Vintage Bachmann Sears-exclusive train set

[wiley209]

A while back on eBay I saw an auction for a boxed train set from Bachmann that was a Sears-exclusive set. Now, Sears-exclusive train sets was nothing new then: I believe Lionel had several, and in the late 1960s and early 1970s, there were Sears HO sets made by TYCO.
This Sears train set I found was made by Bachmann some time in the late 1980s, and also included landscaping material, very much like the store-exclusive Life-Like train sets of the 1990s (usually sold by J.C. Penny.) It makes sense Sears chose Bachmann to make this, as by this time TYCO was really shrinking in their train line and not doing so well, and Bachmann was much more popular then.
It was officially labeled as "Sears HO SCALE TRAIN SET NO. 49-91569," and item number 476. It included a double-oval 45x90 track layout that also had a dead-end siding. The train was hauled by a 2-10-4 "Texas" PRR steam locomotive and tender (I think the tender had an electronic chugging module as well), pulling eight freight cars, the crane car and boom tender (no caboose, it seems!) It also included a bunch of action accessories, like the "Gandy Dancer" handcar, electronic wayside steam whistle, railroad crossing with gates lights and bell, and lighted freight station. Also included were the Plasticville switch tower, signal bridge, barn, farm building set, water tank, gas station and school house, along with signs and telephone poles, a 17-piece bridge-and-trestle set, and a grass mat, trees, lychen and gravel for landscaping. It even came with two power packs instead of one (maybe to power all those accessories.)

This was literally a full model railroad in a single package, very much like what Life-Like used to often sell in the 1980s and 1990s. I think this might have been the only time Bachmann ever did a set like this, but I could be wrong. Too bad too, because even if it was pricey, it was still an easy way to start a very nice model railroad without buying all the parts separately. (But for me, my method for starting a railroad would be to buy a good train set, some additional cars and track, and the landscaping material and buildings and such separately; maybe even buying them all together if shopping online or something!)

I think it would be neat if Bachmann offered a package like this again as some online or store-exclusive thing, except this time it would probably be similar to the "Digital Commander" set, including their E-Z Command system and two trains. I mean, except for that locomotive and that admittedly crummy railroad crossing (with the unrealistically-strobing lights and super-fast bell with grinding motor noise), as well as the old-fashioned "sectional" track, pretty much everything in that set is still available!

Does anyone else have any information about this or any similar sets, if Bachmann made any?

[union pacific 4014]

http://www.hoseeker.org/bachmann.html

[ACY]

[wiley209]

That "railroad city" set seems nice, though I find it odd how it comes with a 36" circle of track despite including all those buildings and such. It would be interesting if Bachmann came out with a new version, maybe with the same freight cars but their more modern "prototypical" Santa Fe GP40-2, and with a 56x38" oval of E-Z track, maybe even continue using the old name "Railroad City!" (Hey, if Bachmann could continue making the "Overland Limited," why not do the same here?

But these aren't what I had in mind, I meant a big store-exclusive set including landscaping and such, very much like the sets Life-Like used to make.