Well I went and did it, I called up Train World and placed an order for a GN S-2 4-8-4 Northern. Unfortunately it’s not in stock yet and they don’t know when it will arrive. Precision Craft’s site just states “arriving soon”. So my question is has anyone heard anything more definite as to the arrival date?
Fergie
I doubt PCM knows either.
I was on the horn to Walthers the other day about a similar subject. Ever notice how their new product release dates keep moving back?
Bascially, they have manufacturers in China or wherever actually making their stuff and they are at the mercy of when the factory gets around to it.
It’s the price we pay for the price we pay, so to speak.
Well I just looked at the delivery schedule and it says that they are still taking orders with a delivery date of TBD.
I am hoping that it will be delivered sometime this decade, but I advise against holding ones breath.
I too am waiting. I have been told that TBD means they do not have enough reservations to begin manufacturing yet. If that is true, it will be a while. There are not many good alternatives, however, so I join you all in waiting. I may have the engine facility addition to the layout done in time to recive the S-2 when it finally arrives. I start that after the mountain is done and the farm scene is completed. OH WELL.
It’s not unusual for BLI/PCM to have things come in a year or more late from my experience. When I pre-ordered a GN 4-8-4 last year, the expected due date was June 2007 IIRC.
From what I’ve seen, it sounds like the current status is “sometime in 2008 maybe”. [:D]
I pre-ordered my GN 4-8-4 from PCM the day I received their offer (about 18 months ago…) and after all the “creeping” delivery dates from them, I called PCM. I was told that they had just received the latest production calendar from the Chinese manufacturer that showed their scheduled deliveries through May 31st of 2008… and the GN 4-8-4 was not on that list.
The young lady that I was talking to said it would probably be on the next list, which would make it well over 2 years at the very least!!!
I told her to please cancel my order. (She sent an e-mail acknowledging the cancellation). I own 5 BLI locomotives, and am very pleased with each and every one of them, but I think that much of a “wait” for a pre-production item is absurd and I don’t intend to “reward” any manufacturer who operates in that manner.
Bob/Iron Goat
PCM has been delaying their N scale PRR M1 4-8-s for over three years.
The most recent iteration of their pre-order deadline for said loco has come and gone yet again with out so much as a whisper regarding a delivery date.
People have already started canceling their pre-orders. I’m holding on to mine, but I won’t do so forever.
PCM makes fine vaporware, just not trains.
There has been some progress on the S2’s. About 2 months ago, the GN S2 was pictured as the BLI Brass model that was produced a while back. After the show in Detroit (at which, the WAS a preproduction model of the actual plastic/die cast S2) the photos for the PCM version were put on their site.
Considering other PCM models only have pictures of the prototype, I believe that the S2 is not too far off. Maybe mid-2008?
Phil
I think this whole pre-ordering thing is bad news.
I recently pre-ordered a couple of locos on behalf of a customer (the manufacturer shall remain nameless).
When the product was ultimately produced, they didn’t produce enough units to satisfy all the preorders!
I was stuck informing the customer that the locos he had dutifully preordered were not coming in and would not be coming in as said manufacturer told me that they had no idea if/when there would ever be any more produced!
What, then, is the point of preordering at all?
"Arriving soon’ reminds me of the cartoon from MR back in the sixties or seventies which addressed this issue.
In this panel of this cartoon there are two guys sitting at a desk in the office. The sign showing through the glass panel on the office door identifies this scene as taking place at Acme Models. One of these guys sitting at this desk appears to be scanning the day’s mail and is saying to the second individual, “Well, John, that locomotive we have been announcing for the last six months appears to be getting a good response. Do you suppose we should get around to designing it?” - or words to that effect!
I don’t hold my breath waiting for something to show up although I will admit that some years back when I picked up word that Kato was going to offer N Scale SD40-2s I forestalled purchases of anything else awaiting their arrival.
A customer at my place recently got burned this way also. I make sure to entirely place the blame with the manufacturers. Every item that is pre-ordered here has a disclaimer attached:
that yes, if you pre-order before the deadline, and I make that order with a reliable distributor before the deadline, then you have a 99.5% chance of delivery. But I will no longer promise or guarantee anything as these things are out of my hands.
Same goes for delivery dates. Just ignore them. If they can’t do any better at announcing a delivery date than some do, then why bother announcing a date at all?
My man, that may be the quote of the new millenium !
Instead of pre-ordering, I switched to manufactors like Bman, Walthers, Proto and Atlas etc that demonstrate a proven track record for delivery. All the others no longer recieve consideration except perhaps on ebay where such a item will be at my door in a week or two.
That way I dont stress myself or the hobby shops about late orders. Now Rapido does update very often and in good detail. I will be ordering more of thier pax cars.
There is still a few more items at the hobby shop (Isnt there always?) that I hope to get to before someone else does lol.
No more waiting more than 6 months max. Enough is enough.
Free Beer!..Tomorrow!
Sign me up!!
From what your telling me…[:(] We’ll ship it when we’re ready, sometime , maybe, whenever. Hey we know you’ll buy it but it will be on our terms!
Well maybe I should heed some of your suggestions and call back and say “Not interested in being toyed with”
Besides! I got a call from my LHS today [:D] They had a guy come in with a Brass Canadian Pacific K1-a Northern 4-8-4 by Samhongsa painted and in MINT CONDITION. For $295 taxes in.
The MESS is now got moe POWER. Tim Allen would be envious
Precision Craft get your act together if you want our business!!!
Fergie