Model Railroading > New ScaleTrains video on Tarrifs…

Just released, I'll post the link in my reply.

https://youtu.be/rWZeJbc-WO4?si=NbXmTdNBptvqRu7h

Thanks for sharing the link.

Good video by Shane.
Hopefully the model railroad manufacturers will be granted an exemption.

I have pre-ordered a trainload of BNSF Reefers with the insulated doors, due this September. (ScaleTrains describes them as "smooth door", since the layer of insulation builds-up the surface to the depth of the ribs.)  After waiting over 2 decades for them to be offered by a manufacturer, it would be VERY disappointing (to say the least) to have them come this far, and not make it over the goal line.

Dave



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/25 07:01 by tmotor.

---

Shane says the death of scale trains is greatly exaggerated yet he’s been seen on many videos saying they would be out of business in weeks or months, then blaming the news media that helped get the word out. I can’t keep up with facts versus fiction. I’m guessing he’s changing his mind about shipping versus holding items to see who will still step up and purchase.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/25 07:36 by CO1309.

Watched it is morning.  Basically the message is keep pre-ordering - they will update prices when the items are shipping - decide then on if you still want to pay the price or cancel.  Seem like a good strategy.  Keep the conveyor belt moving and we'll see how thing pan ot later this year.

I do have a couple items pre-ordered so I'll see how it goes.

Cheers,
Jim

I agree Jim. If everyone is scared off and don't pre order, its not the tarrifs that will kill a company, its no business at all. Its unfortunate they have adopted the just in time business model, thats why the tarrifs hurt. If the industry still had warehouses with product they could afford to ride it out awhile.

But I got to say, im happy ScaleTrains is still moving forward. When they first introduced the SD38-2, I asked them about McCloud River, specially since intermountain fumbled that football, their responce was they had no plans currently.

Glad they changed their thought process. Ill pre order this baby!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/25 14:27 by TomG.

---

This past week the president said "Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls.  So maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would normally."

One might take from this that there is not much hope for a resolution to the current situation that might allow the hobby as we currently know it to survive.

On the other hand I have been hearing reports that the two governments are searching for ways to resolve the trade war without either side losing face.  So maybe we'll see a resolution that keeps US supply chains from completely collapsing.  Whether it happens before the major manufacturers start going out of business or in a form that allows them to remain viable is the open question.

I did end up placing a pre-order for one of their newly announced McCloud River #39 models in the chance they do come to market.  I know they've been working on the project for a while now and am happy to see it maybe becoming a reality.  One note I do want to make, I think it's unfair to say that Intermountain bungled those previously announced MR 39 models.  I've heard from people within Intermountain they were blindsided by that project announcement, apparently they guy behind the project didn't entirely clear it with them before he published his announcement, and his business which only apparently existed in Facebookland vanished by around 2018 or 2019.  That being said, we are also now about a month away from the nine year anniversary of Intermountain's initial announcement of the SD38-2 project and they don't seem to be obviously any closer to getting that model to market than they were then.  Their SD40-2 announcement that has been hanging out for about the same amount of time is lurching towards production stage, but the 38-2 is still stuck in "Taking Reservations".  

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV      

 

 

The guy that scammed people out of a deposit for the MR SD38-2 might have zero to do with intermountain, but their announcement of a SD38-2 for whatever reasons including the factory shutdown have even eclipsed Athearn on delivery.  I'm glad ST has announced it, and I am hopeful everything will get sorted out before they hit stateside, which is going to be atleast 7 months from now if not later due to obvious reasons.

I definitely count myself among his victims.  But I also know he had a lot of other things on going in his life.

I do remember when Scaletrains announced their models wondering who would get them out first.  That's been definitely answered given this is announcement is at least the third run from Scale Trains.  

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV 

STILL MAKES NO SENSE.  He is seen in every news article and video saying he could be out of business in weeks if not months and then in this video he says death greatly exaggerated, bad press.  I am not seeing where the press was bad, they just used their own staff's words.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/25 12:06 by CO1309.

The way I look at it is this: They are not yet dead, and until they are dead there is theoretically still hope for survival. Scale Trains is not the only manufacturer who has stated they are not likely to survive if the tariff situation doesn’t change in the very near term future. We just might be seeing the stages of corporate grief being played out in a very public way.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

Posted from iPhone

JDLX Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>We just might be seeing the stages of
> corporate grief being played out in a very public
> way.
>
> Jeff Moore
> Elko, NV
>
> Posted from iPhone

What we might be seeing is the entire scope of international trade disrupted by an idiot who changes his mind daily, by whim, affecting the lives and livelihoods of millions.  Trade requires stability, of which there is NONE at the moment.

Art House

Yeah, too bad they didn't do the NAR version, I would have bought four of 'em.
Funny, at Super Train in Calgary, the guy said they were doing them.  Oh well, I'll just have to find some brass ones used.