British Bachmann have just announced in OO9 (the British version of HOn30, 1/76 scale on N gauge track) a WW1 Baldwin built 4-6-0t  locomotive and some rolling stock. These were operated by the British Army in France .See the Bachmann Branchlines site.

Perhaps this  could also be produced in On30?

Hamish

if it is true that there is nothing new this year this is disappointing but not a complete surprise. The Bach man did NOT tell us to anticipate and Yarmaster told us that "any new announcements would be at the train show". So it looks like nothing this year. Can Bachmann assure us that they remain committed to On30 and that there will be new items in future years as well as continued production of at least some of the existing range? I am not sure that I want to continue in On30 if it is not going to have at least some new items in the future.

Hamish

Where is everybody?

Approximate measurements for Bachmann On30 Shay: wheel base (pivot point to pivot point) 4 1/4 inches or 108mm. Wheel diameter half an inch or 13 mm.

Measurements were done with a ruler without taking the wheels off, so are approximate only.

I don't have an HO Shay.

I would have replied earlier but I was away from my layout.

Hamish.

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

Great!

Thanks Bachmann.

Hamish

Will the 2014 catalogue be available for downloading from this site, as has been the case for catalogues in recent years" I have much appreciated being able to download the catalogue. When might it be available?

Many thanks

Hamish

Yes. Bachmann fit a dual mode decoder that will operate on DC or DCC.

Hamish

The reason I did not identify the model by another maker I mentioned was that this is the Bachmann board, paid for by Bachmann. They, understandably , do not like what might be seen as advertising for a competitors product on their board. I felt that it existed was relevant to the discussion, but refrained from identifying it as this is Bachmann's board.

Hamish

I have sometimes wondered whether Bachmann China might release an ON30 Chinese range, there are many good prototypes to choose from, as the video shows. Steam and diesel as well as electric. Bachmann China has released the ON30 streetcar I with Chinese lettering, but no other sign of Chinese ON30. I doubt that American Bachmann would do Chinese prototypes.

A  Maine tender loco would a be good choice, similar locos operated in other parts of then world, e.g. Mexico. A tank Baldwin 2-6-2 is being made by another maker, this would  not preclude a Bachmann version but might reduce the potential market a bit. (I will not give details of that loco on this board, so don't ask).

Another possibility would be a WW1 trench loco, e.g. The  American 2-6-2 tank loco. With the centenary of WW1 approaching interest in these is likely to rise. Already a German trench loco has been announced in HOn30, so interest is there.

Hamishi.

Interesting. Adding tenders to small tank locomotives is prototypical, it was done in quite a number of instances, There are some kits available for On30 tenders from small makers, at least one of which has provision for pick ups. None come with the electronic module as far as I know.

I think Bachmann missed an opportunity when they revised the Porters, provision could have been made for an optional tender with electronic connections to provide additional pick ups and a tender light. This would have increased the variety of small locos available (Porters with or without tender) as well as offering an option for those who wished to improve Porter performance. The tender could have been provided as an optional extra, provided the loco was fitted with the necessary  connections.

Still possible for future runs of the Porters?

Hamish

I would love to see Bachmann produce shorty passenger cars. I suggest that  they should be in the 20-24 foot range. While many american 3 foot gauge cars such as in Colorado and the Maine 2 foot cars gauge were considerably longer, there are prototypes for such cars. In Queensland, Australia the Buderim tramway, a 30 inch gauge line, had a 20 foot 6 inch long passenger car, and a number of 2 foot gauge lines had passenger cars around 24 foot 6 inches in length. I've no doubt there were many others around the world. In the USA the Gilpin tram had 21 foot excursion cars (they had no other passenger cars) and the Yosemite Short lines proposed passenger cars would have been short, their freight cars were 18 foot! There may have been others.

So shorty passenger cars are quite plausible, at least for a freelance layout.

Hamish

To return to the original post, I had a similar thing happen to a new Bachmann power pack. It worked fine for a short while, then the loco started behaving erratically , and then stopped altogether. I was able to run the loco on another layout, and it ran fine. I retuned the pack to the store I bought it from and received a replacement that has worked fine ever since. Mine was a separate pack, not one in a train set. They are however the same as I understand it.

Hamish

I emailed the parts address at Bachmann (I live in Australia so ringing is difficult with the time difference and the expense) and have received a reply, so hopefully I will receive my gears soon. Thanks Bachmann.

Hamish

No, I have not received any of the three sets I requested (Climax, Shay, and railbus). I sent a follow up email but I have not received a reply. Not happy, but it was a free offer, so I suppose I can't complain.

Hamish

I too would love this, though i doubt that it will happen as, to date. Bachmann has not made an On30 item with a prototype from a non US manufacturer. Please Bachmann, prove me wrong.

Hamish