Very nice work on the customs! They look very appealing.

On the topic of new HO tender engines, I agree that Hiro would make the most sense. He is the best of both worlds, given that he appeared in CGI (for younger fans) and has appeared in the show for over a decade, and thus has nostalgic value (for older fans).

I know for a fact that Murdoch would sell incredibly well too, but he would unfortunately not be approved by the licensor for the same reason that Stepney will most likely not happen. With that, I do hope that the licensor understands that most parents would not spend over $180 for an engine that mainly appeals to young fans, but that is a discussion for another time.

As for Flying Scotsman, I would be content with a model of him, as he technically appeared in both the model and CGI eras of the show, plus the Railway Series for that matter. However, other manufacturers have already made Flying Scotsman models that are sold in the US and I could also see retailing for a lower price than a Thomas model. Hence, I would be somewhat concerned about how well this model sells. Nevertheless, he would be a welcome addition.

Great work on the post, Chaz! Reading your suggestions is always a pleasure and this post was no exception.

Starting with HO, with CGI engines considered, I completely agree that Hiro is the number one engine that should be announced. As a character that has been in the show from the very beginning of the CGI era (now over a decade ago!), he would be a very popular seller for fans both young and old. This is a model that I would love to pick up as well.

Moving on to rolling stock, the works unit coach would be a terrific addition, given the recolor possibilities, and the fact that it has appeared in the show since the very first season. As primarily a model era Thomas modeler, I would pick up the green variant, but I could see the orange and blue variants selling well too. The good thing is that all three appeared in the CGI era. As for the breakdown train, I am all for it, given its unique look and function. The original crane, Judy, Jerome, and Rocky are all choices that I am on board with.

For Narrow Gauge, Duncan and the brown brake van definitely feel like logical additions for the future. If possible though, it would be beneficial for Bachmann's Duncan model to have a mix of real-life proportions and a CGI paint scheme. This would be the best of both worlds, just as Skarloey was.

Lastly, for N Scale, as others have stated multiple times, Henry certainly feels like the most logical choice when considering which engine to announce next. As for rolling stock, the express coaches would be excellent, but I would personally love to see the original coal wagon with load too, as mentioned.

Here's hoping most of these suggestions, along with some new HO Figure Packs, will be announced in the next few years!

I agree that the Sodor Brass Band would be a terrific addition, as it would appeal to both older and younger fans, go nicely with the upcoming open carriage, and add some festivity to anyone's model railroad.



This may be wishful thinking, but the bandstand would be a very nice bonus that adds to the festivity. I would imagine that it would be made out of plastic like the square water tower in the line. Nevertheless, details like this are what really bring any model railroad to life.



https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Sodor_Brass_Band

The 2023 catalog is up, and I must state that I am quite content with the selection.

The HO Open Carriage was a nice surprise, given that we have not seen a new HO rolling stock tooling for years. That being stated, I do question how well this product will sell, considering that Hornby already made a model that is nearly identical:

https://uk.hornby.com/products/open-carriage-pack-containing-3x-open-carriages-stephensons-rocket-r40102.

I think that the Works Unit Coach would have been a better new tooling investment for HO rolling stock, as it has appeared since the very beginning and in multiple paint schemes:

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/3/31/GreenWorksUnitCoachCGI.png/revision/latest?cb=20170527080530
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/f/f1/LoveMeTender78.png/revision/latest?cb=20210509202815

Nevertheless, the open carriage is a welcome addition and I could see some fans placing the upcoming HO figures on it.

The HO Sir Topham Hatt's Car was definitely the highlight for me. It has been a long time since we have seen a new nonrail vehicle for the HO Thomas line, and I have many memories of this prop from the show. It will go beautifully with the upcoming HO figures, and I could see Thomas collectors of lines outside of Bachmann also adding it to their collections.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/4/49/CrankyBugs65.png/revision/latest?cb=20190116223948
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/b/be/ASurpriseforPercy90.png/revision/latest?cb=20190117055316
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/5/50/JamesAndTheQueenofSodor31.png/revision/latest?cb=20180803192338

The new N Scale additions are lovely as well. N Scale Henrietta will go wonderfully with Toby and it is great to see a new box van tooling in three different paint schemes. As others have stated, here's hoping that Henry and express coaches will be next!

All in all, I completely concur with Chaz on that this announcement was one of quality over quantity. It is especially important to acknowledge that almost every new product is a new tooling, including HO rolling stock and nonrail, which we have not seen in years. Thank you very much to everyone at Bachmann Industries who have made this possible and I look forward to seeing N Scale Gordon during the next TrainWorld Thomas stream on Monday.

As stated earlier, with the 2023 announcements right around the corner, I wanted to post some thoughts on what I would love to see announced.


HO Scale

The 2022 HO engine announcements were very surprising. In January, we welcomed the reintroduction of Salty, which was very nice, given the number of fans who missed out on this great model before it was discontinued. Then in the summer, Beau and Rebecca were announced. This must be one of the most bizarre and controversial announcements I have ever seen for the Thomas line. Nevertheless, one positive takeaway from it is that the announcement of Rebecca as a new tooling proves that Bachmann can announce tender engines with new tooling for the Thomas line for the future.

https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Hiro_(T%26F)

Hence, I think that everyone can agree that Hiro would be an excellent candidate. He has an exquisite design and has been in the show since 2009, the very start of CGI. Given this fact, Mattel would approve Hiro and let's not forget that Japanese Thomas fans, who are a major part of the Thomas market, would eat this up.

https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Stanley
https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Whiff_(T%26F)
https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Harvey

However, if Bachmann wanted the next engine to be smaller, but also appeal to fans young and old, Stanley, Whiff, or Harvey would be the way to go. All have been in the show for over decade, so there is surely a nostalgic connection for older fans, and they have appeared in CGI, so young fans would be familiar with them. I'd certainly buy any of these.

https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Sidney

For this year though, with Rebecca now at stake, I would more so expect an engine that reuses existing tooling. Sidney is the character that comes right to mind. While he is a Class 08 like Diesel and Paxton, he is dark blue, which is a paint scheme that has not been seen on any of the previously announced HO engines. I would not mind buying Sidney either.

Moving onto rolling stock, the first product suggestion that should be considered is another long flat wagon variant. The long flat wagon with logs has consistently been a hot seller, and most fans are interested in this product because of the flat wagon tooling. Therefore, announcing it with a new load such as pipes or fuel drums, or even reintroducing the original with paint drums would be great way to get this specific flat wagon out more.

Gordon's Special Coaches are pieces that I would love to see produced. I always liked the dark blue paint scheme of these coaches and the episode in which these are featured is a fun one.

Finally, I think that the circus train would be appropriate for the future. These colorful pieces are eye-catching and would add a bit of festivity to anyone's collection. What's more, Bachmann could make several van variants, a cattle wagon, and even an additional exclusive flat wagon with load.

As for non-rail vehicles, I would love to see Sir Topham Hatt's Blue Car. The iconic blue car has been in the show since the very beginning, and it would be a nice piece to go with the upcoming HO Scale Figure Packs too.

Speaking of HO Figure Packs, I would love to see more of these, especially a pack that includes exclusive characters such as Alicia Botti and the Mayor of Sodor.

In terms of buildings, I think it would be a good idea to bring back Knapford Station. Just like Tidmouth Sheds, many Thomas modelers missed out on this before discontinuation, and I have seen some sold for insane prices on eBay.

https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Duncan_(T%26F)

As for narrow gauge, all l can really predict for now is Duncan. However, with Sir Handel in the works as well as several new pieces of rolling stock, I wouldn't be surprised if there are no new narrow gauge announcements for 2023.



N Scale

Last summer, there was zero doubt that the best product announced was the N Scale Gordon. It is going to be incredible to see his side rod configuration at that scale, and this confirms that larger engines are feasible in N scale.

https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Henry_(T%26F)

As a result, I absolutely think that Henry would be the best candidate for the next engine announcement. Sharing the same wheel configuration as Gordon and as another member of the main cast, he would be yet another winner.

To go along with the bigger engines, express coaches would be great, especially Gordon's Green Express Coaches.

For freight, a box van would be excellent as well. The Great Western, Fruit & Vegetable, Explosives, Brendam Bay, Mr. Jolly's, and Ice Cream Vans are all variants that I would love to see join the line in the future.



Large Scale



I am not sure as to where the Large Scale line will go from here. One product that I could see happening is the LBSC Thomas, given that it is a recolor and seems to be quite a popular request amongst fans.

As for rolling stock, perhaps some circus vans or a new troublesome truck could join the line?



As always. I want to give a huge thank you to Bachmann Industries for producing such wonderful Thomas products and I look forward to reading everyone's thoughts.

Looking great, Chaz! The scenery really makes a difference, and I especially like how the lake turned out.

Toy Fair is in the fall for this year. Thus, I would expect the new announcements to be posted at the end of January or the beginning of February.

Hey everyone! I am ecstatic that the Bachmann Forum is back, and happy to see that many old members are still here as if the hiatus in the past year never occurred. I'm going to be making some new posts here soon, including some final thoughts for 2023's announcement. Looking forward to engaging in conversations again.

I definitely support the idea of this thread! I've outlined almost everything that I'd love to see join the Bachmann Thomas line in the coming years below:

HO Scale:

James with DCC Sound & Board
With the announcement of the HO Thomas & Percy with DCC Sound on Board, it would be great to see James added to this exclusive line-up. Yet, as others have stated, if Bachmann wanted to see how Thomas & Percy do with sales first, that's understandable. Either way, this product would be more than welcome!

Stepney the Bluebell Engine



In terms of new toolings, Stepney has consistently been the number one engine who I have wanted to see next in HO Scale for a wide range of reasons. See my post on Stepney here: https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,36975.msg272407.html#msg272407

BoCo the Diesel Engine



As expressed in the BoCo or Diesel 10 thread, BoCo would be a natural addition, blending in wonderfully with many of the engines Bachmann had made in the past, especially Gordon, Edward, Bill, Ben and Duck. Along with Stepney, he is one of the few classic engines that Bachmann has not made. Furthermore, seeing that the upcoming Daisy model is retailing for $149, I think that BoCo could be financially feasible.

Diesel 10



If the licensor still wants to push for engines from the computer generated era of the television series, even with the upcoming 2D reboot, then Diesel 10 would be good choice. The claw does raise some concerns in terms of pricing, scaling, and design. However, I'm sure that fans across the board would be happy to see a Diesel 10 model, as a character who appeared in both the model era and computer generated era of the television series.

Harvey the Crane Engine



The other engine who appeared in both the model era and computer generated era of the television series that I would love to see is Harvey. As a crane engine, he would be a very unique engine. I could see Bachmann constructing him as a small tank engine, and then using the Bachmann Cranky as a reference when constructing the crane. All in all, I would purchase this one in a heartbeat, and I know that many other Thomas fans would too.

Winston



Although I do not care for most characters from the computer generated era of the television series, I will admit that I would be very interested in an HO Winston, given its unique small size and design. Plus, when seeing what Bachmann has accomplished with very small models in the recent years such as the HO Narrow Gauge Rusty, N Scale Thomas, and N Scale Percy models as well as small models outside the Thomas line such as the Gandy Dancer, I am optimistic that an HO Winston could be a possibility for the future.

As Chaz also stated, I don't expect a newly-tooled HO engine to join the line next year, but those are the five that I would love to see for the future, nonetheless.

Troublesome Truck #7
Ever since the announcement of Troublesome Truck #3 in 2010, there seemed to be a three year trend on the announcements of Troublesome Trucks (#4 in 2013, #5 in 2016, #6 in 2019). Thus, given that next year is 2022, I think that Troublesome Truck #7 could be a possibility!



Many fans were displeased with the choice of the last troublesome truck, as an African Tanker is not what was hoped for. For Troublesome Truck #7, fans would be much happier with an angry ventilated van, as seen in "The Spotless Record", or the tanker that was seen in the new motorized "Percy and the Tanker" pack, mainly because it consists of an iconic model series face.

Long Flat Wagon with New Load



Considering that the logging flat wagon with logs has done very well with sales, I think that it would make sense to announce at least one more long flat wagon with a new load. Pipes, iron girders, and oil drums would work very nicely, as some examples.

Red Express Coaches



Ever since Gordon's Express Coaches were reintroduced to the line, many fans have wanted to see the red express coaches return with the added yellow stripe. I also agree with those who have stated that it would be extra interesting to see the coaches titled as "James' Composite Coach" & "James' Express Brake Coach."

Gordon's Special Coaches



On the topic of express coaches, I would also love to see Gordon's Special Coaches, due to the appealing dark blue paint scheme.

Explosives Van



Out of all the large scale rolling stock that has not been made in HO Scale, the Explosives Van is the one I would really like to see brought to the smaller scale, as it reminds me of the vans from "Thomas and the Firework Display." On that note, if Bachmann wanted to change the design somewhat to match the vans from that episode, just as the designs of the HO and Large Scale Water Tankers differ slightly, that would be fascinating to see! Either way, I would definitely pick up more than one of these vans.

The Circus Train



Finally, I think that it would be very cool to see Bachman tackle the circus train. Consisting of vans, flat wagons, and a cattle wagon, these colorful wagons would add a nice level of festivity to any HO collection or layout.

HO Narrow Gauge:

Sir Handel



I have zero doubt that Sir Handel will be Bachmann's next narrow gauge engine with new tooling. Chaz already made a great in-depth post on him, so be sure to check it out!

Open Wagon (New Tooling)



As far as narrow gauge rolling stock is concerned, I'd love to see a new open wagon tooling. Chaz also expressed thoughts on this that I am completely on board with.

Green Open Carriage



Considering that the red and blue narrow gauge coaches turned out to be stunning products, the one other piece of narrow gauge rolling stock that I'd love to see Bachmann tackle in the future is the green open carriage. It is one of my favorites!

Resin Buildings
At this point, I unfortunately consider new resin building additions to be wishful thinking. Even so, I pasted a link to the post stating what buildings I would love to see enter the line for the future, nevertheless: https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,34707.0.html

N Scale:

With N Scale still in its early years, there are too many products to list that I'd like to see. Thus, I will stick with what I would love to see for just next year.

Gordon the Big Express Engine



With four engines currently announced for the N scale line, I think it would be excellent to see Bachmann tackle one of the larger tender engines next, and I could see no better tender engine to announce next than Gordon. He would easily be an extremely hot seller- no doubt about that, and I could see Bachmann scaling down the HO model when making it, with the computer generated face as the one main difference.

Edward the Blue Engine



If big tender engines such as Gordon are too expensive or complicated to produce, Edward is definitely the engine I would love to see next, as a Plan B. His HO model is one of the best models in the Thomas line, and it would be wonderful to see how that model translates to N Scale.

Gordon's Express Coaches



If Gordon were to be announced, it would definitely make sense to announce his express coaches. They are iconic pieces and would look very impressive behind Gordon at this scale.

Coal Wagon w/ Load, Tidmouth Milk Tanker, and Spiteful Brake Van




These are the three pieces I would love to see announced next as a Plan B, with Gordon's Express Coaches as Plan A.

Large Scale:

LBSC 70 Thomas & Origin James




Ever since the announcement of LBSC-70 Thomas & Origin James in HO, I've seen numerous fans state that they would like to see them made in large scale.

Toby's Museum Coaches



With the red branch line coaches finally announced for large scale, I think that Toby's Museum Coaches are a given for the future, as they are recolors. Yet, they would be welcome additions, nonetheless.

Although Yellow Rheneas is not something that appeals to me and I would much rather have preferred Smudger as a Rheneas recolor, it is nice to see some fresh pics on another new product for this year. Here's hoping that there will be an update on Peter Sam and the new narrow gauge rolling stock soon as well!

Given the large amount of Thomas products that were announced in February of this year, I was very pleasantly surprised to see more additions for this year's NMRA!

The HO Christmas set was somewhat odd to me at first glance, mainly since the previous one was announced only two years ago. Yet, after looking more closely, it does look interesting with a festive Toad Brake Van, sleigh, and HO Santa figure.

The Large Scale Red Coaches are fantastic! I know that many Large Scale Thomas modelers have wanted Bachmann to announce these for years. Thus, it is nice to finally see them added to the line. I could see Toby's Museum Coaches as an additional recolor for the future too.

As always, I would like to thank Bachmann for thinking of us Thomas fans with these new product announcements, and I look forward to viewing Thursday's presentation very much.

With Daisy as the first long bogied diesel in the line, I definitely concur that it would be beneficial to add at least one more to the Thomas lineup of HO locomotives.



My first preference would definitely be BoCo. Out of all the possible candidates, BoCo feels like the most natural addition. He would blend in wonderfully with many of the other engines Bachmann had made in the past, especially Gordon, Edward, Bill, Ben, and Duck. Plus, along with Stepney, he is one of the few classic series engine characters that Bachmann has not made. However, the number one reason why I think that he would be an excellent addition to the HO Thomas lineup of locomotives is that he is a long bogied diesel that is meant to pull long freight trains, unlike Daisy and Diesel 10.



Seeing that the upcoming Daisy model is retailing for $149, I think that BoCo would be financially feasible as well. The only thing stopping Bachmann from announcing BoCo in the coming years is the licensor. We can only hope that they would agree to this, as newer CGI characters such as Ryan are underwhelming for many older Thomas fans who collect the Bachmann Thomas line. They unfortunately lack the nostalgic value that candidates such as Stepney and BoCo have. Overall, although Stepney is still the number one engine that I hope to see enter the Thomas line next, I would be just as ecstatic to see BoCo announced.



The next bogied diesel I wanted to mention before Diesel 10 is Derek. Like BoCo, he is a long, bogied diesel that is meant to pull freight trains, which would be something unique for the Thomas line. Yet, the two factors that he has over BoCo are a slightly more interesting design, as the center of his body shell peaks and that he is slightly shorter than BoCo. Thus, if Bachmann wanted to tackle an engine with a slightly more interesting design and smaller, Derek would be the way to go! I must mention that Double Teething Troubles is one of my favorite episodes from the television series too.



Finally, Diesel 10 is a candidate that I would not be opposed to and see as a final resort. If the licensor is still pushing for engines from the computer generated era of the television series, even with the upcoming reboot, then Diesel 10 is the way to go. The claw does raise some concerns in terms of pricing, scaling, and design. However, I'm sure that fans across the board would be pleased to see a Diesel 10 model. All in all, considering that he is an engine that appeared in the model era of the show as well, I would be interested in purchasing one for myself too.

Overall, model era engines and designs will always excite me much more than newer CGI ones, but any of these long bogied diesel suggestions would be welcome additions to the Bachmann Thomas range of locomotives.

Yes! Here's the link to the post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CO_Ae3SDGzC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Very excited to see the painted sample of our favorite diesel railcar in HO scale, Bachmann's first long, bogied diesel with moving eyes!

Yesterday, I uploaded the sneak peek to the tenth episode of The Sodor Series to YouTube. I meant to post this last night, but the thought completely slipped out of my head. Nonetheless, here is the link to the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwJFRfyddDA&ab_channel=TerencetheTractor525

Hope everyone enjoys it!