45 Days and Counting .....

I have an HO boxcar that shipped 12-11-20.  It went through Warrendale also.  No update on the tracking number until this morning when it arrived in Birmingham, AL.  Hopefully I’ll get it tomorrow.  

Neal Jeter

Just got parts from Lionel today (Sunday), they were shipped Nov 30th.  So, if you get it tomorrow, I'll still have the record.

A Steelers boxcar purchased through ebay on the 11th.  Shipped on 11th. Passed through Warrendale on the 12th and sitting in Harrisburg since the 13th.

The USPS black hole south of you is Sandston Virginia- maybe it went there and entered the twilight zone.

Ordered a freight sounds reefer off da bay. It was shipped from Leesburg Florida Dec. 18. USPS tracking has not updated since the package was given a tracking number. It's nowhere to be found.

I had a few other items that actually made it, but not until they bounced back and forth forth between hubs in my home state for 5 days. They spent more time an hour away then they did the whole shipment.

I can TOTALLY understand the high volume slowing things down. What I DON'T understand is an apparent sorting problem when the item nearly reaches it's destination.

Maybe if the packages actually got sent where they were supposed to go it would lessen the backup?

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Just got parts from Lionel today (Sunday), they were shipped Nov 30th.  So, if you get it tomorrow, I'll still have the record.

You never know. I ordered some parts from Lionel (I have done this quite a bit, but not much in the last 2 - 3 years) at 1:05 PM CST 11/30/20, per my notes. They arrived exactly 2 weeks later, almost to the hour. Their orders used to take 1 1/2 weeks typically, as I recall - but this is Xmas.

Duh, the record was for the longest shipping time.

Got you all beat.  Beth from Public Delivery Track sent me a box car on 11/23.

Went from California to Lehigh, Pa to Harrisburg, PA to Philly and back to Harrisburg where is sits.  35 days.  Most of that time has been in PA.

Amazing.

So what should I do gentlemen? I have several items I would like to order after new years day. Should I go ahead and order them or not?

No.

I must be living a charmed life, or I'm saving up for a giant crash and burn.  My stuff has been moving right through Warrendale with no problem.  Maybe that is because Warrendale is the final destination before heading to the local Butler PO.

I have mailed out priority mail still not delivered that I mailed on the 16th of Dec. The USPS has been terrible this Christmas. I believe It is all because of the CV-19 a lot of people bought there Christmas presents on line, and the PO can't handle it..

I feel your collective pain. USPS order on 11/30, shipped on 12/2, sitting in Merrifield VA since 12/3.

I remind myself every day that if this is my biggest cross to bear, I'm leading a charmed life.

@tncentrr posted:

So what should I do gentlemen? I have several items I would like to order after new years day. Should I go ahead and order them or not?

If the items you’re ordering are coming UPS or FedEx go ahead and order them.  By early January I think the backlog at USPS should be winding down.

Neal Jeter

@tncentrr posted:

So what should I do gentlemen? I have several items I would like to order after new years day. Should I go ahead and order them or not?

Not sure why you would wait.  Might as well do it now and get in line with the rest of us.  I would have to assume with the holidays coming to a close the surge has passed.

Ron

I was wanting to get some relays from radio shack, to use with my block signals, some 30'' track sections from menards and some tools from tinman. The hope that the rush will be over by new years day was my reason for waiting. I am like the rest of you, I can't understand the bouncing around between hubs. All that does is take up fuel, manhours and money that might otherwise go to their stockholders, oh well.

Funny, I mailed a package to a friend from Wisconsin to Los Angeles on December 8th.  Made sure I sent it priority mail.  He got it 2 days later.  He was thrilled to get it so quickly. 

File a Missing Mail Search Request.  Have encountered several similar occurrences in the past few months as both shipper and recipient.  The packages have promptly reappeared in the system and subsequently been delivered without further delay.  Another bit of advice:   Don't delay!  File as soon as two days have elapsed without a tracking update.

@Mark Boyce posted:

I must be living a charmed life, or I'm saving up for a giant crash and burn.  My stuff has been moving right through Warrendale with no problem.  Maybe that is because Warrendale is the final destination before heading to the local Butler PO.

There may be delays at Warrendale, but there are NEVER delays at Warrenville.

@tncentrr posted:

All that does is take up fuel, manhours and money that might otherwise go to their stockholders, oh well.

A'hem.  We're talking about the USPS.  Did you mean stockholders or TAXpayers?

@hobby-go-lucky posted:

File a Missing Mail Search Request.  Have encountered several similar occurrences in the past few months as both shipper and recipient.  The packages have promptly reappeared in the system and subsequently been delivered without further delay.  Another bit of advice:   Don't delay!  File as soon as two days have elapsed without a tracking update.

LoL... I did that on Dec 19th.  Got this reply on Dec 21st.  Package still not here.

This is in response to your inquiry regarding the delivery of a package. Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience this matter may have caused you.

The Postal Service is aware of the frustration and disappointment caused when we do not live up to our commitment of safe and reliable mail service.

Due to the high volume, your package has been delayed. I am unable to give you an updated arrival time. I want to apologize and thank you for your patience. I do not believe your package is lost, only delayed. We strive to provide a better service and have fallen short. We will continue to work towards improving. Again, I apologize.

An apology is no substitute for good service, but I want to offer one on behalf of the Postal Service. We appreciate your reporting this matter to us. It helps to know the kinds of difficulties our customers have so we can work toward improvements. The information you have provided will be shared with management as they continue their efforts to improve service performance in your area.

Thank you for the opportunity to address this matter with you. If you have any questions, please contact me.

@RickO posted:

I can TOTALLY understand the high volume slowing things down. What I DON'T understand is an apparent sorting problem when the item nearly reaches it's destination.

I have watched in horror as many of my packages came all the way across the country, only to be re-routed at the last moment.

When my cousin worked in the post office in Berkeley, California in the late 60's, she and many of her co-workers were stoned/high.

A co-worker explained what to do: Take a letter, look at it for a second, then place it into a compartment - any compartment. Then do that with the next letter. So that's what she did.

Now, I am not saying that is what is happening nowadays, heaven forbid. But it's one possible explanation.

I bought a locomotive from a forum member in early December,  was shipped USPS priority 7 day. It sat in warrendale for nearly 3 weeks and then about another week "in transit". Thankfully I got it on Christmas eve. 

Kudos to Charles Ro, Trainworld, and USPS and UPS. Contrary to the many reports of slow deliveries, have had much success with all of my mid-  and late December orders/deliveries. Also, one Ebay order that shipped Priority in the expected time frame.

So far, so good.

@Nation Wide Lines posted:

Funny, I mailed a package to a friend from Wisconsin to Los Angeles on December 8th.  Made sure I sent it priority mail.  He got it 2 days later.  He was thrilled to get it so quickly.

I have a railroad negative I was mailed and the last scanning shows it was processed through a facility in Oak Creek, Wisconsin on December 17th. Anybody hear anything about Oak Creek?

I don't think anyone mentioned COVID...if a distribution center along the way (or more than one) closed for 2 weeks due to COVID that would explain a lot of the delays. By me, a USPS distribution center at White Plains, NY was hit hard by COVID at one point early on. My tax return copies were hung up there for 4-5 weeks.

Thank you to the USPS if they are dealing with delays because of COVID.

Tom

...then (2 min. ago) I saw this:

https://www.tmj4.com/news/loca...s-oak-creek-facility

MNCW a few days ago, I saw a piece on Pittsburgh television that said Covid had hit many USPS facilities very hard, besides more folks are shopping online to stay away from in person purchases.  One of my sons-in-law is a manager at a local Sheetz convenience store and has had to work a lot of overtime to keep things going because of employees testing positive and not being allowed in the store for first 14 days, then 10 days.  If that is what's happening at the USPS and other carriers, I can see why packages are held up.

I sold a locomotive to someone and it got lost with USPS for a bit but it did finally get there. Stuff I've sent after it got their on time though.

I've also bought stuff and that showed like next day while still waiting weeks for things sent well before.

Shipping is just a mess right now.

I sold some freight cars into Canada a couple years ago and it took something like 51 or 52 days and not around any holidays. Just before Christmas I ordered a big box (60"x12"x12") from near Atlanta and it only took 8 days. I sometimes think the service is better because they are hammered leading up to Christmas.

Local news has been running story for more than two weeks about how backed up things are at the Post Office sorting center here in Baltimore, showing about 4 dozen truck trailers outside awaiting unloading. A very graphic example of the back up.

I just checked and the longest package I've been waiting for is being delivered today.  It was shipped on 12/5, the tracking stopped on 12/12.  This is via USPS.  I'm sure the seller will be relieved!

I've been totally understanding during these times.  It's just a train car.

@tncentrr posted:

So what should I do gentlemen? I have several items I would like to order after new years day. Should I go ahead and order them or not?

Go ahead - it does seem that most everything gets delivered eventually. Just be prepared for it to take a little longer.

The national news showed several post office warehouses that were stacked floor to ceiling. Apparently the new post master had cut overtime for the workers. It may take some time to clear the backlog.

FedEx and UPS were behind too.

I am among those lost as well as their packages in the USPS backlog jam! My classic of classics is we ordered an item on 9-20-2020.....it showed it sitting and sitting and sitting at a post office distribution center in or near Detroit then all tracking stopped....long long story short on Dec. 24th it showed up at our mailbox....3 months and 4 days of traveling the country -----have had also priority packages only to places 2 hours away that took 10 days.....this will settle down eventually but the 3 months 4 days wins it for me----the pony express would have run circles around that package!!! Who knows maybe they finally delivered it ----for fun I now watch tracking history and it amazes me the movement of packages and where they go before finally deliver!

Last March and April when the virus first hit New Jersey hard I had several items I had ordered and were in the U.S. Postal Service flow.  All of them took over a month to be delivered and tracking them was a bad joke.  In any event, when the latest virus  go round started to amp up I decided to completely curtail ordering anything being shipped via the USPS and I am glad I did.  Things I bought and which were delivered via UPS and FEDEX while a little bit late did not suffer inordinate delays.  If an individual is the type of person who takes long shipping delays in stride then by all means order up but if you are not I think I'd refrain from ordering especially if the USPS  is doing the delivering.

@PRR8976 posted:

I have a railroad negative I was mailed and the last scanning shows it was processed through a facility in Oak Creek, Wisconsin on December 17th. Anybody hear anything about Oak Creek?

I don't think anyone mentioned COVID...if a distribution center along the way (or more than one) closed for 2 weeks due to COVID that would explain a lot of the delays. By me, a USPS distribution center at White Plains, NY was hit hard by COVID at one point early on. My tax return copies were hung up there for 4-5 weeks.

Thank you to the USPS if they are dealing with delays because of COVID.

Tom

EDIT on this...got my negative today. I'll let it sit for a few days before handling.

Tom

@jhz563 posted:

A Steelers boxcar purchased through ebay on the 11th.  Shipped on 11th. Passed through Warrendale on the 12th and sitting in Harrisburg since the 13th.

Well mine finally got here yesterday,  but the wife's cutting board still hasn't arrived,  although it did materialize in NJ finally.

@DL&W. I think you're solidly in the lead for lousy delivery time lottery.

LoL.  2 Day USPS Priority?  More like 42 days.  Big thank you to Beth Marshall-The Public Delivery Track for offering to send a replacement when it looked like this one wasn't going to arrive.

My Son said it was worth the wait... It is a beautiful car.

Something is going on with USPS in Pa and NJ area.  Ordered some traction tires on the bay 0n 12/22  and it should arrive tomorrow 1/5 from a seller in NJ.  Also waiting for an insurance claim due to damage from a neighbor cutting a tree which landed on the wires and did considerable damage to the house.  The check was mailed on 12/16.   These were not big packages but regular mail size.  I was surprised the check had no tracking.   Not sure what is going on, I guess you could claim Christmas and COVID,  I think the USPS needs some competition.