New Bachmann engine coming?

santafe Aug 17, 2015

  1. Inkaneer

    Inkaneer TrainBoard Member

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    Apparently you just don't get it. For some reason the model RR community has been obsessed with the notion that "Pennsy does not sell" or PRR is a fifth tier RR". Yet the Pennsy historical society has more members than any of the Western Roads that Kato favors. The Minitrix model was a 1960's attempt but it was poor in every category. It has not been made since the 1990's yet still commands a decent price on Ebay despite all its flaws. PRR guys have been wanting a K4 for years and now we have it. I think when Kato did the Broadway Limited they purposely choose a year when the K4 was no longer the mainline passenger engine. They already had the E8's and added the GG1 (which sold quite well). Any K4 that Bachmann produces would be better than the Minitrix model. If this thing sells and I think it will, there will be a lot of people eating crow in the model railroading world.
    Because the add was for the October 2015 edition of the magazine. Bachmann will make the official announcement at the National Convention this week and I expect the product to be in the stores by end of September. That is how it went last year with the EM1.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 27, 2015
    silentargus likes this.
  2. Inkaneer

    Inkaneer TrainBoard Member

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    Yeah, I hear ya. I felt the same way when Kato came out with the FEF. It cut all the yammering west coasters off. So if you don't mind I am going to celebrate with a nice big tall glass of water. Maybe I'll have a couple. Understand you all have a drought out there. Condolences extended.
     
    SP-Wolf likes this.
  3. ScaleCraft

    ScaleCraft TrainBoard Member

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  4. silentargus

    silentargus TrainBoard Member

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    Any new steam release is a good thing. When it sells (and they almost all do), it becomes that much more likely that their favorite road might get some attention later on. If Pennsy steam sells (and it will), then maybe someone will make NYC steam... and on and on from there. Nobody should 'shut up' about the ongoing dearth of good-running steamers for their favorite road... if they do, it'll never get made. I hope I see SP folks complaining about how there's not anything currently in production for them, NP folks complaining about how there's nothing out there for them at all, and so on... heck, UP folks are justified in complaining too; they've got more modern steam models than anybody right now, but they're all big, famous prototypes- not down-and-dirty workaday engines! Evidently all the complaining us Pennsy folks have done did actually get us somewhere, so... have at it! Maybe they'll listen to you, too, and then we'll all be happier.
     
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  5. rrjim1

    rrjim1 TrainBoard Member

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    I sure didn't say you said that Bachmann was spending $80, don't know were you got that.
    My point was that the difference in price between the DCC version and DCC/Sound version is a lot closer and the reason Bachmann isn't doing both.
    Even if they did a DC version and the DCC/Sound decoder was marked up to $80, not very many people purchase one at full retail. I see up to 60% off Bachmann steam locos.
     
  6. gatrhumpy

    gatrhumpy TrainBoard Member

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    Judging by one website and the retail and sale prices there, this one can be priced accordingly at about $230. I'll still buy one.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 31, 2015
  7. gatrhumpy

    gatrhumpy TrainBoard Member

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    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 31, 2015
  8. Railhead22

    Railhead22 TrainBoard Member

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    Bachmann will not make any steam in N that they havent made in HO first. So if you see new HO steam announcements, expect the lessen down N version to come several months/year after. The K4 took longer than usual for that though. I still own an HO spectrum K4 from 2000.

    Mabey one day they will completely redesign the Santa Fee 2900, all new drive, new correct boiler and proper height tender and electrical pick up. Full Spectrum overhaul.
     
  9. Maletrain

    Maletrain TrainBoard Member

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    Good point.

    Small engines work best on the types of layouts that most N-scalers can really operate in their homes. The Spectrum Consolidation was a winner from the sales and functional standpoints.

    I wonder if Bachmann would make a Belpaire fire box version of their Spectrum Consolidation into a Pennsy H-6a, which should sell well to Pennsy fans and can also double as B&O E-24. I would buy one, for sure.
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2015
    Jeepy84 likes this.
  10. JMaurer1

    JMaurer1 TrainBoard Member

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    PLEASE! Concor destroyed themselves. They didn't need any outside help.
     
  11. silentargus

    silentargus TrainBoard Member

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    The Spectrum Connie is dimensionally closer to an H8/9/10 (~2' difference in length, IIRC, most of that in the pilot); Bachmann would unfortunately need a new mechanism to do an H6 as it wouldn't fit on the existing chassis. The H6 sat lower and had a smaller boiler, whereas the H8-10 had wider boilers than the prototype Bmann used for their 2-8-0. I did some measurements a while back because I was thinking about bashing my pair of Spectrum 2-8-0s into H10s... then chickened out on that in favor of remotoring my first two brass K4s, which was less work.
     
  12. Inkaneer

    Inkaneer TrainBoard Member

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    Is the only significant difference between the Bachmann Connie and the H 8,9,10, the boiler/cab? If so Bachmann might have another good product with a minimum of investment. Upon dieselization the PRR H series of locomotives were sold to various short lines which were basically coal haulers who generated a lot of traffic for the PRR. In a lot of cases these were used until replaced by cast off first generation diesels.
     
  13. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    While I welcome the Bachmann release of the K4, and the fact that it is a medium sized loco among a number of recent releases in N scale by folks including them, I have no use for one since I am a western modeler and not a collector that will be getting one just for that purpose. Some day perhaps the trickle down effect will kick in and the Bmann will finally come out with the Shay, Climax, and Heisler locos, plus the small Forney types that they have in larger scales. Then I will get excited.
     
  14. brokemoto

    brokemoto TrainBoard Member

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    Did the H-8, 9 or 10 have the same boiler or cab as the K-4? If so, you might be able to use the K-4 shell. PRR did have several classes of power that shared parts/characteristics. If any of those 2-8-0s did have the same boiler/cab as the
    K-4, I am surprised not to have seen more bashes using the TRIX shell.
     
  15. JMaurer1

    JMaurer1 TrainBoard Member

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    Heisler....[drool]
     
  16. HOexplorer

    HOexplorer TrainBoard Supporter

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    K4 MSRP $399. Jim:eek:
     
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  17. JMaurer1

    JMaurer1 TrainBoard Member

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  18. DougSluder

    DougSluder TrainBoard Member

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    Top Hobby has them for 243 and some change.

    Doug
     
  19. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    Yup...

    Even with 20% off for street price...thats still $320.00...with mediocre at best sound :eek::eek:
     
  20. ScaleCraft

    ScaleCraft TrainBoard Member

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    Remember...the PRC economy tanks any more before the release date after first part of October (and figure January) those prices might seem cheap by comparison.
    (They have bumped MSRP before)
    You think $243 is a good price for a plastic N loco from Kader/Bachmann with a sound decoder of limited functionality?
    Just asking.
    No opinion.
    Dave
     

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