Aaron,
I totally agree with you Dude. Unfortunately, Bachmann is not likely going to re-tool it now. Most likely it wouldn't make economic sense to do that at this point.

You're probably going to have to modify the train on your own. You might consider turning down the wheel flanges. This probably won't get you down to an 11" radius but it might get you to 16-17"
Mr. Bachmann,
You guys have definitely turned it around thanks in large part to Lee Riley who I totally admire and respect. Mr. Riley is a genius and a hobby industry legend. It wasn't that long ago when Bachmann's N-Scale products were a joke and in the last few years the offerings have dramatically increased in quality. That said, you did kind of shoot yourself in the foot with the latest Northeast Corridor models requiring a 19" radius. This is especially true for the Acela which could be a great "impulse" buy/starter product. Think about it, a family takes a trip on the prototype Acela and then mom or dad picks up the Bachmann Acela model train set for the kids.
But here's the problem. Beginners who venture beyond the train set usually purchase more track as one of their first acquisitions. Beginners usually don't want to deal with bending flex track they normally go for the sectional stuff. It can be somewhat difficult to find a 19" radius with sectional track and if/when you do, it's even more difficult to find something larger, assuming you want an outer and inner curve on a double track mainline. Then we have to assume that someone has the room for curves this large. If they do, they probably are into HO.
Anyway, I don't mean to dwell on this you know what I'm saying? I'm not trying to diss Bachmann in any way, just making a suggestion for the future so that more casual train set buyers can "graduate" and become full-on model railroaders. Thanks for listening.

Mike
