diff --git a/panda/src/pgraph/loader.cxx b/panda/src/pgraph/loader.cxx
index 15b130592d..a051aeaf35 100644
--- a/panda/src/pgraph/loader.cxx
+++ b/panda/src/pgraph/loader.cxx
@@ -392,13 +392,17 @@ try_load_file(const Filename &pathname, const LoaderOptions &options,
     sgr.premunge(result, RenderState::make_empty());
   }
 
-  if (allow_ram_cache && result->is_of_type(ModelRoot::get_class_type())) {
-    // Store the loaded model in the RAM cache, and make sure we return a
-    // copy so that this node can be modified independently from the RAM
-    // cached version.
-    ModelPool::add_model(pathname, DCAST(ModelRoot, result.p()));
-    if ((options.get_flags() & LoaderOptions::LF_allow_instance) == 0) {
-      result = NodePath(result).copy_to(NodePath()).node();
+  if (result->is_of_type(ModelRoot::get_class_type())) {
+    ((ModelRoot *)result.p())->set_fullpath(pathname);
+
+    if (allow_ram_cache) {
+      // Store the loaded model in the RAM cache, and make sure we return a
+      // copy so that this node can be modified independently from the RAM
+      // cached version.
+      ModelPool::add_model(pathname, DCAST(ModelRoot, result.p()));
+      if ((options.get_flags() & LoaderOptions::LF_allow_instance) == 0) {
+        result = NodePath(result).copy_to(NodePath()).node();
+      }
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/panda/src/pgraph/modelPool.cxx b/panda/src/pgraph/modelPool.cxx
index c53e2b867f..4985cd2b65 100644
--- a/panda/src/pgraph/modelPool.cxx
+++ b/panda/src/pgraph/modelPool.cxx
@@ -118,52 +118,29 @@ ns_get_model(const Filename &filename, bool verify) {
  */
 ModelRoot *ModelPool::
 ns_load_model(const Filename &filename, const LoaderOptions &options) {
-
-  // First check if it has already been loaded and is still current.
+  // First check if it's been cached under the given filename (for backward
+  // compatibility reasons)
   PT(ModelRoot) cached_model = ns_get_model(filename, true);
   if (cached_model != nullptr) {
     return cached_model;
   }
 
-  // Look on disk for the current file.
   LoaderOptions new_options(options);
-  new_options.set_flags((new_options.get_flags() | LoaderOptions::LF_no_ram_cache) &
-                        ~LoaderOptions::LF_search);
+  new_options.set_flags(new_options.get_flags() & ~LoaderOptions::LF_no_ram_cache);
 
   Loader *model_loader = Loader::get_global_ptr();
   PT(PandaNode) panda_node = model_loader->load_sync(filename, new_options);
   PT(ModelRoot) node;
 
-  if (panda_node.is_null()) {
-    // This model was not found.
-
-  } else {
+  if (!panda_node.is_null()) {
     if (panda_node->is_of_type(ModelRoot::get_class_type())) {
       node = DCAST(ModelRoot, panda_node);
-
     } else {
       // We have to construct a ModelRoot node to put it under.
       node = new ModelRoot(filename);
       node->add_child(panda_node);
     }
-    node->set_fullpath(filename);
   }
-
-  {
-    LightMutexHolder holder(_lock);
-
-    // Look again, in case someone has just loaded the model in another
-    // thread.
-    Models::const_iterator ti;
-    ti = _models.find(filename);
-    if (ti != _models.end() && (*ti).second != cached_model) {
-      // This model was previously loaded.
-      return (*ti).second;
-    }
-
-    _models[filename] = node;
-  }
-
   return node;
 }