New Bachmann Announcements

[wm3798]

Yes, it's the phase with the scale width hood...  Sorry!

(I'm really wanting to get one of those things...but I figure if I wait long enough, they'll have better couplers, better decoders, and be able to pull a bull elephant out of a swamp...)

Lee

[Philip H]

I keep debating whether I want to get one for refinery switching duties, or try scratchbuilding a Trackmobile . . . heck if David K Smith can make a 1:35,000 scale train I ought to be able to do a TRackmobile in 1:160 with one of those pager motors or something . . . .

[Mark5]

Yes, it's the phase with the scale width hood...  Sorry!

Lol, tell me about it. I have $30 set aside for one of these - that's about what I'd be willing to pay (I don't really "need" a 44 tonner)

Mark

[Chris333]

If they ever sell separate shells I would narrow the frame down and narrow the hoods. I figure it would take 2 shells to get one.

and be able to pull a bull elephant out of a swamp...)

I just read how the New Haven 44 tonners couldn't pull more than 8 cars so they were kept double headed. My Bachmann 44T will pull at least 25 cars:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eobS2xqPSjw

[Nato]

  I'am pretty sure the 4-8-4 is just another roadname variation of the Santa Fe Locomive. The new drive train runs very nicely. In the past Bachmann(Person) has done this loco with a much too small vandy tender as UP Overland with yellow striping and numbers and silver striping and numbers, GN with same vandy tender and Glacier colored boiler (green is too bright),and most reciently Southern Pacific, again with vandy tender, nicely painted correct GS1 road number, even the red painted cab window frames. Someone could have made a fortune by now offereing resin cast bodies of different road's 4-8-4's like say Lackawana,UP FEF 1, Burlington etc. Modelers would have had to bash tenders. The first variation Bachmann did on this loco was C.B.& Q. I have one with the old second generation drive train, where the tender picked up electricity, much like Rivarossi small steam. Nate Goodman (Nato). "Too many AND's".

[wm3798]

I've got a boiler from a 4-8-4 that I'm planning to tinker with to do a WM Potomac.  It'll need some appliances moved around, the headlight raised to the top of the smokebox, and new smokebox door, and an all-weather cab...  I've got an old Rivarossi Berk tender that's suitable.

I've got a few other budget priorities to take care of, but I'm really interested in seeing how this new drive performs...

Lee

[brokemoto]

The Bachpersonn  eight wheeler is not that bad a locomotive.  You must spend hour upon hour breaking in this thing.  I have some that will hold a steady twenty scale miles per hour after hours of break in.  The pulling power is not that bad, considering their size.

Yes, they are not as good as the MP mogul with an all wheels live tender, a B-mann SPECTRUM 2-8-0 or USRA heavy 4-8-2.  They are not as good as the Atlas 2-6-0, the Athearn/MDC 2-8-0 and 2-6-0.  They are not even as good as the MP USRA lights.

Still, if you operate them on a pike with metal frog switches, they are just not all that bad.

I did not know that there was going to be one in Royal Blue.  I wonder if it is a [model does not represent actual prototype], or did B&O really have an 1870s eight wheeler painted that way.

[SkipGear]

 ??? The Bachmann newsletter this morning was less than informative. So far the only official news from the Toy Fair is new HO Thomas loco's and cars and the HO Spectrum 2-8-0 is now moved down to the standard line and comes with DCC only, no sound. (Oh, and some large scale stuff that I forgot)

[SkipGear]

Here is the Toy Fair rundown from a Bachmann rep on their forum....

Our announcements at Toy Fair are centered around our new starter sets and Thomas & Friends™ line. This year we added two new HO sets - The Great Northern "Empire Builder" set and a new McKinley Explorer set featuring newly tooled 89' Colorado Railcar full dome passenger cars. In N scale sets we announced 3 new sets - the Royal Blue (B&O/passenger), The Southern Belle (Southern/freight), and the Spirit of Christmas. In Large Scale we announced the Plainsman set (Union Pacific/freight). We've also announced three exciting new Spectrum "Digital/sound" sets featuring a DCC SOUND ON BOARD 2-8-0 and a Dynamis Digital Control system.

New Thomas& Friends™  items include Large Scale James the Red Engine, 4 new Large Scale freight cars, an HO Sodor lighthouse, HO Knapford Station building kit, HO Scale Bill & Ben , and HO Scale Donald & Douglas.

We announce our standard and Spectrum line model railroad products at the NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) national convention in July. These items appear as "New" in the following catalog. This year includes the large scale Forney, the HO Doodlebugs, etc....
 
 
 

[SkipGear]

Once again, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.......here are the announcements for Bachmann that Asarge mentioned at the beginning of this. The most impressive thing is the expansion of their track line. They were listening and made matching radius curves to compliment what they currently have so you have a reason to use their double track crossovers. It's not like I would use the track but there are people out there that do and now things are not so limited. Also, the half radius 12.5 makes it possible to actually use their 45 deg crossing which until now, was impossible to use. They didn't have a 15 deg curve of any sort to make a curve mate with it.


85072     Diesel GE Dash 8-40C Powered DCC   Conrail  N 140.00
  
Steam 4-8-4 w/Operating Headlight
58152     Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe         N 125.00
58158     Rock Island                                     N 125.00
  
Brill Trolley - Powered
61086     "Desire" New Orleans N 42.00
61092     New York Third Avenue N 42.00
    
Diesel EMD DD40AX Centennial - DCC on Board
62255     Union Pacific #6900                     N     115.00
62256     Union Pacific #6910                     N     115.00
62257     Union Pacific #6919                     N     115.00
  
PCC Trolley, 8-Wheel Drive
62991     PC Trolley                              N      42.00
62992     Kansas City                             N      42.00
    
Spectrum(R) Diesel GE 44-Ton Switcher, Powered, with DCC
81857     Boston & Maine                          N     105.00
81858     Denver & Rio Grande Western             N     105.00
81859     US Army                                 N     105.00

Spectrum(R) 2-8-0 Consolidation Steam, Powered, DCC on Board
84551     Union Pacific #725                      N     200.00
84552     Western Maryland #754                   N     200.00
84553     Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 2514        N     200.00
84554     Chesapeake & Ohio #705                  N     200.00
  
TRAINSETS N & Z Scale
24019     Trainset Southern Belle                 N     160.00
24017     Spirit of Christmas                     N     160.00
24018     Royal Blue                              N     160.00
  
TRACK & ACCESSORIES N & Z Scale  
E-Z Track(R) w/Nickel Silver Rail & Gray Roadbed
44852     12.5" Radius Curve         N      13.00    
44822     12.5" Radius Curve Half Section         N      11.00
44855     17.5" Radius Curve                      N      12.00
44856     19" Half Section                        N      10.00
44896     World Greatest Hobby Track Pack         N     155.00
44899     Short Connecting Section                N       8.00

[asarge]

I kinda wonder if we are at the beginning...well maybe middle of a long cold spell for new tooling announcements from Bachmann and a couple of others.

[Philip H]

I kinda wonder if we are at the beginning...well maybe middle of a long cold spell for new tooling announcements from Bachmann and a couple of others.

Judging by the releases of late - you may be spot on.  Either that, or the major manufacturers are still trying to figure out how to deal with the FVM's of the model world, and have reached the erroneous conclusion that continuing to release dated toolin gin new roadnames will work.

[wm3798]

$200 clams for the 2-8-0?  Voof.  That puts it on the street for $150 or better...  With a crappy decoder (more than likely)....
Alas, there is a new road number, though!

Maybe this will create a surge of aftermarket availability of the previous drive.

Lee

[unclepete20]

hey look dash8's... sure they might not be quite as good as atlas but what price will go for on the street? might be cheaper than atlas dash 8s with out dcc.... they will work fine for me for mid consist engines... i can run all my good looking engines on the head end

[inkaneer]

$200 clams for the 2-8-0?  Voof.  That puts it on the street for $150 or better...  With a crappy decoder (more than likely)....
Alas, there is a new road number, though!

Maybe this will create a surge of aftermarket availability of the previous drive.

Lee

Yeah, and I know people who are buying the current Spectrum 2-8-0's in anticipation of an after market resin cast PRR H9/10 boiler.