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Spectrum 4-4-0's - Being discontinued?

Started by Pacific Northern, April 04, 2016, 05:28:38 PM

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Pacific Northern

I am not aware if Bachmann announces to the public any news when they decided to discontinue any of their HO locomotives or not.

There are a number of super sales going on right now on some of the large web based model train outlets.  See Trains and Such and Trainland.

They both have big markdowns on their current sales prices.

One of the members of this board e-mailed me about the slashed prices for the current 4-4-0 stock.

I decided I should get a couple of these, given their price a couple more back up engines can not hurt.  So I ordered a couple.  Great deal.  Just can not help but worry that the Bachmann Spectrum 4-4-0's are being discontinued..

Comment from the Bach-Man would be good.
Pacific Northern

Trainman203

The Spectrum 4-4-0 is probably the last time around with near-brass quality separately applied detail and a relatively  full sound package.  I have 9. Just in case. 

I'm a dying breed, those that grew up over 50 years ago craving unattainable maxed-out-detailed brass steam engines  while running lumps of lead that sort of looked like steam engines, with cast on detail.  The Spectrum line as it was 5 or 7 years, in its golden age, ago let us finally live the brass-level detail dream.  Plus, unlike brass engines, their performance was and still is flawless. 

Now we are back to reduced detailing and cast on piping.  I know that fine detail is costly, but I am willing to pay for it, and I did, and would continue to.

I have my engines and don't need any more.  But I know that some will really miss the opportunity to get Spectrum steam engines the way they used to be.

Pacific Northern

When the model railroad bug bit me big time I was nearing retirement and looking to build a large HO layout, that I never had the room for before becoming an empty nester.

I had the opportunity to use what used to be the family tv room for my layout, the room is roughly 12' x 26' So started to plan a layout which I built in stages.

My old model railroad equipment that I had from when I was a teenager was a mix of Rivarossi steam engines, a few Porcher engines and a Bachmann engine.

As I wanted the newest in model railroad equipment I went DCC.  The DCC system did allow me to run a analog engine also, so I did keep the old engines.

This was more or less when after the Spectrum models had come on the scene.  the 2-8-0 and the 2-10-0 had both been released and dollar for dollar they were the best buy.  They had excellent detail and pulled well and were a lot cheaper than Proto or Athearn.

Just as I was finishing my trackplan, the 4-6-0 Spectrum engine was released, Wow, what a beauty, detail galore, good performance and excellent pricing.

I had almost forgot that Bachmann had a number of detail parts, lights and smoke box doors and even extra wheel trucks and pony trucks that they used to include in various models so the modeller could add those details specific to other  engines..  I have a small box of those parts,
Pacific Northern

Bucksco

Bachmann does not "discontinue" locomotives - their rotation in and out of the catalog is determined by sales performance and demand from retailers. As stated in the initial post in this thread 4-4-0 s are still available at retailers which indicates low demand at this point in time.