Here's my official "list" (haven't done one of these in a while), of what I could see being announced between the rest of this year and 2027.  I think 2027 is most likely going to be the next "big year" for Bachmann and not another "catch-up year" as they've been focusing a lot more on progress on previously announced projects.  That being said, I'm pretty optimistic and I figured after some time here is my official new list post:


HO/OO scale:
Hiro
Whiff
'Arry and Bert reintroduction

All exactly the same as my previous posts, no reason to repeat my reasoning here.

HO/OO scale rolling stock
Troublesome truck #8 (coal wagon)
Slip coaches
Sodor mail car reintroduction
Classic oil tanker reintroduction
Utility van (repaints of the mail car tooling)

Truck 8 was explained earlier in another post.  I like how Bachmann is starting to cater to both model and cgi eras for rolling stock designs. It gives me a reasonable amount of hope that older rolling stock decals can finally make a big reintroduction.  I would especially love a return of the classic oil tanker.  The slip coaches feel like the next obvious new rolling stock tooling. They're an obscure piece of rolling stock in CGI that have been used pretty frequently.  If Bachmann went ahead with a new tooling for a blue open carriage of all things, I can totally see the slip coaches getting introduced soon.  Especially with Duck and Oliver still being top sellers.

Figure packs:
Sodor Celebrity pack
Brass band

I'm a little surprised they haven't announced any new figure packs yet, but again considering how far behind Bachmann is on previous projects, I can totally see why. I think they're only just going to announce two packs since last time they announced six for their first batch, which seems like a lot in one go.

Narrow gauge:
Duncan revival
Luke

While Duncan is self-explanatory, Luke is the only CGI narrow gauge engine I would have any interest in, as I never really felt one way or the other about Victor or Millie.

Narrow gauge rolling stock:
4-Plank wagons
Skarloey Railway carriage - blue
Skarloey Railway carriage - red
Tan brake van

"But Chaz, we already have blue and red narrow gauge carriages!"

We do, but hear me out...




I personally think it would be a very smart idea for Bachmann to look into adding more narrow gauge coaches but this time, adding faces to them. This seems like such an easy win-win for everyone involved. Bachmann would get a lot of sales on these from the older audience with only adding a faceplate to their blue carriage and repainting the red carriage in classic colors with a new faceplate.  Fans win because that's more classic rolling stock that would be appealing for both nostalgic and younger audiences who like the different facial expressions.  If Bachmann went ahead with the spiteful brake fan and something as niche as the D fusit gunpowder van, I can totally see them going this exact same route for narrow gauge coach repaints.  I'm surprised no one else has brought this up or at least hasn't recently.

The 4-plank wagons are the new narrow gauge rolling stock tooling I'd like to see them introduce the most. Tippers wouldn't be a bad idea either considering they have a real life Talyllyn repaint option Bachmann can look into.  The tan brake van is another obvious choice that needs no further explanation



N scale engines:
Edward
Duck

Absolutely no reason to go over these two again, they are both the most obvious and popular requests, it would be a misfire if Bachmann did not already have one of these planned for the next N scale engine announcement.

N scale rolling stock:
BR brake van/spiteful brake van
Coal wagon with load
Red coaches
Tidmouth milk tanker (new tooling and not a farish tanker repaint)
Tar tanker

All of these I have talked about before, and are pretty self-explanatory so no reason to go crazy in depth over these.

Large scale:
Christmas Thomas (leaked from earlier)

I didn't share my thoughts on this announcement just because we still don't know what the final design of this is going to look like, but I do think this does say something for the future of the large scale range in terms of engines. I think they're just going to stick with repaints going forward in large scale, and announcement choices like this seemed to further prove that.

Large scale rolling stock:
Henrietta and Hannah
Sodor Fuel tank

Seeing as the classic milk tank is getting an introduction in large scale, it only makes sense for the Sodor fuel tanker to get the same level of love here too.

As for Henrietta and Hannah, I think the same could largely be said for large scale rolling stock as it is for engines, with Bachmann likely focusing on repaints from this point forward. However, I believe Henrietta and Hannah are the one exception. Bachmann has already shown through the N scale range that the Henrietta tooling can be reused to create Hannah, making the pair an ideal candidate if they decide to pursue one final new tooling in large scale.

I don't collect large scale, but mark my words, but the moment they announce Henrietta I will start collecting G scale and look into joining a local club.

And... That's all on my end.

Very excited for the N scale Diesel! He will be a day one purchase for sure. I'm not too sure if I'm going to get Paxton too; I'll have to see how the range does in the coming years and who else they announce in the future.

Bulgy looks all right. He's the only character who actually benefited from the extra details that were hastily added to the characters in Season 23 (particularly the rivets). I already own a Bandai TECS Bulgy with some appropriate modifications, so I may stick with that one, but this could be a nice alternative for those who don't have a Bulgy model on their layout.

I'm a lot more excited for the N scale Henry face sample shown in the previous stream. Hopefully, a full unpainted sample will be ready for the summer.

Troublesome Truck #7 does look nice, though; an obvious improvement over truck 6. Might pick that up too. Hopefully, Bachmann takes the coal wagon suggestion I made earlier into consideration for a troublesome truck #8.

I really like Mulfred's idea of reusing decals on pieces of rolling stock while changing the livery, allowing for greater diversity without feeling too redundant. Especially since this was a pattern used back in the model seasons. I would fully welcome these additions and would happily pick most of them up. It also saves Bachmann time by reducing the need to create new decals when they can simply reuse existing ones. Overall, it seems like a nice win-win for both Bachmann and the fans.

Quote from: Zorran202 on April 11, 2026, 03:53:44 PMHere's another question: how come we haven't seen the dual ventilated vans be turned into Troublesome Trucks? They were prominent during the model series era...

Probably because they weren't brought into the CGI seasons. Personally, I think a model era Troublesome Truck face would be more fun, especially since the faces are more expressive, but I understand why Bachmann hasn't considered them.

I definitely agree that a Bachmann Troublesome Truck #8 would make the most sense as an open wagon. With the most recent releases already covering a tanker and a van (both of which also appeared in the CGI era), it might feel a bit too soon to revisit those toolings again. Going with an open wagon would help keep things feeling fresher in that regard. Whether Bachmann uses the older tooling or transitions to the newer UK 7 plank design, I think either approach would work nicely as long as it brings something a little different to the range.  This truck in particular I think would be a perfect candidate for troublesome truck #8:


I feel like this works the most because it offers a different emotion (angry) along with a different color from Trucks 1 and 2, helping it stand out more and adding some nice contrast.  Plus giving it a coal load would also be a nice bonus. Like truck #7, this would be a CGI troublesome truck I would be perfectly fine with, and I would happily add to my collection.

I also want to reiterate a point I mentioned earlier about the China clay wagon, specifically how a green livery would be a really welcome addition. Not only would it add some visual variety to the rolling stock lineup, but it would also be a smart way for Bachmann to reuse the existing china clay load tooling. It feels like a relatively simple variation with a different color and new road number that could go a long way in expanding customization options for modelers.

Overall, it's really encouraging to see the level of effort going into these recent releases, and I'm excited to see where they go next.

Might want to tune into Thomas Tuesday tomorrow:

Troublesome Truck #7 and the China clay wagon will be revealed, along with packaged samples of the gunpowder vans, so there's a lot to look forward to tomorrow (and possibly even more).

Quote from: travel_is_fun on April 06, 2026, 01:05:23 AMAlso, has anyone noticed how long HO Duck has been sold out from Bachmann's webpage? Maybe that could be the reason for Bachmann to introduce Duck to N-scale. Hopefully he'll be added soon.

Funny you should mention that... in today's New Model Monday, Bachmann commented that Duck will be arriving back in stock soon, along with James (both normal and origin versions), Henry, Oliver, and Emily, as well as a lot of rolling stock.

But yes, it is very encouraging to see Duck's popularity continuing to be as strong as ever. I also like the idea of them introducing a smaller engine in N scale, like Duck, while opening up the door for more new rolling stock toolings, such as a BR 20-ton brake van and a new tanker tooling.

Quote from: Awesometrain77 on April 05, 2026, 07:56:55 PMTbh I feel like Duck is not much of a necessity compared to Edward tbh .

He's not, but Duck is also a very popular character in the fandom and now has a following similar to Edward's, especially since Edward hasn't been part of the main cast for almost 10 years.

Additionally, if Bachmann wants to take a break from producing another tender engine after Henry and instead tackle a smaller engine, Duck would be one of the safer options, as his HO model remains one of Bachmann's most popular sellers.

'Arry and Bert being a 2-in-1 deal would be one of their biggest advantages. Again, it would probably be too soon to reintroduce them right after Sidney and the Mainland Diesel, but if Bachmann decides to introduce a new character like Hiro at the NMRA this year (or next), and then wants to take things a bit easier afterward, reintroducing 'Arry and Bert would be a much more practical choice on their end.

Hopefully, N scale can also have two engine announcements in one year; perhaps as soon as 2027, assuming they can release the LBSC Thomas, Origin James, and the Diesel and Paxton models by then. They haven't done that since the Emily and Gordon announcements in the 2022 catalog and NMRA announcements respectively, so it would be a real treat if they announced Edward early next year at Amherst and Duck at next year's NMRA.

Thank you, everyone, for the strong feedback! I really appreciate all the insights and thoughts. Hopefully, Bachmann can address this by reintroducing 'Arry and Bert at a later date. I agree that it would be too soon to bring them back while Sidney and the Mainland Diesel aren't out yet, but once Bachmann announces one or two more new engine toolings after Flying Scotsman, that would be the perfect time to reconsider adding 'Arry and Bert back into the line.

So this might be a bit of a long shot, but here it goes:





I think the next reintroduction Bachmann should consider for their HO scale line should be their 'Arry and Bert models. I know this may seem odd, especially with Sidney and the Mainland Diesel on the way, but hear me out.

As of now, 'Arry and Bert haven't appeared on eBay or other secondhand markets recently. There are no recent sold or completed listings, which shows how rarely they come up. When they do appear, they tend to sell for a high price.



A quick edit, but Mulfred shared with me a screenshot of 'Arry and Bert's recent sales in the UK, going over £300, which is the US equivalent of $400.

Unlike Salty, Bachmann likely wouldn't need to update the motor or mechanism. They already produce several models reusing the Diesel motor, body shell, and chassis, including two versions of Diesel, Paxton and the upcoming Sidney and Mainland Diesel.

I know these two were poor sellers when first released, and it's easy to see why. Their faces were nearly identical, making them hard to tell apart, and the yellow paint was a bit too light. However, both issues seem like easy fixes. Bachmann has made similar paint revisions before, such as with the express coaches and Salty.

As for the faces, while I'd personally prefer the model series versions, I understand why they'd stick with CGI. That said, it's more important to make the twins visually distinct; perhaps by removing 'Arry's stubble and leaving it only on Bert, or at least making 'Arry's even lighter than the original release.  If Bachmann really wants to go the full mile, maybe they can give the twins different expressions to allow them to be more distinctive from each other.

If Salty sells well upon his reintroduction, I think 'Arry and Bert have earned a return to the range. It's been a long time, and there's clearly demand. With a few updates, a reintroduction could significantly improve their sales.  Who knows, maybe at a much later point down the road if their reintroduction does well, Bachmann can introduce them in their N scale line.

Either way, I think they'd be welcome additions back into the lineup. Let me know what you think.

I'm not surprised the older thread was deleted; it had a lot of replies and probably took up a lot of space.

My thoughts haven't changed much. For HO, Hiro is still very overdue, given how popular he is; I think he would outsell Bachmann's recent releases, especially Rebecca. If they go with a tank engine, Whiff seems to be the most likely choice, as he's an iconic character and the last model era engine introduced in that era that made it to CGI, (excluding Harvey or Diesel 10). I don't have a strong opinion on the next HO rolling stock, but I would still love to see Bachmann introduce DCC modules for HO.

For N scale, Edward is the clear next engine, though I wouldn't rule out Duck being next. Both are top requests, and I wouldn't be surprised if one is announced at NMRA this summer. N scale also needs more rolling stock, hopefully a coal wagon with load and a BR 20 ton brake van. Bachmann hasn't introduced a new N scale tanker since their original announcement, so I could easily see them discontinue the Farish repaints and introduce some new tankers with a much nicer and accurate tooling.

Personally I'd like to see Bachmann invest in the narrow gauge line the most after the recent success of their Sir Handel model. Aside from the gunpowder vans, the backlog is empty. A Duncan reintroduction makes sense, but they could also bring in Victor or another CGI exclusive engine. For new rolling stock, I think the 4-plank wagons should be next since they appear in both model and CGI and have many liveries to choose from, making the new tooling investment worthwhile.

Definitely worth the watch if you guys haven't seen it already. DCC Sodor goes into great detail about the sound and quality of each of the engines. Although I paid more than I would have liked for these engines, I'd say they're worth picking up if you have DCC on your layout or club layout with DCC already installed.

I do hope Bachmann addresses the issue someday regarding sounds being available for other engines, either by introducing a separate sound module in HO like they did with large scale or, at the very least, by adding more engines with DCC and sound in the future. Considering the sales that DCC Thomas and Percy have had, it's clear the market for HO DCC Thomas models is there. It would easily be worth the investment for them, especially if they introduce modules, as sales for those would likely skyrocket and help more people get into that aspect of the hobby.

Loved the reveal of N scale Diesel and Paxton on the stream today; easily the highlight for me by a long shot. Definitely can't wait for Henry once his sample is done, which, as hinted, shouldn't be too much longer now.

Hope to see an exciting N scale engine announcement at NMRA this summer too. Either Edward to finish off the original main cast, or Duck to be added alongside his old rival, Diesel, would be very fitting choices.

Quote from: GordonPacific04 on February 03, 2026, 09:06:39 PMHere's a question I'll ask and leave you all with, as I feel everyone's answers are important to this topic.
What exactly is the appeal of the Resin buildings, and what advantage do they have over a simple plastic or card kit?

I think the appeal of resin buildings comes down to detail and intended use, rather than them having a clear-cut advantage over plastic or card across the board.

Resin has an advantage when it comes to capturing fine textures and offering a more finished, display-ready look right out of the box. That tends to appeal most to dedicated fans and adult hobbyists who value accuracy and permanence on a layout.

Bachmann's current plastic structures in their Thomas range, Tidmouth Sheds and Cranky, have advantages in other areas, especially for a broader and younger audience. They're designed for repeated handling and play, and can be integrated easily into larger layouts if fans wish, at least more so with Cranky than Tidmouth Sheds.

So rather than one being superior, I see resin and plastic as serving different purposes for different audiences. Each has its own strengths depending on how someone wants to enjoy the hobby.