For a change from Lionel pricing, what about Lionel shipping?

If Lionel doesn't even know, how could anyone else?

And then, there are all those freighters standing just offshore, on the west coast, waiting for the dockworkers to go back to unloading.  Considering that they have been in negotiations for a new contract since last May, I don't hold out any hope for early deliveries of trains.

Does it really matter?  Delays are nothing new in this business.  Play with what you have, manage your money so when something comes in you can pay for it, and if it cancels, you'll have some cash to save or spend elsewhere.

Information from the dealer network, and sometimes the dealers themselves, often filters out on this forum (as witness the thread just posted about passenger car production plans). I was hoping that someone had a better insight than mine, which is based purely on what's shown on the few websites I've learned to check.

Point taken but it's not so much a strike as a go-slow coupled with a partial lockout. Nobody in Washington D.C. seems ready yet to take the side of domestic retailers and consumers but that may have to change as the situation worsens. It's now a lot worse than when some of us were waiting for the GM T of T back in December.

Yes it does matter. Part of the managing money exercise is knowing when you'll have to part with the balance of pre-order prices for orders from Lionel's last catalogs. I don't expect the few products I'm waiting for to be cancelled so until I know when they are arriving I'm not inclined to commit to something more.

To the OP:  wanting to move from pricing to shipping is like going from the frying pan into the fire.  

Only a few days ago, I asked Lionel directly if the 18" MKT Texas Special aluminum passenger cars were cancelled -- in light of a 21" plastic set featured in the 2015 Signature catalog.  The response I received was... No, they were not being cancelled and are still due to ship.    That's the answer I received, but I was nonetheless still skeptical... And with good reason it seems. 

Today, we hear news that Lionel has sent dealers a complete listing of passenger car production for 2015, and sure enough production for many of the 18" aluminum passenger sets has been cancelled.  So we won't need to worry about those items being delayed anymore.  We knew the news was coming.  Now it's official.

As for other items being delayed overseas... Just seems to go with the turf these days.  And even when they do ship, they're delayed sitting on ships that can't get into port out West.  

We just need to be happy with what we already have nowadays, 'cause it seems the new stuff ain't meant to get here!!!  

David

Well with the port strike in CA nothing is moving east.

Not for trains so much.  Right now I don't have any trains on order.  But, I do have some kangaroo steaks sitting offshore, probably spoiling.  

I have enough stuff to play with for years, I doubt I'll miss the stuff unless ERR runs out of upgrade kits!

Just recently I notice (from Charles Ro's site) that expected availability of the flatcars with piggyback trailers has been moved back  to April now (from Feb. -- Lionel's site has them still as "Nov. 14 ship"as well as the UP CA-4 Cabooses. I imagine other items have been kicked down the road (track) as well...I don't think anyone really knows when these things will ship.

Talking to Joey at Nicholas Smith today. He told me somebody at Lionel said the E8's were on the water. Of course that might mean 3 more months for us with all the port stuff. But it sounds like this will be the next engine to show up.

Ho-hum.

Same here including about ERR but I want that SP crane! 

Thanks for the info. I have a terrible feeling you're right about "months."