New Scale Discussion Thread

[TrainFan97]

Here is the official thread to discuss what scales you wish Bachmann would get the license to produce Thomas & Friends products in.

I think it would be nice if Bachmann were to get the license to produce Thomas & Friends products in O scale, and the Standard Gauge engines in N scale.

Maybe if we do get O Scale, we could eventually get another Narrow Gauge range in On30 Scale. Right now, the HO Narrow Gauge range only just started.

What do you think?

[Metal]

Honestly, I think it's best for Bachmann to focus on expanding their existing markets, I think Bachmann is fine where it's at.

I know this isn't possible, but if they do a new scale.
How about this?
Arlesdale??

I'm not sure what scaling it would be though. I think Z scale.

[Jacob Wilson]

Honestly, I don't really care about the O scale market. It's best for Bachmann to focus on expanding their existing markets, I think Bachmann is fine where it's at.

I know this isn't possible, but if they do a new scale.
How about this?
Arlesdale??

I'm not sure what scaling it would be though. I think Z scale.

So if is Z Scale, is it smaller or bigger than what? Please use HO and G Gauge to describe it to me so I will understand the best then. Thank you in advanced.

[Metal]

Can you please stop quoting every post you reply to? Most of the time, it's unnecessary and just clogging up the forum.

[Jacob Wilson]

Can you please stop quoting every post you reply to? Most of the time, it's unnecessary and just clogging up the forum.

OK, sorry. I only quote other readers know which person I am particularly talking too.

[TrainFan97]

Z scale would be interesting for the small railway.

[Chaz]

While I don't see the Arlesdale engines happening anytime soon or narrow gauge engines in On30, I can definitely see an N scale range happening in the future.  An O gauge range wouldn't be a bad idea either, but Lionel still has the rights for making Thomas in O gauge as far as I'm aware, whereas with Tomix it's really hard to tell at this point since their range is inactive. 

[TrainFan97]

If Bachmann obtained the rights to produce Standard Gauge in N scale, maybe the engines can have metal bodies, especially the smaller ones like Thomas and Percy. It would be like the Narrow Gauge engines. I can definitely see Henry, Gordon, and Spencer being made in N scale.

[AJW98Productions]

Tomix's range is not only inactive, for the time being at least anyway, it appears to have been retired completely - if not discontinued for at least a good chunk of the foreseeable future.
And Z guage is even smaller than N gauge, to give you some context there Jacob, I believe the track width of Z gauge is around 3mm, and the track gauge of N scale to be around 9mm, so that's a bit of context as to how small they are. Whilst I'd be in favour of an arlesdale Z gauge range, I don't see it happening for a while yet, at least until those characters have much more appearances in the TVS and BACHMANN's lineup of the Narrow Gauge engines is much further underway, as for O gauge I believe there is potential there to produce Standard Gauge Thomas models, but I think the issue of Lionel would probably need to be subdued first, Honestly, I can imagine though a way to get around that would be to make the Narrow Gauge engines in G gauge, essentially G gauge models but they'd run on O scale track, similar to what BACHMANN are currently doing with their HO scale Skarloey, it's an HO scale engine that runs on N gauge track, and on the suggestion about the Arlesdale engines, with a combination like this, G gauge Arlesdale engines would roughly be about HO scale size methinks, perhaps that could be made into a range of it's own as well. I know I'm getting way too far ahead of myself, but these are just some wild theories. Ultimately though if BACHMANN is to have a new scale of Standard Gauge engines, I'd choose N gauge as perhaps their best starting point

And on an unrelated note, don't be nervous about this thread, Trainfan97. I think it was an excellent idea given all the recent discussion of this topic

~Alex

[TrainFan97]

If Bachmann does get the rights to produce N scale, which I hope won't be too far into the future, hopefully they would start off with three engines like HO scale, being Thomas, Percy, and James. The first rolling stock can be Annie and Clarabel, and Troublesome Trucks #1 and #2.

[AJW98Productions]

If Bachmann does get the rights to produce N scale, which I hope won't be too far into the future, hopefully they would start off with three engines like HO scale, being Thomas, Percy, and James. The first rolling stock can be Annie and Clarabel, and Troublesome Trucks #1 and #2.

I'd suggest they start off with Thomas and Percy as the first 2 engines (like they did in Large Scale), with Troublesome Trucks #1 and #2 in the first year, Annie and Clarabel and also a brakevan, with James and some other passenger or possibly even goods stock following in the year after. But I do think you have a good suggestion
~Alex

[Jacob Wilson]

Tomix's range is not only inactive, for the time being at least anyway, it appears to have been retired completely - if not discontinued for at least a good chunk of the foreseeable future.
And Z guage is even smaller than N gauge, to give you some context there Jacob, I believe the track width of Z gauge is around 3mm, and the track gauge of N scale to be around 9mm, so that's a bit of context as to how small they are. Whilst I'd be in favour of an arlesdale Z gauge range, I don't see it happening for a while yet, at least until those characters have much more appearances in the TVS and BACHMANN's lineup of the Narrow Gauge engines is much further underway, as for O gauge I believe there is potential there to produce Standard Gauge Thomas models, but I think the issue of Lionel would probably need to be subdued first, Honestly, I can imagine though a way to get around that would be to make the Narrow Gauge engines in G gauge, essentially G gauge models but they'd run on HO scale track, similar to what BACHMANN are currently doing with their HO scale Skarloey, it's an HO scale engine that runs on G gauge track, and on the suggestion about the Arlesdale engines, with a combination like this, G gauge Arlesdale engines would roughly be about HO scale size methinks, perhaps that could be made into a range of it's own as well. I know I'm getting way too far ahead of myself, but these are just some wild theories. Ultimately though if BACHMANN is to have a new scale of Standard Gauge engines, I'd choose N gauge as perhaps their best starting point

And on an unrelated note, don't be nervous about this thread, Trainfan97. I think it was an excellent idea given all the recent discussion of this topic

~Alex

OK, thanks Alex. Does that mean Z Gauge is slightly bigger than N Gauge?

[AJW98Productions]

Jacob, Z gauge has a track width of about 3 millimetres, N gauge has a track width of 9 milimetres, to put it rather bluntly, N gauge track is 6 milimetres larger than Z gauge.
~Alex

[Jacob Wilson]

Jacob, Z gauge has a track width of about 3 millimetres, N gauge has a track width of 9 milimetres, to put it rather bluntly, N gauge track is 6 milimetres larger than Z gauge.
~Alex

OK, but I find N Gauge too small and fiddly so Z Gauge is even worse, especially for children. N Gauge and Z Gauge are both silly Gauges to make a Thomas & Friends Model Railway range out of then. Neither of them are child friendly.

[Chaz]

OK, but I find N Gauge too small and fiddly so Z Gauge is even worse, especially for children. N Gauge and Z Gauge are both silly Gauges to make a Thomas & Friends Model Railway range out of then. Neither of them are child friendly.

I agree that the idea of doing the small railway in Z scale is too small (or in this case HOz), but that's only one of only many flaws I see with the odds with a small railway range.  Though, I think an N scale range would be just fine if Tomix pulled it off while making decent sales in the process.  N scale is a pretty popular size from what I've seen at shows and hobby stores too, both for adults and kids.  I even got my first N scale train set as a kid and me and my dad built an N scale layout together.  I still have my models, buildings, and mountain saved from that layout.  Even some of my friends who used to be in the hobby when they were kids collected N scale too and still have their stuff saved.