Any rumors of new Bachmann steam?

[Orsonroy]

Now would be the time to produce a USRA type Pacific like this

Roger's right; that's not a USRA engine. It's a Harriman-Standard Pacific. I'd be happy with one, as I'm sure all of us other IC fans would be (and Alton, UP and SP too, I suppose)

[Orsonroy]

Hmm...well, looking at the Bachmann catalog, about the only thing they don't make is a Heisler, an 0-4-0 and an 0-8-0.

But Bachmann SHOULD come out with a few new engines. Their Pacific is a Pennsy-only engine, their Mike is Chinese, and their Moguls and Praries are really nothing more than REALLY badly done USRA 0-6-0s.

I feel that Bachmann should come out with, in this order:
1) Harriman-Standard 2-8-2
2) Two truck shay
3) Harriman-Standard 4-6-2
4) Brooks 2-6-0
5) Harriman-Standard 4-4-2
6) NYC H-5 class 2-8-2
7) Richmond 1870s 4-4-0
Harriman-Standard 0-6-0
9) 52" drivered 2-8-0
10) 20-30 ton Heisler

There. That should cover all the bases.

[SteamGene]

Ray,
You left out the three most obvious ones, locomotives that Bachmann already has parts - like the tender - for:
C&O F-17, 19
C&O H-7
C&O K-3
Gene

[lanny]

Hi Roger,

'Yup', you're absolutely right! That is not a 'USRA' Pacific and that's what makes it so appealing to me!

All kidding aside, I honestly do find it very strange that with the many mfg that create high quality plastic today, no one seems to have picked up on the need/desire/want for a Harriaman style steam locomotive, both in 2-8-2 and 4-6-2 series, perhaps in others as well.

The reality is that there are quite a few RR that at one time or another, used this style of motive power (besides the ICRR  . To me, it is rather strange that no mfg. to date has made a really good (Spectrum quality) Harriman locomotive (with the exception, I should say, of Spectrum's Consolidation - and someone recently told me that the P2K 2-10-2 recently out is close to the lines of at least the early versions of an ICRR 2-10-2. I think Orsonroy made some ICRR related suggestions to them when that was in the works).

I'm far from a 'model historian' so I may certainly be overlooking 'vintage' models that are Harriman style. I think Bowser has a Pacific (NYC) that may be simialr to a Harriman style ... but I don't enjoy working with cast metal. Plastic is so much easier to super detail! To me, metal is a pain, to work with.

lanny nicolet

[Atlantic Central]

I would buy several of ALL the locos listed by Ray and Gene.

Sheldon

[Trains Again]

I would still like to see Southern Pacific P-8 #2472:

[GN.2-6-8-0]

Here's a vote for a bit of a oddball the Norfolk & Western's class M1 4-8-0 Mastodon 

[Trains Again]

Here's a vote for a bit of a oddball the Norfolk & Western's class M1 4-8-0 Mastodon 

That was a weird one. It had roller barrings too.

[Paducah Style]

Bach-man,

Nothing says "We love steam modelers" more than a nice "generic" Harriman standard 2-8-2!   I can imagine the happy UP, SP, NYC guys, at a minimum, that would welcome it.  Us IC guys wouldn't be too disappointed either 

Cheers,
Brad

[BaltoOhioRRfan]

I had someone tell me that in a MRC cataloge or something like that, that Bachmann is releasing a 4-4-0 with sound. But I highly doubt it unless its On30.

[paustinsmith]

a 35 to 45 ton Heisler surely

Peter Smith, Memphis

[ebtbob]

Good Morning All,

        This topic is one of the ones that has been around in some forum,  er,  form or another since I came to this forum several years ago and always draws a lot of ideas.   
         The one problem that many of us face is the fact that we not only talk about wheel arrangement,  but also railroad specific and that is where,  I fear,  our hopes start to diminish.   As was stated,  I would love to see an N&W 4-8-0 but there is a wheel arrangement that many U.S. railroads did not use.   The same would go for my dream of an EBT 2-8-2 in On30.   Manufacturers like Bachmann need to generate sales and to go railroad specific,  unless it is Pennsy or Santa Fe,  probably will not yield the desired results.
         So with that in mind,  let's talk specifically about wheel arrangement for a moment.
The only 4-8-2 that Bachmann does is the K4,  Pennsy prototype,  so that is a wheel arrangement that may be interesting to see,  as would the 2-8-2 since only the Chinese engine is now offered.
         Let me suggest that there is probably a market for some of the following.   How about an 0-4-0,  0-6-0,  0-8-0,   2-6-0,  or 2-6-2?    Now I realize that someone already offers one or two of these wheel arrangements,  but that does not mean that more than one manufacture cannot offer a product also.
        So.....keep on contributing,  because it makes interesting reading and possibly,  something that someone suggests will be done to the delight of all.

Bob

[Orsonroy]

        This topic is one of the ones that has been around in some forum,  er,  form or another since I came to this forum several years ago and always draws a lot of ideas.   
         The one problem that many of us face is the fact that we not only talk about wheel arrangement,  but also railroad specific and that is where,  I fear,  our hopes start to diminish.   As was stated,  I would love to see an N&W 4-8-0 but there is a wheel arrangement that many U.S. railroads did not use.   The same would go for my dream of an EBT 2-8-2 in On30.   Manufacturers like Bachmann need to generate sales and to go railroad specific,  unless it is Pennsy or Santa Fe,  probably will not yield the desired results.

That hobby business model is no longer valid. In the "bad old days" of the hobby (say 1960 through 1990) the commonly accepted wisdom was that only "generic" models would sell, since they weren't prototype-specific. You wouldn't be "insulting" anyone by only offering N&W hoppers, or PRR boxcars, or SAL steam, and could readily decorate the models for any and every roadname out there, and everyone would be happy, since the car wasn't correct for ANY of them. That line of reasoning gave us generic Mantua steam and horrible Tyco, Bachmann (old Bachmann) and Life Like rolling stock.

But these days are different. If a model isn't specific to SOME prototype, it won't sell. Modeler's tastes have become accustom to prototypically correct rolling stock and (especially) engines, and generic won't fly. Most manufacturers these days will even produce models that are VERY narrow in scope. Intermountain and Red Caboose are doing this in a big way by coming out with rolling stock that's appropriate for ONLY one road, and they're selling well. Branchline has taken a prototypically correct "generic" 1944 AAR boxcar design and has tooled different ends, doors, roofs, and even brakewheels to match specific prototypes. Even Bachmann has come out with proto-specific steam models with all of their new releases.

BLI showed the industry that it IS profitable to come out with VERY narrowly defined models. When they came out with the PRR T-1 they didn't sell it with ATSF lettering, because they knew that the engine would stand on its own merits and sell out, even if it was of a peculiar prototype. They've shown us with a dozen or more models that this new business model does work with engines as well as cars.

So Bachmann CAN come out with proto-specific steam models in the future. And it's not like the industry's run out of prototypes that can correctly be decorated in multiple paint schemes. The Harriman line of engines came in more wheel arrangements than the USRA engines, and they haven't been touched since MDC in the 1970s. Some Lima and Alco superpower can be used for several prototypes, especially the early Berkshires. And all of the large steam manufacturers had large catalogs of stock designs. So we're nowhere near tapped out of good models to produce!

Let me suggest that there is probably a market for some of the following.   How about an 0-4-0,  0-6-0,  0-8-0,   2-6-0,  or 2-6-2?    Now I realize that someone already offers one or two of these wheel arrangements,  but that does not mean that more than one manufacture cannot offer a product also.

I think that except for the 0-8-0, all of the above are great choices. Bachmann has become a hero in the hobby by focusing on smaller, more typical steam engines, rather than on the huge and comparitavely rare "show pony" engines. The 0-8-0 is the only engine they'd lose their shirt on; P2K did suck a perfect job with their USRA 0-8-0 (the most popular single engine design in the USA) that no one will be able to touch their market share with that wheel arrangement.

[MrMunchkin]

I wouldn't be too quick to use B.L.I. as an example of the profitability of prototype specific steam locos as they sure seem to be struggling at the moment, wanting us to preorder products that are years down the road and not commiting to produce them untill they get a minimum number of orders, which anyone would be crazy to do considering that they can't even get the ones that they are commited to market. I think it would be great if and when they do go bellyup if Bachmann or Walthers would buy the assets at the auction and put the resourses and management knowhow that they need in place so that maybe someday I can get my Decapod.
Oh ..one loco that Bachmann could do easy would be the K4 streamlined version, they already have the mechanism,  all they need is the shell.
                                                                                    P.M.

[robertjohndavis]

Bob,

I respectfully disagree. All the Spectrum steam has been modeled after a specific prototype - in some cases a VERY specific prototype (the Ma&Pa 4-6-0 and 4-4-0).

It seems that the Bachmann philosophy is to model a specific locomotive, but pick one that with a few detail changes can make a believable model of others.

Given this, I think it best to suggest very specific prototypes, and note how many similar locomotives there were to it.

That's different than my old argument of making a D&H 4-8-4 and then using it to make a MILW and Rock Island model (which is what ALCo did with the prototype). In the Bachmann case, I would suggest something like a B&M B-15 Mogul and show how similar in size and detail they were to other locos.

Rob

PS: And yes, the Harriman locos are an untapped market that deserves to be tapped.

Good Morning All,

        This topic is one of the ones that has been around in some forum,  er,  form or another since I came to this forum several years ago and always draws a lot of ideas.   
         The one problem that many of us face is the fact that we not only talk about wheel arrangement,  but also railroad specific and that is where,  I fear,  our hopes start to diminish.   As was stated,  I would love to see an N&W 4-8-0 but there is a wheel arrangement that many U.S. railroads did not use.   The same would go for my dream of an EBT 2-8-2 in On30.   Manufacturers like Bachmann need to generate sales and to go railroad specific,  unless it is Pennsy or Santa Fe,  probably will not yield the desired results.
         So with that in mind,  let's talk specifically about wheel arrangement for a moment.
The only 4-8-2 that Bachmann does is the K4,  Pennsy prototype,  so that is a wheel arrangement that may be interesting to see,  as would the 2-8-2 since only the Chinese engine is now offered.
         Let me suggest that there is probably a market for some of the following.   How about an 0-4-0,  0-6-0,  0-8-0,   2-6-0,  or 2-6-2?    Now I realize that someone already offers one or two of these wheel arrangements,  but that does not mean that more than one manufacture cannot offer a product also.
        So.....keep on contributing,  because it makes interesting reading and possibly,  something that someone suggests will be done to the delight of all.

Bob