Thomas & Friends

BNSF FAN Jul 28, 2020

  1. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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    Ah, I see. But that's probably an error as not only does it say E-Z Command but also Sound Value. So now N-Scale Thomas will have DCC and Sound? :D

    I suspect that there is something below that page that is not shown that belongs to the E_Z Command Sound Value category, perhaps the HO version of Thomas?
     
  2. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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    So here's the full page to get the real story. As I suspect, there is something else below it that fits the E-Z Command Sound Value category.

    Annotation 2020-07-30 104700.jpg
     
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  3. umtrr-author

    umtrr-author TrainBoard Member

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    MSRP of $235 should mean a street price in the $150s at some places, and every bit of the $235 at others.
     
  4. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    To have a train telling a story as it went around the tracks in the voice of George Carlin or Ringo Star would be awesome!! Do you think it would be ok to still refer to Sir Toppam Hatt as "The Fat Controller"?
     
  5. Atani

    Atani TrainBoard Member

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    Definitely! At the minimum making the typical noises from the videos as they ran around the layout etc...
     
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  6. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    Ok now you did it... I got the theme song stuck in my head... They're 2, they're 4, they're 6, They're 8... Shunting trucks and hauling freight...
     
  7. Atani

    Atani TrainBoard Member

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    It could be worse.... :)
     
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  8. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    I suppose you're right. I like Tom's Diner... My wife hates it... I sometimes play it nice and loud just so she can get that one stuck in her head.
     
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  9. bremner

    bremner Staff Member

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    Waiting for Duck...
     
  10. umtrr-author

    umtrr-author TrainBoard Member

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    Since this topic is off the rails already... :)

    I was one of the about 250 people at the 60th Birthday Party gathering / concert for the late Pat Dinizio of The Smithereens. Suzanne Vega was one of the many guests to appear -- she did a duet with Pat called "In A Lonely Place" (she and the band did that song during the show). She did a couple of songs solo, including "Tom's Diner" -- and the entire audience filled in the "doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo" parts. It was great! Worth the price of admission just for that singalong...

    It gets worse... I also really like the DNA remix which was a big hit... got to #5 in 1990.

    Back to Thomas: definitely Ringo Starr as the best "conductor."
     
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  11. bremner

    bremner Staff Member

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    Well, that beats 40 people in a backyard party with Docken....after they were famous
     
  12. umtrr-author

    umtrr-author TrainBoard Member

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    Pat Dinizio hosted Memorial Day Weekend parties/fan jams at his house in New Jersey. I went to a couple of them.

    He and the rest of The Smithereens had as a special guest Andy White, who was the drummer on the recordings of "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You." That's the closest I'll ever get to meeting a Beatle!

    Choo-choo content: This took place not far from a model railroad shop...
     
  13. Jake the Train Pony

    Jake the Train Pony New Member

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    So, two things?
    Does anyone have any word on the actual scale of these yet? Last I saw someone had an email from Bachmann first stating 1:160, then a follow up email saying "Sorry, It hasn't been determined". But if they're being shipped out, it must have been determined. I also know from Youtube that the Troublesome Trucks are indeed smaller than Tomix's scale, but that was over sized to begin with. I'm hoping they'll be in 1:148 with the rest of the UK stuff out there, it would match better with scenery and such.

    Also regarding DCC, if Dapol can fit DCC in their 0-6-0's, which are quite small, then I can't see why Bachmann couldn't do the same with Thomas & Percy. Not sound of course, but regular DCC chips are pretty tiny these days. Heck, there's room in Rokuhan's Z Shorties for DCC.
     
  14. Rich_S

    Rich_S TrainBoard Member

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    I do not work for Bachmann so I cannot give you an official answer, but my guess is they are keeping the Thomas line DC to reduce expenses of the sets. An example is the above ad for the Thomas with Annie and Clarabel and Roaring Rails with DCC + Sound sets. The Roaring Rails set is $214 more than the Thomas set. Now there is a chance the Thomas and Friends locomotives maybe setup for Plug-n-Play DCC, but for any official answers you'll have to post your question on the Bachmann Forum.
     
  15. Jake the Train Pony

    Jake the Train Pony New Member

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    That's certainly fair, I was mostly going off of any ideas that the engines would be too small, not if they'd actually do it or not. Though DCC Ready plug and play would be fantastic.
     

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