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Post by snootie3257 on Mar 1, 2019 5:34:44 GMT -8
I noticed this morning that the expected date on these are now showing October 28 2019. It figures! It seems to always happen when you save enough to get the ones you want then they don’t show. Oh well what can do? It’s not like I can’t find something else I need.
Steve
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Post by riogrande on Mar 1, 2019 5:40:14 GMT -8
So it seems: www.walthers.com/search/manufacturer-name/walthersmainline/show/30?match=AND&q=G85%0D%0AThat's quite a delay but par for the course with Walthers. It does give me a little more time to decipher which versions are good for late 70's D&RGW bridge route. I can't really afford anything else at the moment and have just enough saved up for my upcoming ScaleTrains pre-order of tunnel motors. So GA 85' Trailer Train and VTTX version I haven't been able to find photo's for so far so I'm wondering what dates they were active. |
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Post by stevewagner on Jul 10, 2019 11:21:03 GMT -8
Steve, Jim and anyone else interested,
I just noticed an e-mailed ad from Walthers (sent today, July 10) featuring the first photo of one of these models, in GTTX yellow. Clicking on the preorder button yields the listing of cars available, as yet all with only an "early design drawing" with no lettering on it as illustration. The blurb says that General American first produced the cars in 1959 and that they were a "mainstay" of intermodal service into the 1980's. If I'm interested at all -- the only plausible end-unloading track on my layout can't accommodate 89' cars but 85' cars may fit on it -- would be the earlier Trailer Train scheme on a "tuscan" car; one of the three in that scheme is already sold out at Walthers and the others are listed as "limited run".
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Post by riogrande on Jul 10, 2019 11:24:58 GMT -8
Thanks for the update. I must not be getting their emails.
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Post by stevewagner on Jul 10, 2019 11:26:33 GMT -8
Jim, I just now (3:26 p.m. EDT) corrected my post of a few minutes ago.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2019 11:48:20 GMT -8
I ordered four of them from Walthers. No need in paying $290 for one on eBay...when I can buy it for $30.
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Post by edwardsutorik on Jul 10, 2019 12:13:45 GMT -8
So GA 85' Trailer Train and VTTX version I haven't been able to find photo's for so far so I'm wondering what dates they were active. TTX's G85's were first delivered May of 1961, the last December 1965 (a G85A, really). Total was 2347. There were 2159 in April of 1980. Down to 525 July 1985. These are all as GTTX's. In July of 1985, TTX had 382 VTTX versions of the G85, all built from the GTTX. The number series to search for for photographs is 300000 to 302347. That is true for both GTTX and VTTX. And any other TTX reporting mark. I don't see any photos of G85's in GTTX over at rrpicturearchives, but there are three of VTTX G85's. The same holds true for railcarphotos. I found ONE GTTX over on Fallen Flags. And some VTTX. My impression is that the G85's weren't well-loved. And that they made better container cars than trailer flats. Because they weren't that common, I only ordered one of the brown and one of the yellow ones. And two VTTX. Thinkin' on it, I probably should have gotten 2 or 3 of the brown and the yellow. Ed |
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Post by sp8299 on Jul 10, 2019 13:24:29 GMT -8
So GA 85' Trailer Train and VTTX version I haven't been able to find photo's for so far so I'm wondering what dates they were active. TTX's G85's were first delivered May of 1961, the last December 1965 (a G85A, really). Total was 2347. There were 2159 in April of 1980. Down to 525 July 1985. These are all as GTTX's. In July of 1985, TTX had 382 VTTX versions of the G85, all built from the GTTX. The number series to search for for photographs is 300000 to 302347. That is true for both GTTX and VTTX. And any other TTX reporting mark. I don't see any photos of G85's in GTTX over at rrpicturearchives, but there are three of VTTX G85's. The same holds true for railcarphotos. I found ONE GTTX over on Fallen Flags. And some VTTX. My impression is that the G85's weren't well-loved. And that they made better container cars than trailer flats. Because they weren't that common, I only ordered one of the brown and one of the yellow ones. And two VTTX. Thinkin' on it, I probably should have gotten 2 or 3 of the brown and the yellow. Ed From my understanding, the unique collapsible hitches they had were a PITA operationally and maintenance-wise, and didn't endear them to RR operating departments. That, and the eventual adoption of the 45' trailer in the late 70s, pretty much limited their usefulness in TOFC service, along with other 85' flats. But they definitely found a second life rebuilt as COFC-only VTTX cars, and for my operating locale and era, I need them. A bunch of them actually, since it wasn't uncommon to see a couple or more on stack trains on the Sunset Route coming or going to LA/LB. To that end, I did the same as joppasub and ordered direct several months ago to hopefully ensure I get what I want. If these are as popular as the 60' VTTX flats, you might see another feeding frenzy. |
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Post by simulatortrain on Jul 10, 2019 17:52:12 GMT -8
Has there been any discussion anywhere of what the PC cars are good for? TOFC or hospital cars?
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Post by riogrande on Jul 11, 2019 7:37:36 GMT -8
I ordered four of them from Walthers. No need in paying $290 for one on eBay...when I can buy it for $30. I haven't ordered directly from Walthers - do they charge you when they ship or how does it work? |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2019 10:12:11 GMT -8
I think they have ordering information at the bottom of their homepage. Seem to remember back orders and orders over $150 were free standard shipping.
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Post by edwardsutorik on Jul 11, 2019 10:59:12 GMT -8
You can call the order desk at Walthers at:
1-800-4TRAINS
They will be happy to inform you about shipping.
I do believe the free shipping is now for orders of $150 and over. And I think it used to be $100. And my recollection is that shipping on my orders for less than that hovered around $10.
Ed
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Post by riogrande on Jul 11, 2019 11:25:44 GMT -8
My question wasn't about shipping but do they charge you when you make the pre-order or when they ship?  |
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Post by el3672 on Jul 11, 2019 11:42:16 GMT -8
I reserved six of the GTTX cars this morning, Walthers will charge you when they ship, not before. They require
card info at the time you pre-order.
BTW, of the four Tuscan and four yellow GTTX numbers offered, as of this morning two numbers of each are sold out.
Like Joppasub mentioned above, its better to pre-order now and know they'll arrive at your door step as opposed
to missing out or deal with high ebay prices later on.
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Post by sp8299 on Jul 11, 2019 12:30:14 GMT -8
Like others mentioned, they don’t charge until the item is shipped. Also, one thing to watch for is G85 vs. G89. Most, if not all of those linked photos are the longer G89 cars, while WKW is doing the G85. Another sub-variant are the G85A/89A cars, which had a 4” wider deck. |
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Post by el3672 on Jul 11, 2019 16:45:00 GMT -8
Jim When I placed my Walthers order this morning,I went for the PP payment option and saw the additional fee. Not paying that, so back tracked and used a CC for the pre-order. Additional fees, excessive, hidden or not seem to be to more (not all)of the norm these days.... i.e. utility bills, hotel res.,banking fees, etc. Is PP now charging retailers more for their services? or Walthers just tacking on these fees? Heads up consumers.
Also the Walthers order I made didn't have the free ship option for over $150, I'll deal with them later on that, at this point, I just wanted an order confirmation.
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Post by riogrande on Jul 11, 2019 17:32:59 GMT -8
Jim When I placed my Walthers order this morning,I went for the PP payment option and saw the additional fee. Not paying that... Is PP now charging retailers more for their services? or Walthers just tacking on these fees? Heads up consumers. Could be. There was one guy, might have been someone selling the iPhone speakers for DCC sound, and he dropped PP as a seller when they started whack a fee on. I tried placing a Walthers G85 flatcar order that totalled more than $150 and also backed right out when I saw an additional fee using the OP option. I imagine many are doing the same. Screw that! Like you I went with the CC option. Preorder placed. |
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Post by riogrande on Jul 12, 2019 7:54:39 GMT -8
I called Walthers and was told they only do free shipping on "in-stock" orders, so looks like free shipping on the pre-ordered G85's is a no-go. The customer service person suggested I pre-order through a brick & mortar shop or joint the Walthers Yardmaster club.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2019 5:51:12 GMT -8
Jim When I placed my Walthers order this morning,I went for the PP payment option and saw the additional fee. Not paying that, so back tracked and used a CC for the pre-order. Additional fees, excessive, hidden or not seem to be to more (not all)of the norm these days.... i.e. utility bills, hotel res.,banking fees, etc. Is PP now charging retailers more for their services? or Walthers just tacking on these fees? Heads up consumers. Also the Walthers order I made didn't have the free ship option for over $150, I'll deal with them later on that, at this point, I just wanted an order confirmation. They must have changed that in the past couple of years...All back orders over $20 used to be free shipping. It was a great deal; really. I used to order all of my Walthers' buildings when they were announced...and get them shipped to my door free. But, they couldn't sustain the free shipping...after all; things always go up. And, their current back order policy is set very reasonable, too; IMO. I just order with CC; and avoid the Pay Pal fee tack on...like others stated. Those G85's would be so much better without the huge molded on grabs...but those are getting shaved off. |
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Post by riogrande on Jul 13, 2019 6:09:16 GMT -8
I just order with CC and avoid the Pay Pal fee tack on...like others stated. That's what I ended up doing. CC. Ordered 2 tuscan TT, 1 yellow TT, 1 SP and 1 Santa Fe. Unfortunately they don't do free shipping on pre-orderes, even if over $150, which sucks; only in-stock orders, which so far I have never done. Anything worth getting is usually out of stock that I've searched for. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2019 6:36:10 GMT -8
Regardless, I think these cars are pretty nice looking. Yeah, they could be better. The easy fix would be to replace the molded grabs with dimples for wire grabs like they did on their initial "gold line" Bethlehem Steel 89' flats. Those were decent cars as well. These should be based on what I saw at Trainfest last November.
They looked really good and didn't really get alot of coverage. Since I've been back to modeling here of late...I have been much better at bringing my skills back up to par...so shaving the grabs off is more of a bother than a pain in the neck.
It's a rare car; and frankly, I'm surprised that we haven't seen it from someone else thus far. It will certainly liven up the consists across the country in HO scale TOFC ops.
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Post by Paul Cutler III on Jul 14, 2019 8:08:49 GMT -8
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Post by riogrande on Jul 14, 2019 8:13:45 GMT -8
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Post by wp8thsub on Jul 14, 2019 8:53:24 GMT -8
Tom, Why do you think the G85 grabs are molded on? I looked at the Walthers samples at the National Train Show on Friday. The grabs are definitely cast-on. The corner grabs at least have some space under them so they look free standing at a glance. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2019 19:32:33 GMT -8
Because I saw them in undec at Trainfest last year...and, I will say the paint jobs look sharp...Just wish they would revert back to the locating dimples for grabs...that way they can "produce" a model for both modelers who don't care about grabs...and the ones that do. Rob saw them up close and in paint...so he has the final say on that. I am glad to see the car none-the-less come to market in HO. It's another car that I though we'd never see in HO scale. |
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Post by riogrande on Jul 16, 2019 2:58:54 GMT -8
I just got a notice from Walthers "Your order number such and such for Customer such and such has been completed. Yet it shows for each G85 flat car Ordered 1, Shipped 0, Back Orered 1. Not being familiar with Walthers order system, does this just mean they are just acknowleging the order I placed 5 days ago?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2019 12:56:47 GMT -8
Yep.
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Post by edgecrusher on Jul 17, 2019 12:14:50 GMT -8
Does anyone know anything about the REA versions? Walthers is producing the Unithaul containers to go with them. I can't find a lot about them and prototype pics are very scarce from what I can find. I do know they were equipped with the extra lines needed to run in passenger trains and that they were leased to the REA, but that's about it. I pre ordered two of them and would like to see just how close they actually are to the prototypes.
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Post by edwardsutorik on Jul 17, 2019 13:19:28 GMT -8
There's this photo:  and this one (note location and date):  Seeing that last picture, I'm envisioning these pieces of equipment in New York-Chicago service. And possibly out a bit farther to other central locations. Because they had to be transloaded off the flats, they probably wouldn't have gone just anywhere. Ed |
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Post by el3672 on Jul 17, 2019 15:03:43 GMT -8
I also pre-ordered two of the REA flats and will get the matching containers for them.
These REA flats and containers were fairly common on the EL, especially on the daily New York-Chicago Atlantic/Pacific Express
during the '60,s. There's a great pic of two flats and REA unit-haul containers the Pacific Express pg.94-95 in the Morning Sun book,
Erie Lackawanna Through Passenger Service Volume 1, dated April 1, 1965.
Oh and that Yorkie Central SW-1 in ED's pic 2 is really sharp looking.
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