With brass a lot depends upon the model builder. Certain builders at certain times produced absolutely phenomenal locos, as is Boo Rim Precision currently.
I have seen, and stupidly did not keep, a few brass engines with open frame motors that ran as smoothly as just about anything with a can motor can today. There have been some great Westside brass engines that just ran terrifically well even with the open frame motor because they had some very good gearboxes and were just exceptionally well made that they could even creep at very low speeds (SP 4-10-2).
NJ Custom Brass imported a wonderful running N&W Z1a 2-6-6-2. I've never run the NYC 2-6-6-2, and it's considered to be rare, but I'm sure it's a good runner also. There are newspaper photos of the NYC 2-6-6-2 running on the Pine Creek Branch south as far as Williamsport, PA. They were apparently common near the area where I grew up.
The 0-6-0 is an Alco Models and the 0-10-0 and the 2-6-6-2 Mallet are NJCB. All three came with can motors. The 2-6-6-2 is exceptional and will run <1sMPH. I've converted all three to DCC and lighting.
The NYC 2-6-6-2 NE-2s also ran in eastern OH (Minerva & Coalburg), as far south as Rainelle, WV, and as west as Elkhark, Indiana.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
The NE-2's hauled coal trains from the Clearfield mining district until replaced by Mikado's and Mohawk's. Ironically, the District was over the hill from Altoona and was spaghetti bowl of NYC and PRR branches servig the various mines. Read Mike Bazilla's Branchlie Empires for the gory details
"The Pennsylvania and the New York Central railroads helped to develop central Pennsylvania as the largest source of bituminous coal for the nation. By the late 19th century, the two lines were among America's largest businesses and would soon become legendary archrivals. The PRR first arrived in the 1860s. Within a few years, it was sourcing as much as four million tons of coal annually from Centre County and the Moshannon Valley and would continue do so for a quarter-century. The New York Central, through its Beech Creek Railroad affiliate, invaded the region in the 1880s, first seeking a dependable, long-term source of coal to fuel its locomotives but soon aggressively attempting to break its rival's lock on transporting the area's immense wealth of mineral and forest products.
Beginning around 1900, the two companies transitioned from an era of growth and competition to a time when each tacitly recognized the other's domain and sought to achieve maximum operating efficiencies by adopting new technology such as air brakes, automatic couplers, all-steel cars, and diesel locomotives. Over the next few decades, each line began to face common problems in the form of competition from other forms of transportation and government regulation; in 1968 the two businesses merged.Branch Line Empires offers a thorough and captivating analysis of how a changing world turned competition into cooperation between two railroad industry titans."
Branch Line Empires: The Pennsylvania and the New York Central Railroads (Railroads Past and Present): Bezilla, Michael: 9780253029584: Amazon.com: Books
Beebe and Clegg's High Iron has a stirring picture of what must have been a rare event, one thundering down the four track mai line
I pre-order freight cars if it is a type of car that I know I want. I have also pre-ordered a brass caboose a few years ago as that particular caboose hadn't been produced in plastic before and it is unique to my prototype and a partialy owned railroad with another "family" road. I did make deposits on that as it was an rather expensive car and my budget wouldn't have tolerated the expense all at once. The shop held the funds for me. I did have to send a bit more as the estimated price was low but it wasn't too far off.
I did accidently order two of one type of car on preorder once. As the lettering was completely wrong anyway, it just gave me another car to reletter.
As already mentioned, for some cars (the brass caboose especially) only would be produced in a limited quantity. The brass caboose was only produced for what was ordered.
I do not make pre-order purchases as I prefer to see the finished product before I buy. Doing otherwise is being a poor consumer, even in such a small cottage industry as model railroading.
Hornblower
MidlandMike I have never pre-ordered. Do you have to pay all or part, at the time of pre-ordering?
I have never pre-ordered. Do you have to pay all or part, at the time of pre-ordering?
I pre order clothes, entertainment, even food. Why would a plastic toy be any different?
thomas81z MidlandMike I have never pre-ordered. Do you have to pay all or part, at the time of pre-ordering? just A 2.00 FEE that s it
just A 2.00 FEE that s it
The last thing that I pre-ordered (a HD flat car just this past weekend) required no deposit whatsoever. In fact, of the few pre-orders that I've made, I don't recollect ever having to make a deposit for any of them - even for a locomotive.
PRR8259I have seen, and stupidly did not keep, a few brass engines with open frame motors that ran as smoothly as just about anything with a can motor can today.
This NKP 4-6-4 has an open frame motor and runs very smoothly.
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
I have a couple others that also run fine with open frame 30 year old motors.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I pre-order items that I know is difficult to get after release. Rapido buses, Atlas vehicles, 8-32 in Amtrak Pepsi can and Santa Fe. Next is Conrail and Southern Pacific are not but I'll take chances later on.
The only one that was cancelled was IM auto racks. The company terminated the order and decided to reorder the cars again (few months) with different paint and railroads. I decided not to time they arrived and never got a single one.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
I felt weird about my most recent pre-order.
I have expressed my preference to Rapido and other manufacturers for them offering undecorated models.
When Rapido announced the 44 ton locomotive, they were kind and offered an undecorated version (maybe more than one version). However, I pre-ordered a pre-painted Santa Fe "zebra striped" model instead.
I use the Santa Fe "zebra stripes" as the foundation for one of the Stratton And Gillette paint schemes, and it makes painting them easier, much easier!
This is an unfinished example:
Painting that onto a 44 ton locomotive is not something I want to do. Now I am part of the problem.
Quite a number of years ago now I pre ordered a B&O I5D caboose from Spring Mills Depot, paid in full. I never got it.
I know they had several issues with factories in China and for a while they sent emails offering refunds or stay the course, I choose to stay the course. Haven't heard anything in a while and their website has not been updated in past year or so. I know they are a very small company.
The whole experience left a bad taste for pre ordering.
I have and still do, never had a problem with it, and I understand the reasoning behind it and have no problem with manufacturers doing what they can to make sure they get a return on investment.
KR Models Shay, Preordered it but when it kept getting delayed I cancelled and was refunded no problem.
Pre ordered the ScaleTrains SD39 and the Rapido 44 tonner, I want them so I order them :)
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
The specifics of pre-ordering and paying for the item depends on who you're going through - direct from the manufacturer, or through an online dealer or hobby shop.
For example I decided to pre-order a Walthers Proto engine that was due this fall (now due in January - I assume 2024) so I was sure to get one. The online dealer with the best price required you to submit your credit card info with the order, they charge your card once the item is in and then send it to you.
Because I wanted more control over when the payment happened, and how it happened, I ordered it through another online dealer for a few dollars more. Once the item comes in they send you an online bill. You pay for it, then they send it to you.
I prefer that, because if something happens between then and now (family crisis etc.), I'm not commited to consumating the sale. I can just tell them I don't want it, and they sell it to someone else. More importantly, since this DCC/sound engine is fairly expensive, once I get the bill I can pay for it using PayPal Credit and split up the cost over six months.
basementdwellerThe whole experience left a bad taste for pre ordering.
I can understand this. However, if it were me, I would be contacting them and ask what the current storry is. And if you are not happy with the answer, I'd ask for a refund.