UP on Wednesday said the schedule for No. 4014 and stablemate 4-8-4 No. 844 has been delayed from a planned mid-February announcement. “We originally planned to release the Big Boy No. 4014 and Living Legend No. 844 tour schedules earlier this month,” the railroad said in an email to members of its online steam club. “However, details concerning the route and schedule are still being worked out.”
Observers have also said UP has delayed the announcement to put some space between recent layoffs connected to the railroad’s implementation of its own brand of Precision Scheduled Railroading and the event.
UP said earlier that it plans to have both Nos. 844 and 4014 in Ogden on May 9 to re-enact the iconic nose-to-nose scene celebrating the completion of the first transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869.
I did wait on hold a couple of times, had to call 4 times to get my Jan. ’19 issue of Trains that had never arrived, it had a paper flyer on it and that probably got torn off with Xmas mail rush and also our mailman retiring and subs working the route until they finally got someone permanent. They mailed me an issue 3 times and I never got it. Finally, on the final try, they put it in an envelope and it came OK. But everyone was very nice and helpful. I received Feb, March and Apr issues ok and the special mag Journey to Prom.
I don’t remember waiting on hold, but I talked with a lady in TX to renew CLASSIC TRAINS. She INSISTED on adding sales tax! (This has not happened before). Then I called the number listed in the CLASSIC TOY TRAINS magazine for a renewal, speaking with a man – no problems or additions. My credit card bill reads WI for this charge. I also subscribe to TRAINS (able to participate here as well as read the magazine) (I feel the sales tax addition was wrong.
Mr. Fegely: When Kalmbach Publishing Company terminated it’s Customer Service department in Waukesha (perhaps as a cost cutting measure?) it outsourced it to Tampa, Florida. It has since been outsourced once again, this time to Big Sandy, Texas. The girls in Waukesha were Friendly and Always provided Professional solutions to any problems I encountered, regardless what they were!
When I first contacted Tampa I was placed on hold for 30 minutes (!) before I was finally connected with who I assume was a human being? I immediately took note that the lady had not been properly trained for the position and had little knowledge whatsoever about Kalmbach much less railroading.
My second attempt faired slightly better. After waiting 20 minutes, the woman who answered my call (this time in Texas no less!) appeared to be frozen up in fear, and was unable or unwilling to talk to me in a friendly personal tone of voice like the girls in Waukesha did, who always made me feel like I was appreciated as a Kalmbach customer and not just the number on the top of an address label. There is a positive end to my conversation with the lady in Texas, as she did e-mail me the Garden Railways downloaded artical I was entitled to.
My third try was about two weeks ago. After waiting 45 minutes (!) I finally hung up, contacting Garden Railways in Waukesha by e-mail instead. I finally received the complimentary copy of Garden Railways I had signed up for, but to my shock after reading the editorial that the contract Kalmbach had held with Marc Horowitz, Founder of Garden Railways, had been terminated effective with that very December 2018 issue. As a result, I have made the decision to cancel my subscription to this magazine out of Protest as well as Respect for Marc!
Regretfully, in my opinion, Kalmbach has lost complete track of it’s roots, As a result, the Dream that Al Kalmbach had when he started his company in 1934, has turned into a Nightmare! Sad but true, as I see it, the Top Line in 2019 begins with the word PROFIT instead!
GOOD LUCK on your attempt to contact Kalmbach Customer Service. Who knows, if you get through at all, you might just find yourself talking to Roberta the Beautiful Robot…..in India no less! Gads, what a thought…
Item: The quality magazines that were Model Trains and Trains Illustrated have been replaced with the likes of Beads & Buttons, American Snowmobiler. as well as other non-railroad orientated publications. You wanna look to the stars? Well, you can read Astronomy, but personally, I still prefer the best professional and most reliable publication that continues to cover the entire uinverse on the market today: Sky & Telescope!
DONE
73
The Ghost of The Trinity River Bottoms Boomer
Salam!
Mr. Fegely and Mr. Toth: Please know that I have just been on the phone with Customer Service (answer as Classic Trains, but handle all Kalmbach pubs). I have passed on your complaints to them, and they in turn will pass on the info and a recording of our conversation to Waukesha – whom I’m sure will also be reading this. The new folks in Big Sandy, TX, have been helpful, kind and patient both times I’ve spoken to them.
So I suggest that if you have problems, please take my prior advice and call 1-877-243-4904 – and they’re on Central Time – and VERY nice folks to deal with!
Good luck, and hope this helps.
WHO THE HELL CARES??!!! It will be well worth the wait!
I know this is not the right place but ! I have been a subscriber for many years but now for some reason I can not see all of the train news articles. maybe half of what is posted of what is posted each day. Every time I try to contact Trains customer service it puts me on garden railways. Is anyone else having this type of problems ? I hope they read this.
Even from the grave Ewing H Harrison is butting into other railroads business
“Observers have also said UP has delayed the announcement to put some space between recent layoffs connected to the railroad’s implementation of its own brand of Precision Scheduled Railroading and the event. “
They’re kidding right? Somehow they believe if they let the layoff thing die down that the workforce will somehow forget that bodies are being cut in order to make the numbers look good but yet somehow there is money for this thing?”
To Walter Fegely: You may be using an out of date phone number. Kalmbach’s CS is now in Texas, and I suggest you try
1-877-243-4904 during business hours CST.
Good luck!
I agree, Jeremy Schultz. The 4014’s back-to-life debut will still be well worth the wait, regardless of a slight “delay” in getting a schedule posted.
At least it’s not AMTRAK.