i think a lot of folks are expecting a 2-8-2 mikado,but i see their ho mikado that got released as new last yr,still has not arrived as yet.also i don;t see a mikado in n scale as kato saturated the market some yrs back.we were lucky to get the berkshire in n scale.maybe we have got used to having new product every year& have got complacent.
remember tooling &mfg cost money.what i would like to see is a dcc&sound eqip version of bachmann's northern &mountain locomotives.there seems to be a good demand fora  re release of these engines and would be quite doable cost wise.also a dcc  2-6-2 prarie is another loco that comes to mind.i don;t see a mikado or pacific coming from bachmann as MRC just did a re release of their pacific&mikado with dcc &sound, although i would like to see BACHMANN do these as they do smaller engines rather well also kato is re releasing their northern that sold out
what are you fellow modelers thinking in regards to what you would expect or hope to see announcement wise at the portland nmra convention in aug where most mfg's make any new product  forcasts.
regards&later KEWATIN.

 YARDMASTER any chance their will be new product announcement at the 2015 NMRA CONVENTION IN PORTLAND OR. AUG23-29  especially for n scale.i see BACHMANNN has a booth along with other major mfg's.we know you will not release details,but we usually get a new loco every yr.maybe we should not get to use to this expectation,but BACHMANN generally doesn't disappoint/ how about a tid bit.
regards&later kewatin

i have always been impressed with the massive heavy duty look of a steam engine with an ELESCO feedwater heater on it.sure they  are available on pricey brass models but none on past plastic &metal releases.
there are 3 main types of feedwater heaters #1 open feedwater type=WORTHINGTON
#2closed type=ELESCO my favourite& #3coffin type. i know that minitures by ERIC  makes parts,but not all of us have the skills for installing &doing the piping, maybe because of this ,is why mfg's stay away from these because of tooling costs.since the 1930's most locomotives came with feedwaters as it was a way of enhancing performance.the last model i remember seeing these on were IHC 0-6-0 HARBOR BELT  switcher many ,many yrs ago. sure would be nice if some of these mfg;s would make more of these locos with feedwater heaters on them. i am curious as to what the rest of you folks think.
regards&later KEWATIN

 
dear sirs,
i have sent a loco in for warranty work april 14/15 and this particular item was a warranty replacement for  same loco  with same problem of no slow speed performance&jerky running. when i checked my account with you fine folks i see even thou i recieved the 1 st replacement RO17502  your service site shows it a still waiting for repair.
also i recieved confirmation from laura harris whom is a fantastic person to deal with ,regarding past problems &issues saying the new RO17714 would be repaired or replaced&sent out in approx 4 wks..it has been well over 4wks and my account shows it is still awaiting repairs.i can see a lenghthly repair period over xmas time but not at this time of year.is their a problem with updating my account and should i phone laura for an update.i do enjoy the versatility of using your on line account,but if your service dept doesn't update ,it is of no use.also you usually supply a tracking number as part of repair completed &returned to customer.would you be so kind as to have someone check out this problem. regards&later KEWATIN

found another little problem with my new berkshire in that it came from mfg with tender headlight on while going forward. a check with the manual states it is self dimming when going forward.i did not see any dimming period. a quick fix to rectify this problem is to change CV33 to 1 from 003 .the headlight will now be on in forward with the locomotive and the tender light will be off. also when in reverse the loco light is off and the tender backup light will be on.. this adjustment will fix the light problem for those desiring to do so.at present these cv ajustments have fixed all of my problems to date and both locos are running on their sweet spot.gotta love them.
  regards&later KEWATIN

 love my new berk but after a couple of hrs of break in running my slow speed start &smooth running was not acceptable. thanks to john c from another forum he did some testing and suggested to change some cv values.
i set CV 213&214 TO A VALUE OF 1  CV 209 TO 15 AND LASTLY CV210 TO 240. WHAT AN AMAZING DIFFERENCE it made loco starts smooth&slowly at speed step 1 on my NCE POWER CAB, the wheel hitch is on my loco is now gone.
changing volume is set by holding #8 on my nce power cab & It cycles thru from high to low.only improvment i will make to this outstanding loco will be to change out the speaker for a better quality one ,but hey for the price with sound BACHMANN hit a home run with this one. now MR BACHMANN HOW ABOUT A MIKADO &PACIFIC IN THE FUTURE.
Hope the cv adjustments help those experiencing issues with their berks.thanks again to john c for the time spent testing &sorting the cv's out for the best solution to the sound trax decoders.
regards&later KEWATIN

 With all these steam engines 2-8-0, 2-8-4,4-8-2 etc,it is my experience that no other mfg's including BACHMANN
do not seem to offer matching cabooses for the road names they produce.some kits are out there,but no ready to run units for the road names offered, especially for the steam era.Trainman did offer one for the PERE MARQUETTE,but that has long been out of production.it would be nice if engine mfg's would release matching cabooses ,even if they were repaints.BACHMANN could use their 36 WIDE VISION & their  NORTHEAST STEEL models,or even an undecorated version of both for those whom want to be very road selective.this seem to be a hot topic of discussion on other forums,and i have to agree this item would be most welcomed and purchases accordingly if produced ARE YOU LISTENING MANUFACTURES/ how about some feedback on this topic ,if there is enough response,maybe the mfg will take into consideration to make or offer repaints.
regards&later  KEWATIN

 
  recieved an e mail alert re new product arrivals dated jan 22/15
no mention of the long awaited berkshire n scale model.
supposedly was to be available after inventory or end of jan.
has this item been pushed back? maybe the yardmaster could be
forthcoming / is it in the usa or still in china?
itching to pull the trigger on a couple of these,but the suspence is
is killing me.you need to tell me before my ice cream melts.
  regards&later, make that sooner, KEWATIN

YARDMASTER, would it be possible to give us modellers an expected arrival.last info was early jan/2015.
this item looks like it will be popular &sold out  upon its release,just like kato's fef3. i hope not ,as i missed the boat  by waiting to long to order. will be ready to pull the trigger on a couple of these, but a release date would greatly be appreciated,go one step further and give us a xmas gift in the form of an announcment.
regards&later&merry xmas . KEWATIN

on the few occasions i had to use the repair dept, they used to include a tracking number when notifying me on my bachmann account that it had been repaired &sent back to the customer with a tracking #. my last repair &most recent dec1/14 no tracking #.it is almost 3 wks since i was notified that my loco was returned  and has not shown up yet. this is a service ,especially being a cdn customer that i think is vital . i do realize that there are customs to clear,but i have now no way of finding where it is at in the system. is there a reason for the loss of this service? how does this serve bachmann's interest especially if it gets lost, there would be a financial loss to both parties.
trusting an appropriate answer will be forth coming.
regards&later and merry xmas to all. KEWATIN

MRR publishes that BACHMANN is going to release a berk 2-8-4 with sound  plus a piggy packer set and an assortment of resin buildings .this was just released at the nmra train show in cleveland to day.
way to go bachmann,can't wait to get mine.also i have been waiting patiently for the turntable that was stated would be here the end of march,but can't find no mention of this item at the train show yet. any way thanks MR. BACHMANN FOR THE BERKSHIRE and your continued support of n scale.
regards&later KEWATIN

 dear sirs i posted a question oct 30/13 about your n scale turntable being out of stock & you replied that it was a soft ware issue &it would be arriving dec 2013. fair enough,but here we are in march2014 and still showing out of stock.sir can you assure us is this product going to be made and if so when will it be available for sale. also i posted a similar question a couple of wks back but included info that  kato  was releasing one soon and my post was removed.i did not believe i broke any forum rules,but if so i sincerely appolagize I am an ardent supporter of BACHMANM products 90% of my loco roster is your product and in my oppinion  is a good or comparable  to other quality mfg's.in closing i am sure other hobbyists are waiting for this long announced product so we can continue to work to finishing the different aspects of our layouts.my personal situation is i am at a stand still with my engine yard and need this  product to continue, but 7 mths and nothing posative about avilability leaves me& others pondering an alternative purchase . the one thing that does make me wait is that it is dcc compatible,but i cannot wait till h ll freezes over.please step up and give us a date.
REGARDS&LATER KEWATIN

MR BACH MANN i asked a question to the yardmaster admin  by mistake whom sometimes answers but
in this case ,no reply. it is in relation to canadian road names &availability &consideration to later runs for your  new release of F7 DIESELS .you will find it posted  nov7/13 by KEWATIN under cdn road names.if you would care to answer, we cdn modellers would sure appreciate it. also i see some shops are advertising them as available and in stock. great news/ will the new turntables be available for xmas also. many thanks
regards&later  KEWATIN

WILL bachmann continue,much to the great pleasure of cdn modellers to do cdn loco road names, which is greatly appreciated. point in question with your upcoming F7 A&B RELEASE sure would look good in cnr olive&gold as well as cdn pacific maroon &grey or even the later colours of cnr  orange white&black and cp  red with white stripes, heck why not even consider algoma central &ontario northland as well as grand trunk &western. we realize that the cdn segment is a small po rtion of your market but never the less one that surely brings in some profit,so it is with great thanks&appreciation on behalf of all cdn modellers keep them coming& we will buy as BACHMANN is one of the very few companies whom still offer CANADIAN road names so i will close hoping if their is a second run of the new F7 their will be a cdn hearald on one of them.thanking you in advance i remain commited to buy bachmann products
REGARDS&LATER KEWATIN

A question for the YARDMASTERafter looking at BACHMANN'S on line store i see the only product coming in oct31/13 is the baltimore&ohio unit. also states all others are out of stock,how can this be when they haven't even arrived for dispersal to dealers. same with the turntable that i have been waiting for since new product announcements  at the NMRA convention. i realize not all products arrive as announced,but
you really need to update your web page as it would be most helpfull. iwould like to purchase the above items,so could you please give an estimated time of arrival.
thanking you in advance  regards&later KEWATIN

MR BACHMANN,
being a strong supporter of bachmann products and having read reviews on your current EM1 on other n gauge forums&wanting to purchase a couple of these i am some what concerned, as there are rave reviews &negative reviews.example one purchaser bought 4 of them and had to return all 4 due to crooked pilot assemblies, bad &broken vale gear etc,but the real concern was the dealer had no more in stock to replace  his units with,the dealer even said WALTHERS had none. i don't listen to rumor or conjecture,so i thought i would come to you to alleviate my concerns #1 is there stock&do you plan do do another run if neccessary and #2 like anything new their will be some minnor issues but for the asking price,these should be miniscule.in closing i would very much like to purchase these but do nt want to be in a position of not being able to get a repair or replacement ,much like the heavy mountain,which there are many of us whom would welcome another rerun. maybe this is just a west coast problem with supply? awaiting your response before purchasing.
regards&later  KEWATIN

MR BACHMANN iam in the process of adding an addition to my layout which will include engine facilities and i would have thought that with your sept release date you would have at least put forth in your announcement the diamensions etc.from thephoto it looks like it may only accomodate a 2-8-0 at best based on the photo od the rs3 siitng on the bridge,i hope this is not the case as i have most if not all of your big steam engines.could you please confirm what lenghth the turntable bridge is so i can make allowances for installation. i am sure other modellers would also like  this info. by the way thanks for all the new  releases in n scale ,you never cease to amaze me.
regards&later kewatin

could some one please suggest what dcc ready means as it comes with an 8 pin nmra  dummy plug. asmy layout is dcc &using a nce power cab what would i need to make it operate on dcc? also wonder what lenghth the turntable bridge is?
would have been nice to see bachmann publish more info on this item as i could use one if reasonably priced. also wonder if it will accomadate the big steam locos like mts,mallets etc. any help in possible explanations  or guesses would be most welcome.
regards&later KEWATIN

very little stock  or no stock of heavy mountains &mallets and other models,these were excellent locos and can't understand why no reruns,bachmann surely could install dcc to their 4-8-4 norhtern &j models as well their 2-6-2. they certainly in my mind have the best looking &performing n scale steamers,providing you get a good one. so do you my fellow modellers think their will be any new product announcements at this yrs convention. lets hear your comments.
regards&later KEWATIN

 i was sent a light mtn dcc ready to replace my heavy mtn with dcc on board and when contacting service dept was told that the heavy mtn &2-6-6-2 were no longer in production 7that is why a ltg mtn was sent, this was an issue for me &i contacted  customer service for an upgrade with dcc on board&my problem was dealt with fairly&proffessionally. a quick check of all major retailers & you will see none available. i do hope BACHMANN will do another run as these were outstanding locos ,is the market saturated or is their room for more. i certainly could use more,even customer service was not sure if a nother run would be made. any &all comments would be most welcome,especially from  MR BACHMANN.
regards&later  KEWATIN