Any suggestions for Bachmann's future models?

[the Bach-man]

Dear DD,
There is, in fact, a Model Railroad Hall of Fame, and we at Bachmann are proud to count three Bach-men among the inductees: H. Lee Riley, our Director of Product Development, Dick Maddox, retired Senior Vice President, and Bud Reece, recently retired Senior Vice President.
You can see all the members here: http://www.hmahobby.org/?page_id=82
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[ryeguyisme]

Rye;
If you have access to back issues of "Railroad model craftsman", look to the issues prior to about 1974.  He was pretty good, and his knowledge of brass conversions is really good.
I got interested in his stuff, as I said before, when I was in SEA. 
Rich C.

It's a good thing my Father saved all his Railroad Model Craftsman magazines... you know the older magazines (MRR too) had some magic to them that made me more of a kitbasher growing up. How guys out there would recreate something they wanted kitbashing with mere house hold items even to recreate a certain steam locomotive they desired, the days even when Ready to Run was a premium and you had to be mechanically inclined to make a nicely running engine out of a kit.

One of my biggest challenges in the hobby is trying to recreate the engines I feel are unique.




Even if they never existed in real life:

[austrian]

I would like to see a range of locos that are offered as basic models with good mechanism and basic generic detail that are affordable offered in standard range and the same model as Spectrum with road specific details.

For example:
USRA heavy pacific offerd as generic model with basic detail in different roadnames and unlettered offered in standard range.
The same loco offered as ERIE K5A in the Spectrum range.

A pet hate of mine is the lottery wheter the roadname I want is sound value of just DCC fitted. I only buy sound value locos and would prefer unfitted locos if no sound value version is offered.
For modelers not wanting DCC or wanting full spec sound decoders DCC  ready is fine. For beginner not wanting to fiddle with decoder or modeler on tight budeget sound value is fine. So please offer all locos as DCC ready and sound value.

[NevinW]

Spectrum quality slide valve 0-6-0 with sound and sloped tender.  Spectum quality 2-8-0 similar to their 4-6-0. 

[electrical whiz kid]

Rye;
On "never comes out of the box", let me chime in.

Among the guitars I own are two Gibson Les Paul customs-pre Norlin, pre 1960.  Do I know what they are worth?  Yes, I do.  Do I not play them?  Are you nuts?  Why did I buy them in the first place?  My point is simply; if you went through the trouble of working hard for the sheckels  it takes to buy this animal, indulge yourself-don't let it sit around for your heirs to enjoy.  My son, Drew will acquire what is left of the 'Pauls after I am gone-same with MY brass as well.  If you were 65, and found a 20-something hottie, would you not...?

Rich C.

[ryeguyisme]

Rye;
On "never comes out of the box", let me chime in.

Among the guitars I own are two Gibson Les Paul customs-pre Norlin, pre 1960.  Do I know what they are worth?  Yes, I do.  Do I not play them?  Are you nuts?  Why did I buy them in the first place?  My point is simply; if you went through the trouble of working hard for the sheckels  it takes to buy this animal, indulge yourself-don't let it sit around for your heirs to enjoy.  My son, Drew will acquire what is left of the 'Pauls after I am gone-same with MY brass as well.  If you were 65, and found a 20-something hottie, would you not...?

Rich C.

one of the favorite phrases I love to coin: if you want to look at something, buy a poster

I plan to run everything I own even the Berlyn Locomotive Works M-67 I have, it's going to be part of my mail train. (Coasting drive doesn't seem like a great idea for heavy tonnage wouldn't you think?)

[ryeguyisme]

Spectrum quality slide valve 0-6-0 with sound and sloped tender.  Spectum quality 2-8-0 similar to their 4-6-0. 

A spectrum quality or even a standard line 2-8-0 version of the Bachmann 4-6-0 would be most welcome on my rails, especially if it's low drivers with valve gear

[rrbob]

Bring back the 2-8-0 with sound. Or sell the DCC/sound module separate for it.

[Bucksco]

http://www.soundtraxx.com/dsd/tsunami/1000.php

[brokenrail]

Hello,
Have seen many suggestions for modified or older discontinued offerings.May I suggest offering some of the discontinued steam and diesel offerings in undecorated kits with most of the part options in the box .Kind of like a kit form and let these modelers have there way with them .Many of us had experience with those Athearn kit that are no more and nothing has filled that void in the hobby for those who want to build or to show how the next generation of model railroaders how it is done if you want to build customize to your favorite railroad without breaking the bank with a ready made product that most would have to disassemble anyways to. So this along with ordering more parts and or making there own when it can all be in one box or available from the Bachmann since it seems there getting into having a parts inventory and thumbs up for that.  Just another idea!

Johnny

[electrical whiz kid]

Johnny;
You  know, you said it already":  Kits with parts to do as you wish.  OK, so actually, you have that at your disposal right now.  If you are into steam locomotives, you can pick up a "basic" Bachmann "spectrum" locomotive and modify it to your heart's content.  I can name you several brass detail sources; also, there is Bachmann's parts section of this site. The best approach would be to just be alert, and go to the sites you either read or hear about.  The same could be said about diesels and electrics.  Another source-is evil bay.
In terms of expertise:  You do not learn or become good at something if you do not work at it.  As they say; practice makes perfect.
Like I said, stay alert and this, being a cumulative thing, will come to you.

Rich C.

[austrian]

I have the Thunder Chief trainset with a sound value equipped Santa Fe F7 in the blue freight livery, a very nice loco.



It would be great if Bachmann could offer sound value F7A and F7B in the same livery,  to make F7A-B or F7A-B-A consists.

Thomas

[Len]

Or even an F7A-A consist.

Len

[J3a-614]

Thank you for sharing, Dr. Wayne; beautiful engines, including the reboilered Bachmanns.

I don't always get to comment at the level I used to do, but I still look, and still appreciate, steam models, including altered engines like these.  This is what model railroading used to be with a lot less to work with!

[rogertra]

Had we been doing this "suggestions" thing way back when, my vote would have been for modern Ten Wheelers.     Nowadays, I can't really think of anything I need in the way of locomotives.

Wayne

Wayne.


Excellent locos.  Do you have photos anywhere of how you converted the slide valves to piston valves as I'd like to do the same thing?

And I agree, a modernised 4-6-0 would be great as the current 4-6-0 is, for my taste, too old wild west looking.

Cheers

Roger T.