I think I want to revise my predictions now that 2012 has actually come.

Engines:

• Duck- Honestly, I wouldn't be too surprised. Engines 1-7, 9 & 10 are all accounted for, he's popular with kids and adults alike, and, well.. I just really want to see him running.
• Arry and Bert- Modify Bachmann Diesel and give the model new faces, and viola! The Iron Twins. I wouldn't mind two more troublemakers running around the layout, as long as they don't have the soft smile that no longer 'Devious' Diesel has. Maybe the smug smile for Bert, and an open-mouthed laughing face for Arry.

If I were to include another engine, I think someone like Stanley, Rosie, or perhaps an engine like Oliver or Daisy. More likely the former two than the latter.
[/list]

Rolling Stock:

• The Red Tree/Pipe trucks from Henry's Forest/ Percy's Big Mistake. Bachmann could have fun loading up either loads or both, and I'm pretty sure kids would have fun finding loads to put in them as well. I could think of a few uses (like transporting sweets) of my own.
• The Red Coaches. Thomas gets his own coaches, Emily too(I'm not counting Gordon's express), why not get a set of lovely small coaches your engine can pull around? They've been seen with various engines in various seasons, I bet they'd be fun..
• Toad. A brakevan with a face. What more could a kid want from a Thomas model range. Of course, I would like to see Oliver released as well, just to have the pair together.. but with or without the Western companion, Toad would be cool to have on a layout. Just maybe not with the S12 CG face..
• A new van or truck. I would like to see that smooth van with the big laughing face, like in "A Close Shave". That would be awesome.

A black or dark brown guard's van would also be nice.
[/list]

Non-Rail:

• STH's car. Because not everyone can get the ERTL toy. And, to be honest, I think the TakeNPlay car is a bit too wide.
• The Horrid Lorries. Or just one Lorry. Or the faceless version. Just something to add to a layout. Again, like the Tree Truck, it would be fun to find loads for it.

Buildings/Accessories:

• That signal gantry was a very good idea, Sparks. I sort of want to see it made now..
• Another station, like Ffarquar or maybe a one platform version of Wellsworth that can be added on to.
• A level crossing.

Possible Sets:

• Percy's Seaside Trip (like the song): Featuring Percy, the two Red Coaches, a oval of track, and something to tie in a beach theme, like umbrellas and towels.
• Stanley(or Rosie)'s Special Delivery: Featuring Stanley(or Rosie, I think I'd prefer the latter), a Green Coal Truck with load, A Red Tree/Pipe car with load (more likely pipes), A vent van(or that van with the face I was talking about earlier), and a oval of track. Maybe with a siding, buffers, and a signal. 

I don't think I'll be doing any Large Scale predictions. We know Emily's coming soon, and Toby, Edward, or Diesel will most likely follow if the range continues. A guard's van would be nice. In grey this time please!

Those are my thoughts.. so.. woo. Enjoy 2012!
-Cirkit

Hmm.. With Emily you get her  and her two coaches, and that's it really.

With Salty you get the little diesel and a variety of rolling stock.

It's a tough choice between the two. Personally, I'd go with Salty. More variety with his goods means more variety to add to the layout.

Diesel sounds great too.

Just go with your gut on the choice, and you'll be fine.
-Cirkit:)

  If I were to wish for anything to help start my Bachmann Thomas collection, I'd say I'd want Thomas or Edward. Some faceless trucks (like the green Coal trucks) and vans, some track, and just a bit of extra cash to get certain buildings/accessories.

I'm tempted by Diesel, he'd be great for a small shunting layout, which would be perfect considering the size of my room.. hmm

I think I would like to update my predictions..

For 2012 or late this year, Bachmann will finally release their Large Scale Emily to accompany her coaches. I think, that based on popularity, one of the following will be released next to the Large Scale range. I think it will be either-

• Toby
• Devious Diesel

OR

• Mavis

The reason or reasons for my choices is, or are, simple. They are Small engines with large fanbases, two out of the three have basic shapes which would be easy to reproduce quickly, and they would probably work better on tighter bends on tracks in tight places (like a bedroom) than any larger engines like Gordon or Henry.  I imagine at some point they will introduce a diesel to their range, and what better choices than the two that younger fans are most familiar with?

My predictions for HO mimic nearly everyone else's. Duck is a clear runner for the range, being the filler of the gap between 7 and 9, and being popular amongst fans old and new. As others have pointed out, Duck shares the same wheelset as Donald and Douglas, so all that would really have to be done is to make a new face, body, and adjust the eyes, and viola! Duck's ready to eat- er, I mean run.

Out of all the other choices I see, Arry and Bert seem likely too. Some quick mods to Diesel, take away the ladders, and give it some new paint and faces, and you've got the dastardly diesel pair.

Any other engine characters I think would come would either be Rosie, Charlie (I'm not such a huge fan of him, but it is possible), Stanley, or another character I can't think of right now. With the way Bachmann is though, they might surprise us with a character we thought we'd never see coming, like BoCo, Daisy, or a RWS engine!

Rolling stock stumps me. But, I think that the 'Plant wagons' of Season 3 might make a good addition to the range. Add trees or pipes, either or and it would be good.
Maybe a Troublesome Van, like the one in 'A Close Shave'?  The Red Express Coaches must be rereleased, though. They were seen with many an engine early on, and I'm pretty sure that some fans are disappointed that they can't run them on their layouts.. Toad would also be a good, simple piece of stock to make, but I would fully expect to see Oliver come out a few months later.

My thoughts on Road Vehicles remain the same as before. Topham's car, Trevor maybe, and one new idea- Bulgy. Okay,  make that two. A random lorry, like the Horrid Lorries or the soft-sided lorry. Doesn't have to have a face, but more road vehicles would look great on a kid's layout. Might even make it look just a tad more realistic.

I'm stumped again, but this time on buildings. Stations would be great, but not just repaints of American stations passed off as Sodor stations, no-thank-you.  Wellsworth might be a good one, use the ladder-crossing-bridge-thing from before for use on two platforms for more play and whatnot. Ffarquar is a simple one. Perhaps if not already released, a signal box or a Water Tower could be produced. Just stumped with ideas.. augh.

And some OO scale figurines, pegs could be moulded into the platform for them to stand on or whatever. Topham can't fit into Knapford as he is now.

That's my updated thoughts. Enjoy your Halloween-sugar-crash.

@therailwayinspector
UnknownThomasFan1 of Youtube posted a video showing one of Sidney's 'cab cameos'. The very first second of the video, look to the right, and you'll see Sid's blue cab.
http://youtu.be/qwyyp9G04UY

I didn't catch this myself until just a moment ago.

I really wish the new diesels had been used more.. oh well.

Glad I could be of help
Out of curiousity, will you be purchasing the sheds that include the turntable, or just individual shed stalls? The turntable might cause problems if there isn't any trackbed beneath the track..

The Tidmouth Shed(s) should work on a Hornby layout. It's just like a regular engine shed on a layout of either scale. 

Here's what I think's to come. In no particular order, and at any given time..:

HO: Engines

• Arry and Bert (They're just Diesel without the ladders, different faces/colors)
• Duck (because he's popular and would fill the gap between 7 & 9)
• Somebody else... Rosie or Molly perhaps (prominent background characters)
  

HO: Stock

• The Works Coach
• Toad (simply because he's a brakevan with a face..)
• Two more 'Troublesome Trucks'
• The China Clay wagons, or perhaps the red wagons used in 'Henry's Forest'.
• The Red Branchline Coaches, or perhaps a rerelease of the Red express coaches?

HO: Off-rail Vehicles:

• TFC's Car (we have TFC, his car might sell to those who really want it)
• Trevor (although small parts may be an issue..)

HO: Buildings/ Accessories:

• Another Sodor-y station, with one platform. Like Ffarquar, Wellsworth, or Dryaw.
• Signals. In a pack.

Large Scale: Engines

• Toby
• Diesel

(I don't say Emily, because despite having her own coaches, she is large and most likely wouldn't preform well, like her HO counterpart. Diesel and Toby seem much more likely, as they are shorter characters and are recognized more by younger fans.
[/list]

Large Scale: Rolling Stock

• A vent van, with opening doors
• A previously unreleased tanker, or a new troublesome truck

.....

and I think that is about it.

Quote from: S.A.C. Martin on May 24, 2011, 06:22:07 AM
In the TV series, it was reputed that Duck shared his chassis design with Donald & Douglas. Read into that what you will...

Really? Never knew that. Though I guess it makes sense of why Duck looked so long..
Possibilites are starting to open up..

Has anyone heard any updates about the Bachmann Diesel? Maybe has a prototype photo surfaced? I am quite excited for this model, but the tension is starting to get annoying.

For anybody who wants my YT-
http://youtube.com/user/Lightninging63

Don't make much in the way of videos but I plan to do some audio-stories, much in the way NewController01 has before. Yep.

I'd like to see Rosie added to the Bachmann range.. as said before she has been seen more often in the series than Lady has, bar specials, and younger fans would be more familiar with her than Lady, also previously stated. I'd really like Rosie, though, because it would be the first RTR S100 class on the market, and I bet loads of railway modellers would want a proper s100 class on their layouts.. might also give chance to 'experimenting' with different liveries for Rosie. The lavender-pinkish color she's got now is alright, memorable, but I'd like to see what she'd look like in green or blue..

I bet the photo SodorAdventures is referring to is the one on the cover of the DVD.. same lineup of engines was also used on the "Ultimate Diesel Guide" too. I think it's just showing off the various diesels from all ends of the good vs bad spectrum. I do not think however that Salty and Mavis (currently the only good diesels on Sodor) will be involved with the nasty diesel's tricks. But with HiT, you never know..

AS for HO Diesel, I'd like to see him with black coupling rods. Side rods. Whatever.  It is his current look one fan, and I think they make him look more oily and stealthy. I would like to see his mold remade into Arry and Bert, but I imagine it would be some time before Bachmann could properly duplicate and modify the mold...

Oh, and Diesel should be smiling. or have that neutral scowl we all love ^^

Ooh. If I had a set I'd like to see, It would be a sort of shunting set (probably be called that too, 'Diesel's Shunting Set'...) that would include the new Diesel, an Oil truck (maybe this could be a way for Bachmann to get rid of their old lettered OIL wagons before they make more of the CG ones? I think something similar was done before with another wagon..), one of the two 'open wagons' (or cargo cars or whatever they call them. They're still 'trucks' to me), and maybe some sort of closed van like the new Troublesome Truck #3...? It would feature an oval and two points leading into sidings away from the oval, and two buffer stops? I think that would be pretty cool.

Or a Toby & Henrietta set, maybe including extra trucks and possibly a small station? That could easily save you the trouble of finding Toby and his coach separately...

Where did you see Corrie/Thompsonline/Farmboy(dunno the rest of the name :/ )'s post? I am cunfuzzled, couldn't find it anywhere on the comment history!

James does look grand. CG face is a little offputting, tho. I was expecting his big open 'hurray' smile instead of this one, but then again this one does sorta look like his neutral smile, so I'm happy with it. The wheels aren't as distracting as I thought before; in the right light they actually look pretty nice! He'd be great for cab shots- shame about the price tho.