Some belated holiday cheer

[bbussey]

Samples arrived today of the final (for a while) XIH run.  Here's a quickie cellphone pic of the 2012 holiday car.  For grins and giggles, the service date was changed from 12/2012 to 5/2013 to reflect the production schedule delay.  All ten cars in this release, including two new yellow CP Rail schemes, will be on display at the Springfield show in two weeks.   

[wazzou]

Bryan -
I'd consider changing the Road # to ESMX 2013.  If the cars truly won't ship until May, you may be better off selling them into the winter of '13, rather than winter just past.

[bbussey]

Reservations are in already, and a 2013 car already is on the schedule.  Most likely it will be a March delivery rather than in May at this point.

[Chris333]

Oh no, now you're cutting in on MT's market 

[lock4244]

including two new yellow CP Rail schemes

Sha-wing!

I recall talk of these CP Rail cars earlier, but have they been officially announced? Don't see them listed at any etailers for reservation.

[bbussey]

Not yet.  They will be announced at the Springfield show.

[Sokramiketes]

Is a leased car allowed to have advertising on it?   

[davefoxx]

Bryan,

Not to specifically nitpick your car, but one question comes to mind.  Why do manufacturers sometimes use a freight car that is an anachronism when offering these special runs?  Your car is a really nice model, but you chose a car with running boards for the calendar year 2012.  Why not a modern car?  You're not alone, e.g., Model Railroader's 50th anniversary car comes to mind, which was a 40' box car with running boards in 1984.

Dave Foxx

[bbussey]

Is a leased car allowed to have advertising on it?   

In this alternate reality, yes! 

Not to specifically nitpick your car, but one question comes to mind.  Why do manufacturers sometimes use a freight car that is an anachronism when offering these special runs?  Your car is a really nice model, but you chose a car with running boards for the calendar year 2012.  Why not a modern car?  You're not alone, e.g., Model Railroader's 50th anniversary car comes to mind, which was a 40' box car with running boards in 1984.

Dave,

Because it all depends on what production run batch the car is being included in regarding what the cost - and selling price - will be.  Since it is a fantasy car, the need to stick to era-appropriate appliances is not as important as with prototypical schemes, so the luxury is there to not be as stringent in that area in trade for a more intricate deco scheme without jacking the price higher.  That was the case with the ESM 25th anniversary X58 - all the SKUs in that production run were on the original body, so it wasn't feasible to have a short-run SKU on a different body.  Also, with a pure fantasy scheme, you have artistic license to present the configuration that looks best with the scheme being offered.  In this particular case, since there are three SKUs in this production run that will be without roofwalk, the holiday car indeed could have been designed without a roofwalk.  But the model painted in white presents better with a roofwalk than without one.

Now, if ESM were to produce a model based on a famous fictional model railroad that adheres to conventional standards - as FVM has done with the Virginia & Ohio, and the Allegheny Midland - then prototypical guidelines would apply.  But on pure fantasy schemes, anything goes.

You will be pleased with the 2013 ESM holiday car.  The next run of the X58 will include both original and transition bodystyles, and the 2013 holiday car will be on the transition body without roofwalk.  It is included in this next group (summer hopefully) so that it will be ready to sell next winter in the event that the fourth X58 group at the end of this year is delayed.

[lock4244]

Not yet.  They will be announced at the Springfield show.

Waiting. Is. Hell. 

[bbussey]

Waiting. Is. Hell. 

Here's a bone:



Less than two weeks to go, which will pass within the blink of an eye.

[lock4244]

Yeah, I know, but the wait from announcement to delivery... ouch.

I know these are gonna be sweet. Two numbers?

[bbussey]

Two numbers.  One with roofwalk and no consolidated stencil, the other without roofwalk and with consolidated stencil.  Plus a few differences in the lettering arrangements as well.  The Multimark is to die for - the most crisply done and most even paint coverage ever in N.

Delivery is slated for March/April.  Not that far away.

[davefoxx]

Dave,

Because it all depends on what production run batch the car is being included in regarding what the cost - and selling price - will be.  Since it is a fantasy car, the need to stick to era-appropriate appliances is not as important as with prototypical schemes, so the luxury is there to not be as stringent in that area in trade for a more intricate deco scheme without jacking the price higher.  That was the case with the ESM 25th anniversary X58 - all the SKUs in that production run were on the original body, so it wasn't feasible to have a short-run SKU on a different body.  Also, with a pure fantasy scheme, you have artistic license to present the configuration that looks best with the scheme being offered.  In this particular case, since there are three SKUs in this production run that will be without roofwalk, the holiday car indeed could have been designed without a roofwalk.  But the model painted in white presents better with a roofwalk than without one.

Now, if ESM were to produce a model based on a famous fictional model railroad that adheres to conventional standards - as FVM has done with the Virginia & Ohio, and the Allegheny Midland - then prototypical guidelines would apply.  But on pure fantasy schemes, anything goes.

You will be pleased with the 2013 ESM holiday car.  The next run of the X58 will include both original and transition bodystyles, and the 2013 holiday car will be on the transition body without roofwalk.  It is included in this next group (summer hopefully) so that it will be ready to sell next winter in the event that the fourth X58 group at the end of this year is delayed.

Thanks for the explanation, Bryan.  Makes perfect business sense.

DFF