Pre-order doesn't guarantee that you'll get your order. I pre-ordered an RK locomotive before the MTH closure announcement. When they were delivered late last year, my dealer didn't receive mine. Obviously, MTH didn't build enough. Fortunately, I was able to purchase one from a forum sponsor.
I swore off Lionel pre-orders after 2 Legacy locomotive (engineering) failures.
I currently have a 3rd rail locomotive set on order and an Atlas Trainman locomotive.