GSI 53'-6" Bulkhead Flat Car: An Update
On July 19th at the Collinsville, IL RPM Meet, ExactRail announced an all new product in HO scale, the GSI 53'-6" Bulkhead Flat Car. At the time, we were expecting these to be delivered to us in late August or early September. We would then release immediately after.
On the morning of July 27th, the rug was pulled out from under our feet with the news that our factory in China had "closed". We knew that the production on the GSI Bulkhead Flat Cars was finished, or close to being finished when this happened. The next week we received confirmation that the production was in fact complete.
After some back and forth emails, delays, more emails, negotiations, emails, other delays, an email, and about four weeks of time, we finally have some news to share. This last week, we received word that the shipment of Bulkhead Flat Cars is now enroute to the land where fry sauce & caffeine free soda flows endlessly, that's right, all 53'-6" of these cars are on their way to Provo, Utah!
As long as our container of product doesn't fall off a ship in the Pacific, get pulverized in a cornfield meet in Nevada or run off the road by a student driver... we should be ready to release in a few weeks.
It feels good to finally be receiving something that had been stuck in development hell for far too long.
Other exciting news will be coming soon!
Chris Brimley
19 Responses
Kelley D. Ellison
I am hoping to get pre-set orders on all the CGW/CNW as well. Man, never been so excited to see a flat car! Other than when a GE was going to scrap on one! (ducking for cover!!) Seriously, I LOVE ExactRail!!!
Tom Synovec
Can you send out an advance notice when the GSI 53’-6" CB&Q bulkheads will be available for sale. I want to get one of each but would like to know before they get sold out.
Robert Biddison
What road names will be offered in these cars?
Tim Miller
I would like to have one of those GSI Bulk head flatcars
Russ Sarch
Are these all sold out or will there be cars available?
Richard Wilcox
To Whom It May Concern @ Exactrail,
Pleased to see that you are back up and running. I have a number of Exactrail HO Models that I am very happy with. I would hope that you will be producing more HO models of 60 foot & 86 foot Auto Parts Boxcar designs from the 1960’s. These designs lasted a long time on US railroads.and so would be appropriate from the mid 1960’s thru the early 2000’s.
Thanks for your time in this matter.
Sincerely,
Rich Wilcox
Al Peffley
Hello Chris,
This has become an all too recurring situation with international companies’ dealings with Mainland China factories. The ability to recuperate depends on why a Chinese factory closes. I would hope that quality scale model companies like yours will consider other Asian manufacturing sources like Japan, South Korea, or Taiwan to produce your model train products. Robotic processes are so prevalent in the marketplace anymore that you may have more production source options than you think — try to think “out of the sole source Chinese business case box.”
Please rerun the high demand Thrall Railgons again with the TTX “Forward Thinking” logo. I have some photos of the newer TTX gondola livery if you wish some file copies.
Thank you for designing and making some really great model railroading products. ExactRail used HO scale cars always seem to hail a high bidding price on eBay (oftentimes over MSRP, especially in the case of your TTX line products), so you must be doing something special and unique with your HO and N scale offerings. Best regards always.
Al in Kelso, WA
Dan Hadley
When can we place orders? Will be out of country until Oct 7th and afraid I’ll miss being able to order. Predict these will sell out in rapid time.
Rick McClellan
When will we be able to order? Need a BN and ROCK. Will a Frisco bulkhead come in the future? Thanks.
J Motts
Glad to hear that, maybe you all should switch production either to the US (preferably) or move to S. Korea. Get in contact with Jimmy Booth at PBL (they do Sn3) and I’m sure he can direct you to a good reputable manufacturer.
Keep up the great work.
David Luyster Jr
Great news! I missed the initial announcement, but will probably order one now!
David Luyster Jr
Great news! I missed the initial announcement, but will probably order one now!
Lonnie Bathurst
Glad to hear your bulkhead is on the way. A silver lining in a cloud extending over the China Sea…
ramon cancilleri
Great news…we’ve been waiting soooooooooo long for these!!!!!!!!
Tom Bacarella
Can I preorder? I don’t want to get skunked.
Robert r Harmen
Now you know what exciting news I would love to hear!!
Hopefully, the mess in China will resolve over the near future. We are running out of places to have the cars made for us! Heaven forbid, modelers will have to go back to scratch building everything they run. That would be a death knoll for most model railroaders.
Gerhard Anderson
Chris thank you for your courtesy and update. Without a doubt the model will be a sure winner.
Ed Chapman
How about posting the car and item numbers so we can get our orders to y’all?
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Joe Slivinski
October 03, 2019
Is there any plans for short bulkhead flatcars, Norfolk an Southern have many of this type running. I would like to model some of the loads but cannot find this type of flat car.