My local hobby shop is closing after 40 years and during my last visit, the topic of scale came up. The owner told me the demand for On30 has been declining for the past few years. That made me think, when was the last time Bachmann came out with a new On30 locomotive? I'm not talking about a sound version, I'm referring to a completely new loco. Seems like it's been several years. Does anyone have information on any new equipment that might hit the market in the next year or two?
Thanks,
Travis
In recent years Bachmann has announced one new loco a year, last year was the Whitcombe diesel which is due in a month or two. Presumably there will be another new loco announced this summer, what it will be is anybody's guess.
Hamish
I am guessing that since On30 is such a niche scale, a vast majority of items are purchased online, giving the impression to LHS's that demand is drying up. On30 now has its own category on eBay, as well as many popular groups on Facebook that seem to be flourishing. The number of On30 related articles in the Narrow Gauge Gazette the last ten years or so has been astounding.
The Bachmann 2014 catalog has quite a few new On30 items: one locomotive and some reissues of freight cars that have not been available in some time. That said, On30 has a smaller market demand than HO, N, O, G, and maybe even S and Z as well, so the expectation of dozens of new models per year is unrealistic.
I am hoping the new Model Railroader On30 layout project will stir more interest, as I still believe 90% of model railroaders have no clue what On30 is or is about. Bachmann's rule is that they do not announce new products until they are imminent. (Yes, I know, "imminent" is a loose definition.)
On the plus side, it doesn't take much to build a narrow gauge roster - most ng railroads had a loco or two and a few dozen freight cars. That's it!
Scott
I have to agree with the above that the popularity of 0n30 may be declining, I have modelled in the scale since Bachmann first introduced the range some 15 or so years ago, but I have to admit that my enthusiasm for 0n30 these days is not as great as it was.
I still buy some 0n30 but not as much as I used to, I spend more on other scales.
It is noticable that demand for 0n30 on the 2nd hand market has declined as well, it is quite common for me to list items on eBay at reasonable start prices and not sell them wheras a few years back everything listed sold at good prices.
Interestingly Bachmann Europe produce around 5 or 6 NEW locomotives and several NEW items of rolling stock each year in their UK 00 & Ngauge ranges, no doubt the same can be said for H0 & N in the USA
Some of this has to do with the economy and the other has to do with the models produced in On30 itself.
Bachmann has made some very nice models but the quality of the geared engines lacked and the market suffered for it. I wished Bachmann had produced the standard 4-4-0 instead of that park engine or that ugly South American engine that looks like a duck,the new diesel is a great model and may stur a lot of new intrest,I still wish for a small wagon top 2-6-0 Baldwin or a Mason bogie or maybe even some catalog Porters 0-6-0,2-6-0,2-8-0.
Royce Wilson
Still dreaming ;D
Thank your Royce. My thoughts exactly, especially on that nasty looking outside frame engine. If bachmann were to make an engine that was not off the wall, the market may jump a little. The 8-18c would've been the best idea for them to have chose. This is just my opinion. I know many were disappointed with the 4-4-0 that came out, and even more disappointed with the fact the MMI didn't even make the ones they promised. If Bachmann were to make a new engine, I believe it should be someone everyone can foam over. 8-18d 2-6-0 would probably be the best idea since it can easily be converted over to a 8-18c 4-4-0.
Rock On!
~Dusten
put me down as another modeler that has lost interest in On30 in part because of the esoteric choice Bachmann has made with their new products...that is not the only reason, but I can't remember the last time I was excited about a new offering from Bachmann after it was announced :-/
I just wish they'd offer us something new that was a bit less quirky than what they have been.
Hi Everyone,
Put me down as a modeller who doesn't like the uninformed assumptions, and complaints, being made by some On30 modellers. Bachmann are doing a great job for the On30 modellers in difficult times, and can't do everything that everyone wants. Wait for new models to come, and buy them if they are what you want. If they aren't what you want, many others will surely be satisfied with them, so don't complain; it is counter productive as I see it, for no good reason.
I have suggested models I would like to see in the past, but I am happy to accept what comes, and wait patiently and hope they might be done, rather than complain they haven't been done.
In the meantime get on with it, and enjoy your railroading.
RGS Goose.
RGS,I don't think most people mean to sound like sour grapes,we are very thankful for Bachmann .Prior to Bachmann's arrival in the market you had no choice but to either scratch buid or convert a HO engine.
Yes we have become a little spoiled and we should sound more supportive to Bachmann.
THANKS BACHMANN! ;D
Royce
More than anything, I think a low cost locomotive might be a big boon to On30.
I got into On30 as a way to do "poor man's On3."
Namely, I bought two of the Brooks 2-6-0s. I really enjoyed bashing them and detailing them into a pair of very unique locomotives.
While I have one of the OF 4-4-0s, and yes, I like it, but it has been modified, a 2-6-6-2, OF 2-8-0, 0-4-2 and a Heisler, I don't think I will be buying anymore steam locomotives. They have simply become too expensive for me.
I understand fully why the cost has gone up. They are much more detailed, etc, than the entry level 2-6-0s introduced oh so long ago, come with DCC, etc.
I have two girls in college, so funds are really tight.
A simple, lower cost locomotive inserted into the production schedule might pay dividends in attracting new blood to On30 and allowing us to add to our fleet in a more affordable manner.
The old NWSL On3 and HOn3 Spartan series locomotives come to mind. Low cost, low level of detail, but a good starting point for countless possible variations of narrow gauge motive power. I would imagine the On3 guys would buy quite a few as well!
Bachmann has a difficult task of deciding what models to produce so they can both make a profit and make us, the picky niche group of modelers, happy.
I ounce owned both the NWSL Spartans(4-4-0,2-6-0) and the cost back then was around $200 if my old memory serves me well and that was a lot of money back around 1980 when I sent my kids to college and that does not include the cost of the PSC detail parts it took to finish the model.I finally just gave up and purchased a U.S.Hobbies 13 ton shay and it was nice,it cost around $300 back then.
Back to my point just look at the price of HO engines and you will be blown away.
Personally I model Colorado circa 1902 so the old Bachmann 2-6-0 finds a great home on my layout.
Royce Wilson
sigh...some people seem a bit touchy, and since when are personal OPINIONS uniformed assumptions?
if you like the direction Bachmann has taking with On30, more power to you. But I'm not going to just buy what ever Bachmann builds and thank them for the opportunity if I don't like what they are building...
Mike,I am truly sorry if I made you mad,I am just a old fella and we think different.
Your opinions do count and I do respect them. ::)
Just a thought,I am planning on placing radio control in my moguls because I am too old to understand DCC and besides just think about not having to wire the rails.
Royce Wilson ;D
I wonder how many On30 modellers whose main interest is Colorado and the D&RGW are now increasingly looking at HOn3 and the Blackstone range. I also wonder how many HOn3 modellers are looking at Blackstone and wishing they'd produce something other than D&RGW :o
I know of a lot of On30 modelers that have went into HOn3 because of Blackstone.
The only thing Colorado we got in On30 was the mogul. It would had been nice to have had a nice C-16 to backdate or even a real 4-4-0 and a 2-6-0(Baldwins)
Royce
Lots of complainers here. If you look around you can find what you want. Although Bachmann may not offer exactly what you want, others do. The BLI C-16 is a great engine and can still be found. And if you don't like to kit bash your own locos, there are many folks who will do it for you, sometimes very affordable or free.
Sounds like the On30 naysayers are just looking for an excuse to get out of the gauge.
Me, I'm in it for the long haul and appreciate all the Bachmann has given to the gauge.
8)
Based on folk's requests, it seems most On30 modellers use the scale to represent 3' gauge US railroads with a sizeable minority using it to represent 2' gauge US railroads. Very few seem to be interested in 2'6" gauge prototypes or in non-US railroads using US built locomotives.
Ignoring the geared locomotives and the 0-4-0 and 0-4-2 Porters (which are primarily industrial locomotives), Bachmann have, from memory, only offered one 3' gauge 'mainline' loco, the C&S mogul. The 2-8-0, the O/F 4-4-0 and the 2-6-6-2 Mallet are 30" gauge non-US operated prototypes and the 2-4-4-2 Mallet (so far as I recall) never ran anywhere, though was a catalogue engine. The Forney is, of course, 2' gauge.
In some ways Bachmann are to be admired for modelling so many 30" gauge prototypes since that is what On30 represents and if more US modellers were willing to look beyond their borders (as a sizeable minority of Brit modellers do) I'm sure Bachmann's 30" gauge locos would suit a great many railroads that would make a much more interesting and characterful model than yet another D&RGW or RGS pike.
Well, BLI did do the C-16 a few years ago. I think they're still kicking around in the $100 range if you want one.
We are so spoiled these days so I will say a up dated C-16 or a EBT mikado would be very nice! ;D
Royce
I meant to add that I am very happy with every engine that Bachmann has made,the only one that I do not have is the OF 4-4-0.
I think the small 4-4-0 will go very well with the new 18' freight cars.
Royce Wilson ::)
My ideal choice would be the 8-18 c Baldwin 4-4-0, but as we already have/have had 2 4-4-0s, that has to be a long shot. A convertible 8-18 c/ 8-18 d would be utter joy!
Other choices would be a 38t 2 truck 3 cylinder shay, or a wagon-top boiler version of the existing 2 cylinder shay.
"....38t 2 truck 3 cylinder shay, or a wagon-top boiler version of the existing 2 cylinder shay...."
That's got my vote, too! ;D
John
:)
Given the fact I use On30 for poor man's On3, I spend time on the On3 boards.
There seems to be a universal interest among the non-Rio Grande guys and the pre-1900 modelers in a the stock Baldwin 4-4-0 and 2-6-0 locomotives.
These would be great starting points to build most of the NCNG fleet. A BLI C-16 with whaleback tender kit would provide you with NCNG #8.
These locomotives were rebuilt till they were worn completely out by the small, cash strapped narrow gauges that purchased them, so they could be modeled as wood or coal burners pre-1900 and as modernized, steel cabbed, air-brake equipped oil burners operating till the Great Depression.
If designed like the locomotive that started it all, the Brooks 2-6-0, it would be an easy conversion to On3, increasing the size of the market.
A slick, fancy paint job with lots of colors, might (not enough knowledge to know for sure here marketingwise) make for a great train set for people who want an "old timey" train to run for fun or with the grandkids.
These locomotives wound up all over the place, starting as the main power for the common carriers and finishing their days on logging and industrial railroads.
Yes, the PCS/Wiseman brass parts might add up, but for me at least, that is a big part of the fun, making it a unique model. None of my Bachmann locomotives are in their original form.
I am pretty sure the On3 guys would be interested in converting them because these Bachmann's rod locomotives operate very reliably, unlike many brass imports.
Well, at least that's my two cents worth.
Just wondering,will there be any new steam out this year?
Royce
Royce ,I agree with what you have written,if Bachmann had not produced On30 I would still be using Ho trains that are getting harder to see every day.I don't buy all models that Bachmann produce ,but I certainly buy what fits in my era and typical of what was used in Australia.Any thing that is made is welcomed ,whether it's out of the box or kitbashed the option is there.It would be nice to see a Garrett loco,but these can be built from the mallet locos for the experienced modeller. Peter.
Good Morning All,
My On30 railroad is really a poor man's On3 pike. I do not run any critters or smaller cars. 99% of my engines and rolling stock are from Bachmann. For many years I had suggested an EBT mike or, realistically, the EBT caboose. The year after the two bay hopper appeared in On30, Bachmann offered the large scale version of the hopper. My hope was aroused thinking that if you could go larger in scale, why not step down to On30 with the caboose since the large scale caboose was almost dead on for the EBT caboose. Well that did not happen, but another manufacture offers the EBT caboose in a laser cut wood kt. As for a new engine, I still suggest the EBT Mike. But for me, I am glad and satisfied with what I have now because of one main reason. As much as LOVE the Bachmann On30 equipment, the new price structure has priced me out of their market and that is very sad.
I am afraid I am with you if Bachmann made my dream engine I probably could not afford it unless I sold some of my prize collection of railroad books and that's not going to happen.
I really like that 2-6-0.It is able to be picked up for decent price and is a good running engine.
Royce
I simply stopped buying On30 as the offerings were just too small for my liking. In G scale they made a wonderful Shay, 4-4-0 and 2-6-0 as well as a fabulous 2-8-0...but we got nothing equivalent in On30. Had they made these same engines in On30, I would have bought one of each, but unfortunately the 2cyl shay, "park engine" 4-4-0 and diminutive heisler just don't fit in with the rest of my rolling stock. I think Bachmann missed the boat with models, they could have done a westside #3 heisler and a Uintah 2-6-6-2 and had great success with them. Just my two cents worth
I finally got to lay my eyes on the IF 4-4-0 and I plan on moving up to DCC and buying one and some of those 18' freight cars,the engine and cars are perfect since I model the early 19th century.
The Colorado Central started out with smaller engines and the trains usally were a freight car or two and a combine.
Royce Wilson