Bachman and TMCC

You can do that now with ERR components installed in a Williams by Bachmann locomotive.  Bachmann could do it with the Williams line but the price would also go up which would go over like a lead balloon to some. 🎈

Perhaps they should float a "trial balloon" and do a couple of "premier" models with TMCC/RailSounds.

Chris Lonero posted:

You can do that now with ERR components installed in a Williams by Bachmann locomotive.  Bachmann could do it with the Williams line but the price would also go up which would go over like a lead balloon to some. 🎈

I’m well aware of this but I would like to see a much better gear ratio instead of the current rocket speed capability. I’ll bet they could offer some nice steamers for well under 1k and diesels under 400 dollars.

When Bachmann bought Williams they seemed to feel that Williams was known for simplicity and that adding command control would be a move away from what Williams was well known for. It wouldn't surprise me if they came out with 3-Rail trains to run with their own blue tooth app as they have a small line of Blue Tooth engines in HO. Why buy into TMCC when they already have a simple system they buy into that doesn't require the customer to buy into a command control system?

romiller49 posted:

Chris Lonero posted:

You can do that now with ERR components installed in a Williams by Bachmann locomotive.  Bachmann could do it with the Williams line but the price would also go up which would go over like a lead balloon to some. 🎈

I’m well aware of this but I would like to see a much better gear ratio instead of the current rocket speed capability. I’ll bet they could offer some nice steamers for well under 1k and diesels under 400 dollars.

Who would buy them for those prices? They have no match for K-Line scale steam and most of those can be had for well under 500 bucks with TMCC or how about 10 year old Lionel steam.

Pete

romiller49 posted:

If Bachman would buy into the TMCC offering by Lionel I think they could control the 3rail market. Basic TMCC with basic sounds only. No special effects that are a nuisance to the current manufacturers. Keep it simple but continue with the Bachman bulletproof offerings. Now, wouldn’t that be wonderful?

HAH! Control! Where are there any new offerings?  Just a token of Williams lines are introduced and sold. NO Gp38's, NO F40's, NO FP45's, NO Sd45's, What happenned to the GP30's? Spent all that money on tooling and only a handfull of road offerings.

What about the K-line MP15? The body was scale- just create a scale frame and use the existing GP30 trucks....

10-year old trains: if you don't have to have it Now, that's a good idea, especially if you don't need all the fancy gizmos. I recently bought a brand new JLC Y-6b for $800, e.g.

One can get a diesel with truBlast for around $280. The trublast includes engine sounds but the first thing needed is a better speaker. Williams could then offer TMCC  as an option. This way the company would not need to get away from its reputation for quality conventional locomotives at great prices.

Joe

One often hears the label "bulletproof" applied to Williams trains, but as a firearms owner, I'm pretty darn sure they are not. That term has always referred to their simplicity and subsequent reliability, much along the lines of postwar Lionel. As more features are crammed into them, not only will the cost go up but so will the odds of something going wrong. There are more than enough manufacturers providing these features, if one desires them. Offering them as an option will essentially just give you an engine at a similar price to what MTH or Lionel offers. I fail to understand the desire to have Williams move away from the basic selling point that differentiates them from everyone else. 

Model Structures posted:

One can get a diesel with truBlast for around $280. The trublast includes engine sounds but the first thing needed is a better speaker. Williams could then offer TMCC  as an option. This way the company would not need to get away from its reputation for quality conventional locomotives at great prices.

The Williams sound boards are not compatible with TMCC operation, so that's a non-starter.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Model Structures posted:

One can get a diesel with truBlast for around $280. The trublast includes engine sounds but the first thing needed is a better speaker. Williams could then offer TMCC  as an option. This way the company would not need to get away from its reputation for quality conventional locomotives at great prices.

The Williams sound boards are not compatible with TMCC operation, so that's a non-starter.

Way back in the days of the UCUB there were instructions in the manual on how to hook up Williams sound boards as made by Ott Machine Services.  One of the patent claims was the concept of generating an on board DC offset to activate PS1 and other sound systems.  Have a look at the schematic in 6,616,505.  This could be used to  activate the current Williams tru blast plus.  

Lou N

I don't understand this constant never-ending push for fancy control systems. Can't we have just ONE manufacturer that DOESN'T need a computer or cell phone or upgraded "apps" to run their trains? It's bad enough that Williams prices have doubled these past couple of years, if you put in the TMCC or DCC or whatever it is that you want so badly, the prices would triple. Give the conventional operator a break!

The problem with the Williams board with TMCC is the prime mover is always at Notch 8, it's getting full voltage from the track.  The no longer produced ERR Sound Converter would give you the horn and bell offsets to drive that board, but then it's another board.

If you want to know what they're thinking at Williams by Bachmann, then watch this. And though Jack is speaking for Bachmann, other train importers are facing some of the same circumstances.

I thought Lionel was no longer licensing their control technology anymore, save for those that already are using it, so wouldn't this be a moot point anyways?

TrainWorld just did an hour long livestream with Jason Shron that was very good. Jason also took heated issue with the thoughts and opinions of the train consumer.

You beat me to it, Brian. That video from the most recent York week programs not only reveals production considerations, it also shows how conservative Bachmann’s parent company, Kader, is when it comes to the hobby market end of its business operations.

Kader itself is a mass-market manufacturer that works with companies such as Mattel. It clearly is keeping the reins tight on Bachmann, making sure that company is independently profitable.

I like the Williams line as is. It looks like Bachmann has a good handle on how it should position itself in our market.