Another fantastic idea! Thank you for mentioning it Metal! The Shunting Yard Shed is another structure that I would immediately put on my wishlist. It is in indeed a generic shed, but one that both young and old Thomas fans will remember. As has Metal mentioned, it has been present in both the Shunting Yard and Ffarquhar/Anopha Quarry, and would look fantastic next to the single engine shed that was announced in 2015.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/7/7b/Salty%27sSecret65.png/revision/latest?cb=20160817174313

I also see this one being possible because even though it is a double engine shed, it is shorter in length than the single engine shed.

http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/Salty%27s_Secret/Gallery?file=Salty%27sSecret86.png

Ah, I understand now Chaz. An assortment of buildings from Lakeside Location would indeed be fantastic. I could see Neptune Refreshments getting packaged with the post office and a simple terraced house from the location. I wonder what Bachmann would call it though? Although, at the same time, I would be for selling them individually as a modeller may want to have multiple terraced houses next to each other as shown in the gallery.

http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/Lakeside

Nevertheless, these buildings would be an excellent addition, considering that there are currently no town buildings; and for sure, they would bring even more charm to the Bachmann Thomas Range altogether.

I certainly agree with you Chaz on that the Sodor Shipping Company would not be too hard to make. However, other than size, I think that the other problem would be its price, which then poses the question: how well would it sell?

On a different note, I'm very glad that your're all for Neptune Refreshments  . Although, I actually do not fully understand what you mean by the multi-packs with the Tidmouth and Knapford kits. Is it possible if you could elaborate on that? I apologize for poor comprehension.

One other thing that is certainly worth mentioning regarding Sparks idea of the Signal Box Gantry is that the Knapford Station Building Kit would help the Signal Box Gantry immensely in sales and vice versa, but it would have to be the 2 or 4 track version (2 passage way version). The reason is that since Knapford Station has three platforms with two tracks in between, the two tracks could go perfectly underneath the gantry. Thus, the way that I would design the box is by having a picture of Knapford Station and the two parallel straight tracks leading to underneath the gantry. The box could say "Now you can give your HO Thomas & Friends HO Scale locomotives a safe way to leave Knapford Station with the help of the Signal Box Gantry..." (which is similar to what Bachmann did with Tidmouth Sheds and Knapford Station. However, at the same time, if a modeler did not want to use Knapford Station and have it "in the open", four tracks would be able to fit underneath. I do think that this is possible especially after observing Spark's first pic with Thomas and Percy. The same could apply to the Ruined Castle and Black Loch Folly.

Thank you again Chaz and Sparks for liking my ideas just as much as I like yours. Hopefully, Bachmann is reading our ideas very carefully  .

Once again, the first two links are too small. Here is a link to Neptune Refreshments on the Thomas Wikia...
http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/Neptune_Refreshments

Some great suggestions you have there Sparks and Chaz! The Signal Box Gantry is something that I cannot believe I did not think of. I can already visualize the Bachmann Sodor engines running underneath it. Although Chaz, I must inquire. Wouldn't the Sodor Shipping Company be too big? As much as I would love if Bachmann made it, it would probably retail for an incredibly high price. Just look at how expensive the resin single engine shed that came out in 2015 is for example. Yet, the narrow gauge shed is another fantastic idea. I would personally prefer the Season 4 version as that is what I grew up with. However, the Tallylyn version would probably make more sense from an economic standpoint. Just like how we saw with Skarloey, railway modelers who are trying to make the Talyllyn Railway would purchase the shed; but who knows? Maybe Bachmann will consider both due to their small size  

One other building that I thought of is Neptune Refreshments from Season 4. https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/b/b3/PeterSamandtheRefreshmentLady27.png/revision/latest?cb=20160913164830
In fact, an assortment of buildings of the Lakeside Scene from Season 4 would be wonderful and would blend beautifully together.
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/d/d9/PeterSamandtheRefreshmentLady29.png/revision/latest?cb=20160913165818
Though, when thinking logically, I would be very happy if Bachmann even just made Neptune Refreshments. It is an iconic building with a lot a charm and screams narrow gauge nostalgia. In addition, it played a significant role in a marvelous episode with our favorite green narrow gauge engine who may get announced next year  . Moreover, its small size allows it to look attractive on any model railway layout. After all, it was used in the later seasons of the television series in different locations.
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/d/d7/TooHotForThomas63.png/revision/latest?cb=20170119175441

Hopefully, Bachmann will consider Neptune Refreshments as well.

I just noticed that the first link is rather small for some peculiar reason. As a result, he is another link to the same pic...

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/c/ca/RheneasandtheRollerCoasteralternatetitlecard.png/revision/latest?cb=20160123185812

There's been a lot of emphasis on a new loco throughout the thread. However, if possible, I would like to briefly shift the focus to the resin buildings as I personally believe that they are extremely underrated. Back in 2014, when Bachmann announced the first four resin buildings, I was overjoyed. I can remember opening up Brendam Warehouse and looking at all of the fine details in awe with my mouth wide open. Then, in 2015, when Bachmann announced another four buildings, I was very excited once more. I was hoping that more buildings get announced afterwards, but none got announced for 2016 or 2017. That's why I am genuinely hoping that some more get announced for 2018. Even if only one new resin product is announced for 2018, I would be extremely elated.

Anyways, two ideas I have are posted at the very beginning of this thread. However, another idea recently popped into my mind. What if Bachmann made the ruined castle seen on the narrow gauge railway? I'm thinking of the one from Season 7 as it would go very nicely with the Black Loch Folly. Here are some links to show what it looks like...

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/3/35/RheneasandtheRollerCoaster1.png/revision/latest?cb=20160123190331

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/1/10/TheOldBridge2.png/revision/latest?cb=20170217194411

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/a/a7/TheRefreshmentLady%27sTeaShop13.png/revision/latest?cb=20170301143357

If anyone has other ideas for a new resin building, please post  .

It's been a while since I have posted something on the forum. However, this is something that could not resist commenting on.

To begin, just like everyone here, I am not very happy with the decision that Mattel has made regarding Nia and Rebecca. I would have certainly welcomed them as new characters to the series. However, having them replace Edward and Henry is simply unjustifiable. It also seems that the two new characters will be inevitable additions to the Bachmann range. However, I have a feeling that Nia and Rebecca will be announced in 2020 since that will be the year of Thomas' 75th Anniversary and the two will become significant characters throughout the series.

I also agree that an HO Daisy would be an extremely smart investment and am very happy that Sparks brought this up. However, in order for a Bachmann Daisy to be successful, next year would be the time to announce her. If not in 2018, then definitely in 2019. One reason is that no other Thomas brand has made Daisy with the exception of Adventures, which I find rather odd. In addition, Daisy has recently made many more appearances in both Season 20 and Season 21. As a result, not only older fans would purchase her, but younger fans as well. Moreover, we all know that Bachmann likes to take their with their models in order to get them to perfection. Oliver is a perfect example. That is why the sooner that they announce her, the better.

I know that many of the things I have mentioned are rather redundant, but these are important points that need to emphasized. Overall, if there is a loco for the 2018 Announcements, I have a feeling that it will be Sidney, Ryan, or Daisy. Hopefully, it will be Daisy.

I am 100% sure that an HO Daisy will be one of the best investments that Bachmann has ever made.

Hi all. I wanted to apologize for posting those crazy predictions regarding Boco and Sixteen that were clearly not true. I feel guilty as it may gotten many of you excited. After all, it would have been nice to see Sixteen in this special as the Steelworks played a major role. However, there ended up being no sign of him. With that said, I do want to share my overall opinion of the special. The overall plot was intriguing as it felt a lot shorter than 70 minutes. The Troublesome Trucks were hilarious and the songs were catchy. The only two things that bothered me were the excessive bouncing (which has already been mentioned a thousand times), and the amount of times there were "sudden point switches". This is one aspect of the CGI Series in general that bothers me and it has been seen way too many times. Overall, I think that this special was better than The Great Race. However, Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure still stands at the top of my list.

The trailer of this special is rather impressive. I do like the overall animation with the exception of the engines bouncing around while communicating. Two things I do want to touch upon are in regards to Boco and Sixteen. I personally believe that Boco will not play a major role in the special. Instead, he'll most likely have the role that Daisy had in SLOTLT. However, the one I am very interested in is Sixteen. I'm not 100% sure that he is going to be in this special as I am trusting the words of someone on Twitter. Nevertheless, I do have a crazy prediction. Once Thomas and/or James reaches the Steelworks, and meets Hurricane and Frankie, wouldn't be interesting if Hurricane and/or Frankie told Thomas and/or James about the history of Sixteen at the Steelworks? It would be as if they are retelling the story "Cab Over Wheels" which could somehow be the reason why Hurricane and Frankie are not letting Thomas and James leave the Steelworks. Again, I am aware that this is a crazy prediction. As a result, please do not "roast" me about this. However, I am looking forward to hearing what you guys think.

That would be fantastic!

I apologize sean1994rail. I just wanted to get a slow start for the 2018 predictions. I'm also looking forward to the two narrow gauge engines you are thinking about Chaz .

I do really like TrainFan97's ideas. In regards to a new loco, if a large diesel such as Daisy does not work out, the next best engine would definitely be Ryan. As TrainFan97 mentioned, Ryan has made plenty of appearances and has a unique livery (the first purple engine in the range). He's also medium sized engine (in my view). Therefore, I would also love to see him in the range one day. However, if I had to pick between a new loco and a non-rail vehicle such as Trevor, I would have to pick Trevor. I also agree with the rolling stock suggestions since they are all repaints. However, one thing that I noticed is that ever since Troublesome Truck #3, Bachmann seemed to announce a new troublesome truck every three years. Because of this, I think that if Troublesome Truck #6 is announced, it will be in 2019. As for narrow gauge, Peter Sam would be another welcome addition from all fans. However, I thought that Duncan would be next because it may be that Bachmann is going in rainbow order. Lastly, do you have any resin buildings suggestions TrainFan97? I would love to hear .

Alright guys. As it has now been over a month since the 2017 announcements and Bachmann Oliver is FINALLY out, I thought that it would nice to start a 2018 predictions thread. I know that it is still rather early, but I just wanted to get the ball rolling. Anyways, here they are...

HO Scale
Trevor
Ventilated Van- Explosives
Flat Car with Pipes
Flat Car with Logs

Narrow Gauge
Narrow Gauge Duncan
Narrow Gauge Coach (Red)
Narrow Gauge Brake Van (Red)
Narrow Gauge Brake Van (Light Brown)

Resin Buildings
Ffarquar Station
Sodor Cottage

Large Scale
As I mentioned last year, since I do not collect large scale, I will leave that to the large scale people.

Glad I could be of service . The seller started this about a year ago and I think that he is still adding new faces to the list. These faces are high quality. My favorite is the large troublesome truck face which is displayed on the second page. Also, there was a happy Thomas face, but it got taken off the list for some reason. 

Overall, the announcements for this year look great. As everyone has been saying, quality over quantity is the moral for this year. The only real disappointment is that there is no new rolling stock for the narrow gauge line. However, that does not make the overall announcement poor. After looking at the catalog that just came out, the item that I am the most excited for is McColl's Cattle Wagon. When I first read the list of new items, I thought that McColl's Cattle Wagon was just going to be another typical repaint, but no. According to the illustration, Bachmann is using a brand new tooling from the Bachmann Branchline. That will definitely be on my Christmas list for this year .

Now, since Bachmann is making Paxton, which would be the fourth Class 08 in the range, and the seventh "small loco" since Donald and Douglas, I think that there is some serious discussing to do for a possible 2018 loco. I know that it is still pretty early for 2018 predictions, however, this is one that I wanted to put out immediately since it could be yet another great investment for Bachmann. Diesel 10 Diesel 10 would probably be one of Bachmann's best selling locos. Here's why. He would be the first "large diesel" in the range with a unique livery and a fascinating persona. His claw, "Pinchy", is also mind-boggling (in a good way for the consumer). Just imagine yourself walking into a hobby store or train show with all of the Bachmann locos hanged up. Diesel 10 would surely stand out. Daisy would be the other great choice, but in terms of overall sales, I think that Diesel 10 would be better.

Lastly, for anyone who is interested in 3D printed faces from the classic era including the Spiteful Brake Van face, I would recommend that you check this out: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/seansstuff?s=0#more-products