Bachmann New Releases
Bachmann reveals brand-new products each quarter with its British Model Railway Announcements in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. These new announcements reveal new additions to its ‘OO’ gauge, ‘N’ gauge and ‘OO9’ gauge collections in the Bachmann Branchline, Graham Farish, Bachmann Narrow Gauge and Bachmann Scenecraft product lines.
Highlights of the British Model Railway Announcements are new all-new tool steam, diesel and electric locomotives plus new colour schemes on its existing range of previous released products.
Bachmann expands its collection of rolling stock each year with all-new carriages and new liveries and colour schemes for existing models. Goods wagons are treated the same. Modellers can also expect a new collection of buildings and accessories each year in the Scenecraft collection and Bachmann continues to increase the range of products that it offers.
Rumours and anticipation surround the Bachmann’s product launches each year with railway modellers guessing as to what the UK’s biggest name in model railways will make next. An annual Bachmann Europe Model Railway Combined Volume catalogue is produced covering all Bachmann Europe product lines in one publication.
Bachmann’s catalogue covers multiple scales for British outline models. ‘OO’ gauge uses 16.5mm gauge track with models made to a scale of 4mm:1ft while ‘N’ gauge uses 9mm gauge track to a scale of 2mm:1ft. Bachmann Narrow Gauge ‘OO9’ models run on 9mm gauge track and are made to 4mm:1ft scale. Bachmann also produces selected products for ‘O’ gauge, 16mm scale and G scale.
Bachmann offers a range of train sets as a starting point for newcomers to the hobby.
Bachmann Branchline current models
Bachmann’s Branchline ‘OO’ range offers an increasing and highly detailed collection of steam, diesel and electric locomotives.
Highlights of the steam line up include locomotives from the Great Western Railway (GWR), Southern Railway (SR), London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and London North Eastern Railway (LNER) as well as British Railway (BR) built Standard classes. In addition it includes locomotive of pre-grouping origin including those operated by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR), South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR), Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR), Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (SDJR), Midland Railway (MR), North Eastern Railway (NER), Great Northern Railway (GNR), Great Central Railway (GCR) and others.
Steam locomotives currently available cover the GWR ‘Dukedog’ 4-4-0, GWR ‘Modified Hall’ 4-6-0, GWR ‘45XX’ and ‘4575’ 2-6-2Ts, GWR ‘64XX’ 0-6-0PT and GWR ‘94XX’ 0-6-0PT together with examples of the Southern Railway LBSCR ‘H1’ and ‘H2’ 4-4-2 ‘Atlantics’, SECR ‘C’ 0-6-0 and LBSCR ‘E4’ 0-6-2T. For Midland Region modellers the range includes the LYR Aspinall ‘1008’ 2-4-2T, LNWR ‘Coal Tank’ 0-6-2Ts, LNWR ‘Super D’ 0-8-0, Fowler Compound 4-4-0, LMS Ivatt ‘2MT’ 2-6-0 and 2-6-2T, LMS Fairburn 2-6-4T, LMS Hughes, Fowler ‘Crab’ 2-6-0, LMS Stanier ‘Jubilee’ 4-6-0 and more. LNER modellers benefit from models of the Peppercorn ‘A1’ and ‘A2’ 4-6-2s, Gresley ‘V2’ 2-6-2s, Thompson ‘B1’ 4-6-0 and GCR Robsinson ‘O4’ 2-8-0 plus there are also models of the War Department ‘Austerity’ 2-8-0s together with the BR built Standard classes covering the ‘3MT’ 2-6-2T, ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T, ‘4MT’ 2-6-0, ‘4MT’ 4-6-0, ‘5MT’ 4-6-0 and ‘9F’ 2-10-0.
On the diesel front Bachmann has introduced a series of new high-profile diesel-electrics with all-new models of the English Electric Class 20, Derby Sulzer Class 24 and Brush Class 47. These join an extensive collection of existing products which model the Class 03 and Class 08 diesel shunters, Class 20/3 DRS refurbished Class 20s, Class 24/1, Class 25, Class 37, Class 40, Class 43 ‘Warship’, Class 44, 45 and 46 ‘Peaks’ plus the more modern Class 57, Class 66 and Class 70. There are also ready-to-run electric locomotives modelling the Class 85 and Class 90 for ‘OO’ gauge.
iesel Multiple Units (DMUs) are also well catered for with a particular highlighting being the Bachmann Midland Pullman six-car Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) for ‘OO’ gauge. It is joined by examples of the first-generation Derby Lightweight two-car DMU, Class 101, Class 105 and Class 108 two-car DMUs and Class 117 three-car DMU. There are also models of second generation DMUs covering the Class 150/1, Class 150/2 and Class 158.
The Bachmann Branchline range has a number of Southern Region multiple in its roster too including models of the Class 205 (2H) two-car DEMU and electrics modelling the Class 410 4-BEP, Class 411 4-CEP, Class 414 2-HAP, Class 416 2-EPB and Class 419 MLV. All have 21-pin decoder sockets and directional lights.
Bachmann’s ‘OO’ gauge rolling stock collection is also extensive. Passenger carriage highlights include the SECR ‘Birdcage’ three-car sets, a new collection of Bulleid main line 63ft 6in corridor stock for the Southern Railway and British Railway’s Southern Region, LNER Thompson steel bodied coaches, BR Mk 1 carriages and parcels vans, BR Mk 2 and Mk 2A pressure ventilated stock and BR Mk 2F air-conditioned carriages including the Driving Brake Second Open in original and refurbished formats.
Carriage colour schemes are equally diverse and cover pre-grouping SECR liveries, GWR, SR, LMS and LNER ‘Big Four’ era liveries, BR carmine and cream, BR maroon, BR Southern Region green, BR Western Region chocolate and cream, BR blue and grey, Pullman umber and cream, InterCity, Network SouthEast, Virgin Trains, ScotRail, DRS, West Coast Railways, Network Rail, postal, Rail Express Systems (RES) and Royal Mail liveries.
Extending the ‘OO’ gauge range still further is a huge collection of freight wagons modelling wagons from the early steam era to the present day. Highlights include four-wheel open wagons in private owner liveries, Conflat wagons, five-plank open, china clay, Pipe, Tube, 16ton mineral, 12ton vent van, sand tipplers and shunters trucks for the steam era. Modern modellers benefit from MEA, MKA Limpet, VEA box vans, VGA box vans, VBA box vans, TTA tank wagons, MOA bogie open wagons, HEA hoppers, BAA steel coil carriages, BRA covered steam coil carriers, BDA bolster wagons, OTA timber wagons, FNA nuclear flask wagons plus FFA and FGA Freightliner flats.
A healthy collection of buildings is also available for ‘OO’ in the Bachmann Scenecraft collection modelling station, depot and street scene structures as well as figures, details, accessories and animals.
Graham Farish current models
The Graham Farish ‘N’ gauge brand joined the Bachmann Europe portfolio in 2000 and since then has been expanded and enhanced with all new models, new mechanisms, DCC functionality and most recently DCC sound fitted products for 2mm:1ft scale.
The Graham Farish range comprises steam, diesel and electric locomotives and multiple units together with carriages and wagons while the ‘N’ gauge section of the Bachmann Scenecraft arm delivers ready-made cast resin buildings and structures.
Highlights of the steam collection include the GWR ‘Castle’ 4-6-0, GWR ‘64XX’ 0-6-0PT, SR Maunsell ‘N’ 2-6-0, SECR ‘C’ 0-6-0, LMS Fowler ‘Jinty’ 0-6-0T, LMS Fairburn 2-6-4T, Midland ‘4F’ 0-6-0, LMS ‘8F’ 2-8-0, LNER Gresley ‘J39’ 0-6-0, BR ‘5MT’ 4-6-0 and War Department ‘Austerity’ 2-8-0. Diesel highlights include models of the Class 03, Class 04, Class 08, Class 20, Class 24, Class 25, Class 31, Class 37, Class 40, Class 42, Class 47, Class 57, Class 60, Class 66 and Class 70 together with DMUs modelling Class 101, Class 108, Class 150/1, Class 150/2, Class 170, Blue Pullman, Class 220 Voyager and Class 350 EMU.
Graham Farish is also producing brand-new ready-to-run ‘N’ gauge models of the Class 319 four-car dual voltage Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) as well as the Class 769 bi-mode units and Class 450 third-rail four-car EMUs.
Passenger carriages model SECR ‘Birdcage’, LMS Stanier Period III 57ft coaches, GWR Hawksworth stock, BR Mk 1s, BR Mk 2, Mk 2A and Mk 2F coaches, Mk 1 Pullman cars, parcels vans and more.
Freight wagons take the ‘N’ gauge modeller through the eras from early steam to the present day. Highlights including private owner Railway Clearing House (RCH) three, five, seven and eight plank open wagons, china clay wagons, BR 13ton steel opens, BR 16ton mineral wagons, BR 12ton ventilated vans, Conflat wagons and 27ton tippler wagons.
Modern wagons include the OBA, ZBA, OCA, ZAA and SPA opens, TTA and TEA tank wagons, JPA cement tanks, HAA coal hopper, MBA bogie open wagon, BAA steel coil carrier, BDA bolster wagon and FIA intermodal twin sets.
Narrow gauge current models
A recent new division from Bachmann Europe is its Bachmann Narrow Gauge 'OO9' collection. Highlights of this range include its ready-to-run model of the Ffestiniog Railway Double Fairlie 0-4-4-0Ts (HM175), Baldwin 10-12-D 4-6-0T, slate wagons, narrow gauge slate buildings and its developing models of the Quarry Hunslet 0-4-0ST and Baguley-Drewry 70hp four-wheel diesel shunter.
All Bachmann Narrow Gauge locomotives and rolling stock are made to ‘OO’ scale – 4mm:1ft and run on 9mm gauge track – hence, ‘OO9’.
Product launches
Bachmann announces new products each quarter in February, May, August and November and produces an annual Combined Volume catalogue. Full details of the new product line up from Bachmann across its ranges will be published on www.keymodelworld.com and in Hornby Magazine each quarter.