Dear Customer:

I will be closed from Saturday, July 23 to Sunday, July 31, 2016.  Because of this short notice, I will remain open for the month of August to finish up loose ends.

It has been a year since the “doors” at Custom Signals closed.  You have probably noticed that other Model Railroad businesses, such as Weaver, have also been closed.  Atlas just bought out BMLA closing their doors.  One of the problems is that many of the business owners are older and want to retire.  I am one who falls into that category.  I was hoping that the business would have been passed on and I would be retired by now, but it just didn’t work out.  I have met with potential buyers, but no success in selling the business.  None of the offers were enough to cover the total value of the company with the present inventory. 

So I will be reopening on February 1, 2016.  My hours will be Monday to Friday, 10AM to 5PM EST.  I will try to stay open for 6 months until July 31, 2016.  At that point with a reduced inventory and total value, the business will be much easier to sell as is.  

As model railroaders, we know that we have to purchase many items when they are offered.  The major manufacturers are now producing BTO (Built to Order) products that must be ordered and purchased at that time or they may never be available again.  This will be the time to invest in signals like the other BTO products.  Even if you are not ready, now is the time to invest in your signal system.   

I will be primarily selling off the stock.  If you have a layout design, I will have time to do a Signal Plan for your layout.  Signal Planning will take your layout design and show you where the signals should be placed and what model signal you should use in each location.  From that, you can determine the other accessories, such as plugs and couplers which you will need.  If you do not have a layout design, you will need to purchase enough signals and accessories to cover the size of the layout you intend to build.  I can also help you with that.  Any excess signals you purchase could be sold at a later date on line.

I will have limited time to do circuit board design or wire up circuit boards.  The Track Configuration Library (TCL) will still be available on line.  You can use it to do your own circuit design.  I can help you with that. 

I will also not have the time or ability for installations.  My knees are not what they used to be and getting up and down is very difficult.  I have worked with model railroad builders who could do this part of the installation for you.  If you need references, let me know.

I also may not have time for custom work.  I will wait to see how things go as time progresses.  I will also not be doing train shows. 

I am not changing any of the prices.  Most of these prices have been the same for many years and will remain so for the next six months.  If you wish to order products, send me an e-mail of what you want and I will send you an invoice with a Paypal request for payment.  You can also print out the order form on the web site and send it in with a check.  Remember shipping and NYS residences add sales tax. 

Thank you for your patience.  I still get inquiries every day about signal sales so I thought this would be the way to go.  You should think of this as an open window where you can purchase the signal system you wanted on your layout.  I will most likely be selling the business in August, 2016 with a significantly reduced or depleted inventory.  Whoever purchases the business will have to adjust prices accordingly.

Following the sale of the business, I will probably be doing consulting work and writing a “how to” book on the signal system.  

Yours truly,

Terry Christopher

CUSTOM SIGNALS