I think with Bachmann embracing the Bachmann UK vent van for recent products including Troublesome Truck #7, it would be refreshing to see the range switch over to the Bachmann UK 7-plank wagon tooling for newer wagons going forward. These are a bit shorter than the ex-Mainline toolings that Bachmann currently uses, and as a result look more accurate to how 7-plank wagons look in all eras of the TV series.



To add, it would be a good segway to introduce some CGI style Troublesome Trucks. The CGI era has lots of wacky and silly faces for them that would stand out from the current selection of trucks. There's also lots of new potential load possibilities that could be given to the trucks.



I personally think something like this would give the trucks in the range a breath of fresh air.

I think it would help to re-upload the images to somewhere like Imgur; linking to the Wiki doesn't always work. Most of the images here don't load on my end.

One of the biggest challenges with the resin buildings is that the majority of them tend to be one-time purchases, and I'm not sure how much they cost to manufacture compared to plastic buildings, but I imagine it's more expensive. I love the resin buildings though from both Bachmann and Hornby's ranges. I sold my Maithwaite some time ago since it's a station I'm not as married to, but I still hold on to the Dryaw set I collected. I think Bachmann really gave up on the resin buildings too early; I think if Ffarquhar had been introduced, it would've been their hottest seller in that range.

I do wonder why too Bachmann hasn't gone back to making bigger Thomas buildings but in plastic "kits" like Tidmouth Sheds. That might've made the Brendam Warehouse cheaper to manufacture and sell. While I would prefer resin buildings, I can understand why they'd go for plastic if it's cheaper in the future. Either way, I very much agree that the lack of buildings in the ever-growing range is becoming very noticeable. The Skarloey range especially could use some building attention.

I agree with the boxes too; Hornby and Thomas Wooden Railway both did a great job at having detailed, photogenic boxes that really caught shoppers attention and would make them want a product. I think the reason the Bachmann boxes are the way they are currently is because minimalism is the trend among advertising. Less things in the photos means less distractions for a shoppers eye, and no confusion on what is being sold within the box. I'm not a fan of the mindset, but that seems to be the reasoning. I'd love to see Bachmann do some nice display photos on the boxes for their products. Maybe on the back or side?

Gotta agree with the tender lining still; it was such a glaring error in the show and the fandom was not fond of it. Him having normal square tender lining would make the model look so much nicer and consistent with well... Every other appearance he's ever had. It's an even 50/50 chance if Bachmann does or doesn't do it though, I feel.

Quote from: RailsByRick on January 25, 2026, 04:15:27 PMVery disappointed to hear that Knapford has been cancelled. It's becoming a very bad habit of Bachmann's to announce a highly anticipated item only to cancel it a few months later.

Bachmann, please stop announcing new items unless you are 100% certain they'll be arriving to market. It is very tiring to constantly get our hopes up and then get let down shortly after. You are damaging your customers' faith.

Considering the amount of products Bachmann has cancelled in the Thomas range's entire 20+ year history can be counted with one's fingers, combined with all the outstandingly high quality products they've been outputting lately such as Ryan, Daisy, Stanley and Sir Handel, I think they're doing pretty decent in terms of customer satisfaction. Bachmann is a business, and sometimes things just don't line up the way they hope they would for a product. Things have been especially volatile in terms of manufacturing and exporting this decade so far. A lot of it is simply beyond Bachmann's control.

I think that it's more of a logical deduction; if Douglas is still out of service and basically in pieces, then it isn't exactly in the ideal condition to be measured, scanned or photographed for any model train company that would have interest in making a model of Douglas. Not much to add to that discussion until it returns to service.

I think the majority of fans would agree that having the correct rectangular lining would be an improvement to the model. It baffled everyone when the Fowler tender lining was used in the show.

I made a slight prediction to this in the Everything Thomas thread before it met its size limit, but I brushed it off under the assumption that Bachmann wouldn't do Flying Scotsman before Hiro. It seems I was wrong though. I'm really not sure how to feel about this, as I feel like Hiro is one of the most popular engines in the CGI era, and yet he keeps getting shafted for other engines.

Quote from: DustyMarie53! on June 26, 2025, 11:29:19 PMAdding on, they've highlighted the reason they didn't want to do the RWS Thomas face change is because it is a single run product and doing a new mold for that wouldn't be feasible. This, of course, wouldn't apply to James. I feel like the main thing holding them back to redesigning him is the fact there are now 4 different variations in productions (I'm counting the UK line) which would make a unified modification a harder sell, how does that get sold/marketed, etc. They are aware James especially is a flawed model, having redesigned him in the past with cosmetic tweaks, but even those hit production snags. New molding I could see being a worry taking multiple of one of their most popular characters of the market. I think it'll be worth it in the long run, but I also think it'd be smarter to gauge interest with someone less risky, rather than taking one of their more popular models off the market for an unknown amount of time. Depending on how Sidney or Mainland Diesel is done a Paxton redo could work wonders for this role, or even Spencer with some cosmetic changes since there's only one of him as well but this wouldn't be an exact test. I'd also suggest Percy, but he'd need the most work done and probably wouldn't be the most viable to take it off the market. Thinking about it doing an updated Henrietta in a similar vein would be smart as well. Relaunch her with her face, helps to troubleshoot any potential worries about a transition period/product confusion and then see how things work out. This went off on a bit of a tangent so apologies. Overall, I think promoting redesigns of old stuff is definitely a good move, just unsure if James is the most logical first choice even if he'd be the easiest of the 3 who arguably need it the most.

I wouldn't say James should be the first one either; I made this thread because I think he requires less extreme changes than Thomas and Percy do, who would better benefit from starting entirely over. I'd much rather see them done first, if given the choice.

Changing toolings can be expensive, but I wonder if it would be feasible to do James in gradual phases, so that his model isn't taken out of production for very long. One run would have an updated cab for example, while the next run would have an updated face, etc. Doesn't have to be those specifically or in any particular order, but just an example. That way, the Bee James and Origins James could also gradually get each upgrade as well until James is fully "up to date."

It's a hypothetical though, not sure how practical it would actually be. I do agree though that the quality of the range has gone up tremendously in recent years, that it only makes sense fans want the original trio to be higher quality now too. I don't think the demand will go quiet anytime soon.

I also agree that repaints and gimmicky products could help absorb costs that would go into redesigns. The Mainland Diesels could certainly help with that, as well as a new Henrietta. Maybe even a "classic" Arry and Bert limited run, some BWBA Class 08s, or Splatter and Dodge. The "Thomas" class 08 tooling has a lot of mileage.

Quote from: Mulfred100 on June 26, 2025, 10:17:15 AMI'm gonna be real. This likely won't happen for many reasons.

Firstly the time it'll take to make the new tooling and assembly. Its not as simple as just switching a few parts over especially if you want a new running board and buffer beam. More opened cab design. While yes it would look great and be more accurate to the CGI era. All those adjustments would take time and then thats time fixing a model thats already available rather then working on something new. We've seen in recent years how backed up things can get and how some projects which on paper sound extremely simple like DCC Thomas and Percy, Reintroduce Salty still aren't available after being introduced years ago. Likelihood would be if they did redesign James then any potential new tooling for an engine would be out the window for that year. Which I could see potential back lash against.

Another factor is the money side of things, this would likely result in a higher price point for the extra money they spent resigning him. Then there's the fact James is also available in the UK market which is another market they'll have to distribute too and make sure his model is up to standards that means in the UK it can be sold to ages 3+ (not 8+)

Then there's recent announcements of the 80th anniversary set. I'm sorry to say if they aren't gonna make a new face for Thomas for an anniversary set which lets face it fans would have ate up and had the perfect excuse to do so. They aren't gonna make one for James.

Lastly then there's the current James model. Do Bachmann introduce the redesign under a new code and product?do they wait for the current stock to sell out? Then redesign him? What about Origins James and Busy Bee James? Plus there's the Bachmann UK version as well.

Add into all of this the uncertainty around tarrifs and recent price increases on Bachmann Thomas Items. Theres alot to consider in this. Its not as simple as saying to someone in a factory use this part and not that one.

Like I say if he was redesigned to the standard shown in your illustration then that'll likely comes with extra cost and at the expense of new tooling being developed. Which if thats something people are ok with then fair enough. By all means go for it.

No disrespect to you Mulfred, but we're both enough of Bachmann Thomas veterans here to know that all of those factors should go without saying. The insight is understandable and within reason, but I think these days the consumers need to challenge them a bit more than accepting them as just-is. Any sort of redesign is matter of gauging up consumer interest within the Thomas fandom to see if Bachmann would consider these factors worth the time, resources and investment and having Bachmann understand why the demand for retoolings is increasing over the years.

I think the only obstacle I hadn't thought of would be the UK market range, which would probably rule out the more accurate couplers.

I also was inspired to make this thread partially because of how the 80th Anniversary Thomas has been poorly received by the fandom, which shows there is a growing shift in demands and expectations of the Thomas brand.

Recently 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.


 What do you guys think?

One final salute to Doug and his many years of service to the Bachmann brand; here's to retirement!

I definitely like the idea that even if deciding to add a new tooled face could delay the product, it could still tie into Thomas' books anniversary, which would be celebrating its 80th after the Three Railway Engines; it gives some extended marketability potential to the 80th Anniversary.

I think having a unique face would give people an actual incentive to buy the set. To me, the choice of wagons and a slightly different paintjob isn't enough for me to consider purchasing the 80th anniversary set. However, if it had a unique RWS themed face, that would give the model some novelty that sets it apart from every other Bachmann Thomas in a brand new way. It'd be the cherry on top, so to speak.

It's a minor nitpick, but I also think the paintjob should be a more desaturated turquoise blue, to match the Reginald Payne illustration. The Plarail 80th Anniversary Thomas set is doing this, and it makes a world of a difference.


I also don't think the face even needs to be designed around the moving eye mechanism either; the charm of the Railway Series faces is the more "hand-drawn" look, and trying to incorporate the moving eye mechanism into that could complicate what's a simple design. I imagine ideally, they'd have an enclosed faceplate that just goes over the eye mechanism.

Quote from: Mulfred100 on December 15, 2024, 09:21:40 AMOne other thing I did notice which I'll fully admit I only realised today. The G and N Scale 12 ton vans vents are raised and modelled HiT era styled where as these go more classic/cgi with the vents being more standard

This is because the HO/OO van body is sourced from the Bachmann Branchline range, while the G scale (and then N scale) ranges made their design based on the Season 7+ van design that was included in the HiT 2004 references.

The only difference is the body was retrofitted on the ex-Mainline chassis that the majority of wagons in the Thomas range use.

Sir Handel being based more on Sir Haydn than his CGI model is a win-win in my book; hardcore Thomas fans are not alienated by the real life designs of the engines, and then regular OO9 modelers will have an authentic model to work off of for Sir Haydn.