Future suggestions/predictions thread

[Chaz]

It's more than understandable why the announcements this year are so small considering all the projects Bachmann is behind on.  For what it's worth though, just about everything that got announced this year shows quality over quantity.

A new rolling stock tooling is highly appreciated.  The open carriage wagon itself is random, but a new tooling all the same is a welcome addition.  Makes me wonder if Stephen will be planned soon.  Either way, I feel this is a nice step-up in HO, and I'm interested to see how this will turn out.

Once the figures got announced, I had a feeling Sir Topham Hatt's car would find its way in the range.  This will be a very hot seller with the figures and having a new road vehicle is also a welcome addition on its own.  Another thumbs up to Bachmann on this one!


It's really nice seeing the box vans make their way into the N scale range.  I'll be picking up a few of the great western vans for sure, I'm really glad these are going to be another new tooling.  They all look fantastic, and I'm amazed how they got done so quickly! Hopefully it continues to stay this way and the tankers being Graham farish toolings is just a one-off.  Either way, I'm amazed how much the N scale range has grown in almost 5 years since the ranges first announcement.

The biggest surprise of all has to be the N scale Henrietta!  I'll be honest I wasn't sure if Bachmann would pull this off, given how Henrietta got the short end of the stick in large scale but it's nice knowing Bachmann's willing to go the full mile with Henrietta.  I mean, if they're making a new tooling for Toad the brake van of all things, it wouldn't make any sense to not invest in Henrietta after Toby's release.

Emily getting a set in N scale is a little strange, since Bachmann has stated that sets for other characters don't sell well.

Overall I'm really happy with all these.  Hopefully in the summer, the N scale range will be able to add Henry and Gordon's express coaches.  It's also more than understandable why there's no new narrow gauge announcements, given how Bachmann is behind on several NG products (including the brake vans announced back in 2020!), so I think it's wise for Bachmann to play catch-up with narrow gauge and all the other previously announced products. Looking forward to updates Bachmann, thanks for always thinking of the fans!

[Falcon the 2nd]

Logging onto the forums again for the first time in a while. It's good to be back--

To summarize my thoughts on Bachmann's products and announcements within the past year, they've certainly been providing a lot more than I was expecting. I'm pretty happy that they've been doing as much as they could for each of the ranges, and most of the products have a fair reason for being greenlit despite what the fans may think of them.

The announcements that interest me the most this year are in the N Scale range. Like Chaz said, its growth has been rather impressive and it's great to see that Bachmann has been making some logical and reasonable choices for new products. I cannot wait to pick up Henrietta, and the Box Vans are going to be great too! The Emily set was unexpected, but still a welcome addition and a great way for the casual consumer to purchase both her and the coaches at the same time. If the announcements in this range are anything to go by, they've certainly been taking note of fans' suggestions overtime.

Understandably, not much new offerings for Narrow Gauge are present, and nothing new has been announced for Large/G Scale. Bachmann has a lot of catching up to do across the board and I suspect that there won't be too much announced in the summer as a result. If anything, I would hope for N Scale Henry to be announced since Gordon's production is underway, and maybe the Red Coaches as a stretch since Annie and Clarabel have been around for a while now.

Best wishes to Bachmann as the year continues! Hopefully, it'll be a productive one for them.

[TrainFan97]

Hopefully this summer at the NMRA, Bachmann could announce N Scale Henry, along with the Red Coaches, or even the Express Coaches to go with Gordon, now that we're getting Henrietta to go with Toby. With Toad being the first brake van in the N Scale range, could that indicate plans for Oliver? Henrietta would also make Hannah a possible recolor.

As for HO Scale, could the Open Carriage indicate plans for Stephen joining the range? There's also the Blue Coach, which you see at the end of Stephen's train, and was once pulled by Diesel, which could also get made. If any new engines get announced for HO Scale at the NMRA, it would most likely be recolors, like Sidney, Fernando, a Mainland Diesel or two, or Green Salty. Nia, as much as I don't care for her, is bound to be the next new tooling. Beau will not have moving eyes, but should have a working light instead.

It's perfectly understandable why the announcements were small, considering all the products Bachmann needs catching up on, especially for Narrow Gauge.

[TerencetheTractor525]

The 2023 catalog is up, and I must state that I am quite content with the selection.

The HO Open Carriage was a nice surprise, given that we have not seen a new HO rolling stock tooling for years. That being stated, I do question how well this product will sell, considering that Hornby already made a model that is nearly identical:

https://uk.hornby.com/products/open-carriage-pack-containing-3x-open-carriages-stephensons-rocket-r40102.

I think that the Works Unit Coach would have been a better new tooling investment for HO rolling stock, as it has appeared since the very beginning and in multiple paint schemes:

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/3/31/GreenWorksUnitCoachCGI.png/revision/latest?cb=20170527080530
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/f/f1/LoveMeTender78.png/revision/latest?cb=20210509202815

Nevertheless, the open carriage is a welcome addition and I could see some fans placing the upcoming HO figures on it.

The HO Sir Topham Hatt's Car was definitely the highlight for me. It has been a long time since we have seen a new nonrail vehicle for the HO Thomas line, and I have many memories of this prop from the show. It will go beautifully with the upcoming HO figures, and I could see Thomas collectors of lines outside of Bachmann also adding it to their collections.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/4/49/CrankyBugs65.png/revision/latest?cb=20190116223948
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/b/be/ASurpriseforPercy90.png/revision/latest?cb=20190117055316
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/5/50/JamesAndTheQueenofSodor31.png/revision/latest?cb=20180803192338

The new N Scale additions are lovely as well. N Scale Henrietta will go wonderfully with Toby and it is great to see a new box van tooling in three different paint schemes. As others have stated, here's hoping that Henry and express coaches will be next!

All in all, I completely concur with Chaz on that this announcement was one of quality over quantity. It is especially important to acknowledge that almost every new product is a new tooling, including HO rolling stock and nonrail, which we have not seen in years. Thank you very much to everyone at Bachmann Industries who have made this possible and I look forward to seeing N Scale Gordon during the next TrainWorld Thomas stream on Monday.

[TrainFan97]

Another idea for a road vehicle is the Post Van, which appeared in Season 24.

I have an image showing recolor suggestions for the HO Scale range. Because their toolings exist, Bachmann might as well announce Sidney, Fernando, Mainland Diesel #1, Mainland Diesel #2 (Ulli), or Green Salty at some point, possibly at the NMRA, since their toolings already exist. All of which appeared in the CGI series. Diesel's tooling still has some good choices for recolors, while Salty's reintroduction can make Green Salty a recolor. As for the Mainland Diesels, Bachmann can't do all of them, but it would be nice just to have two or three of them, especially #1 showing a rather annoyed expression. Only a few have good looks of their faces. It's been six years since Paxton was first announced for HO Scale, and Sidney still isn't on the cards. BWBA introduced Fernando, another character who would use Diesel's tooling. Both he and a few Mainland Diesels could possibly get their first official pieces of merchandise. I wonder if Bachmann could acknowledge Sidney like they did for Stepney.

Hopefully, N Scale Henry and Express Coaches get announced this NMRA. Bachmann should know how much we want Henry, following Gordon, for N Scale.

[MrNormalDraws]

I didn't noticed that the forum was back up after many months of delays on updating, but I stumble back after the recent announcements for 2023.

Aside from Ryan and Salty, I'm very happy that Bachmann is doing Rebecca as not only a fan of the character, but also the engine class itself. Beau is one I didn't thought they would do, but I'll grab him regardless as I want to expand the roster. The only things being discontinued is the rest of buildings aside from the red water tower and the lighthouse. It's kinda ashame as I thought they would expand more on that after they got Tidmouth Sheds back. Speaking of which, I don't understand why they stopped making the expansion packs just after they got the main one back. One thing Im' surprised they kept is the analog Thomas due to the fact it was out of stock for over a year, but has a new packaging based on the recent style.

[RailsByRick]

The Blue Open Carriage was certainly a surprise for a newly tooled piece of rolling stock. However, I am conflicted due to the fact that I already have four (?) of the Hornby version from their Stephenson's Rocket range. The Hornby version has the very annoying coupling system that only really works with other Hornby Era 1 stock, so with Bachmann doing this carriage in the Thomas range, at least it will have the hook and loop couplers so it can connect with the Thomas stock more easily. Also, extremely unlikely, but I would be over the moon if Bachmann were to make Stephen to go along with this carriage.

I have to agree that the Works Unit Coach would've been a better option. It is a highly requested item, and it is versatile unlike the open carriage. Not to mention it would easily have two color variations, making the tooling very cost effective. Here's hoping it'll be a reality in the future.

It's awesome they're bringing STH's car to the HO range. Hopefully this opens the door to more non-rail characters being produced (Trevor please).

[JacobSK]

Even though I'm the new guy on the forum, I'm still going to weigh in on the announcements.

HO:

The Open Carriage is the first new rolling stock tooling since the flatbed that is presently being used as the Log Car all the way back in 2009. Really excited about The Fat Controller's Car! Even though I mostly collect Bachmann N Scale and Narrow Gauge, I have little doubt it will scale up nicely with the narrow gauge line and my Bandai TECS collection, just like the figurine packs will. I'm perfectly okay for nothing major like a locomotive as we need to get Ryan, CGI Salty and the various rolling stocks out on the shelves and significant progress is made on Beau and Rebecca before we get any new announcements.

Narrow gauge:

Considering we have projects going back three years, I'm 100% okay with no new announcements.

Large scale:

Perhaps the range should be stagnant for a little while until some resources are gathered to make an announcement that will make everyone happy.

N Scale:

We didn't get Henry or Express coaches, but I'm still holding out hope for them for NMRA at the earliest or at the very least, this time next year. That said, I'm excited about the box vans and will be picking up two Great Western Vans. Even though Gordon is going to be revealed on Thomas Monday tomorrow night, I'm surprised that Emily actually got a ready-to-run set announced! It makes me wonder if Bachmann actually have made more progress on Emily than we realize? And will Gordon get a set if and when the Express Coaches are announced? So many possibilities!

The highlight of the announcements was the surprise announcement of Henrietta! Considering that she never happened in large scale, I'm completely ecstatic that Bachmann saw enough worthwhile to invest in making her. She'll go nicely with Toby for sure and Percy. The question I have is: Will she have a face? Regardless, I'm planning on picking up the model as both a big fan of Seasons 1-7 and the Brenner Era.

Final thoughts:

All in all, Chaz hit the nail on the head: the announcements were quality over quantity, and that is okay by me. Bachmann should play catch up since between all the lines, some projects go back at least three years! Here's to a solid list of announcements and can't wait to see what NMRA will have lined up in August!

[MontagueGWR08]

Hey everyone. Been a longtime observer of this forum and thought it would be fun to contribute to the discussion.

I was really happy to see Sir Topham Hatt's car get announced, and it gets my hopes up that Bachmann could expand their road vehicle selection for this line. Here's a few characters that I think would be viable.

Classic Series Characters
I think Trevor is the most obvious one here. I have seen him brought up multiple times on here, and for good reason. Bulgy and Butch are also ones I would really like to see. All three of these characters were in CGI so I think there's a good chance they could get made.

CGI
Only one I can think of here is Kevin. Assuming they make Victor some time down the line, I think Kevin would go nicely with that potential release.

The Pack
A number of these guys also made it into CGI, including Jack, Alfie, Oliver, and Max and Monty (can use the same tooling for them). I would buy any of these in a heartbeat.

These are the ones I could come up with off the top of my head. I think expanding the road character selection for the Thomas line would be wise, considering they must sell well since none have been retired since their release. I think the fact that Jeremy is still available says enough. Any thoughts?

[TrainFan97]

Bachmann desperately needs catching up on Narrow Gauge products. At least the Narrow Gauge brake vans and box vans have painted samples, and should be available anytime now. HO Scale Ryan, Explosives Van, N Scale Toby and even the three newly-announced N Scale ventilated vans also have painted samples, and should all be available anytime now, within the next few months, as long as nothing goes wrong. Don't know about the N Scale vans, though. Those might be later this year. Maybe Doug Blaine will give us estimates on when all upcoming fully-painted products are expected to arrive in stock, including the reintroduced Salty and Red Express Coaches. Maybe we'll see HO Scale Ryan and N Scale Toby in their packages, showing they're just about to be available.

[Tys_trains_1999]

Hi 👋 Everyone I'm Tys_Trains_1999 and I was recommended by Terencethetractor525 to join the forum and since this is the predictions for what could possibly see in the line I figured why not just post it here so let's get into it

Standard Gauge Engine's

Murdoch- During Thomas Monday I've noticed a lot of people liked Chris H's custom Murdoch for N scale but mostly I saw Doug interested in the model which I hope we can see a potential HO Murdoch in the future. We definitely need one at some point in time because I unfortunately don't have a Hornby Murdoch in my possession.

Harvey- Harvey would be an amazing model to see in HO scale no one in terms of an official manufacturer has ever tackled his design yet and I figure he would be a stretch because his design would be complex to do but if Bachmann could have the crane arm be moved manually I think that could work just like all of Harvey's other toys ( Also when I said that no manufacturer tackled his design I meant any Model Train company not the manufacturers who made his Trackmaster, Tomy/Plarail, Wooden Railway, and Take Along variants) but, if Bachmann could find a way to make Harvey I'm definitely buying one

Boco- Since the release of Daisy I was really hoping to finally get a Boco HO model at some point because with daisy's tooling exciting I don't think it'll be to hard to make some adjustments to her tooling to make BoCo after all it wouldn't be the first time those two characters share parts. In the model series BoCo and Daisy shared the same faces one has make up the other doesn't, kinda weird how I never noticed that as a kid.

Stepney- Stepney needs a model, I've always loved his design, his story, his character in the show and books, etc. Stepney is definitely my second favorite character my first is Thomas but, if Stepney could get a brand new Bachmann model I assure you there'll be a review uploaded to my channel on YouTube.

Standard Gauge Rolling Stock

Rocky/Breakdown Train- I honestly think we need some sort of railway crane character in terms of being on the rails because if you're engines derail who's going to get them back on the tracks , the hand of God? ( Just Kidding) this is why we desperately need a crane other than Cranky, I can understand if Rocky is to expensive to make but if the the Breakdown Train can be made all Bachmann would to do is make a new tooling for the crane itself and use the tooling from the Chuggington flat car for the crane arm to rest on while not in use.

Flatcar with paint drums- this is a free car that I would love to see return into the Bachmann range because it was discontinued I believe in the early or late 2010s but since bachman brought back the express coaches I would love to see them bring back the flat car with paint drums I understand that it's been only seen I believe in calling all engines but I personally think that it would definitely be a good marketing decision because let's be honest we're all going to buy them.

Flatbed Car with Pipe Load- I personally want to see a flatbed with a pipe load and this is why I want to see the paint drums return as well with the flat car because we already have the log car but I personally want to see a trio of flat cars one with logs one with pipes and the one with paint it would be such a good marketing decision and it would just feel more classic to see those types of loads on these flat cars.

Old Slow Coach- Old Slow Coach was definitely one of my favorite characters introduced in season 5 of Thomas and Friends and I've always wanted to get a proper model of her but the only one available is the Hornby version and it's incredibly sought after and hard to come by I would definitely like to see Bachmann tackle this character I think she would be a great marketing decision to introduce her to the line she's definitely going to be bought out if they make her.

Tar Tanker- another canceled freight car that I want to see come back and that is the tar-taker it's so classic and it has such a unique role in the show in terms of the early model series because we all remember James crashing into the tire tankers and I think it would be really cool to see the tar-tanker come back in HO scale it's just so iconic to where I don't understand why Bachmann canceled the item / discontinued it. It really does mind boggle me on why they canceled it it's so unique but at the same time I hope that they bring it back at some point

HO Narrow Gauge

Duncan- Duncan would be an incredible character to have in the ho narrow Gauge line, because the yellow Rhenaes is throwing me off because I keep thinking it's Duncan LoL. He was one of my personal favorites in the narrow Gauge character lineup just because he was downright funny and just well plain blunt reminds me a lot of myself that and he would also be an incredible marketing decision because he is one of the classics

Duke- Duke is definitely one that I would love to see in the narrow Gauge line besides Bertram he is the only other tender narrow Gauge engine and I would love to see him be made in bachman's narrow Gauge range it would just be so fulfilling to see that character in the lineup to have all the characters from The classic season 4 show because I loved season 4 for the introduction of the narrow Gauge engines and Duke would just complete the roster.

Troublesome Slate trucks- we definitely need to receive at least some form of troublesome truck and the narrow Gauge line and I think if they made troublesome truck 7 a troublesome slate truck that would be a home run I would love to see a narrow Gauge troublesome slate truck. I can see Terrence the tractor 525 using those trucks to recreate the famous crash in season 4 that Peter Sam had in the Slate mines.

Narrow Gauge Coal Trucks- The narrow Gauge cold trucks I would also like to see because they were from the very same season 5 episode Duncan gets spooked which is another reason why I want Duncan to be made in the narrow Gauge range is because of that particular episode but with the coal trucks they would definitely be a good marketing decision for bachman to make then they wouldn't be too hard to produce either all they would have to do is just kind of use the same chassis from the Slate wagons and just make a new molding for the coal truck.

Vehicle Characters
Horrid Lorry's- these characters only appeared in season 5 as well and I would love to see them return in the Bachmann HO range because we need more vehicle road characters we have plenty of Engine characters I would love to see the road vehicles get a little bit more love and they kind of are with the release of Sir Topham hatt's car which is nice but I would have definitely loved to have seen the Lori's or Trevor or Butch the breakdown truck it just would be really nice to see more of the road characters get some love from the Bachmann team.

Trevor the traction engine- Trevor would definitely be another character I would love to see in the vehicle range because he is classic and has returned to the CGI Series in the later years of Thomas and Friends and it would definitely be awesome to see him in HO scale lineup

Bulgy- Bulgy is definitely a major character I would love to see in the ho line because man a double-decker bus would be incredible to see in the HO scale line because a lot of people have to go to either the ertl, Bandi, etc lines to have bulgy on their ho layout and I would love to see Bachmann make bulgy as a ho model for the little Western.

This concludes my hopes to see in the Bachmann range at some point I hope you all enjoy reading this sorry no pictures I'm still trying to figure that part out LOL I'm a little new here so I haven't messed with the forum too much but I hope you guys enjoy this post

[Zekeism]

After what Doug Blaine said about Stepney, I feel that is very unlikely that any character that wasn't in the CGI era of Thomas will be made.

[Mike1121]

After what Doug Blaine said about Stepney, I feel that is very unlikely that any character that wasn't in the CGI era of Thomas will be made.

It would be completely doable for Bachmann to make Smudger though considering he's just a repaint of Rheneas. Granted he was featured in one single episode, but a repaint and new face does not cost a lot to produce at all. I don't see duke happening, but KATO makes a 009 Princess which is Duke's basis, making it extremly easy for modellers to make a highly accurate and detailed Duke.

[TrainFan97]

Sadly, given what Doug Blaine said about Stepney, he may never get made, solely because he never appeared in the CGI series. Same goes for any others that never officially appeared in CGI, like Duke and BoCo.

HO Scale possibilities for the NMRA announcements can be Sidney, Fernando, or Green Salty for recolors, or if they have Rebecca unpainted by then, the next new tooling could be Nia, Stanley, Whiff, Hiro, or Stephen because they're making the Open Carriage, which may indicate plans for Stephen. Hopefully by then, we at least see Rebecca in the unpainted stage. For HO Scale rolling stock, they could add the Chocolate Syrup and Toffee Tankers.

In the N Scale thread, I already talked about how Bachmann must announce Henry with the Express Coaches for N Scale at the NMRA this summer. If not the Express Coaches just yet, other very welcome rolling stock possibilities being the Red Coaches, or a trio of open wagons, like Red Open Wagon, Blue Open Wagon and Coal Wagon w/ Load.

[Chaz]

I actually did want to talk about Stephen after sitting back on the open carriage announcement from earlier.

The more I'm thinking about it, the more I see this as a stand-alone rolling stock announcement without any sort of hint/plan for Stephen to be announced.  The reason being is that the open carriage, while pulled often by Stephen (more than most engines on the show), isn't necessarily assigned specifically to Stephen.  In fact it was introduced a year before Stephen did in season 16, which Bachmann did use a photo from in the catalog:



I've said it before and I'll say it again, but I think the reason why we are getting the open carriage is because Bachmann wanted to introduce products this year that would be great additions to go along with the upcoming figure packs.  The fact that the carriage and Sir Topham Hatt's car of all things were the only new HO announcements in the catalog further solidifies that idea.  Hopefully this gives us more ideas on what to expect for figure packs like a Sodor passenger pack or even a brass band figure pack, which the latter has been seen pretty frequently in the open carriage on numerous occasions in the CGI series.



Either way, more figure packs coming in the future would be really exciting and I would love to see more in the future and hopefully updates on the previously announced packs.