from what i have heard is that all earlier bachmann trainsets where quiet nice at the time but every 5yrs it seams like they update everything and many of their older things like the 4-4-0s and the f series diesels are not worth as much as you think because they were heavily mass produced and at flea markets and swap meets you can find whole boxes full of these listed at $10 each because they still make them in much better running condition. most of the time any plastic model train that was built between 1960 and 1990 lose price every year. if you have the money and enjoy trains enough you might try collecting Lionel tin plate or brass trains because they are collectors items and some model railroaders use them with upgrades some of the most collectible i think is pacific fast mail or if you don't have the money but want to collect something that people would buy i would suggest mdc/roundhouse, ahm, and pocher. the roundhouse shays are especially popular because people often but them to kitbash them. and also welcome to the hobby if you want the best information i would suggest going to a trainshow or swap meet

another geared engine that not many of us have heard about... it looks like a cross between a shay heisler and climax. the reason many of you probably haven't heard of it is because only about 50 were ever made. here is a link to what they looked like and some background info on it
http://www.gearedsteam.com/dunkirk/dunkirk.htm

this would be a great new spectrum on30 locomotive to go along with their small and odd engine collection

i hope i can get a few more hours in before they close i think in november everyone loves this place and there is more to do than just see trains (but me and many of you would rather see trains than hike) you can hike or have a picnic or go to one of their many summer concerts.

sorry i just found it after i made this forum but still its amazing that its almost 200yrs old i wonder what we will see on the 200Th anniversary

bachmanns almost 200? I'm wondering what you were producing when you started out and hmmm i wonder if there is another train company that started out in Philadelphia the 1830s any body heard of Baldwin

i also forgot to comment earlier on the fact that all the bachmann engines that they got that were new run the best... my compliments go especially to the designer and builder of the scale 3 truck shay, they run best out of all the g scale engines they have and they have not had 1 problem with it unlike all the other engines.

Mr bachmann i have a question regarding the road names such as the Colorado Mining Co.
Tioga Logging co.
Pocahontas Logging Co.
Midwest quarry & mining
greenbrier & big run logging co.

are all of these real companies and is the Tioga logging co tribute to that Tioga pass RR that appeared in model railroader a few times in the 70s and 80s
and  i also believe that the greenbreir & big run was real along with the Pocahontas logging co were in west Virginia
i would also like to see engines in ho scale to have these road names like you did with the 0-6-0 i would greatly love to see the shays climaxes and GE 45 tonner in these road names...

ah norwest Indiana... the forests are almost jungles now with all the vines and thorn bushes i love the climate here and the forests are a great place to build forts when i was younger. Gary may have been great then but now... now it is on the brink of humanity because the mills fired a lot of people or closed down... but the dunes still never get old. but back to trains now. there is an old sand mine that is now a national park along the beach and it used to have the harbor belt branchline going to it to help transport the sand and when they abandoned the mine and trains they left some interesting things like the buried steam engine in steam engine dunes, my friends dad used to play in the mine just before it was abandoned and he says the railroad left a steam locomotive (probably a small switcher or a 0-8-0) on a siding that was next to a shifting dune and after a few years this locomotive was lost under 10ft of sand. i have a poster that says that in about 20yrs the sand will shift off of it reveling a perfectly preserved locomotive. also while i was exploring i discovered an old wood gondola buried with a tree next to  it slowly pushing it into long lake... and finally back to taltree RR garden, i have built a few things including a small silver mining complex in the mountains and a Indian camp in the great plains section... cant wait to work there again i worked this Saturday from 9:30am till 8pm on the halloween trains. I'm working for the presidential community service award.

i have worked at http://www.taltree.org/railway_garden/whatIsTheRailway.html and i personally have worked at it for 5 months and i have loved it and there are also volunteer opportunities available and they still need a LOT of help. so many trains and so many figures and buildings... oh  ya there is also about 250 gallons of water on it to!

and now we wait to see what bachmann comes out with next year... i only hope next year will come soon!

wow almost everything said in this post is available at backwoods miniatures 

i popped off the smoke box cover ( i thought that  you ment the whole gray part!) and it reveled that there are 2 metal peices sticking out of  and the black wire was to the long metal piece and the red was connected to the short peice i un plugged it and well i reveresed it but i ran out of time to work on it and will have to wait until tomarow after i set up the dcc again. i hope it worked and did i do it right

Mr bachmann i also have a question regarding the road names such as the Colorado Mining Co.
Tioga Logging co.
Pocahontas Logging Co.
Midwest quarry & mining
greenbrier & big run logging co.

are all of these real companies and is the Tioga logging co tribute to that Tioga pass RR that appeared in model railroader a few times in the 70s and 80s
and  i also believe that the greenbreir & big run was real along with the Pocahontas logging co were in west Virginia
i would also like to see engines in ho scale to have these road names like you did with the 0-6-0 i would greatly love to see the shays climaxes and GE 45 tonner in these road names...

i read earlier in a few post that people want a mason bogie. that's a great idea how about a smaller 2-8-2 that uses the 
2-8-0 body with an extra back wheel. i tried doing this with my 2-8-0 but... well i afraid to modify because this engine cost me a lot of money and i don't want to ruin it with a hand twitch or something, here are my other thoughts about newer engines.
h.k. porter 2-6-0
Lima shay class a 2 truck vertical boiler or a class c 3 truck
newer 0-4-0t porters with bigger saddle tank like the g scale version
2-4-4-0t saddle tank
silverton northern Casey Jones RR truck
older 4-6-0

bachmann should get into hon3 to just because all the on30 stuff scaled down to ho gauge would be pretty cool and affordable.