Intermountain GP10s canceled

[reinhardtjh]

This. I am really happy with the IM F7s I have, but it is one of the company's few models that don't have issues. And its loco forays are taking away from its freight car dev.  The ownership just doesn't have the business acumen to keep his train on the tracks.  Atlas, please buy out IMRC.

I have an ABBA set of F7's from the last run that IM actually produced and if you pick them up wrong, the trucks fall out.  Other than that they're great.  I have several PRR sets on order through @SkipGear  shop, but that was placed early 2015 so we're pushing 8 years and I don't really need them anymore since my target era is hovering around 1948-1949.  They have been "Queued for Production" for over a year now with no sign of advancement.

What I could use are some 1937 AAR 40' and 10' 6" Modified 1937 boxcars in undecorated or appropriate schemes.  I got some a few years ago - supposedly the last IM had and my shop I bought through was told that was the last they will ever have of undecorated.  I hope that was a misquote.

[samusi01]

Does the HO side of IM suffer from the same erratic production schedule that we do?

[greenwizard88]

Yes.

At one point the owner was on one of those trainworld live broadcasts, and was basically like "We're producing things, we are still in business."

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Yes.

At one point the owner was on one of those trainworld live broadcasts, and was basically like "We're producing things, we are still in business."

Oof, that's never a good look. It's like when the new Twitter owner was like "we won't let this turn into a hellscape". When that's your point of reference, you're already in trouble.

[Tristan Ashcroft]

Yup, can confirm, Intermountain has all the same problems in HO that have been noted for N in this thread.

[JMaurer1]

IM cured me of pre-ordering things from IM. Never again will I pre-order from them...or even order from them. I waited 5-6-7-10 years for the Chateau Martin reefers only to have them finally cancelled. I would have decalled my own, but they only produced enough of the GATX reefers to fill preorders of the roads that they did do...if they really did do them, they may be a myth.

IM started off looking like they could have been a major player, but ended up being another ConCor...unfulfilled promises, bad customer service, and design flaws that they never fixed (in fact, just kept moving forward with...can you say frame rot?). You should realize that you have problems when you are trying to convince others that you are really still in business...{sigh} 

[amato1969]

What I could use are some 1937 AAR 40' and 10' 6" Modified 1937 boxcars in undecorated or appropriate schemes.

Agreed!  These are great core kits that allow you to model 10' and 10'6" boxcars, both as-built and late/rebuilt versions.

  Frank

[signalmaintainer]

I really wish IM would either sell out to someone who has the working capital to tool up the occasional "flyer" like a GP10 or at least stop announcing items just to "Stake a Claim" in case they turn out to be a sleeper hit.

Plus one!

[sd45elect2000]

I would be pleased if they started making kits again. Tank cars for $12.95.

I owe much of my collection to these kits and bought some of the first ones back in the 90s.

[Rossford Yard]

I would be pleased if they started making kits again. Tank cars for $12.95.

I owe much of my collection to these kits and bought some of the first ones back in the 90s.

I've talked to them at shows and recall them saying car kits are deader than dodo birds. I recall seeing loads of their kits on LHS shelves years after they were released.  As soon as they and others put out similar RTR versions, sales stopped.  I doubt they are coming back in this RTR world, and I know a few of us will hate that. But most of us will buy the RTR and spend more time on building kits or other layout construction tasks.

The best hope for kits coming back is $40 RTR freight cars falling in sales as just too expensive.  I know I am happy with my mix of freight cars, some costing me under $10 back in the day, and none over $30, save maybe the articulated auto racks which were the first to crack that barrier.

[nickelplate759]

I've talked to them at shows and recall them saying car kits are deader than dodo birds. I recall seeing loads of their kits on LHS shelves years after they were released.  As soon as they and others put out similar RTR versions, sales stopped.  I doubt they are coming back in this RTR world, and I know a few of us will hate that. But most of us will buy the RTR and spend more time on building kits or other layout construction tasks.

The best hope for kits coming back is $40 RTR freight cars falling in sales as just too expensive.  I know I am happy with my mix of freight cars, some costing me under $10 back in the day, and none over $30, save maybe the articulated auto racks which were the first to crack that barrier.

They still list undecorated kits on their website.

[mu26aeh]

I asked my boss to order a few 5161 undec kits when the decorated ones arrived.  Still waiting for them.  When I asked, IM said they were having issues getting the directions folded into the jewel case.  I have to follow up and see if they are coming or not

[TrainCat2]

When I asked, IM said they were having issues getting the directions folded into the jewel case.  I have to follow up and see if they are coming or not

Remind them of this wonderful thing called the Internet where PDF instructions can reside. I’m sure they have enough brain power to figure how to put a slip of paper with a url in a big ole jewel case that says “Download your instructions here:”

[sd45elect2000]

I've talked to them at shows and recall them saying car kits are deader than dodo birds. I recall seeing loads of their kits on LHS shelves years after they were released.  As soon as they and others put out similar RTR versions, sales stopped.  I doubt they are coming back in this RTR world, and I know a few of us will hate that. But most of us will buy the RTR and spend more time on building kits or other layout construction tasks.

The best hope for kits coming back is $40 RTR freight cars falling in sales as just too expensive.  I know I am happy with my mix of freight cars, some costing me under $10 back in the day, and none over $30, save maybe the articulated auto racks which were the first to crack that barrier.

I was told the same thing by IM. The bottom line is I have more time than money so building a kit that saves money that could be used to buy expensive locomotives is a good deal in my mind,

[rodsup9000]

 IM used to do all the injection molding for the kits at their plant in Colorado, and then ship the parts to China to be assembled. Now it's all done in China. I often wonder if they kept their molds and had new ones made in China or did they ship their molds off to China.