Bachmann reveal new Thomas Narrow Gauge Coaches

[SomethingTrainLover]

Not entirely sure if this is the correct place to put it, but it is NG modeling technically. 

So Bachmann have revealed recently their long anticipated coaches in the Thomas narrow Gauge range:

To the surprise of many, they’re 2 separate toolings. The blue coach is, expectedly, based off the Talyllyn’s coach 4, but unexpectedly the Talyllyn-liveried red one appears to be based on coach 1 and 2. 

These are even more highly anticipated, and they’re scheduled to release in November. The price is surprisingly really good, just $30 RRP. 

[D9020 Nimbus]

Am I correct in my impression that they don't have faces on one end?

[SomethingTrainLover]

2 hours ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

Am I correct in my impression that they don't have faces on one end?

Yes, as far as I can see, they’re ideal for use as Talyllyn coaches, especially the red variant given it being based on 1 and 2 and already having the livery. Ideal for me regardless cause I model the books, so they just need a repaint.

[HonestTom]

I'm pretty sure at this point that Bachmann are making their Thomas stock with "serious" 009 modellers in mind. They saw how well Skarloey sold to the periphery demographic, i.e. people who bought them to convert, and figured there was money to be made that way. First we got the slate wagons that don't look like the TV models but do look like Talyllyn wagons, then we got Rusty (a relatively unpopular character based on a very useful prototype), now we're getting Talyllyn coaches. I wonder, as with the slate wagons, we'll see the coaches released specifically as Talyllyn coaches?

 

I'd put money on them releasing a Corris or Talyllyn brake van. I mean, Cora or Beatrice...

[SomethingTrainLover]

On 23/07/2019 at 09:41, HonestTom said:

I'm pretty sure at this point that Bachmann are making their Thomas stock with "serious" 009 modellers in mind. They saw how well Skarloey sold to the periphery demographic, i.e. people who bought them to convert, and figured there was money to be made that way. First we got the slate wagons that don't look like the TV models but do look like Talyllyn wagons, then we got Rusty (a relatively unpopular character based on a very useful prototype), now we're getting Talyllyn coaches. I wonder, as with the slate wagons, we'll see the coaches released specifically as Talyllyn coaches?

 

I'd put money on them releasing a Corris or Talyllyn brake van. I mean, Cora or Beatrice...

Well Rusty is popular, the character and model, though the model is only really useful as good 009 bashing stock. Sharing the dimensions of the original Midlander but being in the current CGI shape, means he ain’t sized right for the TVS models and isn’t proportioned right for IRL Midlander or RWS Rusty. This is in major contrast to Skarloey and Rheneas, who just need a bit of tinkering to get them up to scratch detailing wise, cause they’re dimesuonally and proportionally accurate for the most part.

Certainly, I’d expect either the Talyllyn BrakeVan or the Corris one next rolling stock wise. Maybe even the Open air coaches, based on how they are currently of course.

Edited July 25, 2019 by SomethingTrainLover

[SomethingTrainLover]

In new news, Bachmann have released the promo shots for both coaches. Confirming both a Coach 4 and Coach 1-2 variant, though I think we all knew this already from the NMRA pics.

Note the shade of blue is darker than the promo pics show, spotlights for the picture etc.

[Compound2632]

On 14/07/2019 at 15:35, D9020 Nimbus said:

Am I correct in my impression that they don't have faces on one end?

 

"Extras" - non-speaking vehicles - never do. 

Edited July 25, 2019 by Compound2632

[TrainMan2001]

STL, the blue in the promo pic is actually closer to what it looks like in person than it does in my picture from the show. There was something larger above the coaches that was blocking some of the light, which is why it looks so much darker.

[Merfyn Jones]

What scale ?           4mm or 3.5mm

[TrainMan2001]

The other items in the range are made to 4mm scale, so they'll likely be made to the same scale.

[BernardTPM]

In 009 the Talyllyn track gauge is as accurate as P4.

[SomethingTrainLover]

They’re 4mm, like all Bachamnn Thomas stock.

[Steven B]

Does the livery on the cream & blue coach have any basis in reality or was it just a product of Awdry's books?

 

Hopefully Beatrice will follow soon.

 

Steven B

[9402 Fredrick]

9 hours ago, Steven B said:

Does the livery on the cream & blue coach have any basis in reality or was it just a product of Awdry's books?

 

Hopefully Beatrice will follow soon.

 

Steven B

The blue is a product of the books.

[DavidB-AU]

This is how they are depicted in the books.

 

 

 

 

 

This one is obviously based on Talyllyn coach 5 so I wonder if there will be a model of this too?

 

 

I'll be interested to see how the models end up being superdetailed and kitbashed by the "serious" OO9 modellers.

 

Cheers

David

[SomethingTrainLover]

Really the only thing they’d need that I can see is seating, unless some want to go the extra mile and add real brass handles

[ELTEL]

Very interesting 

[298]

9 hours ago, SomethingTrainLover said:

Really the only thing they’d need that I can see is seating, unless some want to go the extra mile and add real brass handles

 

Only on one side....

[009 micro modeller]

On 23/07/2019 at 14:41, HonestTom said:

I'm pretty sure at this point that Bachmann are making their Thomas stock with "serious" 009 modellers in mind. They saw how well Skarloey sold to the periphery demographic, i.e. people who bought them to convert, and figured there was money to be made that way. First we got the slate wagons that don't look like the TV models but do look like Talyllyn wagons, then we got Rusty (a relatively unpopular character based on a very useful prototype), now we're getting Talyllyn coaches. I wonder, as with the slate wagons, we'll see the coaches released specifically as Talyllyn coaches?

 

I'd put money on them releasing a Corris or Talyllyn brake van. I mean, Cora or Beatrice...

 

Now that Hornby have withdrawn from Thomas and Bachmann are planning to sell their own items in the UK, this also might make things easier. I understand that previously the licensing meant that they couldn’t sell them over here, even if done as realistic, rather than ‘Thomas’ locos, because the moulds and research would derive from work originally done for the Thomas range. I’m happy to be corrected on this or for somebody to clarify/explain it better though.

[HonestTom]

1 hour ago, 009 micro modeller said:

 

Now that Hornby have withdrawn from Thomas and Bachmann are planning to sell their own items in the UK, this also might make things easier. I understand that previously the licensing meant that they couldn’t sell them over here, even if done as realistic, rather than ‘Thomas’ locos, because the moulds and research would derive from work originally done for the Thomas range. I’m happy to be corrected on this or for somebody to clarify/explain it better though.

 

I've never fully understood how the licensing works. Hornby don't seem to be under that restriction - they sell "realistic" versions of the 0-4-0 Thomas and Dart in their Railroad range. All I can think is that back in 1984, the Thomas copyright owners weren't in as strong a position to dictate terms.

[009 micro modeller]

5 minutes ago, HonestTom said:

 

I've never fully understood how the licensing works. Hornby don't seem to be under that restriction - they sell "realistic" versions of the 0-4-0 Thomas and Dart in their Railroad range. All I can think is that back in 1984, the Thomas copyright owners weren't in as strong a position to dictate terms.

 

I wonder if it’s because Hornby often make theirs out of old moulds from their range, whereas it seems that Bachmann create new toolings from scratch specifically for Thomas locos. And if I remember correctly it wasn’t that they weren’t allowed to sell them as realistic models generally, just that in the UK Bachmann couldn’t sell anything linked to or derived from their Thomas range because Hornby have/had the UK rights to it. Obviously if you were going to do a Talyllyn range in 009 but weren’t allowed to launch it in the UK/Europe then that would probably make it less financially viable. But as I said I don’t quite understand the specifics of the licensing.

Edited July 31, 2019 by 009 micro modeller

[DavidB-AU]

 

7 minutes ago, HonestTom said:

I've never fully understood how the licensing works. Hornby don't seem to be under that restriction - they sell "realistic" versions of the 0-4-0 Thomas and Dart in their Railroad range. All I can think is that back in 1984, the Thomas copyright owners weren't in as strong a position to dictate terms.

 

I think because the current copyright holder isn't as much of a pillock as Allcroft.

 

Cheers

David

[HonestTom]

4 minutes ago, 009 micro modeller said:

 

I wonder if it’s because Hornby often make theirs out of old moulds from their range, whereas it seems that Bachmann create new toolings from scratch specifically for Thomas locos.

 

Possibly, although the 0-4-0 Thomas was definitely specifically made for the Thomas range. Pretty sure Dart was too, although I don't know how big the gap was between that being announced and the Railroad version. Maybe they could have got around the issue by developing both at the same time. I must admit, I don't really know how the copyright thing works with this kind of issue. Everyone seems fine with Bachmann developing Talyllyn slate wagons and calling them Skarloey slate wagons first, so who knows?

[009 micro modeller]

1 minute ago, HonestTom said:

 

Possibly, although the 0-4-0 Thomas was definitely specifically made for the Thomas range. Pretty sure Dart was too, although I don't know how big the gap was between that being announced and the Railroad version. Maybe they could have got around the issue by developing both at the same time. I must admit, I don't really know how the copyright thing works with this kind of issue. Everyone seems fine with Bachmann developing Talyllyn slate wagons and calling them Skarloey slate wagons first, so who knows?

 

Is the 0-4-0 Thomas the clockwork one, or did they do it as electric as well? The thing that made me think of it originally is that I seem to remember problems arising a few years ago when one of the Bachmann Junior locos (sold in the UK, a freelance industrial starter loco type of thing) turned out to be Percy but with a proper smoke box and in a different livery. The new coaches certainly look very nice though, and it’s particularly good that they’ve done some in a ‘proper’ livery as well as the blue.

[Compound2632]

15 minutes ago, 009 micro modeller said:

 

just that in the UK Bachmann couldn’t sell anything linked to or derived from their Thomas range because Hornby have/had the UK rights to it. 

 

Interesting point - I wonder if we'll see the return of not-Thomas and not-Percy to the 00 Junior range?