What I don't understand is why Douglas affects Duncan's chances so much. This is still the thomas range, bachmann Duncan even in his unpopular CGI form would be viable and popular-at the very least for another smooth 0-4-0 chassis. We've seen them take controversial cgi routes for characters before as well. (Oliver seems to still be going strong)

If the narrow gauge range only sees profit for toolings that can be reused outside of thomas now then I'm scared for its future..

A happy medium could be designing the TVS duncan around a wheelbase accurate for Douglas, and then tooling a new body if they want to produce the latter. Isn't the exact same cost saving measure but not a bad trade either. Fourdees already does this and offers high quality prints of bodies designed to fit Bachmann chassis, it's somewhere to look to if bachmann want to expand the non-thomas Hon30 range. (Although I am curious how well welsh narrow gauge sells here at all)

This is a wonderful suggestion. I always wanted to grab one of these for G. In HO I'd be even more tempted because of the large number of engines. Even though I'm old school and just love the sounds of the engines running along the track. 

Quote from: Zorran202 on Today at 04:27:53 PM

Quote from: DustyMarie53! on January 13, 2026, 02:02:36 PM

Quote from: harrison05 on January 12, 2026, 08:10:05 PMNG (I doubt Duncan will be uncanceled until Douglas's overhaul is done.)

I've seen this line of logic come up a few times and I wanted to offer a potential alternative. As Douglas wasn't in pieces until a good few months after the Bachmann cancellation (plus I'm sure they likely already have measurements)

Duncan was cancelled after Sir Handel's sample was revealed, which we know now is almost entirely Sir Hayden with a new coat of paint. I think the reality is, Bachmann doesn't want to make Duncan just Douglas and that is why it was cancelled for the reasons stated of lack of cross compatibility. His tvs design is too different compared to the real engine and there's no easy way to swing it. Will they revisit this, perhaps. But I don't think it'd be anytime until the other 3 cgi narrow gauge engines are done. Plus with the 2026 project on the horizon there may be even more to pull from with Rheneas seemingly already confirmed and the fact Motorized Nia explicitly comes with a BMQ mine truck. I think Duncan is off the radar for some time.

At the same time, I'll present a counter to that (and assuming I think this was mentioned at one point): I recall even Large Scale Diesel was canceled initially, but then got re-released later on, showing that they can do characters initially cancelled and then see the light of day eventually.

We are definitely dealing with a LS Diesel case here, Duncan is way too popular not to make (his popularity rivals Skarloey) I think Bachmann will retry doing Duncan again. It's more of when will they attempt it again I think next year is the best time to announce it, It's when Douglas is due to return.

I was looking up mainline OO coaches since some of the toolings were used for Bachmann's Thomas line and I came across this Mainline LMS Parcels Van on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/116960135744?_skw=LMS+period+1+parcels+OO+mainline&epid=6070524958&itmmeta=01KGE1HXM2TWEG6W8GWYMBM6T1&hash=item1b3b5e0a40:g:F5QAAeSwRpBpVzGw&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAAA4O7PUuNWmJ%2B%2BUShgI9tQz%2Fp5ygWtdIdcLvkdgyeZ7w1opFIDeTfddutBYE8d%2FllE67VqhVBSf4RLl10DmBxdMVse4AWDrmG8%2FxZaC2%2BcezK6y2K69RYOEBFQT7zNCQNPq%2FDcJwT8zGcPYkxhowyIZX6eFKnY8slJQ15SS8GrP%2F4%2FZ7i2cu8iVq7eHHCfXLzNngfnPevaD1ge5IRFYYfpAf1%2B5rie5yhcBJ20im4GRf2%2Fzu6fYGKxlXcrfRrpE3PK9FTDL%2FBcvYKxqoaN5ltmETyJaUndDQogfPD85IZMgiLb%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR47ax8GDZw

Does anybody who owns this know if this is the same length as the Bachmann Express Coaches in the Thomas line? I'm curious cause I want to know before I buy it.

Quote from: DustyMarie53! on January 13, 2026, 02:02:36 PM

Quote from: harrison05 on January 12, 2026, 08:10:05 PMNG (I doubt Duncan will be uncanceled until Douglas's overhaul is done.)

I've seen this line of logic come up a few times and I wanted to offer a potential alternative. As Douglas wasn't in pieces until a good few months after the Bachmann cancellation (plus I'm sure they likely already have measurements)

Duncan was cancelled after Sir Handel's sample was revealed, which we know now is almost entirely Sir Hayden with a new coat of paint. I think the reality is, Bachmann doesn't want to make Duncan just Douglas and that is why it was cancelled for the reasons stated of lack of cross compatibility. His tvs design is too different compared to the real engine and there's no easy way to swing it. Will they revisit this, perhaps. But I don't think it'd be anytime until the other 3 cgi narrow gauge engines are done. Plus with the 2026 project on the horizon there may be even more to pull from with Rheneas seemingly already confirmed and the fact Motorized Nia explicitly comes with a BMQ mine truck. I think Duncan is off the radar for some time.

At the same time, I'll present a counter to that (and assuming I think this was mentioned at one point): I recall even Large Scale Diesel was canceled initially, but then got re-released later on, showing that they can do characters initially cancelled and then see the light of day eventually. The other is the character I never thought I'd even acknowledge: Beau. They showed that they can adjust the TV series character into a model w/o changing it to the CGI series model because that one had buffers, while the model itself just has the cowcatcher without the buffers. I'm not saying the chances of Duncan are high, but they have shown that even they're willing to not change the models too much and stick them to their real-life basis (HO Scale Beau) and/or release them eventually (LG Scale Diesel).

I recently picked up the DCC Sound Thomas and had the opportunity to test it with Kelson (redtender5) while on a call with DCC Sodor. I can confidently say that Bachmann and SoundTraxx truly delivered on the sound quality of this model. I was impressed enough that I have already purchased Percy online, who is currently on the way.

The CV includes the same sound suites and character options found in the Large Scale DCC Thomas and Percy models, featuring engines 1–7, Emily, and Spencer. While many of these characters were never released in Large Scale, Bachmann addressed this by offering a standalone DCC sound module, allowing fans to add DCC and sound to other models such as James, Toby, and Emily: engines that never received factory-installed DCC and sound.

Unfortunately, this same option does not exist in HO scale. At present, only Thomas and Percy are available with DCC and sound installed. Given that Bachmann already has these character sound suites—both from the Large Scale module and within the HO Thomas and Percy models—it feels limiting that HO fans have no way to access these sounds for other characters. This raises an important question: why can't HO modelers have the same flexibility when all of the characters represented in the sound suites are already available in HO scale? Wouldn't it be ideal to have that same level of choice?


This is why I believe a logical next step, either this year or next, would be to introduce the same DCC sound module used in HO Thomas and Percy as a standalone item. This would allow fans to add DCC and sound to the rest of the HO Thomas range without requiring the purchase of entirely new locomotives. Even owners of non-DCC Thomas and Percy models would benefit from having this option available.

Such an addition would not only expand customization options but also help bring more fans into the DCC side of the hobby. HO Thomas models have been on the market for many years with no signs of slowing down, and the standalone Large Scale sound module continues to sell well. In fact, it outlasted the now-discontinued Large Scale DCC Thomas and Percy engines (with the exception of Thomas in a set). This suggests sustained interest in modular DCC sound solutions, a trend that could easily carry over into HO scale.


A standalone HO DCC sound module would be a strong asset to the hobby. Bachmann is already encouraging DCC adoption through products such as the HO DCC turntable being a required purchase for the reintroduction of Tidmouth Sheds, and Bachmann Europe offers Thomas models that are DCC ready. These developments further support the case for investing in an HO DCC sound module.



Speaking of Bachmann Europe, this also raises another opportunity worth considering. In addition to a module featuring the same sound suites as HO Thomas and Percy, there is room for a second DCC sound module dedicated to other popular characters that currently have no sound options. Engines 1–7, Emily, and Spencer have been proven sellers for nearly two decades, with many expanding across multiple scales. Beyond them, Diesel and Paxton now have a presence in every scale, including Large Scale, making them strong candidates. Duck and Daisy are already available in the UK DCC-ready range and would also be well-justified inclusions. Oliver, who has remained a consistently popular seller for many years, feels like a natural choice as well. Introducing a second module with sound suites for these engines—and potentially other strong sellers—would be an exciting and forward-thinking move.

Ultimately, the fact that HO DCC sound Thomas and Percy have only been available for about a month and fans are already asking for more options speaks volumes. It strongly justifies Bachmann exploring standalone DCC sound modules for the HO Thomas range in the near future. I know I would purchase several for my own collection, and I'm confident many others would as well. I hope Bachmann will consider this, as it would positively impact not only HO Thomas fans, but the model train hobby as a whole.

Thank you to the Bachmann team for taking the time to consider this suggestion, and to fellow forum members for the continued discussion and shared enthusiasm for expanding DCC options within the HO Thomas range. I look forward to hearing future thoughts or updates on this topic.

Hello,

I have 2 decoder-equipped turnouts but I don't have a E-Z controller. I would like to change the function key F3 (called 'address' by Bachmann) to another.

We can change the address with NCE for example (in a range 1-100) but it seems that the new address is lost after a while if the power is off. In that case, the decoder works like an accessory decoder. With the E-Z controller, it works like a locomotive with an address and a function key.

So, I would like to change the key like with the E-Z controller but... without using it. Is it possible? How to do?

As we have to press a push button on the turnout then switch the turnout 4 times, I tried that by sending 4 DCC commands, but without success.

Hello,

I made some tests with 2 turnouts I recently purchased. They have both the address 9 and the function key F3, the default setup. If I switch each one separately (only one in the layout), each one is working well. If they are together in the layout, they are working one time, and after that, only one is working well. Would you have an explanation?

Hello,

I'm a french guy and I purchased 2 used decoder-equipped turnouts. The wye is different from the other turnouts, there is a metallic part in the frog. Do you know why? Do we have to prevent a short circuit?

I realized I posted my NMRA prediction list on the wrong thread. This will be the only time I will post this to avoid jinxing myself more than I have to. I want to keep this list small so that Bachmann doesn't end up with a big backlog. 6 months is quite a long way, but it'll come sooner than later.

HO:
- Whiff
- Garbage trucks
- Quarry hoppers

HoN30:
- Duncan (reintroduction)
- Luke
- V-tipper wagons

N:
- Edward
- Duck
- Mail Trucks
- LNER 20-ton brake van

G:
- Origin James