This Years New Announcements

[Hamish K]

if it is true that there is nothing new this year this is disappointing but not a complete surprise. The Bach man did NOT tell us to anticipate and Yarmaster told us that "any new announcements would be at the train show". So it looks like nothing this year. Can Bachmann assure us that they remain committed to On30 and that there will be new items in future years as well as continued production of at least some of the existing range? I am not sure that I want to continue in On30 if it is not going to have at least some new items in the future.

Hamish

[Chatham]

I don't have a dog in this hunt so what I say may or may not mean much. I'm now on a fixed income so with the higher prices I am out.
The problem as I see it isn't so much about the modelers, rather it's all the after market companies that I feel sorry for. Lets hope that Bachmann is falling back to regroup and not bailing on On30.
The pickings are scarce out there if you go looking at the usual places and stock is low.
Keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best. I think that Bachmann will be honest about what's going on sooner, not later


Rich R

[Tomcat]

Ok, we all know that the manufacturers in the US are going through rough times. We´re not through that yet.

But even as I understand that Bachmann will be extremely carefulto decide what to produce in the future,
I really felt beeing let down. First, you Bachmann folks did try to catch our eyes by placing a uncertain info
about coming products, then - nothing. Very disappointing.

I still hope for something Colorado-style... A C-16 or C-18, why not? All us Narrow Gauge buffs know the 315,
and it always had been wise to produce something the folks can still see somewhere out on the tracks,
so a Bachmann-produced 315 or 318 would be a cool thing...

But I do not expect anything the very next time, so I can´t feel to be let down by you, folks...

Tom

[ebtbob]

Good Morning All,

       I have to admit that I did not see all the new product announcements from all the manufactures at the National Train Show,  but I did see the Bachmann announcements.   As others have said, I am a bit disappointed by the lack of anything new in the On30 line.   Fortunately,  I have enough On30 equipment to keep me happy,  but,  new things seem to spur me on to the work needed on my On30 railroad.
        In the HO line,  I am thrilled to see a 2-8-4 available with sound and dcc.  I think the selection of NKP,  C&O,  and PM is nice,  but......would have loved to see a painted,  undec,  or NKP in service version.   Looks like I will have to break out the black paint and one of my really fine pointed paint brushes to get rid of the white tires.
        It was also nice to see the N scale announcements of the SD45 and the 2-8-4.   They will be nice additions to the already nice selection that Bachmann offers.
        There is one thought,  though it is not just aimed at Bachmann,  and that is choice of releases.   You will notice that I did not mention the HO 2-8-2.    I cannot understand why the past two or three years,  manufactures are announcing either huge steam engines,  such as 4-8-4,  2-10-2 etc  engines that are already offered by two or more manufactures,  or engines that only one railroad would have had such as the Pennsy S2 and the Pennsy only had 1.
         I keep waiting to see if anyone will do a Pennsy L-1 Mikado.    I have heard that there is one manufacture who says it is on the planning board.   I am sure that the first one out there will be a huge success.  I realize that the L-1 was a Pennsy engine but since it seems to be the one engine not offered in a Pennsy line it would logical to make the engine along with some sort of 0-6-0 switch with a slope back tender.    Let me also say,  I am not a Pennsy fan per say,  but working a train store,  the L-1 is a constant source of discussion.
         The last thing I want to share is cost.   There seems to be an alarming rise in prices of the past couple of years.    If it were not for the fact that I work at the store,   I would be shut out of the market place as I am on fixed income.  That is another fact that I see at the store.   Fortunately for us,  many of our customers are well established model railroaders,  but even they are really feeling the pinch.
        Again,  to Bachmann,  thank you for the announcements for next year.   I trust all will run with the same quality as release over the past several years.    Now,  let's see,  is there room under the coaling dock for the Berk?

[Artfull Dodger]

A pennsy L1 would be nice, PFM did very well with several runs of thier brass version in the late 70's thru the early 80's.  Definatly would be well recieved, nice follow up to the H10 being done by anohter company.  The general downturn in the hobby world has really curtailed anything new to speak off.  One of the LHS's is surviving on estate items for the most part.   Mike

[ebtbob]

Artful,

      You might be interested to know that the H10 announcement was well received until they showed the tender.   In my store almost 50% of the original orders were cancelled once the second run announcement was made with the low sides that most envisioned.   Those cancelled orders were then placed again for the second run.

[Hamish K]

British Bachmann have just announced in OO9 (the British version of HOn30, 1/76 scale on N gauge track) a WW1 Baldwin built 4-6-0t  locomotive and some rolling stock. These were operated by the British Army in France .See the Bachmann Branchlines site.

Perhaps this  could also be produced in On30?

Hamish

[ksivils]

Those would make great industrial locomotives sold as surplus post-war.

They would also make great kit-bash fodder.

I would pick some up.

[Skarloey Railway]

British Bachmann have just announced in OO9 (the British version of HOn30, 1/76 scale on N gauge track) a WW1 Baldwin built 4-6-0t  locomotive and some rolling stock. These were operated by the British Army in France .See the Bachmann Branchlines site.

Perhaps this  could also be produced in On30?

Hamish

Wow! I don't suppose many were expecting that. That's such a versatile loco. Practically any OO9 modeller can justify having at least one or more of them. It follows on from another company producing a ready to run OO9 model of the Lynton & Barnstaple 2-6-2. That's the same line that owned one of Bachmann's large scale 2-4-2 Baldwins.

There is an issue with an On30 model in that British O scale is 1:43 (7mm=1ft) whereas US is of course 1:48. 

[darryl1936]

Kind of hoped there might be a three truck Climax or Shay on On30.  Might have to go back into HO just to fill my wants. Pity....

[Hamish K]

There is an issue with an On30 model in that British O scale is 1:43 (7mm=1ft) whereas US is of course 1:48. 

I am aware of the scale issue. There are 3 possible O scales for O narrow gauge, 1:48 (american), 1:45 ( european) and 1:43 (british). One possibility  would be to use 1:45 as a compromise - not too far out for anybody. Alternatively produce in the scale of origin and let people live with the difference, which is what Bachman europe seem to be doing, Liliput (Bachmann Germany) produces HOe, which is the same as HOn30, i.e. 1:87 on n gauge track.  Which would probably mean a 1:43 Baldwin 4-6-0t, as they were produced for the british  Army. I could live with that.

Hamish

[rich19]

The WW1 Balwins are a dilemma both in On30 and in HOn9 (HOe). After WW1 they ran all across Europe - both in the UK and in Continental Europe (and even in North Africa). The discipancy between UK and Continental On30 is ca 5%, while for HOe it is a whopping 14%. As a subscriber to "Voie Libre" (the great French analogue to the NG&SL Gazette), I'm pretty sure they are very disappointed as they cannot be combined with the offerings from other continental artisans like Trains d'Antan.

Question: wondering all the time why US modelers would be intersted - did these Baldwins indeed run in the US after WW1?

[Skarloey Railway]

I recall that at the time of the Armistice there were a lot of stored locomotives awaiting shipping out from the UK, but I don't think I've ever heard of any still in the US awaiting shipping. I suspect Baldwin had completed the order and shipped out the locos. That said, I have a sneaky feeling that there was one 4-6-0 did operate in the US after the war, but I can't recall in what capacity or where.

An interesting fact I got from the wiki page is that the loco isn't an original design by Baldwin but based on an earlier French design, which Baldwin 'Americanised'.

[ksivils]

I believe several were used for training purposes for the U.S. Army's Railway Operating Battalions. I also believe one or two went to a southern logging line.

I have seen photos of these in the United States post-WW I but cannot recall where.

[Hamish K]

There was also a similar looking 2-6-2t that was originally produced by ALCO for the British Army. When the USA joined the war a slightly modified 2-6-2t was made by Baldwin and others for the American army. I think that it was these 2-6-2s that ran in America after Ww1. I am not sure that any 4-6-0t operated in the USA.

I have often thought that the 2-6-2t would be a good choice for Bachmann to make in On30 as it was used by the US army.

I live in Australia, both the 2-6-2t and 4-6-0t versions were imported after the war to run on sugar plantations.

Hamish