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Post by riogrande on Jun 29, 2018 5:24:20 GMT -8
Apologies if I'm being lazy but Walthers site is horrible to search and find information. Anyone with better search skills, do you know the current expected delivery for the newest run of Walthers SW1200's announced last year? track.walthers.com/forms/April_2017_New_Product_Announcements.pdfIn the flyer they were listed as expected Jan 2018. Then moved to July 2018 and last I heard Jan 2019, a full year later.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2018 6:02:13 GMT -8
Thanks Jim for posting this. I did not know these were going to be rerun again. Just put in my request to DCCTrains for four undecorated models.
I see they will come with the option of both fuel tanks. I need the 930 gallon tanks for EJ&E units. It would be great if I could get some extra fuel tanks for the two undecs I have on my shelf now.
Brian
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Post by jonklein611 on Jun 29, 2018 6:03:32 GMT -8
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Post by riogrande on Jun 29, 2018 6:11:37 GMT -8
NP Brian.
Thanks John for the update - looks like they are close to the last expected delivery date I was aware of. Hopefully they will not be delayed much more.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2018 6:40:10 GMT -8
I just got a note that they are sold out too. No chance of getting any. Probably no chance of getting parts from Walthers so I'll just have to make fuel tanks for the ones I have.
Brian
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2018 7:09:56 GMT -8
Check with DCC trains. Walthers is going to run additional Undecs to meet demand. Rob was able to get me one of them for the CO&E 1147.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2018 8:06:57 GMT -8
Check with DCC trains. Walthers is going to run additional Undecs to meet demand. Rob was able to get me one of them for the CO&E 1147. That is the first shop I went to. Rob said they cannot get them anymore. You would think that if a company postpones their release for as long as they do would reopen the preorders to allow folks to get in on the release and also make allow the company to make more money. Oh well. I guess this is another one of those things I will not understand about manufacturers. Brian
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Post by jonklein611 on Jun 29, 2018 8:30:47 GMT -8
That is the first shop I went to. Rob said they cannot get them anymore. You would think that if a company postpones their release for as long as they do would reopen the preorders to allow folks to get in on the release and also make allow the company to make more money. Oh well. I guess this is another one of those things I will not understand about manufacturers. Brian My guess is the order is already locked in with the factory, and they've already ordered the raw materials for the run.
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Jun 29, 2018 8:36:43 GMT -8
Check with DCC trains. Walthers is going to run additional Undecs to meet demand. Rob was able to get me one of them for the CO&E 1147. That is the first shop I went to. Rob said they cannot get them anymore. You would think that if a company postpones their release for as long as they do would reopen the preorders to allow folks to get in on the release and also make allow the company to make more money. Oh well. I guess this is another one of those things I will not understand about manufacturers. Brian It's Walthers what else is there to say? To me at least Walthers operates on a different set of rules from other manufacturers. Their policy on parts is draconian and absurd, when compared to others. Not saying you have to stock fifty-five different horns, but parts for people that have breakage or for the custom builders. There dates for some releases are pretty good, but then something simple like an SW1200 seems like they are redesigning the wheel. One would think with a date into the next year that some extra production could be squeezed out. But, the factory may be so tight on time, that additional numbers are not an option. Walthers has X amount of time booked for the SW1200's and adding extra production would exceed the X amount of time. That I actually understand, but its instances like this where the hobby of model railroading really sucks. Still better than the days of blue box Athearn where nothing changed for years.
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Post by riogrande on Jun 29, 2018 8:55:58 GMT -8
One would think with a date into the next year that some extra production could be squeezed out. But, the factory may be so tight on time, that additional numbers are not an option. Walthers has X amount of time booked for the SW1200's and adding extra production would exceed the X amount of time. That I actually understand, but its instances like this where the hobby of model railroading really sucks. Still better than the days of blue box Athearn where nothing changed for years. From what I understand, most of the model train companies are pretty much are stuck with dealing with the factories in China, which are having issues of their own which are hitting production capacity pretty hard. There are a lot of products that might have already shipped and be in our hands otherwise. I expect this is why the Walthers delivery date on the SW1200's has gone from Jan 2018 to March 2018, to July 2018, to Jan 2019 and now to Feb 2019. Probably it will slip further until we eventually actually see those models ship to us. I suppose the only good news, at least for people like me, is that there has been so much nice product coming to market that, as usual, I can't keep up with it all. The delays let me catch up and buy things I didn't have funds for before. hah hah.
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Post by ambluco on Jun 29, 2018 10:30:17 GMT -8
They sent a letter out a few months ago explaining the date slip on several products for people who had pre-ordered. I have a handful on order. It affected a long list of products.
As for searching - you just type SW1200 in the search field and up comes the engines. Walthers always puts their stuff first. Click one and you can see the dates and if sold out.
MRH covered your laziness in the Reverse Running article for July.
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Post by andrewcastle on Jun 29, 2018 10:36:55 GMT -8
Brian, Check out KV Models, they are working on a kit for the 930 gallon fuel tank. kvmodels.com/emd-sw8-sw9-and-sw1200-proto-2000/KV’s parts are great, I just installed some on a SW1000. An email a week or two ago indicated the 930 gal fuel tanks are almost ready to go, there were some pictures on the KV Models Facebook page a while back. Andrew C
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Post by riogrande on Jun 29, 2018 11:08:04 GMT -8
amblucoRe: Walthers site search. Thanks, I guess it actually yields useful info. Maybe they improved it. My experiences with the new site have been pretty dismal so far. Re: MRH reverse running article, ok looked at it. No, I don't see the relevance to me, other than trolling.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2018 17:42:52 GMT -8
Brian, Check out KV Models, they are working on a kit for the 930 gallon fuel tank. kvmodels.com/emd-sw8-sw9-and-sw1200-proto-2000/KV’s parts are great, I just installed some on a SW1000. An email a week or two ago indicated the 930 gal fuel tanks are almost ready to go, there were some pictures on the KV Models Facebook page a while back. Andrew C I agree with Andrew. KV's stuff is superb. I will certainly look at the fuel tank, as the MP units needed them.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2018 5:57:27 GMT -8
Brian, Check out KV Models, they are working on a kit for the 930 gallon fuel tank. kvmodels.com/emd-sw8-sw9-and-sw1200-proto-2000/KV’s parts are great, I just installed some on a SW1000. An email a week or two ago indicated the 930 gal fuel tanks are almost ready to go, there were some pictures on the KV Models Facebook page a while back. Andrew C Andrew, Thanks for the heads up on this detail part. I'll give them a shout and see what the status of the fuel tank is. I like what KV has to offer. My only criticism of their parts is that they are etched in SS. In my etching experience, they would be much better in brass. SS has a lot of memory to it and when you etch it on one side, it wants to curl a little like any other etched metal. Brass is much easier to straighten out. I think the parts would be much better done in brass. I'll give them a try though. I do like what I see of them and trying a few parts would not hurt. Thanks again for the heads up. Brian
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Post by 12bridge on Jun 30, 2018 6:14:01 GMT -8
I have used quite a bit of the KV stuff so far, and nothing has even tried to curl one bit in my experience so far, even the larger stuff. But I do agree, I would have liked brass better.
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Post by cf7 on Jun 30, 2018 7:02:25 GMT -8
Crap like this is the reason I buy 90% of my stuff off eBay. If I want something now, I want it now. I don't pay much attention to new release ads, and I've only preordered a couple things...the most recent was about 6 years ago.
I refuse to play the game.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2018 6:38:04 GMT -8
You know, the old Proto units are really nice engines by themselves. Brian Banna is building his on Kato NW-2 drives. I am thinking about doing the same thing.
Use an NW-2 drive; Proto shell; KV models parts. I would need to adapt the Athearn roller bearing side frames to the Kato trucks; but with only one engine desired; I'm considering this option. I already have the KV models parts for the hood detailing. I will certainly take a look at their fuel tank kit too.
Walthers can keep their new release.
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Post by riogrande on Jul 1, 2018 6:47:38 GMT -8
I remember a magzine review of the old LL Proto 2000 SW1200 and it was pretty much a stellar review all the way around. Body, shell, details and running qualities. But to my chagrin, I don't recall every seeing them to a D&RGW version or I'd have one already.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2018 6:59:11 GMT -8
They run very well...and had excellent can motors in them. In fact, NCE made a drop in decoder to replace their light board. I sold mine off a few years back in another Spring purge...and I wish I had kept it. But, had to raise funds to buy Blaine Bethlehem Quads...(BBQ)
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Post by riogrande on Jul 1, 2018 7:14:00 GMT -8
Hah hah, yes. I've been getting pretty brutal with my purges lately and will probably have a few regrets, but need to raise funds for stuff that is more to my focus, and a few things that are part of my Southern Pacific side passion. I never thought I would be able to build a BBQ train my self, but before they were sold out I managed to grab all numbers but one of the 3483 BBQ D&RGW quads (23 numbers or of the 24 total) and when I add those to 6 of the very first run, it's 29 car coal train - decent for a home layout. Some day Blaines predicessor Chris may run more Rio Grande and I can make it a bit longer!
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Post by John Sheridan on Jul 2, 2018 5:51:41 GMT -8
Hah hah, yes. I've been getting pretty brutal with my purges lately and will probably have a few regrets, but need to raise funds for stuff that is more to my focus, and a few things that are part of my Southern Pacific side passion. I never thought I would be able to build a BBQ train my self, but before they were sold out I managed to grab all numbers but one of the 3483 BBQ D&RGW quads (23 numbers or of the 24 total) and when I add those to 6 of the very first run, it's 29 car coal train - decent for a home layout. Some day Blaines predicessor Chris may run more Rio Grande and I can make it a bit longer! Walthers kicked the can from May 2018 to February 2019 on this project.
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Post by riogrande on Jul 2, 2018 6:01:51 GMT -8
Walthers kicked the can from May 2018 to February 2019 on this project. Sure, ok. Maybe Walthers kicked the can but does that explain the entire delay or part of it? Regardless, it's moot as I'll have to wait.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2018 7:40:15 GMT -8
It just would have been nice if Walthers would have reopened the pre-ordering deadline. But it is what it is and I'll have to try and find them on Ebay that will match the EJ&E SW's. It is easy to strip a decorated model. The more difficult part is finding the right ones to match the details on the EJ&E units.
I am in the same boat as you Jim. I have 23 of the 24 Exactrail BN quads. Just can't seem to find that last one. I am currently stripping 29 Tangent GN PS-3's and repainting to BN. So far I have 15 of the 29 repainted, but no decals yet. After I finish painting the next 14, all 29 cars will go through a clear coating session and then be ready for decals.
Brian
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Post by riogrande on Jul 2, 2018 7:56:44 GMT -8
The BN quads look really nice; looks like it's just the 1st three sold out. I didn't start purchasing the Rio Grandee 16,xxx series 1972 quads until the 1st 5 or 6 were sold out. Then one day then inventory show 1 each of most of them so I was able to back fill all but one leaving me with 23/24 numbers. Every now and then I'll see one or two come up for sale but not the number i need.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2018 10:12:54 GMT -8
Well...I'm getting my one unit...and I'm okay with waiting until Feb. It really helps me focus on things at hand...now. I don't have to scavenge parts and NW2's.
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Post by John Sheridan on Jul 3, 2018 4:03:46 GMT -8
Walthers kicked the can from May 2018 to February 2019 on this project. Sure, ok. Maybe Walthers kicked the can but does that explain the entire delay or part of it? Regardless, it's moot as I'll have to wait. I'm sure Walthers feels as if they do announce the "why" on the delay, there would be a firestorm of complaints. Better to keep quiet than deal with the issue. Likely, the main cause of delays is the factory cannot meet the deadline for production. Some projects can & do take more time, run into a technical glitch, or a forced redesign. If your manufacturer is at maximum capacity, the assembly line is going to pile-up. If a model is re-open for pre-orders this typically means that the minimums for production were not met & the project is placed on the back burner until the numbers are made. In other words - crap happens. Lastly every one of your "ready to run" models is hand-made by someone. If the model is complex, then it takes more time. Also, many workers who go home for Chinese New Year do not return & new people need to be trained on model assembly.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2018 4:11:53 GMT -8
If a model is re-open for pre-orders this typically means that the minimums for production were not met & the project is placed on the back burner until the numbers are made. In other words - crap happens. Yes. I understand that. I missed it and that is that. The one time I actually want something from Walthers. As you wrote. "crap happens". They will eventually show up on Ebay and I will get what I want then. No doubt about that. I'll keep a watchful eye on MB Klein too. Brian
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Post by riogrande on Jul 3, 2018 4:53:31 GMT -8
Sure, ok. Maybe Walthers kicked the can but does that explain the entire delay or part of it? Regardless, it's moot as I'll have to wait. I'm sure Walthers feels as if they do announce the "why" on the delay, there would be a firestorm of complaints. Better to keep quiet than deal with the issue. Likely, the main cause of delays is the factory cannot meet the deadline for production. Some projects can & do take more time, run into a technical glitch, or a forced redesign. If your manufacturer is at maximum capacity, the assembly line is going to pile-up. If a model is re-open for pre-orders this typically means that the minimums for production were not met & the project is placed on the back burner until the numbers are made. In other words - crap happens. Lastly every one of your "ready to run" models is hand-made by someone. If the model is complex, then it takes more time. Also, many workers who go home for Chinese New Year do not return & new people need to be trained on model assembly. Yep, yep, yep and yep. Edit, missed one. yep.
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Post by bn4180 on Jul 5, 2018 7:08:56 GMT -8
I'm with Tom Austin. I have plenty to do until the SWs get here. I can wait.
Tom Bacarella
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