Dear Mr. Bachmann, the new 2012 locomotives

[jettrainfan]

Mr. Bachmann, i have been looking at the NMRA announcement page for a bit now, and i can't help but realize that there are different railroads for DCC ready & DCC sound value, but both descriptions say "available in DCC ready and with DCC sound value", yet there are 8 roads listed, 4 in the sound value and 4 in the ready. Does this mean that 4 roads will have sound and the other 4 wont? I know its early but any info on this would be great.

Thanks for releasing so many great items this year, as usual!

[WTierce1]

Mr. Bachmann, i have been looking at the NMRA announcement page for a bit now, and i can't help but realize that there are different railroads for DCC ready & DCC sound value, but both descriptions say "available in DCC ready and with DCC sound value", yet there are 8 roads listed, 4 in the sound value and 4 in the ready. Does this mean that 4 roads will have sound and the other 4 wont? I know its early but any info on this would be great.

Thanks for releasing so many great items this year, as usual!

You must have been looking at a different product announcement brosure. All I saw was a new high railer and 1 new diesel. All Bachmann did was come out with more road names in locomotives they already had or just added a more affordable sound decoder to stuff they already had. I was extremely disappointed with Bachmann's Ho product announcements. EXPECIALLY NOT HAVING ANY NEW STEAM LOCOMOTIVES!

[jettrainfan]

I enjoy they released something new, mainly the S2s.

[ryeguyisme]

   I was extremely disappointed with Bachmann's Ho product announcements. EXPECIALLY NOT HAVING ANY NEW STEAM LOCOMOTIVES!

They sure had us steam fans howling, I'm definitely thinking next year will be a big year for new Ho steam, we just have to show them what would be the best product idea from our inquiries.

I haven't even bought the 3 sound value moguls I planned on getting yet, but I'm waiting for a more slightly depreciated market price as well

[jward]

looking at all the sound diesels, there goes my train budget for the next year. if the f7z sound as good as the alcos then i am going to have to expand the railroad to accommodate all the new locomotives.

[railtwister]

Mr. Bachmann, i have been looking at the NMRA announcement page for a bit now, and i can't help but realize that there are different railroads for DCC ready & DCC sound value, but both descriptions say "available in DCC ready and with DCC sound value", yet there are 8 roads listed, 4 in the sound value and 4 in the ready. Does this mean that 4 roads will have sound and the other 4 wont? I know its early but any info on this would be great.

Thanks for releasing so many great items this year, as usual!

It sure looks that way, the folks that want sound equipped F units in WM, DRGW, C&O, B&O, or ARR are likely to be disappointed, as are those wanting DC only or DCC ready silent F units in ATSF, NYC, NS (executive?), SP Black Widow, and Pennsy.

Most of the other "New" locos aren't that new exactly. The major difference between the S2 & S4 is the truck sideframes, and the On30 2-4-4-2 looks like it is factory kitbashed from the 2-6-6-2 (using less parts and a $100 higher price). Given the state of the world economy, it looks like Bachmann has tried to create some new items with minimal new tooling costs, and that's OK, I think. Still, I find their decision on which roadnames get sound and which don't is somewhat confusing.

The HO MOW railtruck, On30 shorty freight cars, G scale "Mini Big Haulers", Emily (sweet), & C-19, plus the two N scale Alcos (2-6-0 and S4) are truly new, and look like good items. While I can't say I'm frothing at the mouth over the announcements, I can't say I'm disappointed either.

Now, about that overdue On30 Heisler...

Bill in FtL

[ryeguyisme]

If they want to go the route of saving against newer tooling they should've done something with the N&W auxiliary tender and made it into a N&W 16,000 gallon coal tender, there's so much more that can be done with just the tender alone you're talking about at least 10 different roadnames and dozens of steam prototypes. I wish I was a producer in development of new products, I could make things more revolutionary...

[railtwister]

If they want to go the route of saving against newer tooling they should've done something with the N&W auxiliary tender and made it into a N&W 16,000 gallon coal tender, there's so much more that can be done with just the tender alone you're talking about at least 10 different roadnames and dozens of steam prototypes. I wish I was a producer in development of new products, I could make things more revolutionary...

That would have been a good idea to have been incorporated in the original design, but to do it now, even with a minimum of changes, what you would have at the end of the day would still be just a tender, and are there really that many modelers who are looking for just a tender? More new tooling would be required for the locomotive to put in front of the tender, but at least then the market for a new loco would be bigger.

Bill in FtL

[ryeguyisme]

The N&W Z1 class were almost identical in chassis to the USRA and h-4 c&o 2-6-6-2 and they used these tenders, so tooling wouldn't be far off for that engine for sure and two roads had that engine the N&W and DRGW.

You can also make a PRR K-3 4-6-2 and you can have a N&W version with this tender as well.

Numerous DRGW engines were equipped with this tender in the postwar era, the 2-10-2's, 2-8-2's, 2-6-6-2's and 2-8-8-2's

You can make a USRA 2-8-8-2 with it, you can reissue the heavy USRA 4-8-2 mountain with this tender for N&W


That tender alone has huge possibilities for marketing HUGE, yet would keep tooling costs down simply because the auxiliary tender is based on the N&W 16,000 gallon tender.

Why do you think the p2k 2-8-8-2 with the shorter 16k tender is more sought after than the 20k tender behind it?

I don't know maybe I'm going off on a tangent based on my model railroad market studying.
I sell trains to make a living at the moment. LOL