|
|
Post by middledivision on Jan 26, 2019 12:38:52 GMT -8
On the plus side, they are very nice cars.
|
|
|
|
Post by simulatortrain on Jan 26, 2019 14:11:17 GMT -8
I checked a couple out at the LHS , and in terms of tooling, they're a nice product, grabs notwithstanding. Paint separation between yellow and black won't pass the 5 foot rule- and that's no exaggeration! The decks are molded on, which means I'll have to grab a VTTX from next run. Planning on making one of the brown B&O bulkhead cars, but something about the thickness of the decks is throwing me off.
|
|
|
|
Post by riogrande on Jan 26, 2019 16:45:58 GMT -8
These companies aren't like ... Ok whatever. I'm glad you are better at searching Walthers site than me. At least I know who to go to when I ain't finding things. 😜 |
|
|
|
Post by 12bridge on Jan 26, 2019 16:59:51 GMT -8
|
|
|
|
Post by thebessemerkid on Jan 26, 2019 17:00:52 GMT -8
I don’t even remember these being announced, their website has been such a pain in recent years that I try to avoid using it whenever possible, which is a real shame because the old one had a really handy search feature. I note that some of the paint scheme SKUs do not have the proper images attached. The Walthers "improved" website is a disaster. Used to be the BEST reference on the net for current and out of production stuff from all manufacturers (save Athearn and a handful of others). Then theu had ti fix what wasn't broken. It's been junk since implemented. Example: go and search Walthers under their "advanced search" www.walthers.com/advancedsearch/search/indexSee that drop down menu? The one that lets you only pick ONE mfg? Well there are 23 Walthers in there. Walthers, Walthers mainline, Walthers proto and on and on and on. When they implemented it, I called them. The millennial chick on the other end politely explained it was because I didn't understand how to use search and that I would learn if I used it. Yep. Customer problem. Never mind I was doing programming (on punch cards no less) before these kids were born. Nope. "I didn't know how search worked" For an eye-opener, search "cancelled". Don't even have to specify Walthers, yet oddly the cancelled projects seem to be all Walthers. Long time vendors have been discontinued by Walthers. Wonder if all that inventory plus a disaster of a website caused some financial hiccups? Plus they either order way to few of a product or way too many (Metroliners anyone?). There are darn few companies good enough to warrant pre-orders (and Tangent for example, who easily qualifies, doesn't use em). Yet we're expected to blindly pre-order Walthers product, which is generally overpriced at MSRP, with accuracy and quality all over the map. Anyway, the company seems sort of incoherent the last few years, which usually points to problems at the top. |
|
|
|
Post by riogrande on Jan 26, 2019 17:09:44 GMT -8
Thebessemmerkid,
I agree, the new improved Walthers site sucks. I used to use the old one alot. Since the new one, I almost never go there. It's aweful. BTW, my first Fortran IV class we used Holerith cards to submit our jobs via card reader. That was around 1978 at Cal State University Sacramento.
Those photos above look nice.
|
|
|
|
Post by thebessemerkid on Jan 26, 2019 17:11:30 GMT -8
It does look nice: www.walthers.com/60-general-purpose-flatcar-ready-to-run-norfolk-southern-3$27.98 New! Out of Stock! Discontinued! Who's going to preorder a dozen of em if there's no idea if it's a Mainline home run or a dud? A coherently managed company would have "MORE ON ORDER" Instead it says "Discontinued" A preorder requires high-resolution pictures of a pilot/approval model. Not an illustration. Not a CAD rendering. Not a youtube of it running around the company display. I'll preorder undecs, only if they promise not to dip them in thick grey primer or assemble them (they did this with the snowplow, ever try to paint an assembled undec with nooks and crannies?) |
|
|
|
Post by fr8kar on Jan 26, 2019 17:34:33 GMT -8
The VTTX cars are lovely, but I could really use Trailer Train versions, not the TTX version.
|
|
|
|
Post by slowfreight on Jan 26, 2019 19:03:19 GMT -8
The VTTX cars are lovely, but I could really use Trailer Train versions, not the TTX version. But with such a botched release, how would you have known to preorder a pile of them to strip/repaint? And who dare hope that they'll run more when they didn't run enough the first time? |
|
|
|
Post by fr8kar on Jan 26, 2019 19:08:10 GMT -8
If I remember correctly, they were supposed to be delivered in June, and I looked for them then but didn't find them. I seem to remember at some point finding them on the Walthers website and not being able to figure out how to preorder them. I just gave up at that point. I've seen the preproduction model at a train show and it's a great, flexible design, so I'm excited to get my hands on some. Not excited enough to strip and paint them, though. Too many other big projects that need attention. So for any Walthers folks who are paying attention  Trailer Train, please!  |
|
|
|
Post by riogrande on Jan 26, 2019 19:11:32 GMT -8
Yes, Trailer Train please, for us unlucky sods who missed out this time. It's like they were vaporware. Poof.
|
|
|
|
Post by slowfreight on Jan 26, 2019 20:03:07 GMT -8
Check Trainworld. I couldn't get both numbers, but I'll have to renumber anyway.
|
|
|
|
Post by edwardsutorik on Jan 26, 2019 20:28:09 GMT -8
...and not being able to figure out how to preorder them. I just gave up at that point. I went so retro, and ordered them from my local shop. It's always worked. Ed |
|
|
|
Post by drolsen on Jan 26, 2019 21:10:52 GMT -8
The VTTX cars are lovely, but I could really use Trailer Train versions, not the TTX version. Ryan, if you search for “VTTX” on the Walthers website, the first thing is lists are four VTTX numbers in the Trailer Train scheme. Looks like they are due in April (for now). I’m not sure if this is a second run close on the heals of the first, or if their first run delivery got spread out over several months. I pretty much missed the boat on this run, so I’m going to keep an eye out for the next batch. Dave |
|
|
|
Post by riogrande on Jan 27, 2019 4:36:49 GMT -8
Check Trainworld. I couldn't get both numbers, but I'll have to renumber anyway. It says "taking backorders" so looks like they are out of Trailer Train as well. Looks like they simply made too few and leaving a lot of customers empty handed. |
|
|
|
Post by jbilbrey on Jan 27, 2019 10:43:26 GMT -8
Looks like they simply made too few and leaving a lot of customers empty handed. Agreed. Given that one can find a lot of the other Mainline releases (container well cars, boxcars & refers, cement hoppers and cylindrical, some of the other, older flatcars, etc.), I have been wondering if they just made too few - misjudging the apparent popularity of the 60' P-S flats - or they may have had some QA/QC issues with the cars that resulted in fewer cars reaching the shelves. I read a lot of model railroaders talking down about the 60' flats prior to their release, and I admit that I didn't pre-order any of the VTTX flats, despite wanting couple, because I was unsure how Walthers would have handled the brake rigging on such a car with so much exposed detailing given the skeletal nature of the cars. So, I was caught empty-handed when they came and went so quickly. I won't be surprised if the G85's sell out as quickly. Of course, the third theory is that Walthers is joining the crowd with Atlas, Athearn, and others and just not producing as many of their releases. Therefore, they will sell out quicker on the shelves of LHS's and mail-order sites. |
|
|
|
Post by riogrande on Jan 27, 2019 14:59:57 GMT -8
Interestingly the WC, Canadian, Santa Fe all seem to be still in stock, but the TT and TTX *poof*
|
|
|
|
Post by thebessemerkid on Jan 27, 2019 18:13:39 GMT -8
|
|
|
|
Post by simulatortrain on Jan 27, 2019 18:20:01 GMT -8
No kidding! After reading this thread I figured I better shoot an email off to the LHS to make sure I didn't get skunked the second time. He had the 60' cars ordered already, but I added in the couple G85s I want, given the way these are going! Guess on one hand it's a good deal for Walthers, but you'd think they might let the tooling cool for a bit while people get orders in, and sell a few more.
I almost hope the G85s go the same way so that they consider filling in more of the flatcar gaps. Scraping off grabs isn't my favorite, but if the other option is no car at all, well...
|
|
|
|
Post by fr8kar on Jan 27, 2019 18:44:46 GMT -8
This sounds like the error I encountered back when I tried to order these. I figured I'd just wait for them to come out. That didn't work out for me. |
|
|
|
Post by riogrande on Jan 27, 2019 18:56:32 GMT -8
The G85s are of more interest to me for late 70's piggy back. I'd guess both the early tuscan Trailer Train and yellow TT would work. I know I've seen brown UP on Rio Grande, but those aren't in this round. Not sure about Santa Fe and Southern.
|
|
|
|
Post by fr8kar on Jan 27, 2019 19:01:21 GMT -8
The VTTX cars are lovely, but I could really use Trailer Train versions, not the TTX version. Ryan, if you search for “VTTX” on the Walthers website, the first thing is lists are four VTTX numbers in the Trailer Train scheme. Looks like they are due in April (for now). I’m not sure if this is a second run close on the heals of the first, or if their first run delivery got spread out over several months. I pretty much missed the boat on this run, so I’m going to keep an eye out for the next batch. Dave I get different results and none of the VTTX cars in the Trailer Train scheme appear for me. Can you tell me what the product numbers are for the Trailer Train scheme VTTX cars? |
|
|
|
Post by drolsen on Jan 28, 2019 4:52:02 GMT -8
Sorry, Ryan, I just realized I was seeing their upcoming 85' G85 flat car listing, next to some addition TTX scheme 60' VTTX flats. Got them mixed up. Strange though, it appears that they may have only released one number of the 60' VTTX car in the TTX scheme this month, with three other numbers expected in April. Maybe they've been having some production delays.
Dave
|
|
|
|
Post by fr8kar on Jan 28, 2019 5:43:25 GMT -8
To be clear, I am looking for 60' VTTX cars in the 80s Trailer Train scheme, not the 85' flats and not the 90s TTX scheme. Does this model exist in released or announced form? I'm forty-grumble-something years old, so my eyes aren't what they used to be and I'm looking at this on my tiny phone, so maybe I'm missing it... If I have to decal these cars myself, so be it, but obviously RTR is easier.
|
|
|
|
Post by slowfreight on Jan 28, 2019 6:06:37 GMT -8
To be clear, I am looking for 60' VTTX cars in the 80s Trailer Train scheme, not the 85' flats and not the 90s TTX scheme. Does this model exist in released or announced form? I'm forty-grumble-something years old, so my eyes aren't what they used to be and I'm looking at this on my tiny phone, so maybe I'm missing it... If I have to decal these cars myself, so be it, but obviously RTR is easier. Advanced Search --> HO, freight cars, Walthers Mainline --> keyword = 60' Select "include all results regardless of availability" Select "include discontinued products" (why are they different options???) Results include 5 pages of box cars, but that gets you all the 60' P-S flats. 910-5309 VTTX Trailer Train, but photo shows TTX paint scheme 910-5310 VTTX Trailer Train, but link is broken so no clue what paint scheme is 910-5334, 910-5335, 910-5336 VTTX TTX, but artwork only, advanced reservation, sold out, due April 28 2019 The site gives you an option to reserve the sold-out cars. WTH? This is the most screwed-up new release I've ever seen, and I find the current Walthers.com search engine is even more crippled than the one they replaced. |
|
|
|
Post by riogrande on Jan 28, 2019 6:51:51 GMT -8
The site gives you an option to reserve the sold-out cars. WTH? This is the most screwed-up new release I've ever seen, and I find the current Walthers.com search engine is even more crippled than the one they replaced. Yeah, it's pretty screwed up which makes for unhappy customers. Walther's search engines seems crippled to me as well, but I've been chided for thinking same as you, being told that Walthers isn't like "Google where search phases and words and learned on the fly ..." |
|
|
|
Post by slowfreight on Jan 28, 2019 7:07:02 GMT -8
The site gives you an option to reserve the sold-out cars. WTH? This is the most screwed-up new release I've ever seen, and I find the current Walthers.com search engine is even more crippled than the one they replaced. Yeah, it's pretty screwed up which makes for unhappy customers. Walther's search engines seems crippled to me as well, but I've been chided for thinking same as you, being told that Walthers isn't like "Google where search phases and words and learned on the fly ..." I don't have much tolerance for the patronizing answer you received, but Walthers' system is unusually bad. Toytrainheaven and M.B. Klein have lower budgets but their search engines seem to work better. It's the whole way they pretend to handle out-of-stock and discontinued items in the searches. |
|
|
|
Post by ambluco on Jan 28, 2019 7:40:41 GMT -8
Actually TTH is the worst of them all. It can't even find their own SKU numbers at times. It also does poorly finding road numbers, like 5002, if you are looking for that number. Yeah, it's pretty screwed up which makes for unhappy customers. Walther's search engines seems crippled to me as well, but I've been chided for thinking same as you, being told that Walthers isn't like "Google where search phases and words and learned on the fly ..." I don't have much tolerance for the patronizing answer you received, but Walthers' system is unusually bad. Toytrainheaven and M.B. Klein have lower budgets but their search engines seem to work better. It's the whole way they pretend to handle out-of-stock and discontinued items in the searches. |
|
|
|
Post by edwardsutorik on Jan 28, 2019 7:49:13 GMT -8
910-5309 VTTX Trailer Train, but photo shows TTX paint scheme 910-5310 VTTX Trailer Train, but link is broken so no clue what paint scheme is The original announcement was for 910-5300 through 910-5312. 5300 was the undec. (all following are illustrated by undec versions, so I can't see lettering styles) 5301-5302 was Santa Fe trailer loading (different numbers) 5303-5304 was Canadian Pacific trailer loading 5305-5306 was HTTX 5307-5308 was MTTX 5309-5310 was VTTX 5311-5312 was Wisconsin Central trailer loading Ed |
|
|
|
Post by ambluco on Jan 28, 2019 7:50:11 GMT -8
Select "include all results regardless of availability" Select "include discontinued products" (why are they different options???) Regardless of availability are items that are in stock, or haven't come in yet (just announced, being built, in transit, etc) Include discontinued products are items that are no longer made (think historical lookup) - this one works like Athearn's search. To give you credit, you actually performed the needed search and found the cars. |
|
Trailer Train, please! 
