... You literally start a post each month, b/c of some perceived error on the shipping schedule. ... Sheesh!!!!
Sorry to disappoint you Sir Gromet 
, but I'm not gonna get drawn into any pot-stirring or personal attacks here. James is entitled to his opinion, and I'm more than happy to let readers draw their own conclusions as to whether this latest snafu was a "perceived error" or not.
When I was a product marketing manager during my many years in Corporate America, I took pride in ensuring information I conveyed was as accurate as possible -- especially to customers. And that's the standard I would hope still exists among today's product managers and executives. It's really amazing that there is a contingent of enthusiasts in our hobby who really don't care if information is accurate or not. Just because "it's a hobby", their favorite importers can do no wrong. And if that helps them enjoy this hobby a bit more, then more power to them.
I started this thread, because I thought that perhaps Lionel might have re-considered the production of some additional aluminum cars when I saw the new 2016 dates for these 18" Texas Special cars (amongst others). I wouldn't have minded one bit if they actually delivered them in 2016 or even 2017 for that matter, because I really PREFER the 18" size and aluminum. I didn't pre-order the 21" plastic version of these Texas Special cars, but it will be interesting to see how they turn out. I DID pre-order the 21" Empire State Express set, so I figured that's enough of a gamble for now.
At the very least, Lionel did re-affirm that these 18" Texas Special aluminum cars have indeed been cancelled. And as I indicated earlier, the customer service folks were nice enough to apologize for the confusion this recent shipping schedule hiccup caused.
David
