Bachmann Siemens Venture Passenger Cars (N Scale)

[MetroRedLine]

I went to the World's Greatest Hobby show in Costa Mesa, CA on Saturday and the Bachmann booth had the first tooling samples of their upcoming N scale Siemens Venture coaches on display.

The unpainted tooling samples featured diaphragms, detailed interiors and separate metal grabirons:
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I flipped one of the cars on its side to show the underside. It has metal wheelsets, underbody details (check out the fluting on the underside) and body-mounted couplers that allow for extra-wide swing (the draft gear box is not affixed to the body, nor is it part of the truck; it's on a swinging arm in the underbody that's independent of the trucks. I don't know of its minimum radius requirements yet.
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A closeup view of the ends of the cars. Note the grabiron detail on the extra-wide diaphragm of the car on the left.
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The cars are shown in Bachmann's catalog (also viewable online). They will have interior lighting and will be released around December 2025, in the Amtrak Midwest and the VIA Rail Canada schemes (the VIA version gets that real awesome-looking cab car). Bachmann also plans to release later this year the HO scale Venture cars in the Amtrak California (San Joaquins) scheme. The N scale version, according to the Bachmann rep, would probably be out in late 2026.

List price is $139. EACH. 😱
(The HO scale versions will be $149).
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[peteski]

I flipped one of the cars on its side to show the underside. It has metal wheelsets, underbody details (check out the fluting on the underside) and body-mounted couplers that allow for extra-wide swing (the draft gear box is not affixed to the body, nor is it part of the truck; it's on a swinging arm in the underbody that's independent of the trucks. I don't know of its minimum radius requirements yet.

These do look pretty impressive.

The type of coupler body-mounting Bachmann used here appears similar to a system which is widely used on European models.  It allows for close coupling while still allowing  the cars to negotiate fairly tight curves.  FVM used a similar system in their Hiawatha passenger set, and Kato calls theirs "Kinematic" coupling

[OldEastRR]

The cars are shown in Bachmann's catalog
List price is $139. EACH. 😱

Bachmann is only trying to shake that old reputation as "cheap toy trains". Certainly not that now.

[Dwight in Toronto]

Bachmann is only trying to shake that old reputation as "cheap toy trains". Certainly not that now.

That old reputation was well earned, and I’ve avoided the brand for nigh on 20 years.
I admit that these look good, and the VIA Rail model is appealing.  But pre-ordering is way too risky for me … I’ll wait until I can kick the tires at my hobby shop.

[sundowner]

$139 for one car, $85 for an Amfleet, I can wait for the better Kato version.

[CR4100]

$139 for one car, $85 for an Amfleet, I can wait for the better Kato version.

You missed the $299 price for the cab car. Yikes!

[MetroRedLine]

You missed the $299 price for the cab car. Yikes!

Yeah that cab car better have a motor inside. Prototypicality be damned! 

[delamaize]

Well, I was excited for these, since this is what the next Cascades Trainsets are going to be, But at that price, I'm going to have to wait for a cheaper options. Especially $300 for a control cab.

[Jimbo]

I doubt the control cab car has a motor, but from the catalog page above, it seems that it will have a (non-motor) sound decoder.

160 bucks additional for a stationary sound decoder seems ridiculous.

I doubt they’ll sell too many, but at that price, the break-even point is probably not many units anyway.

Bachmann used to offer their products at budget-minded modelers.  Now, there really isn’t any manufacturer chasing entry-level customers.  Pricing strategies like this will only hurt the hobby, in my opinion.

Jim

[peteski]

Just like with other recent outrageously MSRP'd Bachmann offerings, the street price will be much lower (but probably still outrageous).  And if they don't sell out in a year or two, they will likely be offered and fire sale prices.