N Scale Bachmann Thomas

[JLK2707]

TrainFan97, Bachmann can still make Edward in Large Scale.

[Chaz]

I think it's safe to say Edward really would be the best choice for the next N scale engine, so I definitely agree there.

Cattle wagons would be a really nice future addition for the N scale range too, again giving the N scale range more of an identity rather than just repeating the same offerings the large scale range offers too.  Making troublesome truck #3 in N scale with a different design would be welcomed too.  I would happily purchase some if that were the case.

[TrainFan97]

For now, the N Scale range can still get more medium-sized engines, and Edward is the perfect choice. He should be made before Emily to make the N Scale offerings more unique from Large Scale. If Bachmann is ready to announce another N Scale engine early next year, Edward should be next after Toby, then we'll be ready for Emily.

Eventually, Bachmann will have to make the big engines (Gordon and Henry) in order to complete the original Steam Team in N Scale, once we get Edward and Emily. Gordon and Henry will most likely be saved for last. Once the original Steam Team is complete, we can finally be ready for side characters in the N Scale range.

Can Bachmann also finally make Edward in Large Scale as well? They pretty much just have to scale up his HO Scale tooling like they did for Diesel, and add a CGI face.

[Falcon the 2nd]

Like Chaz and TrainFan said, Edward is the best choice for the next N Scale engine after Toby. Hopefully, the Bachmann team can take notice of our current demand for him.

I was honestly a little hesitant to mention rolling stock possibilities, but I will say that the Cattle Wagons are also very good idea worth considering along with Edward. Both options have not yet been made in Large Scale and they can help give the N Scale range a good sense of individuality before it repeats too much of what Large Scale already has. A differently-designed Troublesome Truck #3 is an interesting idea as well and I would be open for seeing it attempted, with or without the Cattle Wagon.

While a Large Scale version of Edward isn't technically impossible, I do think that the character feels more likely to be made in N Scale, considering the production costs of engines between scales and the difference of favor for engine lengths. It's a nice idea to discuss occasionally, but it would generally be better to push for an N Scale Edward at the moment.

[TrainFan97]

The Bachmann team should definitely take notice of the current demand for N Scale Edward, since he will be a very popular seller like he was in HO Scale. He definitely seems more likely for N Scale, given that it's much more affordable than Large Scale, and more people will buy N Scale models. With James and Toby on the horizon, N Scale Edward would just be perfect next in line.

It helps that Edward is a medium-sized engine, and not big like Gordon, making him easier for Bachmann to consider.

For N Scale rolling stock, I'm really hoping for the Milk Tanker, the Red Coaches, and a Brake Van. A Red Open Wagon and a Coal Wagon with Load would also be nice. Same for the Cattle Wagon. A Mail Car should also be made for Percy's mail train, and Henrietta should be made for Toby.

[JLK2707]

The TAR tanker wagon would just be cool for N Scale.

[TrainFan97]

Not only would Edward make the N Scale range more unique from Large Scale, but Toby's coach, Henrietta, would as well.

For rolling stock, Henrietta would also make the N Scale range more unique from Large Scale. She certainly seems more likely for N Scale than Large Scale. With Toby coming soon, Henrietta would be the perfect companion for him, just like how Annie and Clarabel are to Thomas.

[Falcon the 2nd]

Henrietta is another very good idea for a new piece of N Scale rolling stock. Like Edward and the Cattle Wagon, Henrietta can make the N Scale range more distinct from Large Scale and she feels much more likely to happen in N Scale as well. I can see her being well-received if she were announced and I would definitely buy her along with Toby.

Both the Milk Tanker and a regular Brake Van are also fairly important options that are best taken care of soon. I can't imagine either of them being difficult to make in any way.

After S.C. Ruffey is eventually released and some of the missing pieces are hopefully announced in this summer's NMRA, one way Bachmann can potentially expand their N Scale rolling stock is by announcing future additions in batches. It's something that has been done fairly often with their other ranges in recent years, and it could be an efficient way of bulking up the variety with both new toolings and recolors. I thought of some ideal batches, mostly consisting of options that haven't been made in Large Scale yet:

• Red Open Wagon, Blue Open Wagon, Coal Wagon (this batch is based off an existing tooling, but still worth a mention)
• Cattle Wagon, GW Cattle Wagon, White Cattle Wagon
• Mail Coach, Utility Van
• (x2) Red Coaches, (x2) Toby's Museum Coaches
• (x2) Gordon's Express Coaches, (x2) Red Express Coaches

I think I'm getting ahead of myself here, but it's an idea I thought of recently that felt like it needed to be shared.

For the moment, however, the rolling stock that should take top priority are Henrietta, Milk Tanker and the original Brake Van. They've been noticeably missing in the range for varying lengths of time now and it would be nice to have them added sooner than later.

[Chaz]

The N scale Gordon engineering sample turned out incredible at the Trainworld stream tonight.  I'm especially impressed with how the siderod configuration turned out on such a small model.  Gives me all the more hope for Henry to join the range next!

Toad being completed was also a nice surprise, and it was also great seeing the box vans too. 

Bachmann has gone above and beyond my expectations with the N scale range recently and I'm excited to see further updates down the road!

[TrainFan97]

Nice to see N Scale Toad fully painted, as well as the box vans. Maybe at some point, they could also make the Explosives, Mr. Jolly and Brendam Bay vans for N Scale as well. More very welcome N Scale rolling stock I'd like to see are the Red Coaches, Express Coaches and Spiteful Brake Van. Some might get announced at the NMRA. It's great that Henrietta is also coming our way, as the faithful companion for Toby. A Mail Car would be nice for Percy.

The unpainted prototype of N Scale Gordon looks wonderful. Can't wait to see him fully painted within a few months. The reason Bachmann is getting Gordon done faster than Emily is because Emily's basis turned out more difficult to make, and needed more time. However, it seems like they got there, and we will see an unpainted N Scale Emily within a few months. Maybe we'll see Emily unpainted the same time we see Gordon fully painted. Now I'm really hoping that N Scale Henry gets announced at the NMRA this summer. Just recycle Gordon's chassis, minus the trailing wheels. For Edward, Bachmann can simply scale down his HO Scale tooling. Once Bachmann announces Henry, then Edward, N Scale will have all eight members of the original Steam Team.

Could Toad indicate plans for Oliver? Duck? Could Oliver be the first side character for the N Scale range? Likely, the first side character would be Diesel, as he's the most popular among Mattel. Paxton should get announced with Diesel, and his face will look much better than his HO Scale counterpart. For now, the #1 priority for an engine is Henry.

[Falcon the 2nd]

The N Scale samples shown off in the latest TrainWorld stream were phenomenal to say the least. There was more shown off than I anticipated, and it looks like things are going smoothly for the range. We can hopefully expect Toby, Toad and the box vans to arrive in the coming months now that their paintwork is done.

Gordon's prototype was definitely the highlight of the updates and well worth the wait! They absolutely nailed the sculpt and the siderod configuration also looks solid. Interestingly, the face was shown off which isn't usual for prototypes shown on stream. Nonetheless, it looks great too. I anticipate seeing his painted model.

Henry would be perfect to announce this summer, like Chaz and TrainFan97 said. Rolling Stock can go any pretty much direction, but Henry comes highly recommended as the next engine.

[Chaz]

I think as long as Henry and Gordon's express coaches are included in the NMRA announcements next year, I think that would make for a really solid lineup of new products for the summer.  I do agree though that after Henry, other characters like Edward, Duck, Diesel and Oliver would make for great additions in the N scale range, considering how popular their sales were in HO since their release and those sales will most likely reflect in N scale too.  They're definitely my top 5 engines I'd like to see the most introduced in the future for sure and I'm sure many others would welcome them with open arms as well.

Paxton on the other hand feels more like a "given" since he got introduced almost immediately after Diesel in large scale.  Unlike the HO model though, the eye mech wouldn't be an issue at all for Paxton and they'd have the proportions spot on so I could see Paxton being a welcome addition too.

[TrainFan97]

Just hoping this summer's NMRA announcements will have N Scale Henry and the Express Coaches, and it will be great. Bachmann should be aware of the demand for them. Popular demand has given us Henrietta to go with Toby. It can do the same to bring us Henry and the Express Coaches for N Scale. The Express Coaches being the perfect thing to go with Gordon, so we can have N Scale Express, coming through!

[JacobSK]

Thoroughly enjoyed the stream last night and was pleased with all the new N Scale products shown off. I proudly have Toad and Gordon (along with Toby, Emily and Emily's two coaches) on preorder with TrainWorld, and I will probably get at least two Great Western Box vans once the links become available.

Toad definitely looks spot on and I'm surprised that Bachmann went the extra mile and invested in a brand-new tooling, when the Graham Farish one was available and didn't look terrible. The graphics on one side bother me with my OCD, but I know that's no fault of Bachmann, it's just a by-product of the CGI render. Will Oliver be announced in the future? I don't know, but I imagine Toad will work just as well as Percy or James' brake van for the time being.

As for the box vans, I'm quite surprised we had painted samples ready to roll. As I stated before, the Great Western van is the only one I'm interested in, but I was quite surprised when it came to the Fruit and Veg van that they actually actually took time to correct the logo on the side of it to make it larger and better proportioned. It's the attention to detail that win me over with Bachmann every time!

The highlight, without a doubt, was N Scale Gordon! I'm surprised that we already have a prototype in just six months since the announcement. He's going to look even better when he's painted, and has potential to be the best model in the range so far. I honestly was convinced that Bachmann was going to simplify the siderod configuration to be like the Tomix Henry or the Diapet Gordon, but nope, they went the full mile and gave us the full monte! Here's hoping the painted sample is on the way!

Since Gordon has had so much progress (and Doug stated that he was easier to produce than Emily), I feel confident that Henry is a shoe-in for the range, and we'll hopefully get an announcement for him in August!

[Falcon the 2nd]

Now that I think of it, the Express Coaches make pretty good sense to announce alongside Henry. It helps that Gordon is making steady progress and one could see their release happening soon after Gordon. Both Henry and the Express Coaches would make for a great set of announcements for the summer.

A bit of a long shot, but I would love to see Mavis added in the range at some point. If a Large/G Scale version is not likely for the long run, N Scale would also work well. She's been a prominent character for most of the show's history and she could efficiently re-use Toby's chassis. The biggest drawback, however, is that she hasn't had any new merchandise in a decade and she may be a tough character for Mattel to greenlight as a result.