I receive the monthly newsletter from Intermountain. This item was included in the "January 2024 Announcements" which landed in my inbox this morning. N Scale SD40-2 Locomotives: The first group of two road names are ready to ship the week of February 8th. The Santa Fe and the Milwaukee N SD40-2s each offer four road numbers. An additional 6 paint schemes with ditchlights will ship next month. Each model features finely molded and etched metal detail parts designed to reproduce railroad specific details. Please note that the DCC version of these models have been consolidated to the DC version. ESU has dropped the LokPilot 5 slide in decoder and we will not be able to offer a DCC non sound version for this model at this time. There are limited quantities for both of these locomotives, so be sure to confirm your Advance Reservations as soon as possible.
Given their higher MSRP, the age of the tooling, and previous build issues on earlier production runs, I wonder how the sales of the Intermountain units will fare against the newly released and newly announced models offered by ScaleTrains? Intermountain Railway 69320-01 SD40-2 Santa Fe 5053 ScaleTrains SXT 39365 / SXT 39366 SD40-2 Santa Fe 5125 Intermountain Railway 69338-04 SD40-2 Milwaukee Road 164 ScaleTrains SXT 39389 / SXT 39390 SD40-2 Milwaukee Road 172 The Intermountain DCC sound equipped models are fitted with ESU LokSound Select Micro-Slide-In decoders. Along with railroad specific body details, the ScaleTrains Rivet Counter DCC sound equipped models are fitted with a ESU LokSound 5 DCC & Sound decoder with “Full Throttle”. While Intermountain offers non-sound SD40-2 models with factory installed ESU LokPilot V4.0 Micro Slide-In DCC decoders, no non-sound units with factory installed DCC decoders are offered by ScaleTrains. With an estimated time of arrival on August 31, 2024, the preorders for the DC/DCC ready ScaleTrains Milwaukee Road SD40-2 models are already sold out and three of the four Santa Fe road numbers are also sold out.
A correction - Scale Trains offer the "Operator" versions that just come with the motion only decoders. And there is a bag of parts you can add if you so choose.
Unfortunately, in-so-far as the ScaleTrains SD40-2 models are concerned, your assertion is incorrect. A brand new release, the first run ScaleTrains SD40-2 models that were announced on June 14, 2022 and were just billed or invoiced for preorder customers were only released as fully factory assembled "Rivet Counter" models with no non-sound DCC decoder versions offered. The same holds true for the second run models that will tentatively arrive on August 31, 2024. To date, the ScaleTrains GE Dash 9 and the GE ET44 GEVO were the only "Operator" diesel locomotive models that were ever offered in N-Scale.
I see where David is going with this. With Scale Trains just making a 'rivet counter' version the hope is Scale Trains will...at some point...make the SD40-2 in 'operator' models also. That would give us Modeler-applied details in a separate bag. My Scale trains Operator N Scale GE ET44C4 Tier 4 GEVo, BNSF/Heritage III came with a bag that has Modeler-applied trainline hoses, 3-hose MU clusters, snow plow and uncoupling levers. For $100.00 less then a 'rivet counter' ...I can apply details as can just about anyone. BTW...not everyone wants sound. The Scale Trains locomotives are heads and shoulders above IM in quality. And with the numerous complaints of 'frame rot' on some IM locomotives...I won't take the chance. I'll wait to see if Scale Trains does an 'operator' version. JMO
While I agree with you that "...not everyone wants sound" or for that matter DCC decoder equipped locomotives, it is the railroad specific body details like ac units, antenna arrays, class lights, ditch lights, door styles, horns, etcetera that tend to draw buyers to the "Rivet Counter" series locomotive models. Like most of the other N-Scale locomotives produced by other manufacturers, the ScaleTrains "Operator" series models incorporate one or more somewhat generic bodies to cover several different railroad liveries. The concept of having end users install some of the separately applied body details in order to reduce the MSRP is the same strategy that Fox Valley Models once incorporated. As models with molded in body detailing are still purchased by numerous buyers, offering an option to add or leave off the manufacturer supplied separately applied detail parts is a really smart business strategy. Given the quality and reliability of ScaleTrains previous locomotive releases, it is what was stated in your last sentence that got me thinking about whether or not the Intermountain models would continue to be marketable.
Here is the link about the frame rot with Intermountain, that they reused to do anything about. https://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?threads/intermountain-frame-rot.151894/
The link that you referenced is one of the reasons for my query about the sales potential of the ScaleTrains vs Intermountain Railway SD40-2 models. Although I have not yet had the chance to dismantle any of the Intermountain Clinchfield F7A, F7B, and SD45-2 diesel locomotives that are currently on hand, a precursory visual check did not reveal any signs of body warpage. Pretty much irreplaceable, keeping my fingers crossed that there will be no future issues with them.
Notwithstanding the well documented issues with early production Rivarossi models, my experience with other brands of N-Scale has been completely different. When it comes to 1970s era Bachmann N-Scale locomotives, some of the circa 1980s Con-Cor mechanical reefers and Kadee Micro-Trains 40' and 50' boxcars, it has been my observation that the bodies were often damaged if the chassis was not removed before extensive warping or bulging had occurred. With the Con-Cor reefers, it was a body end that was bulged, or had separated from the car sides. The Kadee Micro-Trains boxcars had one or both door sills snapped and/or a body end bulge. Have also come across several 1992-1993 production Micro-Trains Special Run 40' boxcars with warped chassis and bulged (but not separated) car ends. Based upon your response, it looks like I am going to have to locate all of the Intermountain locomotives that are currently in my inventory and carefully check the frame on each of them. Can later release Intermountain F-Unit and SD45-2 chassis be swapped out for the earlier production versions?
