http://www.bachmanntrains.net/Catalogs/2013/NMRA_2013.pdf
Well here it is…sure some trolley guys will be happy, 1:29 Trolley and TTTE Toby
Makes all sorts of sense for them to jump into 1:29, especially with the “helper” asking about “standard gauge” earlier.
But…LARy wasn’t standard gauge.
I remember the yellow cars (and later the muni owned yellow and green)…at 42" gauge…unlike some of the others shown…I guess getting it “right” is less important than announcements.
TOC
OK, first the half-full glass:
The streetcar looks really nice. Great detail, nice scaling (doesn’t look disproportional). If I was modeling a city I would have one or two. And as a nostalgia freak, it calls to me because as a kid in Buffalo I rode the IRC to Howard Ruth’s hobby shop on Genesee St. to spend the $2 a week allowance my grandmother gave me to fritter away on such things as a Varney Dockside (yeah, I know, a loco cost more than two bucks; I’m just sayin’). BTW, if streetcars are your thing, San Francisco has a prolly the best collection of running Peter Witt cars, PCCs and a lot of other stuff that run along the Embarcadero. Great fun and cheap entertainment for young and old (I am both, actually).
Glass half-empty: what are the folks at Bachmann thinking? After giving us some great locos in Fn3, they are into toy trains. I don’t know if Lee Riley, if he’s still the product man, is just burned out, or if the bean counters are whacked out, but Bachmann’s latest large scale product list just leaves me cold. Granted, the company seems to have pulled out all the stops in HO, and even On30. But large scale? I guess B-mann has given us up for dead. Or senile.
Maybe large scale has become too Colorado narrow gauge centric. I mean, I love the D&RGW, Colorado & Southern et all. But how much Rocky Mountain high can our hobby handle? What about the eastern narrow gauge lines, your East Broadtop, Tweetsie, and numerous short lines from the other side of the country? Yes, I know, there’s the iconic Bachmann 10-wheeler (Bug Mauler), an all-time favorite, which is modeled after Tweetsie. But even it is becoming shopworn and at best, needs to be up-scaled to F, or reconfigured into some other small to midsize rod locomotive (please, no more Shays, Heislers or Climaxes for me). Or maybe they could redo the Connie and make it an inside-the-frame loco. Of course, none of this matters if you model standard gauge, which, had I known better, I would have chosen over slim gauge.
Just sayin…
Interesting that they chose to release in 1:29… Instead of 1:32. What does this say about Bachmann trying to produce scale models on gauge 1 track? Yes I know 1:29 is more popular=more sales, but if Bachmann popularized 3’ narrow gauge with 20.3 you would think they would be concerned about the standard gauge 1:32 verses 1:29 debate. Or they could care less about scale and just want the sales!
But as TOC points out neither is correct for a 42" gauge…
Joe they have lots of stuff from the On30 line they could upscale to LS, for their own reasons they choose not to. So we get Toby and a move into 1:29. No lil haulers, no repaints yet every other scale is getting new stuff …didn’t I say something about ginger haired stepchildren.
Dave ironically at 1:29 on gauge 1 track the LA Yellow Car is closest to being correctly in gauge.
The prototype for the Bachmann Peter Witt is one from the Baltimore Street Car museum which by the way is 4’8/1/2. Peter Witts do differ from line to line so the others are close but not 100% accurate. The choice of the model was actually relatively easy as they have a similar Peter Witt street car in N, HO, and O. Since it is a standard gauge model 1:20 while possible would have been harder to sell as there is little 70mm track in the market. 1:29 makes a lot of sense as it complements the Aristocraft PCC car and a street price of around $200 is geared towards the same market.
If you look in the conventions and show thread I posted photos of all the Large Scale booths at the NMRA National. Clearly Bachmann showed a ton more stuff in a wider variety of markets than the others combined and they continue to add new product.
I applaud them in trying to grow the Large Scale market by appealing to a wide range of interests.
Stan
If thats the case Stan why the reluctance to bring some of the On30 line into large scale? I can think of more than a couple offerings that would be welcome in LS, but I m not holding my breath waiting.
Geez. His explanations are even more bizarre than his seeking “consensus”, Vic. Run everybody down the rabbit hole where it all gets resized.
I am so glad I ain’t buying any of this stuff anymore.
Maybe they’ll choke.
TOC
Vic I know it has been brought up multiple times but I would love to see some of Bachmanns ON30 stuff in large scale. The Heisler etc… would be awesome but keep it old school. I don’t want all the bells and whistles and the price tag that goes with it. I would rather see a hook-up for battery that way all you need to do is flip a switch and you go to battery power. The trolley I have no interest in, but that’s just me. I guess I will stick to scratch building my stuff.
Id be curious to see the numbers behind the sales of LS versus On30. Thats the only real metric that companies use to determine whether to sell something or not. Bachmann isnt out to screw LS “just because”.
Vic Smith said:
http://www.bachmanntrains.net/Catalogs/2013/NMRA_2013.pdf
Well here it is…sure some trolley guys will be happy, 1:29 Trolley and TTTE Toby
Vic, Were did you see Toby ? The Trolley car in 1/29th will be a great addition, as the PCC
car from Aristo was a total flop because of all of the issues with it. I have the very 1st one.
Bachmann made a good choice to test the waters for 1/29th.
I’m sure they didnt do 1/32nd because MTH flopped in that scale and most likely would have done
Much better in 1/29th as long as they got rid of that useless to garden RRing DCS system from all
there large scale Loco’s.
Nick
I have a certain amount of “cute” rolling stock, though I am mainly a SG mainline guy.
Kids will love this trolly, I’ll put some custom sounds in it like Nick’s PCC car that has the “All aboard” sequence from the movie.
Also, I’ll be able to put a decoder into it easily I’m sure, rather than modify the decoder and chassis like you have to do for the Aristo PCC.
Stan, does it have a socket, and where is the socket located? Also any details on lighting, etc. would be appreciated.
I’m thrilled that another manufacturer would enter 1:29.
Greg
Nick S. said:
Vic, Were did you see Toby ?
Nick
Nick, bottom of page 10, but it had been announced previously.
From the catalog link:
1:29 PETER WITT STREETCAR
(DCC READY)
Suggested price: $399.00 each
SHIPPING OCTOBER 2013
(DCC READY)
Suggested price: $399.00 each
SHIPPING OCTOBER 2013
Features include:
• DCC ready with factory-installed 21-pin and 8-pin sockets for DCC decoder installation of your choice
• can be operated on track power or overhead wire(trolley wheel compatible with LGB overhead wire)
• sound ready with factory-installed speaker
• precision can motor
• LED headlight and rear stop light
• interior lighting
• manually operated front and rear bi-fold doors
• painted interior with seats
• photo-etched brass safety screen per prototype
So what sockets are 21 pin and what large scale decoders have an 8 pin interface?
STANLEY?
Bob McCown said:
Id be curious to see the numbers behind the sales of LS versus On30. Thats the only real metric that companies use to determine whether to sell something or not. Bachmann isnt out to screw LS “just because”.
I’m sure the easily outsell everything in LS, cheaper, bigger than HO yet working in the same space on easily accessible HO systems. Back in the day I came from the narrow gauge community where I can tell you that there has always been a massive interest but few practitioners due to the prohibitive costs of HOn3 or On3 where literally everything was scratched or expensive Brass imports, the only affordable stuff was from plastic MDC Roundhouse kits and they were not known for there outstanding running characteristics.
So when Bmann introduced the On30 line all that pent up interest suddenly had an affordable, very detailed, very space conscious, very adaptable outlet in that most desired of scales, O. They are so successful that On30 is now, overwhelmingly the most popular scale for indoor narrow gauge modelling.
I posted this in reply to K’s post on MLS, I think it bears saying over here as well
…the On30 line has several offerings that if up scaled to 1/20 would work just fine on R1, the Porters, the Railbus, the Mini-Heisler,the 2 cylinder Shay, even the 2-6-0 Mogul could be done in a way to work easily in R1, making them marketable to just about anyone in LS, or is just that (more likely) their market research shows that the LS market has breaking up into two specific catagories, a significantly contracted adult market where 1/20 is currently strong but that future demand is starting to lean towards 1/29, and a small but growing childrens market, that would explain the Lil Haulers and the TTTE stuff getting equal shift with there new 1/20 products.
I would love to see the Railbus in LS
I wonder why they don’t have a switch to flip it to battery power? So many people are going to that, you would think they would set it up for that to be done easily. I would interested in one then. Tired of converting stuff.
Greg,
8-pin and 21-pin decoders are common in the smaller scales, like “OO” and “h.o,”. 8-pin gives you multiple functions plus motor control. 21-pin gives you multiple sound functions plus light and motor control.
Bachmann should have entered 1:29 scale long ago.
I guess the 1,000.00 C-19 and the 800.00 Forney are not selling in sufficient numbers at those street prices.
500.00 is the limit for a plastic Spectrum narrow gauge loco for the broad customer base market.
This is not the 1980`s when folks would pay whatever was asked of them by LGB or Delton brass as the Gauge One market was still in its infancy.
A Bachmann 1:29 scale NYC J1e with a string of heavyweights would be popular.
This could spell bad news for Aristo Craft.
Norman
Norm they have to have product to sell before Bmann can threaten them.
Tim, I do actually know that, but there are NO large scale decoders with 8 pin or 21 pin (unless it’s the SoundTraxx Tsunami they OEM).
The recent large scale locos all follow the Aristo standard with a few wiring tweaks.
Now, maybe this thing will run with an HO decoder, but I doubt it.
Greg