By my count, the release date has shifted to the right by nearly 2 years thus far. I think we may see a PRR m-1 before the AC-12 is finished. If you cannot wait much longer, the anticipatedd release of this model has driven the brass model prices down. If you pick up the nakamura model, it is probably a better runner than the IM version will be. The longer I wait for this one, the more I'm tempted to pick up a challenger.
That right there is the real difference between the prototype and our hobby. If Baldwin didn't deliver, SP could probably put them out of business by canceling the contract and going elsewhere. Right now, IM is not delivering. But what are we going to do? Wait patiently and buy anyway. They have us all by the belt loops. We're a group who goes and buys that new Bachmann locomotive, knowing darned well how terrible it will run, just so we can have that particular unit on our layout. These manufactureres are not sweating a drop. If we wanted to make a change, we'd have to boycot, and live with out that AC-12. I guarantee not one of us here is willing to do that.
Last Friday afternoon I toured the IM factory in Longmont, CO with 9 other club members from the New Mexico Rail RunNers. They had several test models of the AC-12 on the bench. They looked real good. They have not arrived from China yet, and we were told they hoped they would be on the container they receive in November. They get one container a month from China with their products. As mentioned previously the IM staff takes every engine out of the box and they run them on their test track for quaility control purposes. That will take some time before they are ready to ship from Longmont. Boxes of HO AC-12's were all over the place, and we witnessed one on the test track. It also looked great, and seemed to be running well also. Hang in there, I hope the wait will be worth it. Buzz Lenander
Thanks for the update. Now I can get a couple of the 89' flats from MT without going over budget this month.
Seeing as it take about 3 weeks to get a container from China to the West Coast, plus 1 week to 10 days transit time to Longmont from the West Coast, the container should be leaving now. By now, somebody at Intermountain knows what is or will be on that container. If they aren't jumping up and down and saying AC-12's will be here soon, that should say a lot. I want the loco too, so I will wait with all the rest of the sheep. Baaah. Baaah
I guess SP's only had to come from Pennsylvania, they and their components didn't have to cross back and forth across the Pacific in shipping containers. Considering how easy it is to update a website with the phrase "They haven't arrived yet but should be in November's container" it's a pity it takes someone visiting IM to wring some information out of them. Are Chinese production and shipping schedules so vague they can't know what's coming in the next months container.
I just got their monthly E Mail from IMRC Modelers Club. It still lists the date as November. It doesn't say what year. I am skeptical. If it was November, the container would have to have been on the water for at least a week. I would think IM would have made a bigger announcement. If IM was smart, they would be honest and keep the customers informed of realistic release dates and delays. Their credibility would be a lot better.
It's now the middle of October, if they were being released in November, even late November, I would have thought they would already have to be at IM, to allow for inspection, testing, packaging and shipping to dealers, etc. I think we'll have to be patient a little longer.
I read on another board that they are on a ship in the pacific. Lets hope the container doesn't go overboard. Should be seeing them soon.
Any number of issues could be delaying this... I agree that the factory making the model likely has experience making N scale steamers in the past... but... it does depend on which factory too. Certainly the factory which made the Challenger, Big Boy. 2-6-6-2 and 2-8-8-2 Mallet articulateds have the knowledge to do a 'backwards' version of an articulated. But what if the factory is NOT the one that made one of the above units? The Korean firm Ajin did Model Power items... no articulated units though. My guess is that the firm originally contracted to do the job was Sanda Kan... which ran into financial difficulty and could have delayed this project. Kader now owns Sanda Kan... and may not have had any production slots available til recently... plus they would have needed to get up to speed on the Sanda Kan design first. That certainly would have slowed down production... specially if they had to alter their normal method of producing a steamer.
Yes, name your source, we won't tell.:tb-wink: Illustrates a point I often make, we don't know these days who makes our trains, in the old days we knew that the new Atlas, Con-cor, Model Power, etc, loco was made by Rivarossi, Mehano, Roco, Minitrix, Kato, etc, and had an idea what they would be like. Nowadays, apart from Kato, they could be made by anyone and we just have to wait and see. Myself, if I was IM, I would have asked prospective manufacurers, "Have you made anything like this before?" I hope my Santa Fe cabooses are in that container, the IM website has said "in stock, contact your dealer" for a while now, but no sign of them either yet.
It looks like February 2009 is a more realistic target date according to one of my sources. Whenever it's released makes no difference to me.
Feb. 2010 works for me too! It makes easier on the wallet with the new release of the Super Chief and El Cap. It is nice to know that it really is coming...sooner or later!
