El Capitan - Delivery this Week

Guess the dockworkers strike on west coast is over.Hope to see them at the club this weekend

Good morning MR-150.  When you have your morning coffee and walk the dogs do you include your newest addition, "Woodie"? 

I can't wait to see the photos! 

 

I know you're excited to get these.

Jim,Just to let you know Woodie is the best behaved dog I ever had.Everyday as Linus in the Peanuts cartoon waits for the Great Pumpkin,I wait for the UPS truck with my Erie Berkshire

Jim, we are all happy for you. But personally I don't think I could forgive you if you post pictures until July. Just take them outside for a few minutes and snap a couple of quality pictures for us to drool on! I'm sure everyone debating ordering the second run would appreciate it!  

 

I don't want anybody to get PO'ed so here are some pics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I suppose I should mention that these are the Walthers HO release from 2011.

Note: UPS tags are cut a few days to a week before we actually ship. It gives our customers time to check the shipping address and delivery schedules. We are just now starting to ship these. I suspect it will take the rest of this week to ship the domestic UPS. The Internationals will go next week.

 

If you ordered through a dealer, don't ask us about your order. It's up to your dealer to send us payment and shipping instructions.

 

Cheers,

 

Scott Mann - China

This set may be the most eagerly awaited set of all time!  Waiting can get pretty tough.

I sincerely hope that nobody develops ulcers over this wait.  For that matter,I hope that no one has a stroke or develops a heart problem over this shipment either.  Patience.....

 

Norm

Nice photos! I thought they were the Sunset models until I got to the bottom.  So Scott - time to post some photos?

 

I ride in that lounge car now and then on the Coast Starlight.

I haven't ordered these but I totally dig the way Scott just pops in and gives a quick, direct, update of whatever is going on....very cool.

 

Still, I'm looking forward to seeing the photos when you guys get them in!

 

And he's providing ACCURATE information, which is a rarity these days!

 

The big irony here is that good consumer communication is not rocket science.  It's actually very easy to do if you wrap your head around it, and view it as a priority for your clients.

 

When we look at how high Scott has raised the "communications bar" in our little corner of the world, the only reason I come up with that might explain why other importers don't communicate regularly -- or in some cases at all -- to the consumer is they simply don't feel it's a priority.  Or if we wanted to give them any benefit of the doubt, we could write it off to their feeling it's the dealer-network's responsibility to communicate information to the consumer -- not the importer's responsibility.

 

Whatever the case may be... I'm happy ONE importer is leading the way, and presumably the effort/results make it a win-win relationship for all parties involved. 

 

David

 

 

 

As it turns out the notice from UPS with the estimated delivery date of this Friday was sent with the assumption that the item(s) would be shipped within a short amount of time.  As of 8:00 am CDST (June 17th) the items have not even been picked up by UPS.  So I, and many others that received this notice will probably have to wait until the middle of next week for our deliveries.  Disappointed?  Just a bit.  But at this point, what the heck difference is another 4-6 days going to make.  As I already stated I won't be able to run these until sometime in late July or early August anyway.  Scott mentions later in this topic that the notices are for varification of shipping addresses.  Actually... the delay will bring the delivery date much closer to the 1/2 way to Christmas date.  GOTTA stay positive and look at the bright side.  

 

 

Scott, in case you read this may I ask why UPS list it as 6 five pound packages?  Are the cars packed two per box?

Oh NO!!!!

 

So, you will not have it at the club this Saturday. RATS!

Sorry not this Saturday.  Unless Scott decides to "over-nite" this set to me.

 

I REALLY doubt that will happen.  The UPS-Ground is $160.  I assume that includes insurance.  You know that if were up to me I would fly out there and pick them up.  Do you think they would fit in the carry-on over head? 

 

I just check the status again on the UPS site.  Still reads "Label Created on 05/15/2015"

 

 

 "you think they would fit in the carry-on over head?"

 

If you have 100K status or a million mile flyer with the airline, Jim, they will put them in the front closet for you.   Been there, done that.

Jim - The COOL way to do it would be to take the Southwest Chief or California Zephyr out to CA and pick them up.

 

Art

 

 

Or...  Pull my erector set out of the basement.  Build a Time-Machine and set the date to June 18th 1956 and ride the REAL El Capitan to the West Coast. 

 

Small problem... I need a Time-Machine to go back and get my Erector Set. 

 

Is there anybody out there that has access to a way-back machine?   

Art is it cool if a bunch of train nerds are talking about it?

S.F. Jim;

I was going to say that you must be excited about this item because you've posted it twice, but I see you deleted one of them.  I hope that when you receive the El Capitan it's everything you expected & more. Enjoy your new purchase.

Who you calling "train nerds"????

All of us

I'm a train "dork" thank you very much!

I suggest you research term "dork". You might be surprised. 

Scott did say in one of his posts that it may be a week or so from the time the label is created until they are actually shipped.

 

I don't get the shipping box thing either.  But the builder is always trying better ways to minimize damage.  I would have thought the 8-car sets would have been two cartons of 4 cars each with 2 car shipping cartons for the individual cars, but maybe not.  It is possible that what you actually receive may not be what you have been notified of. 

What it takes: 

 

After the models arrived, we discovered that the factory failed to fill the gap in the packaging of each car with a simple piece of foam at one end. No big deal right? Multiply that by 900. So we have been busy unboxing every set, and placing a piece of foam at end of each packed car, so they don't whip around inside the boxes.

 

All the 3 Rail paid orders shipped out on Wed. The 2 Rails probably by Friday or Monday. Internationals next week.

 

FYI: The 8 car sets are in 2 boxes of 4. The extra cars are all individually boxed, so we are shipping them out that way. Otherwise there would be more delays.

 

Next week the Modernized HW Coaches arrive. I should be back by then.

 

Thanks for your understand and patience.

 

Scott - China

So if they shipped Wed, should I have received an email with tracking info?

John, I don't about your situation because I don't know who you are, or if you ordered directly from us, or through a dealer. Dealers in many cases can take weeks to get us their shipping instructions, because they have to contact their customers and get paid. If you are a direct customer, please email me. sdmann@3rdrail.com, otherwise contact your dealer.

 

 

All is well!!

 

Cars are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday the 24th.

 

Thanks Scott

John, yours is traveling all the way to the East Coast.  Mine to the midwest, my delivery date is the 23rd.  Should be a fun week.

Received my notices really early Thursday morning. My set is due in on Friday - making the short-ish trip up here to the PacNW from the Bay Area. As of 9pm local, the UPS tracker has them already in OR. Looks like I will be picking these up from the shipper after work tomorrow! Yay!

 

Since you may be the first person in CONUS to get your cars I hope realize that the pressure will be on you to post some pictures this weekend.

 

I'll be up all night waiting.      Videos would be icing on the cake.  

Remember Jim, your will be traveling on the Santa Fe, now BNSF, to the Willow Springs UPS facility. So "Ship Santa Fe, all the way.".

Did you get the cars yet?

Who are you asking?

Scott,

I have not received the tracking number either. I tried e-mailing you directly in the last hour but got an automated e-mail that I was blocked by your Spam Arrest feature.

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

Anyone who will answer, looking forward to a review


       

Jack, My cars should be in Willow Springs sometime Sunday afternoon.  Can you hop over there and intercept 'em?

 

Or at least make sure they are not kicking the boxes around.

 

 

Are you talkin' to me?