GGD Passenger cars

ajcalco posted:

I have several different sets of 3RD Rail passenger cars(stream liners).  Some I really like, others are just ok with detail.  Almost every set is made by a different factory it seems.  Does anyone know why?  I get a little nervous when ordering because I never know who's making them.

Why does it matter? Also, how do you actually know which factory made which GGD passenger cars? All I've ever cared about was the detail/paint accuracy plus how well they track on our layout.

ajcalco posted:

 .  Does anyone know why? 

Email Scott Mann and ask, he's the owner.  Other than 2-3 folks here anything else will be a SWAG.

ajcalco posted:

...  Almost every set is made by a different factory it seems.  Does anyone know why?  I get a little nervous when ordering because I never know who's making them.

Scott has been one of the most forward-thinking execs communicating with us here on the forum, and I'm certain folks really appreciate his product updates.  Because of these updates, I've gotten a new appreciation for what importers do nowadays to move our trains from catalog pictures through production and then into our hands.  Sometimes it's not a pretty picture, and it's something other suppliers prefer to keep behind shrouds of secrecy.   

As much as we like to think companies "do it all" today, that's not the case by any stretch of the imagination.  In particular, our toy/model train importers seem increasingly at the mercy of Chinese factories:  namely their production schedules as well as their pricing from project to project.  

I recall Scott talking about the 2nd production run of the El Capitan train a few months ago, and he alluded to the possibility that a different factory might be used depending on how negotiations went forward.  That was eye-opening to me, 'cause it illustrated how much work goes into constantly communicating and negotiating with the Chinese factories -- even after a catalog or product brochure is published.  Just because a factory does something for you one year doesn't guarantee they'll do you any favors next year or the year after that.  Factories close.  Some are bought by other entities.  And priorities and loyalties can change on a dime -- reeking total havoc with project plans.  And that's just for starters!  

You can probably connect the dots from there.    Consequently, the important element through all of this becomes our comfort level with the importer to produce/maintain consistency and quality of product for their brand.  And from what I've seen thus far, Scott is at the top of his game in this regard.

David

The same could be said for the Atlas CZ cars.  The factory that produced the first cars did not make any of the followon cars.

And this has come to pass for the 2nd run of El Capitan cars. 

MTH ran into serious overseas factory issues a few years ago too.  Reportedly took their O-Gauge steam locomotive production -- especially for the States -- offline for a couple of years.

Including the Atlas CZ cars and the PRB set from about 12 years ago,who makes more detailed passenger cars than GGD at this price point?

Norm

3rd Rail/GGD products are a tiny piece of a niche market.  Even in you could figure out which factory makes which production runs, you still wouldn't know anything about the manufacturer anyway.  I am astounded at how small many of these production runs are for 3rd Rail/GDD.

I think that quality control at the factory is extremely important in this area and that is why Scott spends so much of his time in China.

Preorder of any O gauge item is a crap shoot at best.  I think it boils down to do you trust the importer to do the best job they can at delivering the promised item.  I trust 3rd Rail/GGD to do a good job, and that is why a good portion of my hobby dollars over the last couple of years have gone towards preorders of their products.

Jim

jd-train posted:

...  I think it boils down to do you trust the importer to do the best job they can at delivering the promised item.  ...

Exactly.  Few -- if any -- of us ever envisioned the nightmare scenarios that are coming to pass nowadays.  Some of the executives who engineered these manufacturing moves overseas are no longer in the picture, so they've left other folks to deal with the mess they helped create.  In other cases, long-time players in this industry are probably doing the best they can to navigate waters they never envisioned could get this bad.  I'm very impressed to see Lionel offer an increasing number of "made in the USA" rolling stock, and I've been pleased with those items I've purchased.  We'll probably never see production of high-end, scale locomotives, aluminum passenger cars, and exotic electronics return to the States in our lifetime.  So having confidence in your preferred importer of choice is paramount to pre-ordering stuff sight-unseen.

Golden era for product offerings?  Yes.  Ideal conditions to get them to consumers?  No way. 

David

Figure out how little we pay for actual labor building these things.  Prices reflect design, shipping, monitoring the pre-production and production, errors and fixes.

So just guess how much it costs for one trip to China for one GGD employee.  You have to pay travel and hotel/per diem, plus don't forget - the voyager is still on the payroll, and still has all that overhead back in the States.

I never figured out how the airlines ever made money, and at these prices I wonder if GGD is losing money on each model and simply making up for it in volume.