There's a light at the end of the tunnel!   Apparently the new 4-4-0's will be available in November.   You can see some photos of them about half-way down this page:

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/23530?page=2

The "revised" 4-4-0's were announced a year ago, but still not available?    I see they are now listed as "coming soon" with price from $239 - $315.  For that much, they better look WAY better than the current models. 

http://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=258_276_978

Still no word on a release date or even a teaser photo for these new locos? 

My wife rented Disney's 1956 movie, "The Great Locomotive Chase" last weekend, and now I really, really, REALLY want a fleet of American 4-4-0's! 

I just got back from TrainFest in Milwaukee, where I noticed the Bachmann booth had no old time American 4-4-0's on display.    I spoke to the representative and he said the new version isn't ready yet.   Aside from supporting DCC, the other good news is that the motor will no longer be in the tender.  Apparently there will be a "micro motor" in the locomotive itself which is nice because that eliminates the silly looking plastic drive rod between the cab and tender.

Unfortunately, even the literature they had only has photos of the old models, so it's still a mystery if this new release will look more like a Spectrum loco or remain toy looking.

I've been dreaming of the day when the Bachmann American 4-4-0's are re-released to the same level of detail and quality as the Spectrum 4-4-0s (of which I own a few).  I've got my fingers crossed that the new American locomotives aren't just the old models with sound boards crammed in. </ End dream sequence>