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Bachmann GWR Shunters Truck


gwrrob
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I thought I'd start a thread on these and the Hornby release to show the diagrams and give a link to a page of allocations for those who may wish to renumber and rename either version of the model.

 

http://www.gwr.org.uk/noshunters.html

 

Bachmann Canons Marsh,Bristol. 38-675

 

Bachmann Newton Abbot 38-676 .NA had four of these at one time but not the same diagram.

 

Bachmann Old Oak Common 38-677

 

Hornby's version was mentioned here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/66031-hornbys-gwr-shunter-truck/

 

Prototype in action with 3738. http://www.flickr.com/photos/26465928@N02/2634361321/

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There's a good GA of diagram M1 (initially fitted with lever brakes, but soon retrofitted with Dean-Churchward) and an M4 underframe in the 'Bible', plus plenty of pictures. Buffer types, brake details and handrails varied over time, but I would suggest an M2, M3 or M4, with DCIII brakes, would be a good long-timespread choice.

 

Hornby's new specimen is an M4 or M5 with an M1 number. (Credit in a way to Hornby, though, because M1's 41886 really was at Gloucester Old Yard in 1944.)

Edited by Miss Prism
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Final Bachmann item of today's conversation!  Three samples, undecorated, were on show and while possibly not yet at final stage (metal lamp brackets for example) looked good but have not yet been fully checked over as they only arrived from China yesterday evening.  I was at least able to make the point about BR livery - an area where it seems they were unsure but had the impression that it was darker than grey from photos they've looked at.  So black the BR versions will be, with yellow lettering and hopefully that will achieve the right 'dirty rich yellow' shade on the originals.  Idid add that possibly some of the BR ones had white lettering at some stage but I think the one in production is going to be yellow from our chat.  

 

And not only do they look good but they are seemingly not too far away and might even be here by Warley (that was not a promise!).  And oh what a contrast with Hornby where fobbing-off 'have a look in the showcase to see what it will be like' was what I was told when I asked about the BR livery 72XX 9 but that's another thread, and it wasn't there anyway).

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I'm not convinced by the black livery being suggested for BR. My childhood recollections are very hazy, and to be honest, even if the things had black or grey paint underneath, they all looked uniformly dingy and dirty. I had assumed the BR livery would be standard grey unfitted, or standard bauxite for the few through-piped specimens. If they were black, that would indicate they were considered 'engineering' wagons. Was this so? The yellow lettering doesn't ring true either, but I suppose it depends what one means by 'yellow' - I think the more accurate colour for engineering wagon insignia was a pale cream. Perhaps Paul Bartlett can shed some light on this matter.

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For a complete history on the shunters trucks, John Lewis published an outstanding 5 part series in Great Western Journal numbers 19, 21, 24, 26 & 29, including diagram differences, allocations etc.

 

Mike Wiltshire

Edited by Coach bogie
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I'm not convinced by the black livery being suggested for BR. My childhood recollections are very hazy, and to be honest, even if the things had black or grey paint underneath, they all looked uniformly dingy and dirty. I had assumed the BR livery would be standard grey unfitted, or standard bauxite for the few through-piped specimens. If they were black, that would indicate they were considered 'engineering' wagons. Was this so? The yellow lettering doesn't ring true either, but I suppose it depends what one means by 'yellow' - I think the more accurate colour for engineering wagon insignia was a pale cream. Perhaps Paul Bartlett can shed some light on this matter.

They were indeed departmental wagons Miss P - hence the 'OD' branding (which meant Operating Department of course - as opposed to, say, ED for Engineering Department).  Having stood right next to a couple of them in Reading West Junction Yard during most hours of the 24 back in the late 1960s they were very definitely black beneath the grime.  In fact in places there wasn't too much grime because Shunters riding on the footboards brushed against the wagon and any loose dirt tended to be 'brushed' off leaving relatively clean and shiny patches.

 

I don't doubt that at some time some might have been lettered in white but my recollection of the markings is that they usually tended to be grubby because they were within the channel of the solebar and thus didn't get the brushing against them that happened on some areas.  All the wooden areas were presumably unpainted as there never seemed to be any trace of paint on them  - just well weathered timber.

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Perhaps Paul Bartlett can shed some light on this matter.

No way, far too young, you expect too much of me.

 

The few I saw were black, as others far older than me have said, they were engineers wagons. I do wonder if any

were gulf red or olive green? 

 

 

Paul Bartlett

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Just had a look at these on Hattons website.

 

The Newton Abbot lettered one (38-676) is advertised as 'Newton Abbott (2 't's).  Checking Bachmann's site thankfully it's listed as one 't'.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Edited by 46444
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I have to say that the example displayed via Flickr is not an original GWR Shunter truck. The shunter truck (100377) at Didcot is a former GWR Mink A Van that was converted in the Shunter truck form that it is today in 1953.

 

Assuming that the preserved one they might be copying really was one from Cannons Marsh and is correctly numbered and lettered ;)

 

The 41736 example which is shown in the catalogue and is one of my photos I took, is an original built in 1913 to diagram M3 and now owned by the 813 Fund on the Severn Valley Railway. From what it says on the 813 Website, 47136 was originally allocated to Canons Marsh Bristol and was moved from Bristol around 1973 so it is quite certain that it is a shunter truck that was originally allocated to that area.

 

Garethp8873

 

6790343155_05742d16cf_z.jpg

Edited by Garethp8873
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It's interesting to compare these shots with the Hornby photos. Off-hand the Bachmann version looks impressive with separate lamp irons etc, but - and maybe it's just me - the Bachmann step boards look more chunky than the Hornby ones?

 

 http://www.Hornby.com/shop/2013-range/wagons/r6642-gwr-shunters-truck-acton/

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Very pleasing to see them doing the M3 and M4 diagram rather than just the one diagram. This is Hornby's folly doing just the sloping handrails. Once again Bachmann has nailed another piece of rolling stock perfectly! I will be getting both companies models so it will be interesting to compare both versions.

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It's interesting to compare these shots with the Hornby photos. Off-hand the Bachmann version looks impressive with separate lamp irons etc, but - and maybe it's just me - the Bachmann step boards look more chunky than the Hornby ones?

 

 http://www.Hornby.com/shop/2013-range/wagons/r6642-gwr-shunters-truck-acton/

The step boards do look more chunky but I suspect also less likely to fall off. I think this is an area Hornby have gone to fine on in the past. The footboards on my Hornby coaches are very very fragile especially for an area likely to get grabbed during re-railing. A number of fallen off never to be found. Sorry for going slightly off topic.
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The footboards on the Bachmann samples look right to me - the prototypes had some pretty solid footboards as they got a lot of heavy use not only carrying 2 or 3 men on one side of the vehicle at a time but also men jumping on & off including, no doubt, some with well studded boots

 

To be honest the view of the Hornby computer generated image makes it very difficult for me to judge the thickness of the (strangely coloured) footboards and is probably no more than an approximation of what the finished vehicle will look like in any case.

Edited by The Stationmaster
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