Has anyone seen the Bachmann 53' TOFCs yet?

[reinhardtjh]

So there is a strong chance the TOFCs will be dumped at closeout sometime next year, and that will be an opportunity to pick up multiples for the trailers at a reasonable cost.

Keep an eye on the Ebay seller "The Favorite Spot" then. He usually has all kinds of Bachmann dump offs.  Nothing listed as of yet, however.

[bbussey]

I remember, as he unloaded a ton of the Doodlebug sets over a two or three month period.  That's how I got my three coaches, bought from him and turned the doodlebugs back around on the `Bay. 

[up1950s]

I wound up ordering a total of 3 of the ACL/Yale which came today . The flat looks better in person than I expected . The Yale trailer printing very nice . The wheels on the trailer look smallish to me . For the price I would up paying for the 3 , a single order and a double order , I am happy . He has 8 left .

http://www.amazon.com/Bachmann-Flat-Ribbed-Piggyback-Trailer/dp/B00M4KAQ6W

[peteski]

The Yale paint scheme (just lettering, no complicated logos) on the trailer would be easily done as a custom decal. Or is the trailer body itself something special, not offered by anybody else?

[bbussey]

I picked one up from Amazon also, but for a couple a bucks less than that.  I like the trailer tooling, which is of a prototype not seen in N before and is a close if not exact match to one of the 1950s Yale prototypes.  The landing gear doesn't retract, but the embossed lettering on the tires is an interesting feature not seen in N before.  All 26 scale running lights are painted and there is some paint masking in the back, so I can see how the pricing got bumped for the item. 

The flatcar definitely is new tooling, with retractable brakewheel and operational circus flaps, and it does ride at a good height.  But it's too crude for me and doesn't match any prototype that I know of.  The hitch is fixed.  Body-mounted couplers, but the incorporation of the weight is old-school.  It's also only 50' long and not 53'.  If they had matched a specific prototype, as they did with the USRA hopper, it would have been a lot better.

These aren't circulating at all in any significant number, due to the high MSRP.  I will be watching for if/when they go on clearance, and pick up some more to get additional Yale trailers and an REA.

[GonzoCRFan]

I've been watching these on Amazon, and the price for some of them has dropped pretty low. I just ordered the NYC and Reading cars for less than $10. The WM is also at a similar price. I was looking at the ATSF/Navajo, which was down to about $12, but overnight their stock for that dropped from 3 to 2 and the price jumped back to like $34. So it seems 3 is the magic number to get the lowest possible pricing on these...

[bbussey]

I will monitor it daily. The two I want are the ones in most demand, Yale and REA. So the price may not drop on those, but I will keep watching.

[sizemore]

Amazon is the Rubix Cube of searches.

The S.

[Mark5]

I've been watching these on Amazon, and the price for some of them has dropped pretty low. I just ordered the NYC and Reading cars for less than $10. The WM is also at a similar price.

Thanks for the tip! I just ordered the WM one for under $10 as well (free shipping with my son's Amazon Prime!).

Been wanting a WM trailer for sooooooooooo long!

[nkalanaga]

Mark5:  Micro-Scale makes (made?) a decal set that included a WM trailer.  You might look into that and see if it's the lettering you wanted.

[bbussey]

Hmmm ... it appears that one must check Amazon periodically throughout the day.  A couple of hours ago, half the cars were under $10.  The Navajo, NYC and WM are all back over $30 now — with 2 Navajo and 1 NYC left, while the WM apparently has sold out and already been restocked.  RDG also has been restocked and is back to $35.  So I definitely will be watching the Yale, currently at 8, and REA, currently at 11, for when they drop in stock to see if the price drops accordingly.

[GonzoCRFan]

That's crazy. I've been checking daily and the price has been dropping on a daily basis...good thing I ordered when I did.

[bbussey]

Sean, did the Yale and REA ever drop lower in price?

[GonzoCRFan]

I wasn't really paying attention to those ones, Bryan...

[bbussey]

And now, all of the prices have been bumped up regardless of the on-hand quantity. WM is at full MSRP with no Prime shipping discount, and the others are close to MSRP. I guess they are trying to snag late Christmas shoppers on the last weekend. I'm going to keep watching to see if the prices drop back down after the weekend and after the holiday.