Intermountain SD40-2 delays

[asarge]

Well, they could at least release some other N scale products in the meantime. LokSound already has an adaptor that can allow the new 16 pin to step down to an 8 pin so i don;t completely beleive that explanation but in the absense of other info......... Still doesn't explain the HO Paducah's but that'sa  different story.

[Philip H]

I've been telling you all this since I stated this thread a year and a half ago.

Jason

Jason,
We appreciate your reporting. But if there's nothing on their websites or in their regular communication to dealers that's still a problem. Not your problem, but still a problem.

[mu26aeh]

Jason,
We appreciate your reporting. But if there's nothing on their websites or in their regular communication to dealers that's still a problem. Not your problem, but still a problem.

Exactly. 

[Puddington]

ESU is an excellent company from top to bottom and they bust their backs to get stuff right. As a reasonably small firm they, like many in our industry, have limited resources to utilize so when the new products pile up and natural delays occur trying to get it right there will be inevitable release delays. So, why don't model companies say that; because due to the nature of a tiny percentage of people in this hobby who's self imposed job is to cause harm and loss to anyone they can in the name of constant advancement, no one wants to pin something innocent on ESU or anyone else for fear of doing them harm.... I speak from a position of 100% experience on this; we have had projects delayed by sub contractors we respect so we take the hit....

Matt and ESU are doing their best and I wouldn't want to work with anyone else....

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Well, they could at least release some other N scale products in the meantime. LokSound already has an adaptor that can allow the new 16 pin to step down to an 8 pin so i don;t completely beleive that explanation but in the absense of other info......... Still doesn't explain the HO Paducah's but that'sa  different story.

I thought this was to be a proprietary design to specifically fit this chassis. Last thing we need is a decoder with speaker that plugs into another board.

What kind of surprises me is all this anger over the ESU decoder. After that before/after comparison of the BLI PA1 with ESU, I am really glad IM chose that over anything else.

[Philip H]

ESU is an excellent company from top to bottom and they bust their backs to get stuff right. As a reasonably small firm they, like many in our industry, have limited resources to utilize so when the new products pile up and natural delays occur trying to get it right there will be inevitable release delays. So, why don't model companies say that; because due to the nature of a tiny percentage of people in this hobby who's self imposed job is to cause harm and loss to anyone they can in the name of constant advancement, no one wants to pin something innocent on ESU or anyone else for fear of doing them harm.... I speak from a position of 100% experience on this; we have had projects delayed by sub contractors we respect so we take the hit....

Matt and ESU are doing their best and I wouldn't want to work with anyone else....

Pub,
Maybe I'm abnormal, but if I'm waiting eagerly for a product and that product is being delayed significantly because a sub is working hard to 1) get the design right the first time, and 2) meet very technical standards, I won't hold it against anyone for that being a delay. I DO hold it against people for not sharing that truth as soon as it becomes evident a AND getting defensive when their other excuses fail to hold up. Rapido and (so far) Scale Model Trains are industry leaders in communication about set backs - IM not so much.

[crrcoal]

So then why not release the non-decoder version and then when the decoder is available from ESU, release that version?

Someone who saw this post forwarded me this from IM:

We have had our samples for 8 months waiting on the decoder; plain and simple.  The decoder is what is holding up ALL N Scale locomotives from us, not demand, not reservation numbers, nothing else, only the decoder.  Everything is in place so that when the decoder is finished, the locomotives go into full scale production.  ESU is not going to rush the decoder just because people want it NOW, they are doing it so that it will be available to all manufacturers to use in a multitude of projects, just like their HO version, and want it to be as good in quality as all of their other projects.  We agree.  Having said that, we simply cannot move them any faster, the decoder is their product, not ours.  Our hands are tied until we get a decoder to use.  We are very anxious for the SD40-2's to go into production and have everything in place but it simply will not happen until there is a decoder to use.

[wcfn100]

So then why not release the non-decoder version and then when the decoder is available from ESU, release that version?

They need the decoder to finalize the chassis design.  They don't want to have two chassis.

Jason

[basementcalling]

So many N scalers are waiting on completion of an item who's features the majority of purchasers of the SD40-2s won't use? 

Another argument for sound NOT being a standard feature of the locomotives offered by model railroad manufacturers.

I really do hope that the units are worth the wait. Of course I want IM to get it right, and I guess ESU as well, even though I have NO plans to utilize sound on my layout.

[nkalanaga]

Bill:  I'll second releasing the non-sound units now, because that's what I ordered.  My layout is still straight DC, no decoders needed, no sound.  Besides, the sound would probably annoy the cats.  The last time I played a recording of train sounds one started howling, and another growled the whole time. 

[SkipGear]

The decoder hold up has been know about for quite a while. It's not a secret. If your LHS / dealer doesn't know about it, it is because they are not asking questions. IM is not hiding that fact and will tell anyone who asks.

As far as the sound vs. non sound argument. Out shop has roughly a dozen of the SD40-2's pre-ordered and of those, 2 are non sound units. Sound is definitely a driving feature in the sales of these locos. Most of the pre-orders are for schemes that are pretty common and many have been covered by Kato already so these people want them for the sound, not for a unique paint scheme. New to the hobby modelers (those with rosters to fill and money to burn) are the ones who want sound. The deeply entrenched modelers didn't care, they already have enough SD40-2's to make them happy.

The above applies to my limited sampling of customers but I think it is a more common theme than most are willing to admit.

[asarge]

In the 16 years I was in the retail side of the business, the hobby went from very minimal DCC-ready locomotive sales to where it is now which is a majority want DCC ready or DCC equipped locomotives. The times are changing and in the last year I was in the shop,  a lot of people, especially younger people, wanted sound equipped and we spent a whole lot of time before that explaining DCC.

I understand IM waiting on LokSound, but they could be more forthright about it and it still doesn't explain some other things.

[mcjaco]

In the 16 years I was in the retail side of the business, the hobby went from very minimal DCC-ready locomotive sales to where it is now which is a majority want DCC ready or DCC equipped locomotives. The times are changing and in the last year I was in the shop,  a lot of people, especially younger people, wanted sound equipped and we spent a whole lot of time before that explaining DCC.

I understand IM waiting on LokSound, but they could be more forthright about it and it still doesn't explain some other things.

Wait, young people???? 

I thought this hobby was dying?

 

[mu26aeh]

I've said it before in one of the other sd40-2 delay threads, IM should not have continued to release new roadnames time and time again, knowing full well that the first release was not going to be on time.   With 53 schemes announced, you'd think at least the first few might be on the street.  And lately they've just been pushing the "new" release date back month by month.  Which I assume means they feel the decoder will be ready very soon.  Kind of like in high school and you keep asking that girl out you like and she keeps saying she has something going on, maybe next week we can go out.

[Philip H]

The decoder hold up has been know about for quite a while. It's not a secret. If your LHS / dealer doesn't know about it, it is because they are not asking questions. IM is not hiding that fact and will tell anyone who asks.

Sure, its knowledge thats there - but most of it is from people badgering IM, not IM being proactive and telling folks.  and from the testy tone of the email, IM is getting tired of answering questions.  Great businesses - whether in the hobby or not - stay ahead of stuff like this (which impacts their brand and people's trust in it) by being proactive and sharing stuff before people ask.  Again Rapido and Scale Model Trains are two recent examples of this.  Again, each business is free to decide how it wants to handle stuff like this, but the more up front the business is, the better it is perceived.  forcing me to beg for information is all about power, not customer service.