The arrival of Bachmann’s new Class 43 Warship Pegasus has encouraged me to revisit my fleet of Bachmann Warships. I have counted four distinct variants of the Bachmann Warship: the early 'low' version, the corrected version, the lighted version and now the latest Class 43. I don't count Kader’s early Mainline models as being Bachmann, although they have a place in this narrative.
Four ages of Bachmann Warship, left to right, Onslaught, Glory, Zenith and Pegasus
First some history, Kader
The New Year has heralded a crop of new models. It is also the time of year when manufacturers and retailers clear out old stock. I have given in to temptation and I have purchased a second Hornby Class 52xx tank – ‘5239’ (R3224). My new model has a curved footplate to complement my existing model with its straight footplate.
Hornby Class 52xx R3224 ‘5239’ with curved footplate over cylinders
It would have been back in August 2013 when I took delivery of ‘5243’, one of Hornby’s first b
Continuing my BR(NE) saga I have resurrected a couple of elderly Bachmann B1s that have been quietly slumbering in their boxes. Bachmann B1s – Widlebeeste and Hartebeeste There is an issue with these particular early models and mine were not immune! For whatever reason the black plastic wheel centres expand with time and catch on the coupling rods preventing the wheels from freely turning. The affliction does not affect the centre driving wheel and rather puzzlingly it is the rear pair of d
With all the rain outside putting a stop to gardening I have been grounded and have used the opportunity to tackle some longstanding issues. Hornby first released their Q6 models in June 2016. Having being raised in Middlesbrough I had to take delivery of two versions, an Early Emblem and one with a Late Crest. They were tested and given a run around the layout before being stored away to make room for some BR (WR) trains.
Q6 63443 Hornby R3425
February 2018 and
Many thanks to that well known retailer in Sheffield who contacted me on Friday for payment and then delivered the locomotive on Saturday.
Hornby R3191 - Duke of Gloucester
What do I think of the model? Well it is ‘growing on me’.
Straight out of the box there were a number of issues. Most obviously ‘something’ had come adrift in transit and the engine was no longer coupled to the tender.
Tender to engine coupling unglued.
In the way of things this is minor and can easily be remedied.
The recent appearance in the shops of some Hornby super detail Pullman Cars at half the recommended price had me thinking. When I used to go ‘Train Spotting’ to Darlington I might be lucky and get there in time to see the ‘up’ Tees-Tyne Pullman when it called at Darlington just after 10:00am.
Queen of Scots and Tees-Tyne Pullman Times 1961/62
However I seem to have clearer memories of the down Queen of Scots creeping in from the south towards five o’clock in the evening. The best of the day
This is a follow up to my last Post which was devoted to Hornby’s release of Special Edition Duke of Gloucester.
Hornby R3191 Duke of Gloucester left versus Hornby R2717 Apollo right
What do I still think of the model? I am not so sure about value for money.
Hornby R2717 Apollo left versus Hornby R3191 Duke of Gloucester right
Hornby R2717 Apollo came with a wealth of added detail parts fitted at manufacture – almost too many to list.
HornbyR2717 Apollo - a closer view
Apollo came wi
This Post is well over due, but then so is the repainting of our outside paintwork - the white house walls. Hawksworth County Class engines were designed during wartime conditions for handling difficult work in Devon and Cornwall. The locomotive Power Classification was 6MTwhich fits neatly between 7P for a Castle and 5MT for a Hall. The engine’s main purpose was ‘fast mixed traffic’, hence the Counties’ 6’- 3” driving wheels, smaller than the 6’- 8 1/2” of a Castle and larger than the 6’- 0”
During the 1960s and the 1970s it was fashionable to make 35mm colour slides rather than prints. Slides appear remarkably stable, but how to convert them into digital images? I am aware that there is equipment ‘out there’ to be bought, but how much better to capture the images for free. Luckily we still have a quality projector, so the other evening we projected some of our slides onto the kitchen wall and made fresh images with our current digital camera.
Two images that I came across were of
I was my intention to finish with Duke of Gloucester (DoG) and to move on. First however I would just fit some jointed coupling rods (from a Britannia). It seems that nothing is quite that straightforward with my model and I uncovered some other issues that hopefully will not bother too many of you, but just might be of interest to some of you.
Hornby R3191 Duke of Gloucester – a rare view in service
When first taken out of the box my model was a reluctant runner first crawling and then s
Stocks of the latest Bachmann Midland 4Fs have appeared in the shops and I have taken delivery of one of the examples with a Late Crest. Well I have taken delivery of two engines but more of that later.
Bachmann Midland 4F on unfitted freight
It is now over 100 years since Sir Henry Fowler introduced his 4F goods engine. 192 of these engines were built by the Midland Railway between 1911 and 1922 and according to Casserley and Asher (1961) all these engines were still in service up until May
There was some discussion this week on one of the forums relating to the ex Dapol / Hornby twelve wheel restaurant cars. I have lowered the ride height of mine to run with Bachmann stock:
In order to get the buffers of the Hornby Restaurant Car to match the height of my adjacent Bachmann Mk1s it was necessary to lower the underframe on the bogies.
First it is best to take the whole coach apart. This can be done by sliding ones finger nail between the coach side and the underframe an
I have lost count of how many Black Fridays there are in November but I used each Friday (and some of the other days) to stock up on more of Hornby’s Super Detail Black Fives.
One of Hornby’s newer models with Combined Top Feed, 45190 aka R2904
I bought 45190 my first super detail Black Five back in 2011. I was underwhelmed by how lightweight the engine was and how little it could haul. As a result it spent the next few years resting at the end of the engin
I was asked this weekend how both my Bachmann Dukedog (9017) and my City performed on gradients. Straight out of the box, the answer is 'With difficulty'.
Bachmann Dukedog (9017) on local train
9017 is a recent addition to the layout and after marvelling at the detailing and the super smooth performance I was prepared to overlook the fact that my model seemed incapable of hauling any load uphill. 9017 was relegated to shuttling between two stations on my branch line - on the level.
I would
One of the first engines that I purchased on returning to the hobby was a Bachman Austerity 2-8-0.
I remember seeing a number of these engines on Teesside in the early 1960s and I was keen to have a model of one on the layout. From memory the Q6s, J26s and J27s handled the local traffic bringing coal and coke from County Durham whilst the WD 2-8-0s handled more long distance freight south to York and beyond.
Whilst the detail on my Bachmann WD was superb, its performance I thou
I grew up in Middlesbrough and for a couple of years around 1960 I used to go ‘train spotting’, mostly to Darlington but occasionally up to Newcastle and even sometimes across to Carlisle (age about 12ish!). When it was announced that Bachmann would be producing a green, whiskered, Metro-Cammell DMU destinations Newcastle/Middlesbrough I would have to buy one.
Bachmann Class 101 with whiskers
My DMU has arrived and I am delighted.
.
Bachmann Class 101 arrived
I might even have travelled
My last session featured some of my older models of BR (LMR) steam 4-6-0s. On that occasion I had started to strengthen some of my rakes of coaches and had added additional second class BR Mk1s.
Six Up
The Hornby ‘Staniers’ are relatively light weight. The Bachmann ‘Portholes’, despite some criticism of the bogie design, I think are free running. Adding an extra Bachmann Mk1 to the ‘Staniers’ and the ‘Portholes’ did not cause any haulage problems on my gradients.
My Bachmann Mk1s ap
I am now the proud owner of two BR Green Bachmann Class 37s.
Two Bachmann Class 37s produced around 2004
According to Mick Parker’s splendid new Class 37 web site https://www.class37.co.uk/fleet.aspx?strnumber=37676 my D6707 was outshopped in 1961 and spent its early life allocated to March. D6826 was a later design without gangway end doors and was outshopped in 1963. It was first allocated to Cardiff Canton. Although outside of my layout period it was reported
It is a great feeling when things turn out well. Bucklebury Grange arrived at the beginning of summer.
Hornby Bucklebury Grange (left) Overton Grange (right)
The first model was returned to the seller, something about the way it ran. The replacement model was an improvement, so it stayed. How many models can you send back? However at higher speeds it still seemed to roll around. I began to imagine that one or more of the driving wheels was not central on its axle. Bucklebury Grange was banis
The list of jobs to do is endless but finishing off the platforms must come near the top.
This could be quite a long task but first what size to make the paving? The British Standard suggests that paving stones should preferably be 900 x 600, 750 x 600 or 600 x 600 (mm). However my layout represents the late 1950s, early 1960s, long before metrication. In those days, and for some considerable time after, the standard size of paving stone was 3ft x 2ft equivalent to 12mm x 8mm in 00 s
Matters have moved on since my recent Post detailing the arrival of the Diamond Jubilee Britannia (R3094).
The donor – Hornby William Wordsworth R2563
Firstly a view of the model that was to provide the tender with the Late Crest. At the time of writing my last post there were issues with William Wordsworth. I would give it a new identity with a tender with an early emblem and at a suitable time I would sell it.
After recovering the white roof, R2563 Left R3094 Right
Perhaps I should hav
In an earlier Post I detailed the construction of some corridor connectors for my Bachmann Collett coaches. I have now added a Hornby Hawksworth Full Brake coach.
I like the look of the Hornby Hawksworth coaches, perhaps with the exception of the corridor connectors, which could well be the subject of a separate Post. I bought my first Hornby Hawksworth Full Brake coach back in October 2010 for use with a rake of ‘express coaches’. Most recently I have added a Full Brake to the local ‘s
One of my all time favourite models is Mainline locomotive Mars. I kept my original purchase from 1983 and a couple of years ago I upgraded the model with a Bachmann mechanism. I think it is still an attractive engine with its Fowler Tender. The Mainline model of Mars was relatively expensive, I am guessing to cover the cost of the ‘new’ improved Fowler Tender which I think was all new tooling – that despite Mainline getting access to the older Airfix 4F / 2P designs.
45698
Continuing my journey around the layout I thought it time to return to the Branch Junction and catch the ex GWR branch train.
Bachmann Dukedog ready and waiting
The next station down the old GWR branchline is the ‘Halt in the Corner’ or more simply the ‘Passing Loop’.
The Halt in the Corner
Neither the station nor the passing loop featured in my original plans. Trains leaving the Branch Junction for the Main Terminus via the old GWR line (literally the Great Way Round) followed
Apparently I recorded my intention to purchase the Bachmann Blue Pullman in August 2010. Well it finally arrived this week and has provided hours and hours of nail biting entertainment over the last few days.
Get 50% off (Insurance)
My layout is DC and I thought that perhaps I would have to go inside and remove the installed DC Chips. I did not expect that I would have to do it so soon and to have to dismantle and correct so many other bits before enjoying its running.
I cannot imagin
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