[HO] Overland Models discontinues parts business

This message is from the Overland Models e-mail list:

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For many years, we have maintained an inventory of HO-scale parts.

Generally-speaking, these parts were used by modelers to make their plastic models more prototypical.

Recently, we have noticed that the need for these parts has substantially declined. As a result, we have decided to stop carrying them, effective immediately.

If you are looking for a particular part, you may find it at your favorite Overland dealer until it is sold out.

We have sold all our remaining inventory to: American O-Scale Telephone: [262] 547-1919 E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@aol.com

So, if your favorite Overland dealer does not have what you need because they are already sold out, you may be able to find it at American O-Scale.

Brian Marsh President Overland Models, Inc.

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____ Mark Mathu The Green Bay Route:

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Reply to
Mark Mathu
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"Mark Mathu" wrote

Well, at least that explains why he hasn't answered my emails inquiring about parts.

-Pete

Reply to
P. Roehling

Sounds like they are getting stung by the risings costs of making things in China - the olympic games are going to make wages in china rise massively over the next 10 years so that could make it start to become cost-effective to manufacture 'at home' again.

I don't know how this would affect brass model and detail part manufacturing though. Most of that is done in Korea now I think since it's too expensive to get Samhongsa to make small to medium runs in Japan. Then again the size of the runs Overland does are quite large.

Craig.

Reply to
C. Dewick

I don't think that would explain his lack of a reply to you.

Reply to
Mark Mathu

"Mark Mathu" wrote

Well, there's probably some basic impoliteness towards -and lack of concern for- his customers going on there too; but no longer supplying parts makes for a good excuse to put off doing something that you weren't very inclined to do in the first place...

I ran into the same problem when I had to return a factory defective loco to Overland: it generally took three emails to get an answer to most any question.

-Pete

Reply to
P. Roehling

On 5/18/2008 10:59 PM P. Roehling spake thus:

So--and pardon my ignorance, not ever being loaded enough to even think about buying those high-priced Overland models--isn't the arrangement that Overland works through dealers? Could that be the cause of your problems? Or are you forced to deal with them directly?

Reply to
David Nebenzahl

"David Nebenzahl" wrote

They understandably want you to buy your locos through a dealer, but parts are a different story.

It's always been difficult to get Overland parts through a dealer. Since Overland doesn't sell many locos compared to say, Athearn, it doesn't pay many dealers to stock spares that they might not ever sell; and in my experience the dealers rarely -if ever- know what Overland has available anyway.

When you add that to the fact that I'm over 50 freeway miles from the nearest dealer who'd even *try* to special order Overland parts for me, dealing direct with Overland is -excuse me- *was*, the only practical way to get what you needed before the advent of the next ice age.

Frankly, I'm thinking of selling my Overland locos off on eBay before they begin breaking down. There are a lot of collectors out there who don't run their stuff, but I don't enjoy owning paperweights. (I should have probably seen this coming, since I bought one of their new SP AC-12s several years ago and it spun the drive gear on the axle of the rear engine the third time I ever ran it.)

I returned it to Overland and then waited *15 months* while it got sent back to Korea *twice* for full disassembly and repairs. Getting any information out Overland during that period was closely akin to pulling teeth. It seemed that they simply didn't want to be bothered.

-Pete

Reply to
P. Roehling

On 5/19/2008 12:02 PM P. Roehling spake thus:

[...]

... all of which seems to confirm my suspicion that most Overland models never see a single volt of electricity through their little motors ...

Reply to
David Nebenzahl

Just list them as "Never runs" instead of "Never run".

Reply to
Steve Caple

On the other hand, when I had to contact Bowser for parts for the Pennsy Atlantic I just built, they were helpful, and if the guy answering didn't know the answer, he handed me off to ... Lee, I think, who *did* know it all. Nice guy, and fast response from Bowser, always.

mark

Reply to
mark

"mark" wrote

Thenk yew for mentioning that. Hopefully it will throw a few more customers Bowser's way.

Too often we enjoy cussing out the bad guys so much that we forget to bestow appropriate kudos where they're deserved.

-Pete

Reply to
P. Roehling

"David Nebenzahl" wrote

Could be, although their diesels seem to be pretty reliable.

I've never understood the collecting mentality anyway. Stamps take up so much less space...

-Pete

Reply to
P. Roehling

"Steve Caple" wrote

I see: sort of like Ron Paul.

Reply to
P. Roehling

I thought you were thinking of selling your Overland locos now, before they began breaking down? You wrote that you had a SP AC-12 which spun a drive gear on the third time you ran it....

____ Mark Mathu Whitefish Bay, Wis.

Reply to
Mark Mathu

"Mark Mathu" wrote

I am. Although they don't seem ready to fall apart right now, and I've not had many problems with their diesels in the past, *everything* breaks down sooner or later; and I'd rather not be the one left holding the bag when that eventually happens and repair parts are no longer available.

AC-12 = steam engine. The diesels don't seem to have the same problems, as I mentioned above.

-Pete

Reply to
P. Roehling

Who's this Ru Paul everybody's talking about?

Reply to
Steve Caple

On Tue, 20 May 2008 03:20:55 -0700, I said, "Pick a card, any card" and Steve Caple instead replied:

Did you ever see the movie, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert?

-- Ray

Reply to
Ray Haddad

The ping-pong movie?

Reply to
Steve Caple

When you've got two more locos than your layout requires for operation you're a collector. (the first excess loco is of course a "spare") When you buy a loco "because I like it", you're a collector.

Regards, Greg.P.

Reply to
Greg Procter

On Tue, 20 May 2008 08:01:46 -0700, I said, "Pick a card, any card" and Steve Caple instead replied:

That was Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert.

-- Ray

Reply to
Ray Haddad

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