Jake Smith said:That was me...I must admit I tire of the same thing from 5 different mfgrs. I don't need another rendition of what I have. I'm that guy who will scratch-build if needed but would just as well buy RTR.
...One last thing, someone mentioned on that board to make something other than the Jackson and Sharp coaches. I think that is a great idea. The market is so thin why try to take the share of another, and the been there done that. Create your own niche with a different coach.
I can buy a new Accucraft brass caboose for less than what some dealers are trying to sell their Bachmanns for.
I have a set of Accu coaches, so Bachmann won’t get my vote.
You can buy Accu coaches for as little as $209.00 if you look on line.
If Accu would make a baggage, I’d get it and be done.
You know, I have both Bachmann Big Hauler and AMS cars.
I really like the size and detail of the AMS cars, and … well, did I mention the detail? They have some drag, but that can be modified. I might buy more of them if funds allowed … I’m happy with them.
The Bachmann BH cars also look very nice … if they were in 1:20.3 scale (even at their short length) and had a body mounted coupler option, I’d buy some, and dress them up… IF they were at Big Hauler prices (adjusted for the extra plastic involved in the extra size…) The current offerings are simply too small for me for what I’m doing, so I don’t buy them anymore. When I had 1:22.5 equipment, I enjoyed having them.
I’m still not sure whose idea it was to double prices when sales dropped off, and folks felt more financially squeezed … but I’m sure it makes sense to somebody, someplace. The end result is I can buy fewer cars, because I only have just so much money for trains. If Bachmann makes these for $300.00, I might buy one. If they made them for $100.00 I might buy a couple. If they made them with poor detail, weird proportions, or in such a way that it was hard to use them normally without them breaking, I wouldn’t buy any.
That’s true for AMS too, btw, or anyone else.
Matthew (OV)
$1500MSRP for a plastic engine and $500MSRP for a plastic passenger car? Wow sounds like LGB After reading all this gnashing of teeth over prices I am getting quite a chuckle over all this ongoing drama. Between this, ACs ever climbing prices and LGB being priced like a high end Beautique brand and you’all wonder why I was so giddy over the Lil Big Hauler lineup??? :lol: I know there are some out there in the etherworld who consider what I do, using puny R1s, dinky toylike engines and silly tiny cars to be cringably whimsical but consider that the LBH (Lil Big Hauler) line both engines MSRP are under $100 and the cars MSRP are all under $50, some under $30! Sure they need some work but thats half the fun isnt it? Now factor in street price and I will now be able to buy more stuff, fill my shelves with rolling stock and still have $$$ left over to buy a nice lunch for a month before any of you have saved enough for a set of these way overpriced new engines and cars coming down the pike. 
Secretly laughing under my giddy smerk 
(http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2011/10/16/5709c2ac-71a0-4331-a5f2-04e1badc4a99.jpg)
Hi Guys:
Have all you folks moved out of 1:22.5 and over to 1:20.3 scale?
I understand now that Bachmann has moved their product line from what it once was over to high end exact scale models.
I like the 1:22.5 stuff affordable for the masses. I would like Bachmann to upgrade their 1:22.5 J&S coach trucks to sprung trucks. Won’t happen.
The interiors of the AMS J&S plastic coaches were a disappointment for many folks. If Bachmann does produce a J&S 1:20.3 coach it obviously will have the interior detail equal to their 1:20.3 caboose and so the coaches will be priced at or greater than the Accucraft J&S coaches.
I would have bought some of the new Toy Line J&S coaches if they had been 9 windows in length. I remember as a child that I was aware of the errors or lack of detail of the Lionel 0-27 loco and frieght. My Father regularly took me over to the Science & Technology Museum to view the static live steamers. Children notice and can figure out the model errors! Do the Bachmann designers not remember how intelligent and aware they were as children?
Norman
The highly detailed 1/20.3 locomotives are just too fragile for me to run outdoors, on the ground.
If I was indoors, or maybe elevated outdoors, things might be different.
I’m quite happy with the “Big Hauler” cars I have. Durable enough to use. Inexpensive enough to purchase.
Most of my locomotives have been around $100, with a few exceptions. Most of my rolling stock $30 or less.
Quite happy with my low budget equipment. If all that was available was $200 cars and $500 locomotives, I’d have to find a different hobby.
Ralph
Hi Victor:
Yes, exactly. The 4-4-0 1:20.3 loco was street priced at a max of 400.00 and down to 250.00 for even the E&P brass metal finish with complicated pin striping.
The 4-4-0 was the last Bachmann loco I bought.
The HLW La Porte Forney is another cool loco. It has some design errors and no daylight between the boiler and running gear but it is an attractive loco. 300.00 street price.
The days of my buying Bachmann are over. However, on another post someone mentioned that the Toy drive will be used later for more accurate models.
I hope that Bachmann builds a 2-4-4T loco as per Disneyland Ward Kimball. I would buy one or two of those. The Indy is the type of loco product I am interested in. Metal side rods, small and low pricing.
Norman
Norman Bourgault said:Oooh! Yes Please!!!
...I hope that Bachmann builds a 2-4-4T loco as per Disneyland Ward Kimball...
Want input? Not my scale and waaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of my price range.
I’ll also ask a question: Are they gonna use customers as “Beta-testers” again? At full retail, too?
And are youse guys gonna line up to volunteer?
But then, B’mann’s usual idea of “input” is they want a buncha “yes” men to rubber stamp whatever they wuz gonna do anyway…
Ralph Berg said:
The highly detailed 1/20.3 locomotives are just too fragile for me to run outdoors, on the ground. If I was indoors, or maybe elevated outdoors, things might be different.I’m quite happy with the “Big Hauler” cars I have. Durable enough to use. Inexpensive enough to purchase.
Most of my locomotives have been around $100, with a few exceptions. Most of my rolling stock $30 or less.
Quite happy with my low budget equipment. If all that was available was $200 cars and $500 locomotives, I’d have to find a different hobby.
Ralph
I agree with you Ralph. With two little ones its not worth buying any of the Bachamnn spectrum line. All those little parts would just break off anyway and not just by the kids but by me as well. If I was going to spend big money it would be on Accucraft. There stuff seems to be a lot more durable compared to Bachmann. I have no problem spending $20 on a car and then detailing to suite my RR. Vs. spendong $100. I always say this, we need to go back to the old ways. The guys overseas and Vic are doing it right. They dont have the big stuff with the big curves yet there layouts look great especially those little industrial lines. On a good note at least Bachmann is producing the li big haulers and Accucraft the Dora. At least they are looking at us Vic.
It would be nice if they could keep the price down but we all know whats actually gonna happen. My idea is to sell it without interior for lower cost then offer an “interior upgrade kit”. Again, won’t happen. Personaly, I prefer the higher detailed larger equipment. I’m not knocking the guys with smaller layouts and R1 curves there are alot of nice ones out there but, for me I prefer big. That’s why I moved outside so I could use 20’ or larger curves with big locos. It would be nice if more companies would cater to all types of modelers but in reality it isn’t going to happen. They’re gonna pick what they think is their “target audience” and hammer their product home. As far as pricing, I think large scale in general is still slightly ahead of the game. Look at the price of the bachmann or accucraft box cars which I would consider to be high end for our hobby then compare it to a $50 high end box car in HO scale. Or the new MTH HO locos that are retailing for $400 plus or the Atherns for $375. The plastic in the largescale box car alone could make 10 HO box cars. The wheelsets could make hundreds.
As always, just my opinion.
Terry
I’ve always thought that an interior-optional setup would be a great idea to keep prices down, yet allow people to buy a full-blown detailed interior if they wanted to. Give me empty cars and I can put in a rudimentary interior that looks fine from 5 feet away. Heck, Ive done that with some of my cabeese.
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bob_mccown/caboose/cab2.jpg)
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bob_mccown/caboose/cab3.jpg)
LGB did exactly that…Offered streamlined coaches sans interior with upgrade kits available. I seem to recall they were not too popular going on super close-out sales…but going for BIG bucks now!
I too think there is a place for “empty” cars and would certainly consider them!
Either way, if they are non-Jackson Sharp I will pick up 2 or 3 (assuming it becomes more than speculation!). The lack of passenger equipment is a big hole in Bachmann’s 1:20.3 line, I would be stunned if they chose not to fill it.
Interesting topic. I wonder what B’mann is planning - but coaches for the C-19 seem like a good idea.
Larger/scale versions of the current coaches would be nice. There are lots of prototypes to choose from - Knotts Berry farm has a few variations, as does the WP&Y and (of course) what’s left of the D&RGW. I second the thought to make them a little different from the Accucraft J&S cars. Maybe no bathrooms - not every NG line was 100 miles long! (I spend a lot of time adding windows to the Accuc cars to convert them to EBT!) End windows were common on some coaches. Or maybe the D&RG Silverton line coaches?
Quote:Norman - I'm curious what you want them sprung for? Realism? They are flexible enough to handle almost any kind of rought track!
I would like Bachmann to upgrade their 1:22.5 J&S coach trucks to sprung trucks
Bruce Chandler said::o .... My yard's so small I can't even get back that far! :mad: :rolleyes:
Everybody talks about the 10 foot rule; make it look good from 10 feet. ;)
Terry Burr said:...And storage, transportation, and shelf space. You can put 64 HO boxcars in the space occupied by one LS car!
....The plastic in the largescale box car alone could make 10 HO box cars. The wheelsets could make hundreds....
Jeepers… multiply 64 by the number of LS cars you own - just think - you could have that huge number of HO cars in the same space!
Theres’ hardly any room left around here for us to live in anymore!
To Norman and anyone else wondering about all this or collecting statistics, I’m not going over to 1:20.3 Don’t see the point, don’t care about the gauge ‘issue’ at all; I’m totally loaded with 1:22.5, 1:24, 1:29 stuff already; I have no room for any more stuff! And the prices of these even larger plastic toys - are you kidding me? But at any price 1:20.3 is way too big for both my taste and my backyard, so I’m just not in the market.
I’m happy playing around with a mix that averages out to a nominal 1:24 trains and accessories, thank you very much.
My 2c.
“I’m happy playing around with a mix that averages out to a nominal 1:24 trains and accessories, thank you very much.”
DITTO! But that is just me. Your guys who started later are more than welcome to support 1:20.3. I probably don’t have enough years left to start over in a new scale.
Have fun,
David Meashey
Dave Meashey said:I took a short cut, sold 90% of my LGB and bought Bachmann Spectrum/AMS.
...Your guys who started later are more than welcome to support 1:20.3. I probably don't have enough years left to start over in a new scale...
GO LARGE OR GO HOME!
Kidding of course. The 1:20.3 bug bit me hard, but I still run plenty of LGB/Aristo/USA. Like it all!
I was never in any other scale besides 1:20, and I got started around 1995.