Warwick, RI, December 17, 2022

Dear Fellow Modelers and Friends,

I am pleased to announce that River Point Station has sold its tooling for our highly detailed line of HO-Vehicles, along with the applicable design work for those models, as well as the 3D designs for previously unproduced and unannounced models to Atlas Model Railroad Company, Inc., of Hillside, NJ. Atlas had previously also acquired the N-Scale vehicle line from RPS.

Atlas, founded in 1924, is a leading manufacturer in the model railroad business. I have every confidence that Atlas will maintain the highest level of accuracy and fidelity for which the RPS models have become known around the world. We look forward to the return of these popular models, as well as new, future releases.

As some of you are aware, we closed the RPS Division during the course of 2022. A variety of circumstances prevented me from dedicating the needed time to continue running RPS at the highest level. The development of models and their decorations involve a lot of time and dedication. Unfortunately, I had to make a difficult choice; fortunately, the acquisition of the tooling by Atlas provides the required continuity that I consider paramount going forward.

RPS will leave its Website up for the next few months as an archive resource. In the meantime, our onetime master distributor still has a modest selection of models available at attractive prices. Feel free to visit them at: https://rps-vehicles.myshopify.com.

At this time, the Elsdoerfer family and I take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support throughout the last 16-years. It has been our pleasure to provide you with these highly desirable vehicles. I’d like to extend special thanks to my family for supporting my passion, and also thank our fine suppliers, and my many friends, especially: John Reid, Trip Akin, Bob Johnson, Bill Cawthon, and countless others for their suggestions, feedback, ideas and patience.

In closing, we wish all of you an exciting future with the continuation by Atlas of the models. For further information, please visit: https://shop.atlasrr.com.

Best wishes for the Holidays!

Ronald Elsdoerfer

Warwick, RI, on February 1, 2022

Dear Friends and Fellow Modelers,

Rumors abound regarding the demise of RPS. Allow me to set the record straight: RPS is not out of business! However, due to a variety of circumstances outside of my control, RPS is currently dormant. Even before the coronavirus pandemic took hold, former President Trump’s threats of significant tariffs on Chinese-made products caused a ripple effect in the toy industry. The toy industry encompasses most hobby products, and the staggering tariff rates would have affected our ability to sell our fine products at reasonable prices.

Like you, I am also a modeler and consumer of hobby products. Since RPS’s founding in 2006, I have made every effort to keep prices on our products competitive while simultaneously providing the market with superior products. So, with crippling tariffs looming, I decided to temporarily throttle further manufacturing and product development.

Before we could reset, the pandemic came along. Initially it impacted manufacturing in China, which forced further delays. Next, we faced the supply-chain debacle which continues to this day. As this crises continued to evolve, Erik, my wonderful son—a brilliant engineer, beloved family man and loving father, and a trusted confidant—unexpectedly passed away a year ago. This was a devastating blow to our family and the family businesses.

Just prior to Erik’s death, I had already decided to sell the then-newly-developed N-Scale vehicle line. The line was sold to Atlas Model Railroad Company, and they will continue to produce models from our tooling with great care. Subsequent to Erik’s death, I felt that I had to further redefine our overall focus, and decided to sell the rest of the RPS product line. It has never been a question of funding, will, or commitment—it is all about time, or the lack of it.

Sadly, I don’t have enough time to do everything that needs to be done, let alone doing what I want to do. Choices are often very difficult! We are still negotiating the sale of RPS’s remaining tooling, engineering, designs, and other assets. At this time, I cannot provide further information to you. In any event, we seek a new owner with a commitment to product excellence and customer dialog. Our customer’s feedback made RPS successful, and such success can continue for the appropriate owner.

In the meantime, the assets have a clear title and are in safe hands. It is our hope that negotiations will be successful in the near future. At this time, we thank all of you for your encouragement and business over the years. We look forward to getting RPS’s products back on dealer shelves soon.

Stay well and safe!

Ronald Elsdoerfer

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