I would actually be all for them having those faces as well. That would give each range it's own unique difference from each other as well. If they eventually make a brakevan that actually has the TV series livery, that would be another nice difference, as well as give the Spiteful Brake Van a unique livery in this line as well.

Does anyone know when the 2019 Bachmann Catalog will be posted online?

You do make some really good points in here. I actually think that Bachmann could end up following your argument with this case. I just reel like if they are going to make them to the Tomix scale, it would have been smarter to choose different rolling stock like the coal wagon with load or the cargo car, just because the only thing different from Tomix that they would be making is Troublesome Truck #2 and the color scheme for Troublesome Truck #1. I also noticed that there are other people that want the same to happen. I did look at the 2002 catalog for Bachmann (it's still online), and they did make a fair amount of new toolings (not counting Thomas & Friends), but they still went with the Mainline toolings for the Troublesome Trucks. I also looked at the economic environment for the time, and it was in recession, so that could be why. I just have one question for you. If they do end up being Graham Farish size, would you still buy the new range?

It's so weird to see just how much cheaper everything was 17 years ago. Everything's only about a third of the price they are now.

EDIT: I'm sorry about this, but I am not quite finished yet. I have looked at Ebay several times for Tomix Thomas stuff in the past (the old range). They are always extremely expensive and I don't see a lot of people forking out the money to buy these models once the Bachmann Range gets on it's feet. All of the stuff in the picture and online right now is the reboot of the range. Good, right, because it's cheaper? I'm not so sure. The new range has had a lot of quality control issues. On this forum alone, BassTBone and douglas both have reported issues with the new James models not working for very long. BassTBone also said Tomix had been over-scaled, and with the nature of the post, it seems he thinks its not a good thing. Exile90 of BluePlasticTracks.com has said that the new Tomix stuff feels like it could derail at any time due to them being super light. He also said that Annie and Clarabel uncouple a lot for the same reason. He also brings up the issue of plastic wheels, which has been proven several times in the past to cause more issues (even with non-Thomas trains) with derailment and the spread of dirt along the rails. XtremeTrainz of YouTube has also reported issues with his James model not running as well as Thomas and Percy do. TrainTsarFun of YouTube has also had problems with his Tomix Thomas model, with it not even working right out of the package. There is also a video dedicated to him sorting out the problem. In several of his videos about Tomix Thomas trains, you can even see the cars derailing a lot due to lack of weight. Chaz has even said just how much the running of the Narrow Gauge products (they are just as small as the Tomix Range) is improved by the addition of metal wheels. I feel like, for a kid's line, there shouldn't be so many issues with the products right out of the package.

Bachmann has a lot of potential to make a far superior product if they aren't forced to be compatible with the Tomix Range. Bachmann more than likely will put metal wheels on their N Scale Thomas line, which is something they have done with every other Thomas and Friends item they have made, with the exception of the Peco recolors, but that's most likely because they are recolors of a different brand. Over time, as more products are released for this new range, people will likely see it as pointless to run Tomix models and Bachmann models together as the Tomix models will derail and uncouple more often. In addition, the Graham Farish models also already have metal wheels, so it wouldn't add to the cost to include metal wheels with wagon repaints that already have them. With the simple addition of 14+, they could make their models a lot more detailed as it will be considered "a scale model for adult collectors." 6 years ago, I emailed Bachmann about making an N Scale Thomas range, and they told me that it would not be good for them because the models would be too small for kids to handle, and that they had no plans for making a range anytime soon. Bachmann also will probably do correct coloring for their Thomas models: Tomix used yellow instead of gold, and it looks really off in my opinion. Seeing as people likely wouldn't mix the Tomix and Bachmann models by this point, Bachmann will have missed out on making the models accurately scaled to other N scale models, and people probably wouldn't appreciate having to keep their Thomas and non-Thomas models separate in order to keep things from looking off.

I feel like there are a lot of sound and economically smart decisions for Bachmann to leave Tomix the way they are and have their own, proper scaling for their N Scale Range. There are a lot of toolings that are distinctly Thomas in the HO scale range, and even the Mainline recolors look more like Thomas models than OO scale models produced today. The toolings for rolling stock in the Thomas range that are distinctly Thomas are the Red Coaches, Annie and Clarabel, The Mail Coaches, the Tankers, the Flatbeds, Emily's coaches, and Henrietta. I feel that having the other wagons based off of existing toolings is forgivable considering just how many new toolings already had to be made. Even if the Graham Farish toolings are used, I feel we can count on Bachmann to make them look like they are distinctly Thomas. They are a model train company and have been in business for several years, and I'm certain that they know how to make existing toolings look like something different just enough to have it be satisfactory and not look monotonous.

Alright. Those are pretty fair points. The only things left to consider really are that the Tomix Thomas models are a lot more scarce than British N scale models, and a not a lot of people are going to have the complete Tomix range, while, comparatively, a lot of people are going to have a fairly sizable collection of British N scale models, wheter they are made by Graham Farish or other companies. Another thing is that Bachmann already has the Graham Farish 7-plank wagon toolings they could use and several other models that mirror what's available in the HO scale Thomas range, that they would easily be able to use to build upon the range. Looking at the other ranges (bar Large Scale, seeing as there's hardly any Standard gauge models in that to begin with), Bachmann has always gone with what they could easily use to bring out their Thomas line. Even the Narrow Gauge line did this, although it sacrificed accurate box van toolings in the process. I guess my point with this is, they didn't make the HO scale models HO when they started out because they already had the basic toolings they needed to make the Thomas range. They didn't even do it with the Narrow Gauge range. I hope they don't feel the need to throw away something that has always worked for them (and their budget needs) just so they can match an obselete line of Thomas models from 15 years ago to satisfy the few modelers who went out of their way to find the entire range. How many kids would be given N Scale Thomas models in the US (and possibly the UK) anyways when there are the larger HO scale models? I know a lot of parents wouldn't want to get their children an expensive model they could break easily. Heck, Bachmann even confirmed to me via email that if they ever did do an N Scale Thomas range, they would not deem it suitable for use by children (whether it's because it's too small or because children would break them too easily, I know not), but I am certain they will market the line for people of 14+ years. I am also certain that when a lot of modelers bought the entire range after it was discontinued, they did not believe another manufacturer would pick up the license to make more models in that scale. I'm just saying that at this point, would it really be worth it to throw away scale and an economically smart business practice just to match an old product line from an entirely different era of Thomas and Friends?

It is also possible that the N Scale range will be available in the UK. The only known reason for the HO scale models not being available in the UK is becausd Hornby held the license. This had no effect whatsoever on the Large Scale models. Similarly, no one has held the license to make N Scale Thomas models in the UK, so it is entirely possible that this range will have the same go for it the Large Scale range did.

I am going to echo something you said in the Bachmann N Scale Thomas thread, being, "If they're the wrong scale, then I don't see the point." As you said, the Japanese N Scale is metre gauge, which is almlst an entire foot off of Standard Gauge. Seeing as Japanese N scale is also only really used in, well, Japan, releasing the Bachmann N Scale Thomas models to a scale for a single country that Bachmann doesn't sell their models in, that aren't even the correct gauge, would just be pointless. Even though 1:160 (American and Continental) and 1:148 (British) are 1:12 of a proportion off, they are both Standard Gauge, and in that size, American and British models look even closer to proper scale next to each other than even HO and OO do. Considering also that the country (very possibly countries) they will be released in, it would make a lot more sense to release them in the scales closest to that country they are being released in. Again, the Tomix Thomas range is really rare and expensive, and only about half of the range is currently available, of which all items are being made to go around rediculously tight curves (around 7 inch radius) with no sign of the older stuff being rereleased in the near future. Even Chaz noted this as well. Another thing is that said curve radius is smaller than anything released by Bachmann USA. I don't think Bachmann should have to limit themself to follow the range that has tighter than necessary curves.

Besides, even if Thomas and Percy are made to the smaller standard, the Tomix James would still be in scale with them in regards to the CGI Series.

If the Tomix Models were scaled 1:150 they would slightly smaller than British N Scale models (1:148). As the second number in a ratio gets larger, the size of something in that scale decreases. This should hold true with British prototype models being made in either scale, but the Tomix Thomas models are larger than 1:148 British models. The Tomix Thomas models don't even scale well with other Japanese models made by Tomix, which they should. My theory about this is that the Tomix Thomas models were made too big, not because of the scale being different, but so that kids would be able to handle them more easily. Something that supports this is the lack of detail on the Thomas models (no lamp irons or brakepipes). The buffers also don't have correct proportions, and the whistles are beefier than they should be. They aren't like that because they would be too small in N scale, because other manufacturers have made those to scale.

I am correct in saying the British N scale would be larger (slightly) than Japanese N scale. The funny thing is that the Tomix N scale Thomas models are a lot bigger than the British N scale models. There are photos online that prove it. Bringing up the scale ratio has no merit in this case.

The only thing I am worried about for the N Scale range is the size. I am really hoping that they will be in scale with typical British N Scale models. The Tomix models are oversized to the point that they are as big as Skarloey and Rheneas, the only exception being the height. If Bachmann made the N scale models like Tomix did, they would just be shooting themselves in the foot. None of the products they are currently releasing would be different than what Tomix did, give or take a few details and Troublesome Truck #2. I personally hope that they scale them with British N Scale just so they could be putting something different out compared to what's already been done.

I have also been looking around at the types of wagons available from Graham Farish. There are several that could be used that would follow the HO Scale line, which is what the large scale range did for a few years. This would also mean that Bachmann wouldn't have to make everything with new toolings like they would if they followed the Tomix Scale, which would make it easier for Bachmann to release new items.

One thing Bachmann could do that would be better than Tomix is something they did with Rheneas: separately fitted handrails. They could also do the lamp irons and brake pipes, which are features that the Graham Farish models have, so they wouldn't be impossible. I really hope that Bachmann can make these models a breath of fresh air, rather than being redundant until they can please fans who own Tomix's limited range.

One thing I'd like to say to those who want them to be scaled like Tomix models. Obviously Bachmann is going to do the main characters first. If they did make the models just like Tomix, they would be releasing the same things for several years before they can actually do something new that people who own the Tomix models would want to buy. Obviously, this would hurt sales. Although people would say that going the other way would hurt sales, too, it's not like Trackmaster, where they released every character, then pulled a switch so that everyone would have to buy everything again. The Tomix models have not been on sale in the US for a long time (if they ever were). With the Trackmaster models, both types ended up on shelves with each other for a long time, which helped people see just how bad the new Trackmaster Stuff is. Besides, the majority of Tomix stuff has been discontinued for a long time, so a lot of people wouldn't even have what Tomix made, which, therefore, brings no reason for Bachmann to release them to the dreadfully oversized scale. I really hope Bachmann chooses the way that would make more sense for them in the long run. Anyways, what are your thoughts?

Last year it was up on Monday, February 19th. I'm really hoping that it will follow that pattern this year and that there is something about what size the N Scale range is going to be.

InsideTrack (or The Bach-man), is there any idea of what the N Scale Thomas range is going to be scaled like? Would they be 1:160, 1:148, or oversized similar to the Tomix models?

Yeah, it happened with my locomotives, too. It took me a long time to figure out what the problem was, too.

I am going to make my final list of predictions now, considering we at least know one Thomas item coming out this year.

HO Scale:
Either Stepney or no engine
Troublesome Truck #6 (If there is no new engine this year, I would like to see this truck made.)


Although, I wouldn't exactly mind to see this face:


Or if a new tooling for a truck cannot be made, I would do a tanker with one of these faces:


I also think the Flatbed should be re-released, either with the same load as before or with a new load.

Narrow Gauge:
Peter Sam
Hopefully some brake vans could be made, too, but if they aren't, I'm sure they will be announced next year.

Large Scale:
Red Coaches
OR
Henrietta and Hannah
OR
Troublesome Truck #3 and other recolors.

The standard wagon wheel should work for it. Its 13.5 mm in diameter.

Looking at the other announcement made so far (the Golden Spike themed set), this year seems like it might be a bit small compared to last year, but it definitely seems promising.

I have had this problem with my turnout before. If the wheel is pushing off of the track, it's not a short. What I did was look along the turnout as closely to my eyes as I could without losing focus on it and pushed a piece of rolling stock over it. My problem was a bit of excess plastic from the track ties. If it's the same problem for you, a hobby knife should clean out the excess plastic just fine.

Quote from: angelob6660 on February 01, 2019, 04:33:47 PM
I latter have the narrow gauge coaches have no faces. To follow the CGI version of them of being normal coaches.

The green and cream narrow gauge coaches have never been seen in the CGI Series, and therefore, it would not be inaccurate for them to be released with faces in the future. It would also help bring variety into the rolling stock range if they were made with faces.