And N Scale gets lost in the retail shuffle - again

[Rossford Yard]

May not be the appropriate place to ask, but recall George at Wig Wag having some health problems. Hope he has gotten better......Anyone have any updates on him?  I thought that was the reason his web site got a little back dated, since Debra was doing the work. 

Sadly, with these small shops, often run by dedicated N scalers, there are many issues that can at least temporarily keep them from being their best selves, including health, personal issues and hey, even the occasional vacation.  We really don't need our trains THAT bad to not allow them a week or so off every year?  Or, sometimes we do? 

[Maletrain]

I understand that sometimes people become unavailable in a small business, and things fall between the cracks.

But, unless the sole proprietor gets hit by a bus on the way to work one morning, it seems that he/she could post something on the website to the effect that they will not be available from xx/xx/xxxx to yy/yy/yyyy.  Some do just that.  Others don't.

Considering that the Web now has so many "zombie" sites, proclaiming something like "Open NOW!  Today from 9 to 5" when the store has been out of business for 3 years already, it is hard to know if there is really anybody there.  Even calling a dead business on the telephone nowadays often get a message like "We are too busy to come to the phone right now, but leave your number and we will get back to you" even when the store is long out of business.  It has gotten so bad that I will not even attempt to go to a LHS in an unfamiliar area unless I can talk to a real person on the telephone, first.

So, if the only way to deal with a vendor is on the Net, there is always a question as to whether your message vanished into the ether, or the shop is defunct when you don't hear back in a reasonable period of time.  The proprietors who understand that take measures to provide assurances of continued viability.  Others lose business because of bad experiences, which get magnified by postings on places like this.

Wig-Wag used to have some text on its website to the effect that he could often find hard-to-find items that were not in-stock.  Since I was looking for some, I bit on that and was disappointed not so much in that he couldn't find anything, but because he obviously didn't really look.  And, as others have posted, he got me to his site by listing things as available that he really didn't have and couldn't get.  I haven't been back to his site for years.

For me, a site with a good on-line  inventory process and reasonable response time are a must, or I will not waste my time and patience.

[engineshop]

Ordering something and 2, 3 weeks later after several e-mails and even phone calls, still nothing. This is not only a problem in our hobby the norm, it is everywhere. The time is gone when the owner of a small bussines had his mother answering the phone and finding out where your order went.
There is a reason why Amazon with its computers, robot warehouses and up to the hour tracking system makes so much business.
Unfortunately there is no money in small business to buy a robot to fill the vacant “mother” position.

[MK]

My aversion to phones, and this comes from my numerous round robins with Wig Wag, is that promises are made and never followed up on and then it turns into a he said, she said with the vendor. Online ordering is usually documented with an invoice or order confirmation that has pertinent info and, as a document, it is a hard cop 'promise' between vendor and consumer, that can be referenced.


With Wig Wag it was a matter that he never removes items from his website and lists them as in stock, even though they're not. He used a dated ordering form and promises to ship said non-existent items, at some point, charges my card, and then I wait and wait and wait. After waiting for months, he ignored emails and I was forced to pick up the phone and call. It just became tedious, and after a few more order attempts I had learned my lesson and just gave up on him as a sources for product, his inventory tracking was too unreliable.

Thanks for the heads up on Wig-Wag.  I've never bought anything from him and was going to place my first pre-order.  I'll pass now. 

[GN63]

I will add a counter to the Wig-Wag post - I have been doing business with George and Debra for over 15 years, and never once, NOT ONCE, had any problem with them - seems that one bad experience, voiced on a web site, can do an oversized amount of damage.  They are good people, give them a chance.

Byron Gohl - Erie CO

[nickelplate759]

I've never used Wig-Wag for on-line orders, but do make it a point to visit the shop whenever I'm in Albuquerque for work (it's on the way between work and the airport).  I rarely see George there, but always see Debra.    They're always very nice, and very patient with my browsing and questions.  I always seem to find something to take home with me.

The shop looks more like a packing & shipping area than a shop.  There are little piles of stuff all over the place with a name stuck on them, which are orders that are waiting to be completed and shipped out.   [edit] In conversations, it's come out that a lot of their business is indeed pre-orders.   Last time I was there they had a stack of about 20 Olympian Hiawathas ready to ship out.

[Lemosteam]

N Scale is the Schleprock of Model Railroading.

[Southern Pacific]

I buy often from N Scale Supply. And not once have I had a problem.

I buy from their used section, and the only issue I have is the very poor packing, or lack of that they do. Ordered a Kato SD90, and it came rolled in a mailing envelope with tape around it. It was fine, but still, thats pretty bad.

[carlso]

I don't think they would object, so:

I can share some info regarding George/Debra and Wig-Wag. First off , my wife and I have known them for a good 25 years  and were members of the New Mexico Railrunners along with them. They are good folks. George is  the full time CFO of the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad in Chama, New Mexico and Deb is running the business. Yes, he has had some health issues with cancer and I think he is still battling the issue. They are both good folks and need a little patience from their customers. It is true the business has suffered a tad but give them a chance to "come back".

After all, this is just a hobby for us and we should always have fun,
Carl

[peteski]

There is also http://nscaledivision.com/. Not as large selection as others, but they do take reservations.  They also carry European prototype models.  I have ordered from them few times (problem free).

Does anybody have any online ordering experience with the new Caboose Hobbies in the Denver area?

[coosvalley]

They are both good folks and need a little patience from their customers.
Carl

Well, in my case, I wanted to reserve some upcoming products, specifically ESM X65 and some X58's(which were postponed due to insufficient orders ), so I sent them an email, which went unanswered. So technically, I never even became a customer Oh, and it's too late now, the cars are already rolling around my layout

Had things turned out differently, I might have made them my go-to source for pre-orders,as it stands, I am leaning towards another retailer for such things..

[CBQ Fan]

Thanks for the heads up on Wig-Wag.  I've never bought anything from him and was going to place my first pre-order.  I'll pass now. 

I pre order all my Athearn stuff from WigWag and never have had an issue.  They may not be the fastest and any concerns I have had were always addressed by a quick phone call with a pleasant staff.  Wanting to buy something that is older new stock I would call first. They do shut down time to time due to the owner getting cancer check ups and past cancer treatment. So you have to work through that. 

[DeltaBravo]

Did anyone mention Streamlined Backshop? They offer HO,N, and Z scales. provides great service as well.  http://www.sbs4dcc.com/

[Pesto]

One more thing in general to keep in mind when emailing any new shop for the first time--if you don't get an expected response from them, make sure your spam filter isn't simply filtering out their messages to you!  That kind of thing happens to me if I'm not careful.

[OldEastRR]

Some of these otherwise fine stores mentioned here have gaps in the N scale line because there are some mfrs they don't carry (or who refuse to let them be carried.) When I have a diverse order to place, I don't want to have to split it up because this guy doesn't stock Athearn or that guy only carries KATO track. 2 or 3 shipping charges for one order -- especially if the extra items are small -- counts against that method in my book. Which probably why BLW, MBK and Walthers get more business in general.