I see some of the large scale spectrum cars are becoming harder to get ahold of with the production ending?
Is there a possibility for re-runs of the flat cars, gondolas, and hoppers?
Also the addition of refers, stock cars, and higher side gondolas would be nice. I'm well aware that AMS also makes stock cars, refers, and high side gondolas, but I feel that Bachmann Spectrum's would be better, since they already surpass AMS with the murphy roof, normal box cars, hoppers, and flat cars. More detail goes into stuff with Bachmann Spectrum than AMS on quite a few things.
Hi chaps I agree that the bachmann cars are better in the finer detail, hope more are made to add to my roster.
Rio Grande Southern logo cars would be nice to go with the C-19 & caboose.
It has taken a long time to sell through the production runs of these items. When number of Large Scale modelers begins to grow again Bachmann will consider running these items again.
Yardmaster,
Please explain the logic of telling a customer that we will no longer have any product to sell you? And please don't respond with all the other product you may or may not have available, that is not what was asked for.
As for my part, this solidifies my decision to scratch my 1:20.3 rolling stock. If Bachmann has the parts I need I will purchase, if not, there are other manufacturers.
I would remind Bachmann that loyalty is a two way street and that response is about as disloyal to a customer as I have heard recently. Good luck Mr. Bachmann, this customer will not look to Bachmann for future product in the 1:20.3 market, a market Bachmann popularized.
Bob C.
Quote from: armorsmith on July 26, 2015, 06:42:20 PMPlease explain the logic of telling a customer that we will no longer have any product to sell you?
He just did,
"It has taken a long time to sell through the production runs of these items." After multiple thousands of dollars were spent to design and produce the cars it took too long to get a return on the investment. Their primary job is to keep themselves in business, not satisfy our every whim. That's life. That's business. That's the world beyond our layouts.
Driving customers away does not sound like good business to me. And as I said, I will not look to Bachmann for any big ticket future purchases. They have relegated themselves to 'unreliable' in my procurement department.
And considering that all the tooling is in place for the product requested, the only cash investment is in the product itself. And considering it is a soft market for almost every industry, Bachmann is certainly not alone, and I don't see other hobby businesses telling their customers we won't make any product until you buy more. I still see that statement as 'cutting ones nose of to spite the face'.
I looked to Bachmann for On30 as an alternative to LS, and for the pittance difference in price I will stick to LS.
FWIW
The original poster was given a truthful answer. It was never said that these items would never be produced again - they certainly will be when the demand is there. Trust me, one production run does not pay for a set of tools and in large scale at the moment it takes quite a while to sell through a single run. Gone are the days when Large scale sold as quickly as other scales. If an item is produced and our dealers do not purchase them due to existing stock on their shelves or low demand from their customers Bachmann ends up with the inventory in the warehouse tying up manufacturing dollars that could be used for items that are in demand. There are actually some of these items still in our warehouse and many are still available from our retailers. Wasn't trying to put anyone off by stating the facts but I was just answering the original posters question as to whether we were planning to run these items soon. When the time is ripe for them we will produce more, we just do not have plans to do so at this particular moment.
Not knocking any other specific manufacturer, but some are no longer in business at all, and others have not done reruns of some of much their product line. All this for the same clearly expressed reason stated by Yardmaster. At the recent National Garden Railway Convention in Denver, almost every manufacturer stated to me that Large Scale sales have been soft. Some with other scales in their line such as HO and N Scale have said that those scales have done much better in comparison.
Hopefully by supporting new Large Scales model railroaders here on this forum, and on any of the other forums we can get the large scale side of the hobby moving toward better sales.
I applaud Bachmann Trains for all the many models they have provided for us since they started selling Large Scale product in 1989, and also for the great warranty program provided by no other manufacturer. While not every part for past products is available, the availability of parts has grown greater every year. No one is perfect and we all have out little gripes from time to time, but Bachmann Trains has been there for us in ways no other manufacturer has.
Yes I am a Bachmann fanatic!!! All for the reasons stated above. I hope demand and sales will pickup and lead the way to new product ans well as reruns in the next few years.
Bill
A number of factors influence sales rate. Some of the easy ones, economy, demographics, trends, fads, novelty. (and yes there are fads in model railroading) Basically, manufacturing products for market is along the lines of legalized gambling - you put your money in and hope your research, advertising, distribution, and luck, are good enough to make the grade: you are going to need that money plus some to come back in a reasonable amount of time so you can put it to both one-time costs and the continuing costs of simply continuing to exist. There is usually a budget which depends on a certain rate of return on investments.
Sort of an analogy to the slow sales rate mentioned might be if you get a job, work a month, and then when payday comes you get the message that, oh, there's been a delay, we'll pay you next year. That ain't sustainable, and it's a fair bet you are going to go get a different job.
How on-target I am with all that is probably debatable but that's what I'm in the mood to babble about while the dishwasher finishes up.
Yardmaster,
With the suspension to the Spectrum rolling stock, What about the future of the Spectrum Engines? I know they are currently in stock. But, what when the current inventory runs out?
I would expect to see some upgraded reissues of previously released locos at this point in time.
I have long coveted one of the frameless tankcars but it was priced out of my reach as a retiree. Also, they do not negotiate the four foot diameter curved that came with original Big haulers trains!
The 1:20.3 cars have body mounted couplers like a prototype car thus they do not swing like a truck mounted coupler would. The folks buying these items demand scale fidelity which sometimes requires a more scale diameter curve (larger than 4 foot).
Tom
They are very nice cars (I have a couple), but in a train with big hauler cars, they would dwarf all the other cars. I run both 1:20.3 and 1:22.5/24 trains, but never at the same time. In my opinion, the two scales don't mix visually.
You could change out the trucks and then use truck mounted couplers. I think that they would then run on your track, but how they would look is up to you.
Chuck
bachmann has done a really good job with supplying LS models. The trend of modeling at the moments is of elders and a small percentage of young ones, also the new generation is so technically oriented with cell phones that they never venture farther then a little screen. I see this every time at the east troy trolley, as soon as they get on board the train phones come out and they zone out. So the fact that I see is that these kids are the ones that can keep company's like bachmann running.
What we should be doing besides asking for more fine spectrum models, Is also to have the base of modelers that are interested in the scale and the hobby. Every year for the last 7-8 years at our local high school for breakfast with Santa. A group of modelers and myself put up a train display with Ho scale and a small demo of other scales. Get the interest of our next gens and the market will return.
Modeling is a better hobby then watching a screen and you get more out of it. As much as i'd like to see more lovely spec cars it's a two way street, we have to supply the demand and bachmann will supply the models.
At this point, I am content to stick with the Big Hauler cars. They work well with Delton and LGB!
I like 1:20.3, I have a lot of 1:22.5/24. The hobby to grow needs both.
Chuck