EngineHouse Services is a first rate trains only hobby shop in Green Bay WI with a particular emphasis on DCC and on giving in-store clinics. The owner is himself an excellent modeler. If you get to Green Bay or Door County WI either for business or recreation they are worth a visit. I am on their mailing list and I thought some of you might find this news to be of interest:
Unfortunately we have to pass on some bad news; Walthers has informed us that the Russell Snow Plows are pretty much sold out, with some of the roads and especially the undecorated version already gone. Atlas too shorted us and many others of the HO RS3 locomotives, and the announced new NSC 50’ Plug Door Boxcar already being sold out. It appears that some of the manufactures are really cutting back on what is being produced, so if you really have your eye on something, please let us know ASAP so we can get it on order before they are gone.
This is not really news about limited runs but in this case it seems even a well-connected LHS was taken by surprise by how limited the runs were.
I have been dealing with this for years. My top stuff i buy are military and canadian railroads. Usaly these have smaller runs that something in Santa Fe. So if i see something i realy want i have it prebooked as soon as i see it advertised.
We did not sell any RS3s directly to Engine House Services, but we completely filled all orders, and, in fact, had product remaining for nearly every item number, which some distributors came in and bought.
For the NSC box cars, it is true that the amount coming in is less than the reservations we have received, but we are already making arrangements for additional production to fill the demand. Details will be in the February product announcements.
Getting back into MRR after maybe ten years, I’ve seen a lot of change, discovered the hard way. The first, the rule seems to be if it’s something people might want, “OUT OF STOCK” is the condition.
OH! I"m supposed to wait, or put my name at the end of a list that will consume the next three production runs? And I should do this out of brand loyalty?
Sorry, Charlie. “OUT OF STOCK” means, change in the whim at the moment, and you haven’t “reserved” a later sale, I bought from someone else.
LImited run means you can throw your dignity aside and fight with the rest of the pack for your one or two copies of something probably not worth the hassle.
Wierd as it may seem, in looking for a passenger train, road name “undec”, IHC seems to be my best bet, and they’re going to have to substitute another road name for the coach. Nine cars and a Hudson, okay, so I know I have to change the couplers, which I already have more than half of them. But! They were not “out of stock”.
It looks to me like the industry is in the process of suicide.
My local supplier sends me notice of everything that’s comming down the pipe. When I get the notice I can click whether I am interested, not interested, or maybe interested. A couple of times I have clicked maybe interested but wanted to see it first. They were fine with this as it would be very easy for them to get rid of it to someone else if I decide not to buy it. But at least by knowing I might want one they bring enough in when placing their order.
I have almost always been able to get limited run items at below retail afterwards. It really boils down to how badly you want something and will you pay full price for it.
As far as track goes, there is no holding me hostage. I will just change brands and if some turnouts are differant sizes than others , that’s what rail snips are for.[C):-)]
My LHS recently closed shop. The main reason he gave is that suppliers in general do not come through with promised items or they are very late. He claims he would have orders for them but with no delivery he cannot make the sale. Some suppliers seem to be much worse than others.
As for limited runs, just a part of life in N scale. My favorite place to go visit and order stuff, Lowell Smith signature series models does that. I should get to ordering those F3’s before the cutoff date.
I’m not blaming the dealers, in this case, it’s like the stockyards decided not to produce anything for a few months. THe dealers would rather have the goods in hand and let you know they’ve come in. I had an MDC Climax kit on order for two years before Walthers finally got one to ship my LHS. I’m pretty sure the shop owner would much rather have had the money in his pocket sooner. Pretty sure Walthers would have liked to get it off back order sooner too.
This is more of a curiosity question than anything else, but when I looked at the Walthers website they are taking pre-orders for those plows up until February 28th, including an undec. So I don’t understand how something could be sold out if they are taking pre-orders. Or was there a previous run that was sold out?
People have been thinking pre-ordering is the death of the hobby ever since the trend developed about two decades ago.
Nonetheless, the model RR industry is very healthy and keeps putting out new runs. There is more selection, better mechanisms and higher detail than ever before.
It may be jarring to step in and find you should’ve ordered something a year ago. But you can probably find an item if you absolutely have to have it – the internet is a wonderful thing. And items you want in the future can be ordered. The rest is kind of catch as catch can. In the end, there’s more to choose from than ever, though. To me, that beats a warehouse full of stale items I didn’t need last year or the year before, for that matter.
The point about not enough undecorated loco models in a run is particularly true in HOn3, with Blackstone in particular. I was only able to score one painted, but undecorated C-19 in the two runs they produced. But I do have several decorated C-19s and K-27s. They do such a great job of painting, decorating and decaling that I am loath to paint over such beauty to install my road name. Fortunately, if I decide to keep the loco number, only the tenders will be involved. (I’ll do it, of course. I just don’t know how much “Old No.7” I’ll have to down before I get up the courage.)
I will fess up and note that I picked all my Blackstone loco’s up very deeply discounted from a great dealer. His stock was very large but once he sold out of undecorateds, I was forced to buy decorated engines. Every time I pick up the airbrush, I put it back down again.
I guess it is sorta’ like painting over mint brass models. I still have a mint, brass Westside K-27 with slide valves that I bought back in 1973 while HOn3 was still an unrequieted love. I just can’t bring myself to paint it. It’s Just too purdy…
I agree, You’d think the manufacturers would figure it out about undecorateds.
The thing is, for me, I will not pre-order. I never have, and I’ve been able to get 99% of the things I need for my railroad. What’s in that 1% left. PSC’s Ls-1 and Ls-2 articulateds for the SRR. At almost $1800 a piece, that’s gonna be 2 items I can’t have. Pre-order or not.[:'(]