigger! Contact us [email protected] or [email protected] and let us know what you think ….or just give us your orders!
Product announcement……SOON!
Cheers from Jack and Dennis at The Division Point.
