N Scale Bachmann Thomas

[Chaz]

Bachmann just added a photo of the box artwork for the N scale set in their web store.

[Falcon the 2nd]

That's a pretty nice box. My only nitpick about the set is that no pieces of straight track are included (notice the curved re-railer and the side of the box), but that isn't so much of an issue since they're easy to get separately. It's a good thing I personally bought some track ahead of time.

I was actually wondering when we would get an update on Thomas and Percy now that we're about halfway through the fall season. I'm guessing they're currently doing packaging preparations for the two engines and that set, and they could be shipping around late November or early December if Rheneas' release timing is anything to go by.

[Falcon the 2nd]

I'm now wondering how long it'll take for the N Scale line to have a Christmas-themed set, considering that the other lines got their own sets in the years that followed their beginnings.

[Chaz]

I think that's really the only other set I can see Bachmann doing with N scale in the immediate future.  It would be nice if the snowplow was available as an add-on accessory like how it was for large scale but I'm not getting my hopes up for that.  I think Bachmann will probably announced a Christmas set for N scale once they introduce more rolling stock so they more of a variety to choose from to make a decent looking Christmas train.

[Falcon the 2nd]

Bachmann's Twitter account has announced today that Thomas and Percy are now officially available on their website (along with the starter set). They'll most likely be in stock at other retailers soon.
https://twitter.com/bachmanntrains/status/1323341250548895747

If you ask me, both models look utterly fantastic! I don't own much for N Scale besides a bunch of accumulated track, but I would seek either of these out in a heartbeat for my first engine. Many people will almost certainly be hopeful for James next year after seeing these in their final photographing stages.

[Chaz]

It appears Bachmann also added photos of the tankers in addition to the Thomas and Percy photos today.  At closer examination it appears Bachmann reused the Graham Farish tooling for the tankers which explains why they got done so quickly.  The rivet detail and the pressure relief valve behind the cap gives it away:

[TerencetheTractor525]

I really love the look of the tankers! Since they are using the Graham Farish tanker tooling for N Scale Thomas tankers now, I wonder if they will use more Graham Farish toolings for other types of rolling stock.

https://www.bachmann.co.uk/product/category/163/8t-ale-wagon-br-bauxite-%28early%29/373-262b

https://www.bachmann.co.uk/product/category/163/br-12t-ventilated-plywood-fruit-van-br-bauxite-%28early%29/377-625b

https://www.bachmann.co.uk/product/category/163/br-20t-brake-van-br-grey-%28early%29/377-526d

I would specifically like to see them use the Cattle Wagon tooling, Single Vent Van tooling, and Brake Van tooling to make the Spiteful Brake Van.

[TrainFan97]

Bachmann should definitely use the Graham Farish toolings to make the Cattle Wagon, Ventilated Van, and the Spiteful Brake Van to help build the N Scale rolling stock more efficiently. They still need to make the Milk Tanker. The open wagon tooling (used for the first two Troublesome Trucks) can be used to make the Red Open Wagon, Coal Wagon with load, and S.C. Ruffey. The Mail Car, Henrietta, and the Express Coaches would require new toolings. The Red Coaches can be modified from the Annie/Clarabel tooling, just like in HO Scale.

[thewizard]

Can anyone with these models provide a minimum radius for them to operate on? Not a radius that "should" work, but a true minimum? I have a DC trolley line with Kato 117mm radius curves, and would like to run Thomas on that line, if it's possible.

[and_salv]

Hello all! I'm looking forward to receiving my own Thomas set soon! I pre-ordered already, so I'm sure it won't be long. I'm hoping to start my first model layout in N scale with it. I have enough space for a 3' x 4.5' layout. I'm wanting to make it a Sodor one of course. That's why I wanted to ask if any of you have any suggestions for sodor buildings. I'm sure it might be a while before Bachmann releases any buildings in N scale. Any ideas specifically for Tidmouth Sheds and Knapford? Unfortunately, I'm really new to this stuff so I know scratchbuilding wouldn't be my best option right now. Anyhow, thanks! I'm also hoping Bachmann ends up releasing at least the original steam team in N scale. It'd be a bummer if they don't cause my layout will be rather empty. Thanks!

[Chaz]

Well, here they are.  After waiting almost two years Bachmann has finally released their N scale range by introducing Thomas and Percy as their first engines in their new range.  I talked briefly about the rolling stock that was released a few months earlier, but now I think it's only fair to talk about these two new engines, as well as additional thoughts I have on the new range.

You'll also notice that these engines are being reviewed on my OO9 layout and that's mainly due to the fact I don't have any room for an N scale layout, nor am I able to join any clubs during the pandemic.  Hopefully once the pandemic is over and I'm able to join an N scale club I can share my thoughts on future engines and stock from there in the future.  For now my OO9 setup will have to do for now.


This range was first announced in 2019 with a mixed reception at first, yet it seemed to gradually win people over as time went on.  Now it seems quite a few people are starting to become invested in this new range, myself included.  And almost two years later we have Thomas and Percy present in some nice protected boxes and ready for some running.  I've never really done two entirely different characters in the same review so bare with me here, this is going to be a long one.


Let's start off with Thomas.  At first glance I say that Thomas looks pretty decent as the first engine I took a look at on my layout.  All the appropriate colors and detail are all present on this model, nothing wacky or over the top (like excessive rivet detail...), just the standard CG render with the appropriate amount of details and mostly fair proportions on the model.  I love how despite being in N scale, Bachmann went ahead and added their usual details such as lamp irons, brake pipes, lamps are all present on the model.  I also like the small bit of black paint to act as space between Thomas' wheel splasher and his boiler.  It's understandable why it's all one mold instead of separately fitted because of its small size, but unlike the HO model they bothered to fix this small detail by not making it look like excessive plastic on the model.  Definite thumbs up on my end for this one.


There are only two issues on my end I want to point out on the model.  One is his whistle.  Usually most Bachmann models have given their steam engines separately fitted whistles, including the N scale Percy.  For some reason Thomas' whistle is molded onto the cab.  It's an add choice and probably wouldn't have added that much more to the tooling cost.  So I'm not sure why they went this route.


The other is his size.  When comparing Thomas to other engines and stock, he is fairly small in comparison.  The only reason why I think they went this route was to match CG scaling while also trying to incorporate British N gauge scaling too.  Bachmann's N scale range is not the first to do this as Diapet's 1:64 scale Thomas range also includes CG scaling with models despite being labeled in a specific scale.  So even if it's a little off I can at least understand why they went this route.  It could also be a new mandate on Mattel's end as well to incorporate CG scaling into these models as well too.


So while Thomas does have some questionable design quirks, I do think the model itself looks decent as far as capturing the character in his full CGI appearance.  Whatever aesthetic faults are in this model aren't really enough to detract from the model, in my opinion, and I say it really puts the range off to a good start.  But now, it's time to talk about Percy...


Just like Thomas, Percy also looks really spot on to his CGI appearance.  However, I think I like the Percy model just a little more than Thomas' model.  The faults I mentioned with Thomas really didn't seem to fall on the Percy model. As usual, Bachmann did a great job adding the separately fitted details like the lampirons, brake pipes and yes even a separately fitted whistle.  They also did a great job making his siderod configuration accurate to what's on the show too.  The siderods are a little large for my liking, but otherwise I say Percy really hits the ball out of the park on an aesthetic level.


His size is also not as off as Thomas' as he seems to scale up just fine with Annie, Clarabel and the trucks (though A&C are a little oversized to my liking).  It does look a little odd having Percy towering over Thomas a little bit, though.


So I think it goes without saying, but Percy is my favorite model in the range so far, which is funny because his HO model is easily my least favorite.  It shows just how far Bachmann has come with hitting the nail on the hammer for accuracy since starting making Thomas models back in 2002.  I think once fans or modelers start collecting the range whether it's buying a starter set or just buying Thomas on his own, I without a doubt recommend them getting Percy as well as I think this model is worth picking up as well.  


Time to talk about how the models run, Thomas ran really nicely.  The model was a little noisy when running, likely due to the how the motor is designed and having metal weight over it.  Otherwise he had no issue running over any switches and handled all the curves and corners of my setup just fine.  I had Thomas pull four Tomix express coaches earlier and he seemed to run just fine with some wheelslip, but that's expected (especially with how small he is compared to N scale models, let alone the Tomix range).


Now for Percy.  Percy seemed to run a little better than Thomas as far as a quieter runner is concerned.  He ran a little faster than Thomas likely due to his chassis design.  I can see his chassis being very popular with the OO9 crowd.  Percy seemed to do decent with hauling the four Tomix coaches too and didn't require as much effort as Thomas did.


So overall, what are my final thoughts on these two models?  I have to admit while the Thomas model has its faults, I thought it was a decent model overall and is really gonna be an eye-catcher while running on layouts, especially at train shows.  The Percy model on the other hand I feel is a lot more superior in most areas, and I would recommend both models to anyone who wants to start getting into N scale.  As someone who collected Tomix and had an N scale layout when I was a lot younger, it's nice seeing N scale Thomas being brought back to the market.  Just like how I was excited for Skarloey's announcement as well as the future of the narrow gauge range, I can't wait to see what the future of the N scale range holds, even though there's not a ton of N scale models I plan on collecting long term since I'm a lot more focused on HO/OO and OO9.  I'd like to eventually add DCC to the Bachmann N scale models though so I can run them at a local N scale club.  I also don't want to comment on my personal preference on the Bachmann range or Tomix range since that's against the forum rules, but I also understand why some may prefer one range over the other (or even like both!).


As for the future of this range, I firmly believe that Toby would be their best option for their fourth engine in N scale as he's proven to be very popular in HO/OO and large scale while having a simple body and motor to work with (maybe squeeze Henrietta in there too?).  And maybe one day, in a much further distant future (once we are out of the pandemic), Bachmann can finally add Gordon and Henry in N scale with some express coaches to go along with them now with size not being an issue in N scale.

And that's a wrap!  I can't wait to see/hear what everyone else has to say about these models and I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts on the James model, in addition to seeing the future of this range.  In the meantime, what are everyone's thoughts on these models?

[TerencetheTractor525]

Wonderful post, Chaz! After reading your thoughts and seeing the pics of these models from multiple angles, my interest in purchasing the N Scale Thomas & Percy for the future has grown significantly. The only issue that I have with these models is the chunky side rods, as they make them look more toy-like than they should be. Hopefully, this will not be an issue for the upcoming James model as well as other engines that get announced down the line.

Wonderful post, once again!

[Falcon the 2nd]

Like Terence said, this is a wonderful post! My interest in getting both N Scale engines was also already strong before, but now it's grown after seeing the pictures and reviews of these two. The range is off to a great start and I'm also hoping for Toby to be announced next year.

[TrainFan97]

It's strange that Thomas has his whistle valves molded to the cab, while Percy's whistle is separately fitted. Really hoping to see N Scale James getting revealed soon, possibly in the 2021 catalog.

It really would be nice if Bachmann was to announce the big engines like Gordon and Henry for N Scale. If they can't do that next year, then N Scale Toby would be the next best choice, with Henrietta for rolling stock. Toby is a simple box shape, and he's a very popular seller in both HO and Large Scales. We may not get medium-sized engines like Emily and Edward until later on. Once we get Toby, we'll have half the original Steam Team in N Scale.

For next year's N Scale rolling stock, there are many great choices to announce:

-Milk Tanker #1 priority
-Cattle Wagon
-Ventilated Van
-Brake Van
-S.C. Ruffey
-Red Open Wagon
-Coal Wagon with Load
-Mail Car
-Red Coaches
-Henrietta (if we get Toby)
-Express Coaches (if we get Gordon)

The first four in the list would use Graham Farish toolings. Some of these are sure to be announced this February.

[and_salv]

Does anybody know if a decoder can be installed on the Bachmann Thomas and Percy? Since I'm about to start my layout, it would be nice if I could start out with DCC. I feel like it just going to be easier in the long run, than making my layout with a bunch of blocks and a lot of wiring. Just wondering.