| Bachmann Industries, which produces Bachmann train | | | | simplified if narrower gauges are used. Europe still has |
| sets, is the world's largest maker of model trains and | | | | a number of charming short-lines still in operation today |
| railway equipment. By slowly and steadily acquiring | | | | where the gauge is as little as 2ft 6". |
| larger and larger chunks of the market, but absorbing | | | | In the model-railroading world, Bachmann, more than |
| other makers who have run into trouble, Bachmann is, | | | | any other single manufacturer, makes it possible to |
| in a sense, the Microsoft of model-railroading. Most | | | | experience the singular joys of narrow gauge railroads |
| surprising of all is how little time, in relative terms, | | | | in HO, O and G gauges. Lilliput, Bachmann's European |
| Bachmann has been in the train set business: the first | | | | subsidiary, makes a range of 2ft 6" prototype |
| N gauge products under the Bachmann name | | | | locomotives and rolling stock in HO gauge, while under |
| appeared in 1968, followed by the HO gauge range in | | | | the Bachmann brand, there is a growing range of |
| 1970. Since that time, Bachmann train sets can be had | | | | On30 models - On30 being 1/48th scale models |
| in just about all of the major scales, with the exception | | | | running on 30" gauge track - 30" in the real world, that |
| of diminutive 1:220 Z scale. Your train box may say | | | | is; 16.5mm wide on your model railroad. Bachmann's G |
| Lilliput (European, mostly German prototypes) or | | | | scale models represent the big and rather expensive |
| Graham Farish (British N gauge), but it's all still | | | | end of the hobby. These are wonderfully large, detailed |
| Bachmann. As well as its very extensive range of | | | | and chunky pieces of metal and plastic. They steam, |
| American models from both the steam and diesel eras | | | | they're ready for digital command control (DCC) and |
| in N, HO and O gauges, Bachmann has recently begun | | | | as if this wasn't enough, they'll run outside in the garden |
| to fly the flag for some of the more specialized | | | | as well! |
| model-railroading niches - narrow gauge modeling. | | | | Bachmann train sets really do offer a great entry point |
| A word or two about gauge. | | | | to the hobby of model-railroading. The catalog shows |
| Gauge refers to the space between the two parallel | | | | a number of appealing themed starter sets, for the |
| tracks that the train runs on. In the real world, by far | | | | younger train-fans. The popular Thomas the Tank |
| the largest proportion of mainline railroad tracks are | | | | Engine sets are well represented in this range, but |
| spaced precisely 4 ft 8½" apart. Indeed, it is so | | | | these are good quality model trains, which run on |
| ubiquitous that this spacing, 4ft 8½" is referred to as | | | | exactly the same HO track as any of the more |
| standard gauge. However, some railroads and some | | | | expensive prototype models made by Bachmann that |
| whole countries have, for various reasons, spaced the | | | | sell for a higher price. The volume of production and |
| rails closer together. In Southern Africa, Japan, Thailand, | | | | shrewdly targeted marketing by this company means |
| the Malay Peninsula and New Zealand, for example, | | | | that Bachmann is here to stay and we, the model |
| the space is 3ft 6". In the USA, 3ft was common in | | | | railroaders of the world are all the more fortunate for it. |
| mountainous areas, where construction is greatly | | | | |