Bachmann Thomas & Friends in 2021

[Zekeism]

How would people feel about Emily with her new number 12?

[Mulfred100]

Heres idea for the HO rolling stock range. Why not introduce the circus into the line similar to how hornby did back in 05?

Hornby released 9 vans, a cattle truck and two flat beds with loads which were all part of the circus range. They even made tents and stalls based on Thomas and the Circus from series 8. We already have the vans and cattle truck toolings. However i personally feel that this might be a better option.

These are from Henry and the Elephant. They have a more simplistic design compared to series 8 where each truck had its own design these just use simple white rolling stock with red linings and the Topham circus (or just circus) on the side. Theres a better variety of rolling stock used here with standard trucks (Troublesome truck 1,2 ect), vent vans (ice cream van, fruit van ect), utility vans (mail car ect) flat beds and salt vans. I mean its pretty easy for recolours of rolling stock and dare I say could even spin out to an eventual train set with thomas and a few of these items. Again just something I was thinking about for rolling stock.
As for Emily with the number 12 I think it will happen but not just yet. Maybe 2022/23

[MeganekkoFury1126]

I think the season 4 Topham Circus rolling stock would be an excellent idea. The older fans will buy them because it's from a particularly beloved classic season, and newer fans will buy them because they have bright colorful decoration. Plus, who doesn't love circus trains?
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This was also a bit of a small idea I thought of, but I think Bachmann would do well to make name boards available for its roster of Thomas characters. Really, the only product line I've seen that did the classic name boards in merchandise was the Departing Now line from Japan in the early 90's, so this could be a potential gold mine.



Considering some people buy the Bachmann models as collector items to display on shelves instead of operating them, what would make a better display than having all the characters with their matching name boards to answer to a casual visitor who each character is? I don't think they'd be too expensive to make in plastic, or would be priced high for a bag of maybe 8 or 10 each. Plus, in addition to having the names of all the existing characters in the line, they could even have a way to for collectors to customize the text on them for other characters if the buyer wants to.

The only real problem I see is them becoming a small hazard for younger children who put anything in their mouths without thinking, but considering the parents are usually the ones buying these inexpensive products (plus given the age restrictions on Bachmann Thomas items anyways) I don't think it's the biggest worry.

[Chaz]

I could see Emily getting her #12 in a revision or updated model in the future with her HO and/or large scale model since that's really just an additional decal they could add which really wouldn't cost them anything to do.  If Emily gets announced in the N scale range though, then I can see her #12 being added to her then.

As for circus cars, I've said this before but I'm still surprised Bachmann never looked into making these considering how often Bachmann has been turning to rolling stock recolors apart from this year.  If I'm being honest though I could see them going for the season 8 design since it would look a lot more colorful and kid-friendly.  If they went with the Topham Circus style from season 4 then I might consider picking them up. 

Nameboards don't seem like something Bachmann would make, but the good news though is that they would be simple to make if you wanted to make them yourself.

[TrainFan97]

While Bachmann's still working on N Scale James, there's a very good chance they're going to announce Toby as the fourth N Scale engine, especially if they're not ready to make the big engines yet because of the pandemic. Once we get Toby, we'll already have half the original Steam Team in N Scale, with the remaining members being Gordon, Henry, Emily, and of course, Edward. Maybe for 2022, they can start doing the big engines for N Scale, like Gordon and Henry. Only small and medium-sized engines can be made in Large Scale, but N Scale should handle big engines much better. For now, we can expect Toby announced in February.

I think I'd rather have Toby than Diesel in N Scale for now because Bachmann should build up the original Steam Team a little more before we start getting other characters. Diesel would be great, maybe even better in N Scale than HO Scale, since there's no eye mechanism, which means characters like Paxton and Sidney would have perfect faces. With the Diesel tooling, which is quite versatile, Bachmann can make multiple characters like 'Arry and Bert, Paxton, and Sidney. Maybe 'Arry and Bert would sell better in either Large Scale or N Scale if their faces are better than they were on their HO Scale models.

If Bachmann announces Large Scale Paxton, he might once again have an oversized face, unless Bachmann actually designed Large Scale Diesel's tooling with multiple characters in mind. Paxton would be a great choice for Large Scale, since you can load up your trucks with stone (like at the Blue Mountain Quarry, where he collects stone), and Paxton can pull stone trucks or diesel tankers around your outdoor railroad.

[TTL]

Honestly, I'd rather have diesel...granted my purposes are for 009 and having a cheaper outside framed, coupled chassis would be ideal. Hell, if only for NG parts use, the Diesel stuff would probably sell out somewhat quickly if priced well.

[TrainFan97]

Toby, Diesel, or even both would be great N Scale candidates for next year. Maybe someone can do a poll with a choice of Toby or Diesel for N Scale next year to see what the more popular choice is. One or the other is more likely, but if they can announce both, that would be nice. Toby and Diesel are both smaller engines to work with. Large Scale Diesel will most likely have black siderods, and the same can be like that for his N Scale model, also having black siderods. Grumpy Diesel in HO Scale still has his classic silver siderods. Once the first wave containing Thomas and Percy is finally available, the N Scale line should be very successful.

Maybe later this year, Bachmann could show an unpainted prototype of N Scale James once that's ready. Last year, they showed unpainted prototypes of Thomas and Percy, as well as the first rolling stock.

An unpainted sneak peak of HO Scale Daisy would also be nice possibly later this year.

[Falcon the 2nd]

Between Toby and Diesel, I personally want Toby to come next for N Scale. He was among the first couple characters in both scales he was previously in and it'd make sense to follow suit with this one. He'd be a generally inexpensive engine to make (considering both his previous equivalents were made much sooner than Diesel's) and his chassis can be reused for Mavis if she is ever made as well. And if it's been a struggle to make Henrietta in Large Scale after Toby's release, I can see the Bachmann team having an easier time translating her to N Scale alongside Toby. Toby's also seemingly gotten less attention in recent years than Diesel, so it'd be nice to give him a major piece of merchandise again to make up for it.

It's difficult to explain and I don't mean offense to anyone else who wants him, but I'm honestly not keen on Diesel being made for the moment. It's not that I am against the idea of Diesel being made to begin with or the fact that his tooling can be reused for other characters, but this line is still pretty new and I'm generally concerned about bringing in an engine with an easily reusable tooling this early into the line. It's been a safe move for rolling stock so far, but engines are generally more expensive investments to make regardless of their scale and tend to be announced less often than rolling stock. For the most part, announcements of engine recolors in HO Scale have been much less rewarding for our patience than that of new toolings.

Don't get me wrong - it helps to have a versatile tooling (especially with no eye mechanism) and things will most likely be different for this line long-term because of the ongoing health crisis. But both other major scales Bachmann did previously had varying character toolings to start out with and I don't think it'd make the N Scale line look good to have a bunch of similar-looking diesel engines in its infancy. Especially if engines will be announced on a basis that is more or less similar to the Large Scale line's.

I'm also uneasy about the idea of the N Scale line's assortment of engines being too similar to Large Scale for a period of time, taking into consideration that we're also yet to see Diesel's Large Scale model released, which already opens up tooling-recycling potential in its respective line. Seeing two lines with very identical sets of characters produced, or being produced, would most likely turn consumers off from one of them, or even both.

Again, this is all just my personal stance on Diesel and I don't mean to talk anyone down from supporting him. I just want to share my concerns in relation to him and hope that some variety between Bachmann's lines can be had, even in the face of a health crisis. I'll be open to him if he's announced, but I still want Toby more between the two.

I'm thinking Edward has a decent chance since James is already made and he'd be cheaper to make in N Scale than in Large Scale, but I'm not sure how soon he'd come compared to a smaller engine like Toby or Diesel and considering his seemingly reduced role in the show. (I'll admit I haven't watched any new episodes in quite some time, let alone kept up with show news, but I at least heard he might've been shunned.)

It's already pretty tough to tell who will come next in N Scale, but a character smaller than Gordon/Henry/Emily will likely come for sure.

[TrainFan97]

You have a good point there. It really wouldn't be the best idea to introduce a character with a versatile tooling, like Diesel, to the N Scale line just yet, especially when the N Scale line is in its infancy. Bachmann is much better off making Toby next year for N Scale. Edward is also a great choice, even though he has yet to be made in Large Scale, and he was the last of the original Steam Team to be made in HO Scale. Edward's role in the show has been reduced considerably ever since he and Henry were both removed from the main cast. Maybe Edward or Emily can be made after Toby. Should big engines like Gordon and Henry be saved for last, or should we vouch for them after Toby? Within a few years or so, Bachmann should get all the original Steam Team ready in N Scale.

Diesel is better off being saved as a later priority for N Scale. I would prioritize the remaining original Steam Team over him.

[Chaz]

I'm also going to mirror Falcon's comment regarding the preference of Toby being the next engine for the N scale range over Diesel.  I'll admit I might have gotten a little hyped the moment I saw the large scale Diesel engineering sample from earlier, but with how much the large scale range was struggling over the last couple of years with mostly lackluster/non-existent announcements seeing Diesel being brought back and looking incredible really got a lot of people talking about large scale, but that's beside the point. 

Toby would feel like the most natural addition at this point for the fourth engine in the N scale range because of Bachmann's track record of making more simple engines in ranges while production on previously announced engines get held up (IE Rusty for narrow gauge), Toby would be the only engine that would be the safest choice. 

Even if Toby isn't exactly marketable in Mattel's eyes, he was a huge hit when he was first released in both HO and large scale and both Toby models are hot sellers to this very day indicating that if Toby were to be introduced in the N scale range the results would be no different.

[Mulfred100]

To be honest I've got to agree with Chaz and Falcon too in regards to Toby or Diesel coming after James in N Scale. Despite how popular Diesel is in the show especially of late I think Toby still has that edge weather he's being used as often in the show or in marketing/products as he once was. Bachmann seems to play by quite old school rules when it comes to making engines in any scale and they know what the target Audience would prefer over others. Yes Diesel would be a very simple make and then once you have him there's 'Arry, Bert, Paxton and Sidney who all share his design tooling but Toby has always been at the core of the show. In fact I think Diesel won't be on the table for at least 2 more years as the chances are the bigger engines. I.e. Gordon and probably Emily will come out before Diesel which I think is something Bachmann will explore more in the range since obviously they are limited to what they can do with bigger engines like Gordon in large scale given the wheel arrangement and how big he would be and being able to run round a layout. That problem isn't a factor in N Scale like Large so yeah. But whatever is announced after James will be a welcome surprise however I do think Toby will and should be next in line unless they do want to be ambitious and go for Gordon.

[TerencetheTractor525]

While I am optimistic about the future of the Bachmann Thomas N scale line, I wanted to share my thoughts on future engines for the line as well. Firstly, I completely agree that Toby should be the next N scale engine for all the reasons that were previously stated. Yet, the other engine that I would love to see announced afterwards is Gordon. Other than the fact that the HO Daisy and Narrow Gauge Peter Sam models are currently delayed, the one concern that I see with an N scale Gordon is that the model would require a complex side rod configuration with very thin side rods. I see this as an issue, given that the N scale Thomas model has side rods that are oddly thick, compared to the size of his wheels and body altogether. Even so, Bachmann has made Non-Thomas N scale tender engines with complex side rod configurations in the past: https://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=265_372&zenid=7tvpg04lr8qknape0o12nddq45 Hence, I still see Gordon as a possibility for the future if the demand for him is there.  

[TrainFan97]

Toby is the clear winner for next year's N Scale announcement. If Bachmann was to make another smaller engine to go with Toby (if they announce two engines), another good choice would be Mavis because she can use the same chassis as Toby. Or, for a medium-sized engine, Edward or Emily.

N Scale rolling stock that would be most welcome would be:

-Milk Tanker
-Tar Tanker
-Mail Car
-S.C. Ruffey
-Open Wagon - Red
-Coal Wagon with Load
-Brake Van
-Red Coaches
-Henrietta (if they make Toby)
-Hannah
-Express Coaches (if they make Gordon)
-Emily's Coaches (if they make Emily)

At least some of these are bound to be announced in February, especially the Milk Tanker, which I'm surprised hasn't been announced already.

Rolling stock HO Scale still needs:

-Ventilated Van - Explosives
-Toffee Tanker
-Chocolate Syrup Tanker

All three of them are still exclusive to Large Scale. Where are the HO Scale versions? Will we eventually get them? The most-requested reintroductions are the Red Express Coaches, and the Tar Tanker.

[Chaz]

I'm surprised you remembered the red open wagon but you forgot the coal wagon with load.  That I could see happening in the future as well for the N scale range and would also be a popular seller.

[TrainFan97]

I'm surprised you remembered the red open wagon but you forgot the coal wagon with load.  That I could see happening in the future as well for the N scale range and would also be a popular seller.

I didn't forget that one. I just didn't list it because I wasn't sure about it since I thought the one with the logo that was released in HO Scale last year might replace the old, logoless one. Now that you mentioned it, I will list it now.