Hi all,

We appreciate the suggestions. We were uncertain as to how to handle this topic, but as it's come up many times now, I feel I need to address one piece of speculation:

Bachmann does not have a CGI "mandate" from Mattel. We are not required or forced to make exclusively CGI character and items, as can be seen from items like the 80th Anniversary set, the China Clay Wagons, the Museum Coaches, S.C. Ruffey, etc.

It's been our choice to focus primarily on characters that have appeared in the CGI series, particularly the engines. We do this in order to have a strong relationship with Mattel and to help promote their brand, by making sure to highlight engines that are most recognizable to children watching the newer seasons of the show. While all of our models do need to be approved by Mattel, they've never outright forced us to only create CGI products.

We'd love to do every character across all eras of the franchise someday- we just can't say when or if all of them will be feasible. But never say never!

Hi Mark,

3-rail O gauge locomotives, including Williams, are not compatible with DCC. DCC is designed for 2-rail model railroads only.

Hi rbrpguy,

It depends on which scale the figures are actually manufactured in. Even if both are labeled as "G"/"Large" scale, a 1:29 scale figure will be smaller than a 1:20 figure, just like the trains. Did the eBay seller specify which scale the figures are printed in?

Hi all,

Sorry to disappoint, but it will likely be some time before we can offer a new run of 4-4-0s. We do not plan to produce another tender drive locomotive; they have always caused reliability issues with the exposed driveshaft between the locomotive and tender. As of right now, a motor that is small enough to fit inside the boiler of the 4-4-0 and operate at the same voltage as all other N scale locomotives hasn't been developed yet. If the technology advances, we may be able to revisit the 4-4-0 in the future.

Hi bbmiroku,

The 19th Century 4-6-0 is still in the planning stages but is coming along; the prototype we had initially selected was not large enough to accommodate a motor in the boiler, so we had to research and select another prototype. We hope to have something to show everybody in the coming months.

Hi peacekeeper,

This particular 0-6-0 was last made in the 1990s and predates the development of DCC, so it does not have a dummy board or decoder socket. While we don't have specific instructions, DCC installation may be possible, but will require hardwiring the decoder.

Hi all, we appreciate the positive feedback. While we don't have them officially planned for development, we'll certainly keep in mind to add more car types like baggage and RPO cars in the future. And we can consider painted/unlettered cars for a future release.

Hi Bok,

E-Z App is currently unavailable on the Google Play store due to an account issue. We are working on making it available again. In the meantime, BlueRail Trains E-Z App can be used to control your trains:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bluerailtrains.traincontrol&hl=en_US

Hi Old Man Wolf,

We appreciate the suggestion, while we can't say if or when we'll bring the 2-4-4-2 to Large Scale, we'll certainly keep it under consideration.

Hi all,

This item previously had an 8 pin plug, but was updated to a 21 pin plug in the most recent production run. We will update the website description accordingly.

Dear Thomas & Friends board,

We have received notice recently of some board members receiving harassment on other websites about their posts and opinions in the Thomas & Friends threads, particularly in the suggestions and predictions thread. We cannot control what others say and post on other sites and social media, but we have also noticed that sometimes arguments will develop on the forum that have led to personal attacks. We would like to remind everybody of this section from the forum's Code of Conduct:

QuotePlease keep your posts friendly and on topic...  As with any discussion, disagreements will occur, we ask that your responses are respectful.  Name-calling, bashing, or any other form of cyber bullying will not be tolerated.

Please keep this in mind in your discussions. If you see another user harassing others or yourself on the forum, please use the "Report to Moderator" button to alert the forum moderators. If you experience harassment from a forum member that is not on a forum post (on another site or in personal messages), please send the moderators (myself, @3rail, and @The Bach-Man) a personal message. We will take action accordingly to either warm or ban anybody breaking the forum rules. If we continue to see and hear about harassment or uncivil discussions, we may also lock any thread where they are taking place (including the suggestions and predictions thread.)

Also, please remember that any new product news and announcements will come directly from Bachmann on our main website, Facebook, YouTube etc., and that anything not posted directly by the company is purely rumors and speculation.

Thank you for your attention.

Hi Bob,

You won't need to open up the locomotive to add smoke. Just use the included vial to drop a few drops directly down the smoke stack.

Hi Tom,

According to my records, a Baltimore & Ohio combine was never offered in separate sale. However, one is included in the Royal Blue set (item no. 25004.)

Hi Jimmy,

The DCC On Board GS-4 does not have a smoke unit.

Hi old pilot,

The roof on the On30 Boxcar is separate from the walls on the body and connected by four small tabs. You can remove it to access the interior by carefully detaching the brake wheel from the end of the car and removing it, then gently prying the roof off from the edges.