I always "operate" my model railroad, and take offense when someone says 'He's going to play with his trains'    Mine is totally freelanced, but is based on a modern tourist railroad (this is the best way to operate equipment from various lines and still have it "make sense").  I live in West Virginia, and thusly it has a little Cass, West Virginia Central (aka Tygart Flyer/Durbin Rocket), Potomac Eagle, Western Maryland Scenic, and West Virginia Northern, but is set on a ficticious former branch of the Western Maryland Railway.  Scenery is realistic for the most part, although I have set up a small amusement park, which as most who are familiar with WV know, we only have one, and this isn't it, lol. 

And just how many people model West Virginia?  It must be one of the most often depicted areas for model railroads...it seems like almost every issue of Model Railroader features at least one story about someone who models WV.  It really is a beautiful place, and easy to depict in a past era.

On a side note, I recently finished detailing an HO model of West Virginia Northern Railroad SW1200 #52, as well as a replica of their MP54 "Ping-Pong" coach, nicknamed "L.I. Suzy".  I really enjoyed this railroad when I was younger in the 1990s, and was saddened when it closed down forever in 1999.  I honestly still like Cass better, but I did like the Northern due to its closer proximity to my house (lol).  I will be adding photos of my models to the photostream very soon, so be sure to check back often!!!   Here's a link to a site about the prototype:  http://www.wvrail.railfan.net/wvnrr/index.html

From what most online retailers report, it looks like there will be a second run of these cars which will become available sometime in May.  It looks like they were more popular than Bachmann had thought they would be, especially the ones that are actually lettered for Cass, the prototype.  When I couldn't find them I at first thought they had already stopped offering them, but I'd rather have them be so popular they can't keep up with demand than not popular and no longer being made at all.  

I was actually at Cass in the Fall right after these were first released, and NO ONE there had heard of them.  Even the Park's supporting organization, Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association (MSR&LHA) didn't know of the cars until this past month when I sent the editor of their newsletter, "The Log Train", a review of the cars to include in the June issue.  As it turns out, Bachmann's VP of Product Development, Lee Riley, is a HUGE fan of Cass, and visits there sporadically throughout the year, hence the use of Cass equipment as a prototype (first the Shay, now the cars, hopefully he'll think of offering a model of one of the other Cass Shays sometime soon, perhaps a Pacific Coast type like #2, or WM #6).  

If you are interested in some of the non-Cass lettered tourist cars, many places do have a few of the other varieties available, but the Cass version seems to be sold out across the board.  And you are right, the prices have gone up, but that is largely due to Bachmann raising prices on ALL their products at the beginning of the year.  The new SRP for these is still only $1 higher though at $29, so the price change could have been worse.  Might I suggest www.modeltrainstuff.com ?  They seem to have the lowest price at $13.99 as of this writing.  Hopefully it will stay that way for a while.  I have a total of 20 of these cars (at least one of each variety), and don't plan to purchase anymore for the time being, but may change my mind in the future.  

(delayed reaction) THANK YOU RYEGUY!

Jim,

Although I can not offer assistance or a remedy, I will say that I have had this rather ironic problem with ALL of my 5 Shays, and NONE of them are the newer tsunami sound version, but rather all are the older version (got quite a deal on most of them when the sound version was first announced.).  Also, like you, when I speed the engine up it does seem to cure the problem, and have wondered why the engine doesn't move well over the insulated frog while other engines with only two power wheel sets do it without problem.  I usually just "gun it" when I come to a switch, but this is annoying to have to sit and watch everytime it goes through a turnout, and if anyone has a solution, I also would like to hear it.  This is truly an ironic problem, because Shays are known (especially here in West Virginia) to go through lots of switches and switchbacks and over roughly layed track...they just aren't behaving like the prototype in this case, I guess...

Here's a link to the Photo Bucket album of My Layout.  Photos of the Cass Cars with Shay #5 are toward the end (roughly the last half of the images).  You can also see my scratchbuilt CSRR "first generation" tourist cars in the last four photos of the album, which were built in 2000.  Some are repetitive shots, but I still hope you enjoy!

http://s935.photobucket.com/albums/ad194/thewvnetwork/My%20Layout/

I have plenty of pics that I could share, but how do you post them on here?  I tried to attach some in my previous post, but apparently the files were too large...

Bach-Man,
Although I know you probably aren't allowed to give out specific numbers, I guess its safe to assume from the fact that almost no one around the 'net has the Cass Scenic Railroad tourist cars in stock that they are a hit?  I am the proud owner of a countless number of them, as everytime I buy from an e-seller I have them throw in one or two.  These really are great, and I have them on my layout with Cass #5, and have even added the tourists to make them look better!

I have just begun running trains on my new layout (it has taken me 5 years to build but is finally STARTING to look finished...or getting close to as finished as a layout can get ).  I built a 7% grade using Woodland Scenics 3% and 4% foam inclines on top of each other, and the Shay hasn't complained much pushing three passenger filled Bachmann Cass Scenic Railroad tourist cars around an 18" radius curve while starting up the 7% grade...into my homage to CSRR's Whittaker Station!  The only "problem" that has occurred so far is that it sometimes "slips" its wheels a little (but doesn't jump the track) on the way back down, but it does pretty well otherwise.  I actually have three of the Shays (so far), but one of the other two slips off the tracks on the curve, but it does in a couple other places on my layout, too (it was the "original" Shay on my layout, and has ran about a year and a half longer than the others on my old layout...maybe its just worn from old age!).

My source now says mid-October...its cheaper there, too...only $19.59...  Bach Mann, please let me know if an official "release date" is available or not!

That long?  Geez, someone told me that they would be available at the end of September.  Ah well, I guess only time will tell...

Yeah, I'm one of the ones that wanted these...they still aren't available to buy yet, though...any idea when they will ship?

I can't wait!

If I was ecstatic last year when I discovered the Jackson Sharp cars, you can bet that I'm 100x more thrilled now that I found out earlier today that there IS INDEED a Cass Scenic Railroad based tourist car on its way later this fall...(see new product announcements)!

Maybe the "right" people really do run Bachmann...as I said before THANKS A MILLION for listening to what people want.  This car appears to be an even better replica than I could have hoped for, and I can't wait to have a generous collection of 4 or 5 of them on my layout with Shay #5! 

Here is one more suggestion:  How about more HO Shays based on another prototype...the ones based on Shay #5 are great, but maybe you could make a series based on a Pacific Coast prototype (Cass Scenic RR #2 and #11 could easily be such prototype) or the 70 ton type like Cass Scenic RR #4 and Meadow River Lumber/Cass Scenic RR #7, or an HO version of Western Maryland "BIG" Six...also at Cass. 
And, I know I'm getting a little too specific now but maybe models of Cass's Bald Knob "all weather" boxcar type excursion cars or the shorter caboose units could be next in the rolling stock collection (I guess I should say I'm just kidding about the latter two, but my mouth is watering at the thought that my Cass Scenic RR obsession now seems to be well on its way to being fulfilled!).  Ah, well, I know I'm crazy, but the new type of Shays may not be such a bad idea...

Oh well, I am just ecstatic  to hear that there is at least some sort of rolling stock option for those of us wanting to model a tourist railroad operation even if it isn't a perfect prototype!!!  The strange thing about these cars is that I really can't find anything to say that Jackson/Sharp ever really produced a car that looks like that...I mean maybe they did, but it must not be documented that well... Perhaps Bachmann decided to combine a couple ideas of prototypes into one and that is the result?!  Or perhaps they started to design cars similar to several tourist lines and decided it was just too costly to make several different types so they decided on one generic design?.  It really looks like something that would either be on a trolley line or maybe its similar to one of the earliest passenger cars ca. 1840s.  Anyway, enough with the speculation...as I said, I am just pleased that there is something to go with my HO tourist operation that isn't homemade (I actually built both a "first generation" style Cass Scenic RR open car and one "closed" car on the ACF log cars offered by Bachmann, and I have to say, I think they look great considering they were made out of household items  !).  Now I can put those on display, and use the Jackson/Sharp cars for everyday operation.

On an interesting side note, I think I remember making a suggestion that they should make a tourist car on this board a little over a year ago when asking why they stopped making the prototype Cass Scenic RR Shay #5 but continued offering others.  Who knows, maybe the right person saw that message and took my suggestion!!!  If that's the case, THANKS A MILLION! 

No, but that is actually where I started...Omni Models (as in the eBay listing) is the company that has the following listing for a Cass Scenic car (as described in previous post):

http://www3.omnimodels.com/cgi-bin/woi0001p?&I=BACU7433&P=7&I