I was a teenager when I was posting on the Bachmann Forum and suggesting that Bachmann update Thomas, Percy and James to look more accurate. 17 years later, it looks like that wish has finally come true.
(https://i.imgur.com/P8JohWL.png)
So far, a lot of curiosities have come up.
1. Will these new toolings be designed to be DCC Ready? There is a DCC Thomas and Percy, so it makes sense that the new tooling would be designed with that in mind.
2. Will there be front couplers? It seems like yes would be the obvious answer. A very long and overdue update.
3. Will the new tooling be compatible with the snow plough?
4. Is the chassis entirely new? The descriptions specify the bodies will be updated, but not the chassis. I can only imagine Thomas will at least get Stanley's side rods, and it would be great if Percy's valve gear gets updated to be more accurate.
Hopefully we will get these answers in due time. This is a very exciting day.
We never thought in a million years that Bachmann would be retooling the first engines in the range. Once they get released, it may be time to discontinue the original Thomas and Percy models. The new models must have front couplers. Percy especially needed it, since his model was bad. Maybe the new Thomas will get Celebration and LBSC variants.
Maybe a re-tooled HO Scale James will also be announced next year, and he'd get Origin and Busy Bee variants later on. The re-tooled James should get an open cab, front coupler, and a CGI face.
The new Thomas and Percy are probably the highlights of the announcements for me, and I really hope they get them right!
I hope that they do make new chassis for them, especially Thomas. I've always felt that the wheels Bachmann originally used for Thomas look way to big when comparing him to either the Live Action or CGI models. I hope they use different wheels, especially since the N Scale Thomas got the wheel size right. If they could basically do the N Scale model, but scaled up to OO, I think this has the chance of being the most accurate Thomas ever, especially with an open cab and spokes!
I also think that Percy should get a new chassis, since the current model's chassis block looks way too big, and it just doesn't look good on Percy.
A new chassis would also let them use bearings, which would help with running performance quite a bit, especially paired with a flywheel. Since Thomas and Percy are main characters, I hope Bachmann is able to do everything they can to ensure they run well.
Also, I kind of hope they use the faces from the photos in the catalog. I think Thomas' closed-mouth smile looks really good, and it would help him stand out a bit from other characters in the range, since most have open smiles.
As far as sizing goes, I think they might end up being a tad smaller than the originals, since some of the proportions were stretched to fit the motors/eye mechs, but I don't think they would scale them down too much, since most of the models are scaled to fit in with the original Thomas model. Didn't Bachmann also scale Oliver up compared to his CGI render to help him fit in better with the rest of the range?
I was actually just reading through that old thread last night after the "leak" went out. Talk about a flashback!
I'm really happy that the new versions of Thomas and Percy have been announced. The fact that they are brand-new tools with updated designs is something fans have wanted for a very long time. Even if you are not a CGI fan, the face is an easy fix, and the bodies are, more likely than not, going to be based on the earlier Nitrogen renders, as shown by the illustrations in the brochure and not those awful designs from BWBA with the incessant rivet details that no one likes.
I am also curious what this means for other products featuring Thomas and Percy, such as the different starter sets, the DCC and sound models that were released last year, and, of course, the various Thomas variants, the LBSC Thomas in particular.
I'd like to think that this is going to be much more of a gradual upgrade/release with all these in mind. James will definitely be the odd one out for some time now, but I have no doubt that, depending on how Thomas and Percy do, he will be next to receive this full-on upgrade.
Apart from James and a new face for Paxton, I don't see Bachmann doing this for other engines like Gordon and Henry, since I feel their flaws are a lot more minor than those on Thomas, Percy, and James (besides Henry's tender being too short). Even if later down the road we only receive new models of Thomas, Percy and (eventually), James, that is an incredible win for the fans because of how popular this request has been and how long it's been pushed for (as far back as 2009!)
Either way, it's great seeing Bachmann giving Thomas and Percy these long-overdue modern upgrades, and I'm curious to see what's in store for them once we see/hear more updates.
I definitely agree that anything after James and Paxton would be considered overkill. Gordon and Henry are inaccurate in their own ways, but they're not the bread winners and "face of the brand" that Thomas, Percy and James are. Maybe later down the road in 5 years or so, if the Thomas, Percy, and hopefully James retoolings are a success and a lot of popular characters have been addressed already, then Gordon and Henry might be a more reasonable topic.
This has me thinking too: if this new Thomas and Percy are being designed with their DCC Sound variants in mind, then it's possible we could see a DCC Sound James on the horizon too.
Well, we did get some questions answered today, as a fan shared publicly that the bodies and faces of Thomas and Percy will be upgraded, while the chassis on both will remain the same with some upgrades of their own.
Even though a completely new chassis would have been nice, I understand why they'd want to retain some of the original chassis design. If anything, I'm slightly relieved they're going this route because I own the DCC versions of both Thomas and Percy, and I was wondering if I'd be able to transfer the modules from the older models to the new ones. Knowing that the chassis will remain largely the same makes that seem like a much more likely possibility.
Plus, it's not like they're taking the cheap route here, since they've confirmed that the chassis on both models will receive upgrades, which I'm perfectly happy with. If anything, maybe this could be a good chance for Bachmann to make these two DCC-ready... 🤞
I'm also loving the official confirmation that the designs are going to look like the renders used in the brochure and not the awful BWBA designs with those ugly rivet details. Can't complain there!
Quote from: Cheeky_ULP on August 02, 2026, 04:22:15 PMThis has me thinking too: if this new Thomas and Percy are being designed with their DCC Sound variants in mind, then it's possible we could see a DCC Sound James on the horizon too.
I genuinely hope they do this, especially since they already have sounds available for James in both HO and large scale. Hopefully, when they eventually announce a new James, they can offer a standard analog version as well as a DCC and sound version.
And they will certainly have front couplers.
I think the reason they haven't done DCC Sound James yet is because they're saving that for his retooled model.
Once we get Percy's retooled model, one potential repaint is Chocolate Covered Percy, which would not only be the first paint variant for Percy, but would also appeal to model series fans. He can pull the Mr. Jolly van and the chocolate syrup tanker, then we'd have the chocolate train. Another Percy repaint, but one that no one has ever mentioned is Ghost Percy, from the Season 2 episode "Ghost Train/Percy's Ghostly Trick" where he accidentally gets covered in lime to get back at Thomas. Ghost Percy would also be great for Halloween. In fact, he'd be the first Halloween model for the Thomas range.
As my whole thing is DCC, if Thomas and Percy were made DCC ready that would be a huge step in the right direction for the range! Sometimes it can be rather tough fitting a decoder, resistors, speakers and keep alive capacitors into these models with having to manage all that wiring. A DCC ready models would be a huge time saving and hopefully get more modelers who are concerned with making the switch over to DCC that much more inclined to take that leap.
Is it me or am I beginning to notice a pattern here? Once the retooled Thomas & Percy models sell extremely well, I predict Bachmann will retool two of their prior HO models to match their CGI counterparts starting at either next year's main catalog or NMRA brochure.
I'm so glad that these two (out of the three, though I'm sure we'll probably see James eventually) finally got the retooling that's long overdue...! Updated lamps, hopefully improvements to the visuals especially since Percy needed this the most, like a back coupling that's missing on his original model.
It makes me wonder if they plan on retooling others that need it most too (James in particular since he'll stick out like a sore thumb), but we shall see...
Quote from: Cheeky_ULP on June 13, 2025, 06:28:52 PMRecently I was thinking about how people have often requested Thomas, Percy and James get redesigns to bring them up to par to the newer engines in the Bachmann range. This led me to a conclusion that I am curious to see if people will agree with: while the Bachmann Thomas and Percy could use a complete overhaul, James only needs modifications here and there to bring him up to speed. I've made an illustration before to detail out each detail I think could be updated to make him more accurate.
(https://i.imgur.com/bk3lFkr.png)
What do you guys think?
Also seeing that Thomas and Percy are getting retoolings, I can't wait to see if and when they'll tackle James as a new retooling, especially from an old post from last year+ detailing what needs to be done.
If they did announce James' retooling, they'll probably do him as a mid-year announcement like with Thomas and Percy.
I think James and Paxton are the only two who really need it, however I'd like to bring up Emily and Spencer as well. Their toolings don't need any work, but there are design changes they could make pretty easily cosmetically like Emily's number and Spencer's silver color which could be welcome additions.
The Iron Twins also come to mind if they ever plan to reintroduce them, they need some revisions bad.
With the new toolings, Thomas can have Celebration and LBSC variants, Percy can have Ghost and Chocolate Covered variants, and James (once announced) can have Busy Bee and Origin Variants.
One thing I have seen people mention recently that is still a problem on both the G Scale and N scale Thomas models is the width of his smokebox saddle:
(https://i.imgur.com/VUOs17F.png)(https://i.imgur.com/mPZHAJh.png)
Meanwhile, on his actual design, the saddle is fairly narrow:
(https://i.imgur.com/x6bpaKZ.png)
My guess is Bachmann has used a wider smokebox saddle so that the splashers can be flush with the body as one single mold. It does make me wonder if it is possible to design a body shell with the proper narrow smokebox saddle while still being economical if that's the case. I would assume it's unrelated to the eye mechanism, as Edward has his thin smokebox saddle. If Bachmann can fix this in the new tooling, it would certainly help Thomas look "thinner" in the front.
Quote from: Cheeky_ULP on August 04, 2026, 08:38:52 PMOne thing I have seen people mention recently that is still a problem on both the G Scale and N scale Thomas models is the width of his smokebox saddle:
(https://i.imgur.com/VUOs17F.png)(https://i.imgur.com/mPZHAJh.png)
Meanwhile, on his actual design, the saddle is fairly narrow:
(https://i.imgur.com/x6bpaKZ.png)
My guess is Bachmann has used a wider smokebox saddle so that the splashers can be flush with the body as one single mold. It does make me wonder if it is possible to design a body shell with the proper narrow smokebox saddle while still being economical if that's the case. I would assume it's unrelated to the eye mechanism, as Edward has his thin smokebox saddle. If Bachmann can fix this in the new tooling, it would certainly help Thomas look "thinner" in the front.
With N Scale, Thomas' smokebox saddle is that way because that's where the gear train from the motor goes to the wheels. I do hope that their able to make it thinner on this new model, though, and hopefully Thomas' splashers can be separated from the tanks like the Large Scale model as well.
Going back to Thomas' wheels, I'm still hoping that maybe Bachmann will consider giving him new, more accurate wheels, since his original wheels are too big compared to the show (for both the Model Series and CGI Series):
Bachmann Wheels:
https://imgur.com/a/offBNur
Thomas' Wheels (Series 1):
https://imgur.com/gallery/thomas-wheels-season-1-WWcbN4y
Thomas' Wheels (CGI Series):
https://imgur.com/a/B99TVLh
They were able to get the wheel size and overall look correct in N Scale (other than the wheels being solid), so I hope they'll take the time to do it for HO Scale as well. They actually have the correct wheel tooling in the range already; Rosie and Duck use wheels that are the correct size and the spoke pattern matches up with Thomas' CGI model as well:
https://imgur.com/a/bYSs1pv
Anyways, I am really excited for these retoolings, and I hope Bachmann's able to get them to look as accurate as possible. It would be great to have models of Thomas and Percy that look like they were ripped straight from the show!
EDIT: Sorry for the pictures only showing up as links, it's my first time trying to use imgur.com and I'm not sure how to embed the pictures into the post.
Thanks for bringing this up. It's one of those things that once you see it you can't unsee it. I hope Bachmann keep this in mind in the design process.
And just to piggyback- some more accurate wheels for Thomas and Percy would be much appreciated. The Edward driving wheels I'd say are acceptable for Thomas, but Percy needs newly tooled wheels to be accurate. Percy's wheels lacked the counterweight in CGI. This detail was also reflected on the N scale model.
Quote from: RailsByRick on August 04, 2026, 09:13:47 PMThanks for bringing this up. It's one of those things that once you see it you can't unsee it. I hope Bachmann keep this in mind in the design process.
And just to piggyback- some more accurate wheels for Thomas and Percy would be much appreciated. The Edward driving wheels I'd say are acceptable for Thomas, but Percy needs newly tooled wheels to be accurate. Percy's wheels lacked the counterweight in CGI. This detail was also reflected on the N scale model.
Percy's drive wheels having counter-weights is a detail I would not mind seeing Bachmann deviate from, since they're usually very faithful to the CGI models. Percy's CGI model only doesn't have counter-weights because Nitrogen based it on one of his duplicates from the model era that erroneously excluded them.
Percy will go from being the worst model in HO Scale, to one of the best. I never owned the original HO Scale Percy model, and it doesn't look like it's worth it at this point.
Thomas won't look so weird next to Ryan, or other recent models anymore.
It's possible we may see Gordon and Henry get updated as well, with them getting thinner side rods, CGI faces, black dummy couplings and pony trucks, and correct tender height, especially for Henry.
Gordon & Henry will likely be retooled & shipped in 2029, whereas James & Edward will be retooled & shipped in 2028. I know what you're all thinking..."Why does Edward even deserve to be retooled? His HO model is perfect the way it is." HELLOOOO!!!! Edward has to match his CGI counterpart!
If Flying Scotsman re-uses Gordon's chassis but with updated valve gear, I could see Bachmann killing two birds with one stone and giving him the updated valve gear too.
Quote from: TEHNewClearwaterFeatures on August 05, 2026, 07:33:33 PMI know what you're all thinking..."Why does Edward even deserve to be retooled? His HO model is perfect the way it is." HELLOOOO!!!! Edward has to match his CGI counterpart!
The reason why people are pushing for James and not Edward is because the James model has a lot more evident flaws than Edward does, right down to the build quality and some of the more obvious design flaws, such as the lack of a front hook-and-loop coupler.
Edward is a pretty low to nonexistent priority for fans, not because of the face, but because of the build quality and overall representation of the character is a lot more accurate, regardless of the face being CGI or not. When there are more glaring flaws with Thomas, Percy, and James compared to other characters like Edward (or even Gordon and Henry, for that matter), naturally, more people are going to lean toward those characters receiving revisions first.
Paxton is probably the only other engine besides James who could benefit from a revision at this time, and even then, it would really just be a matter of updating the eye mechanism and giving Paxton a new face.
Yeah as much as I'd love Edward to be slightly modified (never a fan of his Season 10-12 upgrade due to him receiving a new brass model), that would never be remotely possible unless if they plan on overhauling the first batch of engines to match the CGI era designs...aside from Thomas and Percy (maybe James too if and when they get around to him...)...
Evidently, Bachmann is planning to overhaul their prior HO models to match their CGI counterparts & Thomas & Percy are their first two. At this rate, Bachmann will definitely overhaul two of their prior models each year, whether they are announced in their main catalogs or their NMRA brochure. Therefore, you can expect a thread about why HO Edward deserves to be overhauled to match his CGI appearance alongside James.
Out of all engines that need to be retooled, James is the top priority, as he is the third engine made when the Bachmann Thomas range started. When the range was in its infancy, the standards didn't match the quality of today's. Edward, which some are really pushing for, is nowhere near a priority, since his build quality still holds up. Toby may not have the best chassis, but he's not really a priority either. Maybe Gordon and Henry will get the treatment, but I don't know about anyone else after that. James needs it most, since there's a lot more things wrong with the model.
Bertie and Cranky could also use the retool treatment, since their models also look severely outdated.
I saw this mentioned on Twitter recently and I figured it would be worth mentioning here too:
(https://i.imgur.com/ZZIoTz4.png)(https://i.imgur.com/89kN8vm.png)
On the Bachmann Oliver and Rosie, the whistles are molded into the cab, rather than a separate detail piece. This makes me wonder what direction they'll take for Thomas.
(https://i.imgur.com/8FBD4GC.png)
On the N scale model, his whistles are molds. I wouldn't be surprised if Bachmann went this route to keep the costs of a new tooling down, but it would be much nicer looking if his whistle was a separate piece.
Curiously, this wasn't the case for Stanley:
(https://i.imgur.com/717byg5.png)
He got a normal separate piece for a whistle.
Even the N scale Percy and Gordon got separate pieces:
(https://i.imgur.com/HPBVCYV.png)(https://i.imgur.com/kgxKThg.png)
It makes me wonder what the rhyme and reason is, since we have different design choices in both scales.
One of my concerns is that, will the chassis of the new version of Thomas still work with the snow plough that comes with the holiday sets?
Thanks for bringing this up, Cheeky_ULP. There's so many concerns with the new Thomas and Percy that it's hard to address them all at once but this is a big one. I would hope that since the 2002 Thomas has separate whistles that the new one would do the same, but obviously that's not a guarantee. Separate whistles is the way to go.
I don't know if I would call these concerns, more observations. Even if the new Thomas has a wider smokebox saddle and molded funnel, I would still consider it an upgrade from what is currently being manufactured if it resembles the N scale and Large Scale models. That said, if Bachmann can manage to make a narrower saddle and separate whistle piece, I would be a very happy customer.
Quote from: [email protected] on August 08, 2026, 04:14:32 PMOne of my concerns is that, will the chassis of the new version of Thomas still work with the snow plough that comes with the holiday sets?
Thinking about that part because if they implement the new hook-n-loop couplers for the fronts of Thomas and Percy, I can see where the question stems from. IF they have the foresight to include an extra bit for the screws to tap into the updated running board, MAYBE it might be possible, but we shall see...
I just know Bachmann will definitely take their large scale models of Thomas and Percy and scale them down to HO. That or they scale up their N scale models
Judging by the reference photos from the announcement page, I'd imagine they'll use the Large Scale models, face and all. For Percy, I'm sure they'll have to retain the chassis since it looks great on his old model. Thomas, however I'd imagine they'll use Stanley's wheels with the side rods to make him as accurate as possible.
So it's confirmed by Matt on the live-stream earlier today that both Thomas and Percy will reuse the chassis present on their old models to keep the costs down, unless if there's some modifications to be made, like maybe reusing Stanley's side-rods since it's more closer to the CGI Thomas model we know of...
After tonight's stream, it sounds like Thomas and Percy's chassis' will be mostly reuse. If it keeps costs down, I guess that's fine by me. The new bodies being designed around these ancient chassis' does bring up a few questions:
-Will Percy's shell remain a split design to fit around the current gearbox?
-Will the weight be improved? The plastic gearboxes make them much too lightweight.
-Will the siderods be retooled for Percy? I think Thomas should reuse the rods from Stanley as they're a perfect match. Hoping Bachmann keeps this in mind.
I think the siderods are a main concern at the moment. I really hope the old ones aren't carried over to the new models.
Besides that, Matt did allude to rear lining for Thomas and possible DCC capability for both so that's pretty neat.
Will Percy still have counterweights is the question I wanna know?
Quote from: RailsByRick on August 13, 2026, 08:16:00 PMBesides that, Matt did allude to rear lining for Thomas and possible DCC capability for both so that's pretty neat.
That was easily the highlight of today's stream for me—the possibility that the new Thomas and Percy might be DCC ready. This is something I've discussed before, and I really hope they go this route, as DCC is the usual go-to over analog at almost every club I've been to.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: if/when they get to James, I really hope they go this route and, more importantly, introduce James with DCC and sound on board like they did with Thomas and Percy. They already have James's sounds in the DCC module, so I think it would be well worth the investment to make these newly revised models DCC ready and kill two birds with one stone by introducing James as DCC-ready while also giving people another version of James with DCC and sound installed and ready to go.
Quote from: harrison05 on August 13, 2026, 09:08:13 PMWill Percy still have counterweights is the question I wanna know?
Based on Matt saying that re-using their chassis will be a cost-saving measure, yes he will keep his counterweights. Granted it's too early to say anything else until then, but just going by what he said is a possibility that'll have them save the chassis of the OG models.
Hopefully the new Thomas and Percy will be DCC ready. Hope it's possible the same can also be applied to Diesel 10, and all future models in HO Scale, just like how it is in the UK. DCC ready Thomas models shall become stateside. Diesel 10 will most likely still be analog DC.
If we were to get HO Scale Annie and Clarabel to look like their CGI renders, Bachmann can then release an updated HO Scale Thomas set. The first set to use the new Thomas. If they were to release DCC Sound variants of the new Thomas and Percy, they can be released in a set together with Annie and Clarabel, and two Troublesome Trucks; a DCC Sound set.
Quote from: Zorran202 on August 14, 2026, 05:35:04 PMQuote from: harrison05 on August 13, 2026, 09:08:13 PMWill Percy still have counterweights is the question I wanna know?
Based on Matt saying that re-using their chassis will be a cost-saving measure, yes he will keep his counterweights. Granted it's too early to say anything else until then, but just going by what he said is a possibility that'll have them save the chassis of the OG models.
That makes me happy to hear, I'm not a fan of Percy's CGI model don't having counterweights it looks weird to me.
Quote from: TrainFan97 on August 14, 2026, 08:30:19 PMHopefully the new Thomas and Percy will be DCC ready. Hope it's possible the same can also be applied to Diesel 10, and all future models in HO Scale, just like how it is in the UK. DCC ready Thomas models shall become stateside. Diesel 10 will most likely still be analog DC.
If we were to get HO Scale Annie and Clarabel to look like their CGI renders, Bachmann can then release an updated HO Scale Thomas set. The first set to use the new Thomas. If they were to release DCC Sound variants of the new Thomas and Percy, they can be released in a set together with Annie and Clarabel, and two Troublesome Trucks; a DCC Sound set.
It would be good to know IF the motors are also counted as the chassis, meaning if that's the case, they could reuse the chassis + motor housing the DCC sounds to make this definitely a possible cost-cutting measure just like the upcoming new models.
If Toby's HO Scale model was to be revamped, he could possibly recycle Thomas' chassis like his N Scale model did, but with blackened metal wheels. He would finally have side rods, which even his Large Scale model lacked, so Bachmann wouldn't have to design a whole new chassis. Toby would run a lot better with the addition of side rods. Might be some changes to the tooling, including a CGI face. To go with a revamped Toby, we would need Henrietta's HO Scale model to have a face, plus Hannah to finally exist in that scale.
But for now, James is the highest priority for a tooling revamp, since he has more glaring flaws, and is the last of the original three models in the HO Scale range. His new model would have a CGI face, open cab, and a front coupler.
We might see partially open cabs on the new Thomas and Percy, like what Ryan and Stanley have. Their chassis will be largely the same, but with some modifications. The new Thomas must have the same side rods as Stanley. Percy's can also be more accurate.