I am a frequent shopper at Trainworld
http://www.trainworldonline.com. They ship with DHL Express within 48 hours to my doorstep and the customs paperwork is completed by DHL. A very nice and fast way to get stuff from the US at a reasonable price not much over the USPS shipping cost.
Their online catalog did not list the Athearn CR GP9 in the pain DC version. Only the expensive sound version was listed for all new engines. I called them and they added the plain DC version for within two days and I ordered mine. That happened some month ago.
Last week became the Athearn NS GP38 available and they had again the sound version only. I contacted them and asked to stock the plain DC version too. They told me they will not put the plain DC version on stock but may order one for me from Athearn. However no time frame could be communicated when it will be in their hands. May take weeks or month.
I ended up ordering them from MB Klein
https://www.modeltrainstuff.com with the usual USPS shipping time of some weeks (they are currently at the Chicago USPS ISC).
My question is, is Trainworld is a rare exception of do you experience it more frequently to get only expensive sound versions in your local and online shops immediately from stock?
My question is, is Trainworld is a rare exception of do you experience it more frequently to get only expensive sound versions in your local and online shops immediately from stock?
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I won't deal with any shop that doesn't offer a option..In your case Trainworld elected not to stock the non sound locomotive.
In short they lost a sale to their competitor M.B. Klein.
I think the problem is that more and more people are asking for sound and running DCC, and that tends to drive what stores stock.
MountainMan Wrote:I think the problem is that more and more people are asking for sound and running DCC, and that tends to drive what stores stock.
I don't think that's the case..I fully believe DCC isn't as popular as its made out to be on forums and magazines.
Every locomotive including DCC/ sound equipped engines is dual mode.If DCC was as popular as we are lead to believe they would drop the dual mode decoders and sell DCC/sound only or DCC ready locomotives(for those that want to add their favorite brand of decoder..There would be no need for MRC Tech 6 which is dual mode.
Funny that..When DCC/sound decoders first appeared it was DCC only.It didn't take the manufacturers to find they best made sound operate on DC as well.
Then MRC produce the Tech 6 which is a mighty handy to have for DCC/Sound or DC.IMHO the T6 may make straight DC power packs obsolete.
I don't know if I'd agree, since the only people I know who aren't equipping themselves with DCC are a few holdouts who already have large DC layouts that would be expensive to rebuilt into DCC, and very small layouts where DCC isn't necessary.
That said, I don't think they're intentionally trying to push DCC only models. Its more likely that no on wants the non-sound NS GP38, but enough people did want the Conrail GP9.
These days, many of these models are stocked based on preorders and distributor requirements. There is a chance that they might not be able to order just one non-sound unit, and if there were no other requests from other customers, they might not want to stock a model.
Its important to remember these stores are not 100% online, and that they have large store fronts in Brooklyn and Long Island, NY. They're probably stocked to match what their local customers are looking for.
What I think is interesting, is you ordered something from MBklein, but its going to Chicago. Isn't that Store in the Baltimore area?
I don't know if I'd agree, since the only people I know who aren't equipping themselves with DCC are a few holdouts who already have large DC layouts that would be expensive to rebuilt into DCC, and very small layouts where DCC isn't necessary.
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Maybe it depends on the area?
We have 6 HO clubs within a 30 mile radius of Bucyrus(Oh) and none are DCC.
Last I heard (about 3 months ago) very few uses DCC in the tri-county area that I live in so reported the LHS owner..He doesn't even stock DCC because it doesn't sell.He will order DCC starter sets and decoders but,he doesn't stock any type of decoder I found that kinda odd since sound seems to be more desirable in this area
What started this conversation is I called to see if he had a MRC EMD 645E decoder for my Athearn RTR SW1500 and ended up getting a song and dance on how DCC doesn't sell.
The e-trailers I buy from here in the UK only stock items they get pre-orders for, so unless I order when the manufacturer first announce them I miss out. Buying direct from the US is prohibitively expensive due to the import duties and handling charges on anything over $18.
What annoys the heck out of me is that Athearn didn't produce a plain DC version of their N scale Challenger locomotives, the DCC/sound version is to expensive for my budget.
Cheers,
Kev
Still running DC on my layout!
Ralph (hold out)
Ralph Wrote:Still running DC on my layout!
Ralph (hold out)
Good man
I think there are more of us than certain vocal persons on other forums would like to believe.
Cheers,
Kev
Thanks a lot for all the answers. Looks like Trainworld is the exception and runs a strange stocking policy.
Brakie Wrote:Maybe it depends on the area?
We have 6 HO clubs within a 30 mile radius of Bucyrus(Oh) and none are DCC.
Last I heard (about 3 months ago) very few uses DCC in the tri-county area that I live in so reported the LHS owner..He doesn't even stock DCC because it doesn't sell.He will order DCC starter sets and decoders but,he doesn't stock any type of decoder I found that kinda odd since sound seems to be more desirable in this area
What started this conversation is I called to see if he had a MRC EMD 645E decoder for my Athearn RTR SW1500 and ended up getting a song and dance on how DCC doesn't sell.
That's probably it. If you only have so many modelers or hobby shops, you won't see that much in the way of DCC if nobody uses it there. Still, I don't think DCC is just some fad being pushed by the magazines.
I think what I've noticed, is that DCC systems in hobby shops don't tend to sell, since usually, you can get a significant savings on the internet. A hobby shop can't compete with ebay for a brand new NCE system. On the other hand, while my hobby shop has never sold out of decoders completely, they do frequently sell out of whichever decoder it is I need that they had the last time I was in there, so it seems like those sell pretty quickly.
Ralph Wrote:Still running DC on my layout!
Ralph (hold out)
You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.
Brakie Wrote:Maybe it depends on the area?
Very good point Larry. We only have two well stocked model railroad hobby shops in my area (if you call 60 or 80 miles one way "in the area") and it's the DC/DCC ready locomotives that don't seem to sell. As the owner's of both shops told me, they will order a few of the DC/DCC ready versions of some locomotives that are available for local railroads (NS - CSX), but they also stock decoders as when they sell one, the buyer almost always want to covert it to DCC. The larger of the two hobby shops has a whole shelf of DC/DCC ready loco's that seem to always be there when I stop by and when I went there about two weeks ago, I noticed that several of them were now on sale. Both shops do carry a very few DCC systems, but as GEC noted, you can save yourself some money by ordering them on-line.
I recently visited the only model railroad club layout that I know of close to where I live, and the fellow that was showing me the still under construction the layout, said they were initially wiring the layout for DC, but since so many people were now running DCC/Sound locomotives on the layout, they were now planning on just going with DCC, as that is what most of the club members now want.
I made the switch to DCC about two years ago and will never look back. Of course, paying almost $300 for a single locomotive is often a bit hard to swallow, but I guess it's on par with the price of all model railroad equipment these days and the continuing decline in the value of our dollar. $30-$40 for a single car? Ouch!
Even though I only operate one locomotive at a time I love the control I have over adjusting each individual locomotive to operate the way I want and really enjoy the sound too. Absolutely love my NCE DCC system! Like so many of us, I've managed to acquire far more locomotives than I really need, but all are DCC and only two don't have sound. I certainly agree with GEC that DCC isn't just a fad as it just keeps getting better. It's here to stay.
There are 2 clubs close enough to me to check out. One is DCC only, they started out DCC. The other has been around about 30 years . They are building a new modular layout that is DCC. They have an older one (their original layout which is modular)that is being converted to DCC. There is a massive open house schedule in my area. There are around 150 participants. I haven't been to all of them but of the ones I have been to are all DCC.Last year my system was down so I had temporarily converted back to DC. Almost every one who were Modelers inquired about how long it would be until my DCC was up and running. It appears to be contagious around here.
That's probably it. If you only have so many modelers or hobby shops, you won't see that much in the way of DCC if nobody uses it there.
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The tri county area where I live is rich in railroad history and thus we have a abundance of modelers probably higher then normal and there is one hobby shop.Now go sixty miles South to Columbus and DCC is heavy used.I know most clubs in Columbus is DCC.
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Still, I don't think DCC is just some fad being pushed by the magazines.
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Actually if you check you see MR did indeed push DCC.In fact a editor boldly stated he toured some layouts in DC and DCC was "everywhere".
I didn't buy that for one second since DCC was still in its infancy but,did notice this happen around the same time DCC advertisements started showing up.The next few featured layouts was DCC along with several DCC articles.
MR been known to push certain products and ideas while ignoring other things.MR endorse C83 but,never endorse C70-this was around the time C83 hit the hobby shops.
MR yet to endorse fine scale modeling.
Ed:I made the switch to DCC about two years ago and will never look back. Of course, paying almost $300 for a single locomotive is often a bit hard to swallow, but I guess it's on par with the price of all model railroad equipment these days and the continuing decline in the value of our dollar. $30-$40 for a single car? Ouch!
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I went DCC for awhile and returned to DC..Now I use a dual mode MRC Tech 6 which gives me the opportunity to run my DCC/Sound locomotive or my DC locomotives.
But wait there's more..
By plugging in my Tech 6 handheld throttle I can run up to 6 DCC engines or one DC engine..
That fits my needs to a "T" and cost less then $120.00..