The full-scale Canadian National DASH-9s have see-through etched-metal walkway grates to allow melting snow to pass through. This minimizes the possibility of a crew member slipping and falling. Unlike the ES44 and ET44 which have multiple grates and attachments on each side, the DASH-9 has one long continuous grate per side.
During shipping, models are exposed to hot and cold temperature changes. This causes plastic and metal parts to expand and contract, making the part larger and smaller. Plastic and metal materials expand and contract at different rates which can cause parts to become loose, distort, or pop off.
All super-detailed locomotives and freight cars are subject to this natural phenomenon. Here’s a 1-minute video that demonstrates how to easily secure etched-metal grilles and grates that have become dislodged. Watch the video below.
We always strive to deliver the highest quality models humanly possible. Since the CN DASH-9 walkway grates are so long, the normal expansion and contraction process has caused the walkways to exhibit a slight degree of waviness. Even though we could have shipped the models as is and most modelers would find them acceptable, we believe it’s important to be transparent.
As you can see, the undulation is minimal in the two photos above (see red circles). Many of the locomotives we inspected appear similar to road number 2725. The worse models look like #2697.
We could send the models back to our factory to be reworked but the same issue will likely occur again when they’re shipped back to us. In addition, this could happen in transit between our warehouse and you.
We apologize for the inconvenience. We’ll automatically reduce your preorder purchase price by 10% during fulfillment tomorrow morning. That’s a savings of $19.50 for DC/DCC ready and $29 for DCC & Sound. The updated selling price will not be reflected in your online account until after fulfillment is completed.
By accepting the discount on the CN/IC DASH-9, you agree the walkways are not covered under warranty for this production run. We will not be reproducing bodies with these road numbers. The next production run of CN/IC has not been scheduled and will feature new road numbers. The soonest we’ll offer more road numbers is in late 2024.
If this offer is unacceptable, please email us at Sales@ScaleTrains.com by 7:00 am EST Thursday (12/22/22) to make adjustments to your preorder. We will review the Sales email mailbox prior to fulfillment. After-hours order changes submitted via phone (voicemail) may not be retrieved before fulfillment begins.
BILLING UPDATE
Preorders will be billed at 7:00 am EST, Thursday, December 22nd.
If your credit card is on file, it will be automatically charged.
If your credit card is not on file, you’ll receive a Payment Request Email with a link to a secure shopping cart with your preordered items inside The preorder expiration date will be the afternoon of Friday, January 5th. If additional time is needed to make payment, please send us an email at Sales@ScaleTrains.com with the anticipated payment date. We’ll let you know if we’re able to accommodate the request.
