Quote from: Mulfred on April 10, 2026, 01:50:14 PMSomething I've been thinking about alot is vans within the range. Unfortunately at the moment in N scale and Large scale we have the 12 ton van however in HO theres both 12 ton van and the GWR vent van but there's an ever growing number of van variations being ticked off year after year and this leads to N and Large having one tooling for a van and their HO counterpart being a different one. But that doesn't need to be the case. We can still have a GWR vent van in N scale and maybe even Large (although N in my reason for this post.

Alot of goods trains in the show have multiple vans making up a train. See here the Mr Jolly's chocolate factory train where theres both 12 ton vans and GWR vans. Which leads me to my point. What if Bachmann introduced the GWR van into N Scale as a new tooling that they can add onto consists. I know some may say "its just rehashing old vans. Why introduced whats already in the range" but its not, its doing exactly what we do with things like Road numbers or having variations of different coloured wagons like for example the high sided wagons in NG line or Gondolas or even the gunpowder wagons.

I'm a bit late to the party on this, but here are my thoughts. While I think it would be cool to see the GWR Vent Van tooling in the range eventually, I feel like there are other types of goods stock that should be prioritized first, such as the Mail Vans, Flatbeds, and maybe even a new tooling for the Tankers before adding a 2nd Van variant, just so the range doesn't get immediately cluttered with vans. The other wagons would also provide more variety in a train than the GWR Vent Van. However, I do think this or the Salt Van would be a good option for a 2nd type of van later on, once the other types of wagons are made.

I have four Bachmann N gauge switches: 44859, 44860, 44861, 44860. This issue applies to all of them.
I have three engines. Two of the engines stop running after crossing the frog. I took them down to the train store and the person demonstrated with his meter that it stops getting power at the frog. The third engine is different than the other two. It's all wheel drive and it's longer than the other. That one seems to work. I'm not sure if it's because it's all wheel drive, or because of the length.
I'm not real keen on rewiring anything, even though the switches are supposed to be non-DCC. Anyone have any suggestions how to get around this?
Thanks in advance to all that reply.

Hi, I also require gears or trucks for my Shays so await with interest if Bachmann go ahead and makes the new stuff available. Does NWSL still make the metal gears for these?

White River is going to run Chris Lane into the ground. He's editing the On30 and HOn3 annuals, the Garden Railways annual and now the Shortline Gazette.
He's a great guy and I love working with him (and he's been to see my layout in person) but I worry for the man.
As for the status of the annual, it'll show when it shows. I don't have an article in this one, but I have nobody to blame but myself for that...

When is the GE 44 ton switcher going to be available?

Fred and others,
I checked with White River last week about the annual. They said they anticipate shipping mid-May and have not yet received them in their warehouse.
Mark B.

Check out Tichy Train Group. https://www.tichytraingroup.com/

Click the catalogs tab to download a catalog for your scale.   They have tons of doors, windows, and other building fittings, in HO and N.  I've modified many identical Plasticville buildings with their parts to give a development type "neighborhood" a more interesting look.

Len

 I need a replacement window and front door for Bachmann 45213 Split-Level House HO scale kit. Do you sell the original Plasticville replacement part or sprue for this kit?  Anyone have a source for this?

Interesting build and discussion, it's always great seeing how people customize and improve their setups. I've been preparing with a SAT Practice Test 2026 recently, so threads like this help me relax.

Hi. Just wanted to let you know that the 2026 On30 Annual is available for early-bird order through April 30, 2026. You get free shipping (which used to be about $5.00) if you place your order by that date. I just placed my order, however the website did not say when delivery was expected.