Thanks so much for the responses everyone! I just went back and fixed all the links to images from my initial post. Each post offers great, additional ideas, but I'm primarily glad that everyone is in agreement that the absence of buildings in the Thomas line is something that needs to be addressed.

Answering GordonPacific04's question, there is certainly something very appealing about the resin buildings, especially Thomas ones. They have the exact dimensions as the props we all remember, and the weathered, flat finish exhibits a very realistic impression from the brickwork or wood paneling to the roof tiles. As others have stated, the product feels very high quality in the hand as well. And if its a specific building that is memorable, it makes the experience all the more wonderful.

Finally, it is very reassuring to see that the resin structures are still going strong for Bachmann UK. They just posted their latest product announcement here, with a wide selection of resin buildings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AQFzLZxTcg&t=876s

When looking at the 2026 catalog, the one category of Thomas products that I sincerely believe needs to be analyzed more closely is buildings, the crucial pieces that bring the Island of Sodor to life.

With just Tidmouth Sheds in the line as of now, but over 30 engines, that is a problem. In addition to the tariff issues as of late, I understand much of the absence of buildings is because past sales for these products were not where they needed to be. Although the engines and rolling stock will most likely always be more popular, there are several factors that I believe will help make the second tackle of Thomas buildings more successful, especially as quality, resin products.

When looking at the first eight resin buildings for the Thomas line, the main problem I noticed was that all the memorable buildings such as Maithwaite Station and the Brendam Warehouse were too big and expensive. And apart from the Signal Box, all the smaller ones, such as the Corrugated Hut and Storage Shed, (the later of which never appeared in the show) were too generic. I really believe that offering buildings that are smaller for affordability, but also memorable, will lead to successful sales.

Hence, for the future, these are the ones that I would highly look into, as they all have appeared in the majority of the show, (both model and CGI), plus are titled with 'Thomas' titles such as "Tidmouth".

Tidmouth Goods Station
Everyone remembers this building. At first glance, it may just look like a typical goods station by Bachmann UK or Hornby. But because it appeared in every single season of the show in the same spot right beside Tidmouth Sheds, everyone remembers its specific dimensions. It's also not too big, and can be reused in many locations.

https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Tidmouth_Goods_Station/Gallery

Maithwaite Mine Building
This is another small building that would go wonderfully with the upcoming open wagon recolors such as the FFarquhar Quarry Wagon. Once again, it looks generic to non-Thomas fans. However, the circular minehead pulley at the top is very memorable, most notably from "Percy and the Haunted Mine", not to mention a very similar building appeared at the china clay works in CGI.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/7/77/MaithwaiteQuarryMineBuilding2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20211023231432

Neptune Refreshments
This is arguably the most memorable town building from the show, and one of my personal favorites. Again, it may look generic and simple. Yet, unlike the Storage Shed or Corrugated Hut previously announced, "Neptune Refreshments" is a name both Railway Series and TV series fans remember. The tooling of the building even appeared in CGI.

https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Neptune_Refreshments/Gallery

Signal Box
This is the only one without a "Thomas" title. However, with the original Signal Box as the best seller in the first batch of resin buildings, there is no doubt another one should be considered. Honestly, I'm all for a reintroduction of the original one. But for some contrast, this thinner green one would be wonderful as well. No doubt this one will sell, given how often it appeared, plus as a smaller building.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/4/4f/S8SignalBoxRulerReference2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20211005162617

Brendam Workmen's Hut
Unlike the Corrugated Hut, this building served many roles in the model and CGI series. It served as a goods station in "Thomas Gets Bumped". It served as the seaside workmen's hut in "Thomas, Percy, and Old Slow Coach", and it appeared in nearly every industrial location from the show, most commonly Brendam Docks. For a building so simple, it is surely very versatile and memorable because of these roles.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/1/1a/DryawGoodsStationS8Ruler1.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20211031113652

Skarloey Engine Shed
Frankly, with six engines in the narrow gauge line, I'm surprised that an engine shed has still not been made, even with the selection that Bachmann UK provides. The best one I believe would be the one attached, appearing once again in both model and CGI eras. Yet, I think that any narrow gauge shed from the orthos would work well.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/5/50/NarrowGaugeEngineShed.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20211025211531
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/a/ac/NarrowGaugeEngineShed2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20211025211219
https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/The_Depot/Gallery

Orthos Folder for Clearer Images & Measurements: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZPryPFwpqYYTuW2e86P1GosFjkKr6g_b

There are additional bigger buildings that I'd love such as Toby's Shed and FFarquhar Station. Yet, as I stated earlier, I think that small, but memorable buildings would be the best way to approach this initially. If these do extremely well, then maybe consider a few bigger ones later on.

One other factor I wanted to mention is the packaging, which is really just as important as the product itself. Back when Hornby introduced their Thomas resin buildings, the packaging of each building always included an image of the resin product with one or more Thomas characters within a sceniced layout.

Hornby Packaging:
https://directoryproductimages.blob.core.windows.net/products/R9219_BOX.JPG

Bachmann Packaging:
https://directoryproductimages.blob.core.windows.net/products/35901BAC_202208021637_3679315_Qty1_box1.jpg

On the other hand, the Bachmann packaging lacked this feature. Seeing each beautifully weathered and accurate building in context of a realistically sceniced Sodor layout with one or more of the famous Sodor engines will inspire more Thomas modelers to purchase it. This is yet another way to get people into serious scenery, which is much more enticing than just having the building on its own. Thus, I sincerely hope that this is something that can be considered for the future too. Lastly, with the new reboot, I really wish the packaging can return to the iconic dark blue, instead of the muted CGI one.

Thanks for taking the time to read this guys! As always, I'd love to read your thoughts and hear additional suggestions.

With the new HO DCC Thomas & Percy models as top preorders and now top sellers at TrainWorld, I can confidently predict that an HO DCC sound module that applies to more Thomas engines would also do very well with sales. As mentioned, it would be a valuable product that caters to those who cherish DCC and the memorable sounds of the Thomas engines, which has only grown in the recent years.

This is certainly a model that everyone is excited about one way or another. I agree that using the Spencer chassis would be ideal, given the thinner side rods. I'm also interested to see how some of the finer details such as the two front headlamps will be handled. Much to look forward to in the months ahead!

I agree. I think the hand-drawn text works wonderfully for products such as the D. Fusit Gunpowder Wagon, given its uneven look on the prop from Season 4. However, for the flat wagon with diesel drums, a harder, more even font as shown in the original photoshopped pic would have been more accurate to show, as well as realistic.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend the Amherst Train Show for the first time, and of course, one of the first goals was to head over to the Bachmann booth to converse with some familiar faces and check out the new 2026 catalog. With a fresh mind, here are my overall thoughts.

Beginning with the positives, it is good to see another announcement in Large Scale. The funfair vans offer new paint schemes that will continue to brighten garden railroads featuring the Thomas line, and they are memorable pieces from the show. The reintroduction of the milk tanker is nice as well. I reckon the paint scheme will match the HO version, with brown framing.

The other positive is the classic model era blue wagon announced in N scale. This is a favorite of mine, that has unfortunately been discontinued in HO. Mr. Jolly's Van is also a decent choice, but not one I expected at this time. And given the coal wagon with load and BR brake van have been the most popular requests for N scale rolling stock, I hope those will be announced next.

To be honest, I think the HO announcements were the weakest this time, not because of the fact that there is no newly tooled engine announced or new tooling in general, but because of the choices for recolors. I know many were anticipating the brake van from the canceled set, so I'm all for that. However, for the other two, I think a well wagon reintroduction, green china clay wagon, or Gordon's special coaches would have been more eclectic, and hence enticing amongst fans. That being stated, I'm sure there are fans who will purchase these.

The biggest disappointment is that Knapford Station is officially cancelled, due to the high RRP. To be blunt, I do find it somewhat strange that Rebecca, a controversial new computer generated character who is not a top seller received the green light as a product with expensive RRP, while arguably the most iconic station did not. Moreover, I know the engines and rolling stock generally sell better than the buildings, but the range has really felt empty with a lack of buildings in it. Even small, popular buildings such as an oil depot, coal hopper, or round water tower reintroduction, would fill that void, all of which would not be too expensive as well as work in resin or plastic.

All in all, not the most convincing announcement, but not bad either. As always, very grateful for the new announcements and optimistic for the road that lies ahead.

Thanks for taking the time to start this thread, Toad139. The 12 Ton Van tooling from the large scale line entering HO was certainly one of the highlights from this summer's new product announcement, and definitely deserves its own thread. With that, I wanted to take the opportunity to mention some additional product suggestions with this tooling for the future.

One right off the bat is a reintroduction of the Ice Cream Wagon. Just for some context, the original release of the HO Ice Cream Wagon used a single vent tooling. However, the tooling as a whole was inaccurate to what was seen on screen, given its detailing and rather flat roof, verses the rounder roof as seen on the large scale van tooling and prop from the show. Hence, I would love to see a rerelease of this piece of rolling stock, using the more accurate 12 Ton Van tooling that will be used for the upcoming van releases from this past summer.





Another variant of this van I would love to see, which others have already mentioned is another troublesome truck, namely Troublesome Truck #7. Troublesome Vans were often featured during the television series and the new 12 Ton Van would be the perfect tooling to accomplish a Bachmann model. That being stated, for it to be very well received from fans, I highly encourage going with a model era face. As others have stated, the CGI Troublesome Truck faces truthfully aren't as interesting, and I know several fans, including myself, were somewhat disappointed with the outcome of Troublesome Truck #6 for this reason. These are the faces I would highly recommend:




Furthermore, as Chaz mentioned, let's remember that Mattel recently produced a trackmaster pack that included a tanker with model era face, which is baffling, considering one would expect them to use a CGI face for that. Thus, I have zero doubt that a model era face could be a possibility for a Bachmann troublesome truck as well. The most important thing will be to not resort to the first image that pops up on the wiki, as that first image is not technically the most well received from fans.




Lastly, I would not mind seeing additional simple paint schemes of this van. As a matter of fact, I was surprised to see a simple gray variant get announced. Hence, why not announce a red oxide variant to go with it? Simple, yet effective

Altogether, I am very excited about the new 12 Ton Van tooling finally entering the HO line after years of hope, and I look forward to hearing additional thoughts on this new tooling.

Hey everyone! It's official! The next TrainWorld Thomas Tuesday livestream will be on August 1st at 6pm EST, and feature N Scale Gordon fully painted. The ad was posted on Twitter earlier today: https://twitter.com/Trainworld/status/1685428968747409409?s=20

I would definitely prefer Whiff & Scruff. For starters, Whiff is a character I remember from my childhood, and the glasses would be a unique feature, especially with moving eyes. As a medium sized tank engine, I could see Bachmann giving him an open cab too. Most importantly, I think that Whiff would do very well with non-Thomas modelers, as there is no ready to run model of his basis in the market at the moment. Scruff is also one of the more simpler designs, so I could see Bachmann giving that a nod as far as cost is concerned.

Yet another enjoyable assessment on one of Bachmann's latest arrivals! Just like N Scale Toby, it is great that Ryan has arrived, and it is certainly a beautiful model, as well as popular seller. The scenery of the club layout really brings the model to life too. The only slight criticism that I have with the model, as stated in the post, is that the cab is not fully open. It would have been nice to fit an HO crew inside of Ryan, just as you could with the HO Rosie, or most tender engines, especially with the upcoming figure packs. Nevertheless, the pros outweigh any cons by a longshot, and it goes without saying that Bachmann has done a stunning job.

A great read, as always, Chaz! Just from looking at the pics you posted of N Scale Toby, it's amazing to see the detail that went into such a small model. The body shell looks terrific, but what impresses me most is the inclusion of side rods, let alone the same chassis as Thomas. From seeing how smoothly Thomas runs, anyone could imagine how wonderfully this Toby model would run too. Here's hoping that Mavis could be a possibility for the future for this very reason. Just imagine a Bachmann N Scale Re-Enactment of Mavis and Toby's Tightrope with a sceniced N Scale Quarry, Tramroad, etc. Now that would be something else...

Glad that everyone enjoyed the TrainWorld stream yesterday and thank you for the kind remarks.

The Unlikely Fandom Documentary is a project that has been in the works for several years and it was a pleasure to have Carty and Ahmad on the show to answer many questions that fans have had with regards to the doc. Looking forward to seeing it later this year altogether.

N Scale Emily looked amazing! The fully hollow-spoked wheels, thin side rods, and separately applied handrails for the tender surprised me very much. Emily, along with Gordon, manifest the time and care that is put into these N Scale models and I look forward to seeing the fully painted sample in the coming months.

Very nice work on the customs! They look very appealing.

Looking great, Chaz! The scenery really makes a difference, and I especially like how the lake turned out.

Given the large amount of Thomas products that were announced in February of this year, I was very pleasantly surprised to see more additions for this year's NMRA!

The HO Christmas set was somewhat odd to me at first glance, mainly since the previous one was announced only two years ago. Yet, after looking more closely, it does look interesting with a festive Toad Brake Van, sleigh, and HO Santa figure.

The Large Scale Red Coaches are fantastic! I know that many Large Scale Thomas modelers have wanted Bachmann to announce these for years. Thus, it is nice to finally see them added to the line. I could see Toby's Museum Coaches as an additional recolor for the future too.

As always, I would like to thank Bachmann for thinking of us Thomas fans with these new product announcements, and I look forward to viewing Thursday's presentation very much.