I'd agree that Stepney should be made next. Terence, I think the Gordon with Cable Wire could be an interesting addition, although I think that if they do that, adding a new face could help with sales. Maybe the "working hard" version of his angry face like was seen in Down the Mine?

For Narrow Gauge, I'd guess Sir Handel and maybe a Brown Brake Van.

For N Scale, if they can announce another engine, I would guess Toby, but I think they might just do a lot of rolling stock this next year, since we still have James in progress. If that's the case, I think doing the Milk and Tar Tankers, S.C.Ruffy, and the coal wagon with load would be good choices.

For Large Scale, Red Coaches should be done next.

Thanks Chaz! I can't wait to see your projects, too!

Hopefully this lightens up the mood after the recent disappointment. I decided to do a mock-up of Dryaw Station (and the surrounding Airfield buildings) in preparation for the new N Scale line. The first thing I did was the station building. The only things I didn't model on the station itself were the advertisement boards, the canopy (only omitted because I can't tell if it's clear or not), chimney pots, and platform. Here are some pictures.




Although it is to scale (except the arch windows; they were hard to cut), it's a little rough, which is fine, since it's not really supposed to be super detailed for it's current purposes (seeing how much space it takes up). I may revisit each building once they're all done to add detail.

I hope this shows some things that can be done with a little modelling. It really is quite fun! I feel like buildings are easier to do than a locomotive. Updates will come as and when I have time to build the other buildings.

Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on July 18, 2020, 06:37:22 PM
They don't look different. And how do you know they're chemically blackened? So you work for Bachmann?

Look at James' new production models. The wheel treads and flanges are the same color as the wheelface. If they were painted, James couldn't run, because he couldn't collect electricity. That doesn't apply to chemical blackening. A lot of british modeller do it, and it's done on Bachmann's American models too. If they weren't chemically blackened, the treads would be super shiny, like Thomas's wheels, or even James' coupling rods.

And I don't work for Bachmann.

Guys, I think it was a joke...

Quote from: thomasj219 on July 17, 2020, 01:45:46 PM
Alright guys, Yes yesterday was a bit of a disappointment. But you have to look at the bigger picture, I'm sorry just saying "I may seem entitled" doesn't excuse the lack of understanding that people seem to have during the current situation.

Seeing as Bachmann teased things and made it seem like there would be new engines before this, it says to me that something must've happened, I have a feeling that the delays for Daisy and a Peter San came later than anticipated and they're still planning for stuff but had to pull it back because the wait between announcement and release would've been just too long. I'm hoping for a much more satisfying announcement in February. Plus the fact that we only have to wait six months for announcements now rather than a year is another plus. I still think we're in a better place than we've ever been.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is relax, and remember the days when we had to beg for any classic character to be considered let alone announced. We have a narrow gauge line now and the range is only looking more promising as time goes on, these are unbelievable circumstances that we unfortunately have to deal with. But don't get greedy boys. There are only six characters from the classic series that Bachmann has not made in standard gauge, excluding one offs like Derek and class 40.

We are living the dream.

Don't forget that.

I agree. I remember that a only in 2018 we still only got the February announcements every year, and I honestly thought the NMRA Announcements in 2019 were going to be a one time thing. I think the fact that we still got an announcement at the 2020 NMRA show at all is pretty good, even if it is just a repaint. At least it's knocked out now, though.

Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on July 17, 2020, 01:27:52 PM

Quote from: TrainFan97 on July 16, 2020, 08:25:09 PM
The blurred photo was indeed Black James (called Origin James) and if the wheels aren't painted, they'd better be painted on the final model.

What are you talking about? The wheels are painted.

The wheels aren't painted, they're chemically blackened. Although that is accurate to the CGI series, I think people would believe painted wheels would look better aesthetically.

Today I looked at Google Images for pictures of the N Scale range, and I came across this picture: http://fav.me/ddjduxc

Hopefully that forms a link. If not, you can copy and paste it into the internet, and I believe it'll take you where I hope.

So I decided to measure the length of where the sleepers are on Thomas and the troublesome truck to get a wheelbase length (for the truck) and overall length (Thomas). Here are the measurements for those two things.

Truck Wheelbase: 20mm + or - 0.5mm

Truck Length (w/out buffers): 36mm + or - 0.5mm

Thomas Length (w/out buffers): 45mm + or - 0.5mm

Measurements of OO Scale Bachmann Thomas Products

Truck Wheelbase: 40mm

Truck Length (w/out buffers): 71mm

Thomas Length (w/out buffers): 90mm


Assuming that the N Scale line is at 2mm scale (1:148 Scale), the measurements are very close to what they would scale to in OO, and how Bachmann's current products are scaled. In real life, the truck scales very closely with it's counterpart, except for it's 10 foot wheelbase (although correct for the show [Classic Series], the real wagons have a 9 foot wheelbase). In conclusion, I believe the N Scale line is going to have British N scale, er, scaling.

Another interesting thing to note is that, although Annie and Clarabel have CGI scaling, Thomas is still the same size as his Classic Series (Series 1-3 or 5) counterpart. In the CGI series, he shrank, and is only supposed to be as long as the trucks. I cannot speak for Percy, though, because I don't have an OO model of him. It'll be interesting to see if James ends up with CGI scaling or not.

Keep in mind these are estimates, although I hope this helps give a picture of what we can expect of the N Scale range. Sorry if the post formatting is a bit strange.

I agree. It may only be one product, and a recolor, but they have quite a few products that haven't been released yet, plus the entire N Scale line, so I think it's understandable and forgivable, with the virus and all.

Your layout looks really good! I especially like the Bluebell Valley portion of it! Thanks for sharing!

You're layout looks amazing! Can't wait to see more!

Even though it may technically be too late to post at this point, here's my hopes/predictions for the Announcements.

HO Scale:
-Like everyone else, Stepney, for all of the reasons everyone else stated.

-I'd also like to agree with Cheeky-ULP about seeing the Lynton & Barnstaple vans make it into the range. They could make a normal brown one, one with a face like A Close Shave, and one with graffiti on it like in the Series 4 episode with Duck and Henry. It would be great because it's something different and new!

Narrow Gauge:
-Sir Handel

N Scale:
-Maybe a Milk Tanker, or
-a Percy set? Both?

Large Scale:
-Thomas - LBSC 70
-Red Coaches (these would be great sellers!) I've seen a few people do Stroudley conversions of the HO Scale ones to run with British locomotive's, and I think the same would apply here!

I think I saw a Sir Topham Hatt in the new box style at a train show in January. I didn't take a picture, though.

First, you would need to decide whether you want to make them out of plastic or brass, then it's a lot of measuring and cutting. A couple of things to note: Thomas was made with his Magic Railroad-era larger wheels. However, in the classic series, he shared a wheel size with Edward and James, and because of this, Bachmann Edward and James are both slightly oversized for OO scale (they look a bit big next to Gordon and Henry). If you want to check my sources for that, search up Thomas' Christmas Party for the original and a Bachmann remake (specifically the one by ThomasNWR01). If you want to do the classic series scales, I'd suggest scaling down a 7-plank wagon first, and looking at several pictures of the engines pulling/shunting or just close to the 7-planks to help get a sense of scale. You would also need to find suitable wheels for the engines (I believe Bachmann Thomas' wheels are around 2mm larger in diameter than they were in the classic series). Good luck! I look forward to seeing what you make.

Can a Payne-style Thomas be made from a Bachmann model?

In short, kind of, but it's a lot of work. It might be easier just to build from scratch. This is what I've been doing with my Thomas model, and here are a few pictures of my progress, and what remains of the Bachmann model.

I had to completely build a new running plate to match the curve in most illustrations. Drawing it consistently was the hardest part, but eventually I got the curve in the running plate to match on both sides, which was the most important thing (to me), before getting it put together.

I also needed to make a new cab (mainly because I want it to be detailed. I cut the bunker as part of it, which I figured would be easy. I also made a start on the cab windows, which are based on Reginald Payne's illustrations. I glued the sides together temporarily to drill the holes for the window. It's rough at the moment, but it will be worked on more.




And here's a picture showing what it looks like now (kind of) and what's left of the Bachmann model.