Bachmann, you've successfully grabbed my attention!

While at the NTS this past weekend with Rick Brodzinsky, we made our way through the floor stopping to visit with particular vendors, manufacturers, and friends. As the day went on, we both walked near the Bachmann booth, shrugged, and moved on. Rick even said nothing worth a look there, and I agreed.

Well, Bachmann, I must admit I sure wish I had taken a peek!

I've been keeping a skeptical, yet hopeful, eye on the past few releases, starting with the 44 toner, and up to the ten wheeler, and from the reviews it appears Bachmann is taking extreme measures to finally step up their game! :thumbs_up:


Now with the latest Bachmann announcements and what John Sing has reported from the NTS, I may even find myself purchasing a 2-10-2 very close to the release date with a good bit of confidence in the end product!

Don't let me down Bachmann! For the first time, I say your name with interest!

 

For the first time since I was about 10 years old ( along time ago), I am planning on buying some Bachmann rolling stock. This being several of the tank cars and possibly the 40" boxcar.

Tom L.

 

I'm running my 70 tonner and watching it crawl without so much as a stutter. Bachmann has seriously upped its game!

 

Mark, Unfortunately the On30 Heisler has caught my eye. Jim

 

I really think the most surprising thing is the rolling stock. I'm really looking forward to the 2-10-2 and the RS-3, but it looks like Bachmann may be testing the market to enter the rolling stock arena.

 

Cats and dogs lie peacefully together...
Republicans and Democrats agree with each other...
Tornadoes miss the trailerparks...
Serious modelers are thinking of buying Bachmann...

I don't know what is going on in the world! :bear-err:

(Glad to see it, though!)

 

I could never understand why all this time Bachmann has never really gone after the actual modelers who are serious about trains and want nice stuff,and when they did,they made something with limited appeal like the Acela.With a few exceptions like the Consolidation,their steam has been okay,but only recently has gotten acceptable.Their rolling stock has always been scrap,even in the 80's it wasn't as nice as the other makers stuff,and they still sell the same products.With Atlas prices starting to border on rediculous,it's nice to see Bachmann starting to make some nice,high quality stuff at list prices lower than Atlas and Athearn to begin with,and you know their street prices are gonna be WAY lower than what their list is.They still need to get their act together on roadnames,though..They're still have the old trainset mentality.They're releasing a Northeast Caboose in most of the roadnames the real ones came in,and an RS3 that was owned by most of those roads,yet,they ignore those roads on the RS3's,coulda been selling nice,matched sets to beginners.I'll certainly be buying their stuff if they run as good as they look,and the 44T's were just that..

 

Different scales, but I LOVE my Spectrum 2-10-2. Runs like no Bachmann that I ever had before...

 

Looking forward to the 2-10-2's, will fill a big gap if the mechanisms are good. But really impressed by the tank cars. My Lady is understandably concerned since she knows who many I would like to buy. LOL

 

MTL may be losing their tank car monopoly but I'm also looking forward to seeing some photos of the boxcars. I'm wondering if they have a prototypical ride height if they will have body mounted couplers.

 

Anyone else looking forward to the DCC RS-3 and NE caboose. For a WM modeler that is like a Christmas wish come true. While I like my old BevBel NE, comparing one to the one bachmann shows looks like something from 2 decades in the future...oh wait it is.

 

I just took a look at the boxcars,the trucks look to be the same old crappy freelance non roller bearing trucks they've been using forever with knuckle couplers..Same trucks on the caboose and the tank,but body mounted knuckles.

 

So far, Bachmann/Spectrum has ventured into the high quality arena with the Consolidation, Mountain, Heavy Mountain and Prairie Mallet. When the Consolidation came out, I sort of expected they would stay on that level, but like a kid on a merry go round, they climb off and get up. A few years ago, I met Lee Riley who was the product guy responsible for the Spectrum level, and I was impressed.

Now it seems the "suits" at Bachmann overrode him and look at the glitches.

I think they really missed the boat on their F7, To me the shell is accurate enough to stand in the circle with Kato and IM, but the mechanism is well, lousy, which sort of explains why it never caught on like it should.

All it takes is one little gander at an older Kato or Atlas/Kato flywheel loco duplicate its simplicity, and they would start producing a line of winners. Look at what Atlas, IM, and Walthers/Lifelike did.

Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

 

I am very glad they are re-releasing the doodlebug, and I hope they release the coach by it self that some point.
As for the steam the 2-10-2 looks nice, but I'm not a big santa fe fan. Guess I'll just wait to next year for a 4-8-4.

 

I took a look at the new boxcars on the announcement page...not very impressed. Still look kinda toylike. I'm sure they're better than what Bachmann did before, which isn't really saying much I have some Roundhouse boxcars that I got for $5 each that look much better than those.

The tank car is outside of my era, so I'm quite sure I won't buy it, although I will say that any Bachmann train with body-mounted couplers is a definite step in the right direction, especially for a tank car. Glad to be an N scaler today. This must have been what things were like when milk started becoming pasteurized.

I'll withhold my judgment on any Bachmann locomotive until I get to see it run with my own eyes. Honestly I have never knowingly seen a Bachmann N scale locomotive run in person.

Bachmann is arguably the world's 2nd most-recognizable model railroad brand name (next to Lionel of course), so if any company has the resources to refine their product and reinvent their reputation in the N scale world, Bachmann is the one, I guess.

 

With all thelofty praise being expressed about Bachmann allow me to bring things down to earth. Yes, Bachmann has brought out some nice stuff in the last few years. BUT [big but there] they have also had some typical Bachmann dogs too. The connie was great. The light mountain not so great. The heavy mountain was great the prarie mallet not so great. The 44 tonner was great. I don't pre order Bachmann. I don't need any more dogs especially at today's prices. Most of their later stuff I can't use. They brought out GP7/9's. I got enough Atlas GP 7/9's to last my lifetime and more. R/S 3's? Ditto. What I and a lot of other people cannot understand is why bring out stuff that has been produced before while other models are ignored. Case in point, go to the Bachmann forum and look up the thread about doing a PRR K4. One of the longest threads on their site yet when I asked the Backmann person at a WGH show about it he told me to go see Kato since they made the Broadway Limited.

 

God help us. I'm making an argument in Bachmann's defense!

I'm more excited hearing about this new Mark II Knuckle coupler they have. Although the photo of it on the NE Caboose is wonky, the little I've read about it puts this coupler right up there with the other major players! And it will be body mounted!

Sure, the new trucks look a bit bulky. But heck, I've never been one to care much about looks, so long as it looks acceptable (and I think they do) and more importantly they operate acceptable. Worst case, it's a lot easier/cheaper to swap out MTL trucks, than MTL trucks plus couplers!

 

I am looking forward to the new RS3 as well as the doodlebug. I think Bachmann is heading in the right direction. I have the ten wheeler and I'm very happy with it.

 

I was talking about the 40' AAR boxcar, correct me if I'm wrong but there were no photos of them in Bachmann's announcement.