DRS Crewe On A Mission

I agree and support anyone who has said a newly tooled Class 66. Ok so the Bachmann model isn't outdated I wouldn't say but their could be a wealth of improvements made. Firstly the DCC lighting could be upgraded to feature independently controlled cab lights in both cabs, directional lighting, marker lights. The second upgrade has got to be detail. I bought an old Class 66 model from a few years ago last year and on a quick look their is a clear lack of attention to detail. It was good for the time probably produced between 2006-2008 but now over a decade on surely more attention to detail could be made. It would be nice to have a DCC smoke system on some Class 66s. Many a times I have seen them leaving Leeds Midland Road and they always churn out a lot of smoke which would be nice to replicate. Also the bogies on the Bachmann 66s are not brilliant and several people seem to be having issues with them so that's another improvement that could be made. Furthermore if I'm been really honest the liveries on the recent releases and upcoming releases on the Bachmann 66s are really good and well replicated but the price of Limited Edition 66s by Bachmann is too expensive. 136, 614 and 727 have been announced for release next year but they are quite expensive and for people like myself who model with/collect several 66s it's improssibly to buy them all. 136 with the London to China stickers is £185! I would love this model but this price is extortinate for a 66 Limited Edition or not. Whilst I don't want to turn this comment into a moan about price increases it does contribute to the main point that I am making. A newly tooled 66 could be produced and sold for far less than £170-£185 for Limited Edition models. I would happily pay £130-£140 for a newly tooled 66 but I think the current Bachmann prices for the Limited Edition 66s are just unaffordable. I wanted to buy 136, 614, 709 and 727 but that would cost £695 for four 66s. It's just too much for a model that could be reproduced by another manufacturer with a wealth of improvements and sold for less money. There are several liveries that Bachmann haven't yet produced on the 66s. I would be more than willing to buy newly tooled 66s, for less than the Bachmann Limited Editions with improvements. I don't begrudge buying locos but even I think that £185 for a Class 66 as a Limited Edition by Bachmann is too much and simply unaffordable, especially when several of the Limited Editions are been released at the same time. I would also support newly tooled 37s, 57s and 150s. Several popular modern image 37s could be produced with new noses, wipac lighting, top headlights, cab lights etc. The same with the 57s. Several 57/0s in DRS liveries could be produced with the correct fronts/noses. I certainly believe that Realtrack could produce amazing 150s. Judging by the level of detailing on the 143s, 144s and 156s their could be massive improvements to the 150s made when compared to the Bachmann models. Edit: I do not wish this comment to be took in a negative way by Bachmann or retailers that are producing and selling these 66s. Bachmann produce some fantastic models and are my favourite ready to run manufacturer personally. However I just simply think that the prices of 66s especially the Limited Edition models is just really expensive. I have nothing against Bachmann or any retailers.

New tooled Class 37s. 37/6s with new noses, directional lights, top headlights, cab lights. I have had the idea of the following twin packs. 37606 & 37609 in DRS Compass livery 37608 & 37611 in Europhoenix livery 37607 & 37612 in Colas Rail livery (when they are repainted in reality) 37423 in the new DRS Basic livery would be really nice too as a single model. 37038/059/069/218 any of those in the Revised DRS livery would be good. I agree with the idea of 150s. Original Purple Northern livery, purple Northern livery but debranded and the new Northern Rail white livery would be good. Different models could be produced some with the doors at the end and some without the doors at the ends.

So I'm just going to throw a few ideas out now that new projects have been mentioned. Firstly I missed the 143s and 144s when they were produced a few years ago. Could their be a potential re run? 144012 in it's new livery, a Northern Rail purple one with branding and a Northern Rail purple one without the branding. I understand that the only one produced of these three in the original batch was a Northern Rail 144 with branding. Also I have noticed that at least one 143 wears GWR Green now. Could this be produced? Then their is the FGW Purple livery with the names of the different places on. I think this is referred to as "local lines" branding. The detail on this model is amazing. I have seen one on Ebay and it just looks magnificent. Could another one or two of these be produced but with different running numbers? Northern Rail 150s. Both the flush ends (no doors) and door ends. One with Northern Rail branding, one without Northern Rail branding both in the original Northern Rail purple and the new Northern Rail white livery. All liveries could be produced with and without doors on the ends. Bachmann's model a couple of years ago featured doors at the ends of the unit. The Northern Rail 155s would be a good idea. I travel on 155342 regularly and it's another Northern Rail unit that I would like to acquire. Something I have wanted for ages are more 37s and 57/0s. 37423 in DRS Basic livery 37606 & 37609 in DRS Compass livery as a twin pack 37608 & 37611 in Europhoenix livery as a twin pack 37607 & 37612 in Colas Rail livery as a twin pack (when they are repainted in reality) Rail Operations Group 37601 Colas Rail 37116 Network Rail 97301 DRS Revised 37716 DRS Compass 37603 or 37604 A WCRC Maroon 37 with the same noses 57002 & 57007 in Revised DRS as a twin pack 57004 & 57009 in DRS Compass as a twin pack All of these locos are just suggestions and I don't expect that all of them will be produced. They are just ideas.

I typed in "Hornby GWR MK3". See the link:http://www.hattons.co.uk/275876/Hornby_R4815_Mk3_TF_trailer_first_41146_in_GWR_green/StockDetail.aspx Hope this helps.

Thank you very much for posting about this. I have been hoping for months that these two models will be produced in due course. I have just sent an email expressing my interest. Hopefully they will both be produced.

Thank you very much for letting me know. Didn't think that it might be N Gauge. It does look OO Gauge in the photo though haha.

Is that a Bachmann WCRC Maroon 57/3 on the photo on the previous page? I'm assuming that this is a new standard ready to run model and not a respray?

I noticed yesterday that 66418 has been discounted on all three versions (standard & weathered, DCC Fitted & DCC Sound). It's a shame that this model doesn't seem to have sold as well as expected but I think it's because the livery on that particular loco is now outdated as the real 66418 now wears the Freightliner Powerhaul livery. A real shame because I suspect that if KMRC had commissioned Bachmann to produce 413, 415 or 419 all of which are still in DRS debranded blue with Freightliner locos the model might have sold better. Personally I am hoping to support KMRC with their OO Gauge Limited Editions in the future. I am particularly interested in 66418, 66709 and 97304. Although 418s livery is outdated I am hoping to buy this loco because it looks really good and represents a transition livery that the loco did wear. I may also consider buying two 97304 models and renumbering one to 97302. Yes the Limited Editions do seem a bit pricey but at the moment with price increases for RTR manufacturers this is the norm. As has been mentioned above it's just about prioritising what you would like to buy first/sooner. I have a list of locos that I would like to buy but their is so many that I can't afford them all so it's just about buying the ones that I really want and seeing further down the line what is still available and if I have the money to buy them. Credit to KMRC for commissioning Bachmann and other RTR manufacturers to produce these Limited Editions. They all look fantastic.

I agree too. Obviously the blue ends and not yellow ends will take a bit of getting used to but I think it looks rather smart. It certainly catches the eye. Hopefully Dapol will produce some in model form in due course.

Thank you very much for letting us know. I thought that they would all be arriving together. That's brilliant because it gives me a chance to save some money. Hoping to buy 245, 727 and 805. Really looking forward to these 47s arriving.

Yes very strange. You would think that they would all be delivered in December/January. The only thing that I can think of is that they might have a spare production slot or two for the smaller Limited Edition batches. Although the slots probably aren't big enough to accommodate the general catalogue Class 47 releases. Thank you very much for letting me know. It would be nice to see a Caledonian Blue Class 47. I think even if it appears in blue I will still buy the original Colas liveried 727 release. It would be nice if 749 in the new Colas livery was done as a Limited Edition next. I think I like both of the Colas liveries on the 47s equally. Both the original and new liveries are quite well suited to the Class 47.

Really looking forward to the Colas and DRS 47s. Even though I suspect that the Colas livery on 727 is now outdated I am still hoping to buy 727 because I do think that both the original and new liveries on the Colas 47s look good. I'm equally looking forward to the DRS 47. It's about time that we see some of these DRS and Colas liveries on Bachmann 47s.

That's really interesting. Thank you for posting and letting us know. I checked the other day on Hattons on the DRS Compass 47805 model. Delivery is expected December 2017/January 2018. So this model is expected at the same time as the VT & WCRC 47s from the standard Bachmann range. I find it strange that the Colas 47 is arriving before these three models. Unless of course the expected delivery date on Hattons for 47805 is incorrect and it could actually be arriving in September/October with the Colas 47.

The new blue and white livery for the 450s reminds me of the new Northern Rail livery which is now Arriva Rail North. Except the 450s have a diagonal line separating the blue and white whereas the Northern Rail passenger units have swirls. The new livery for the 450s doesn't look as bright and attractive as the SWT livery but the blue and white might look good. Something simple and effective.

I completely agree and see your point. I think that the majority would agree that £170 for Limited Edition 66s is a lot of money. However I highly suspect that this is the only time that we will see these special liveries produced as ready to run models. I don't see any point in another manufacturer producing the same special liveried Class 66s. Especially seen as though LTM still have some 66718 models for sale. Another way that this situation could be looked upon is about the fact how much people/shops charge for commission resprays. For example Olivia's Trains are currently charging £220 for a respray of 66709 in MSC livery. Considering that the Olivia's respray doesn't have the Europorte rounded logos at either end of the ship on the side of the loco and it doesn't say anywhere that the loco is new meaning that it could be used/second hand I really don't see the problem in paying £170 for a factory finished model, where the livery is accurately applied, the livery is correct and the model is brand new. Especially when their is a £50 saving between the Bachmann Limited Edition commissioned by Kernow and the Olivia's respray. I am not criticising Olivia's Trains I am just making comparisons between a factory finished model and a respray. This is just my personal opinion and I realise that some may agree and some may disagree.

Thought that I would post on here, seen as though it's about 66s. This is all just my opinion. I can see what people are saying about the Bachmann Limited Editions 66s been too expensive at £170 each. I therefore also see the point about the current Class 66 tooling been over a decade old and you therefore are not getting anything extra for your money. Yes the 66s do have some faults. There is a thread on here about bogie/wheel faults with the 66s and obviously they lack detailing seen as though the tooling is over a decade old. There probably is a market for a new upgraded Class 66 either that been Bachmann upgrading their existing tooling or another manufacturer producing some in OO Gauge. However right now probably wouldn't be the time to produce a brand new Class 66. If you consider how many 66s Bachmann have produced in the last couple of years whether this be standard models or Limited Edition. Here are the ones that I can think of 040 in EWS livery, 050 in EWS livery, 062 in ECR livery, 065 in EWS livery with DB Schenker logos, 111 in EWS livery, 416 in Freightliner Powerhaul livery, 418 in DRS Blue with Freightliner logos, 434 in Revised DRS livery, 709 in MSC livery, 711 in Bardon Aggregrates livery, 718 in LTM livery, 720 in Night & Day livery, 721 in LTM livery. The following are due to arrive soon: 614 in Freightliner livery, 727 in Maritime livery, 728 in GBRF livery and 779 in BR Green. Whilst I love the 66s and anyone who models the current scene will no doubt also like them right now I don't think that their is a potential for anymore new liveries as Bachmann have produced or have announced most of the special liveries and standard liveries within the last couple of years. There really now is just a handful of the special liveries that are yet to be announced and produced and I'm sure that we will see these in 2018 and 2019. Apart from the special liveries the only thing that a different manufacturer could do is to produce re runs of the standard liveries. Although I'm not sure if their is a market for the original, more basic liveries to be produced by a different manufacturer which have already been produced by Bachmann. At the moment I feel happy and grateful that we are seeing so many of the special liveried 66s announced and produced. We have never had modelling and collecting so good when we can buy so many special liveries as Limited Editions produced by a ready to run manufacturer. Yes the current 66 model does lack detail but in twelve years from when 66552 was produced their have been so many developments in manufacturing methods. That is not Bachmann's fault and as with many things in life things do change in time. Lets not be too critical of Bachmann. Yes ideally in 2015 before the models that have been produced in the last two years were announced it would have been good for Bachmann to upgrade the tooling and they didn't. But we have to consider that to pay for the upgraded tooling no doubt the models produced in the last couple of years would have been higher in price to cover the costs of the upgraded tooling. What I'm trying to say is we really can't have it both ways. We can't see so many 66s produced in a variety of liveries and complain about the prices when if Bachmann had of upgraded the tooling no doubt the prices for the 66s would have even higher than what they are now. Also if there was an increase in price it may make it financially unviable for retailers alike Rails of Sheffield and Kernow to commission Bachmann to produce 66s with upgraded tooling. I'm sure that the price would be above £170 to cover the costs for the new tooling and to enable retailers to actually make something at the end of it. My point is that I think we should be greatful for what we are been offered. Retailers don't have to commission Bachmann to produce Limited Edition 66s. Also the retailers are taking a big gamble as to if the locos will actually sell or not when they arrive. Lets be fair and this is not a criticism towards Bachmann we wouldn't see the range of special liveried 66s until 2020 or later with the current situation regarding Bachmann's general releases within the catalogue. By then these special liveried 66s may have been repainted and therefore the locos may not be produced in model form, meaning that we wouldn't have the opportunity to buy them in the first place. We all think £170 is a bit steep for a 66 but I'm just glad that retailers are commissioning Bachmann to produce these special liveried 66s in the first place. At least we have got the opportunity to buy them. All of the above is just my opinion and I realise that some may agree and some may disagree.

Thank you very much for posting the pictures. I don't usually buy passenger units but I have to say that these 450s by Bachmann look fantastic. I don't model the southern region of the country either but I may buy one or both of these 450s. The livery and attention to detail is captured really well. Just from seeing the pictures I think Bachmann deserve a big well done.

Hi all, Thank you very much for all of the replies and help. I really appreciate it. If anyone could help me with another question I have I would really appreciate it. Thank you in advance. Can you speedmatch locos when they are in a consist on the NCE DCC Controller? If so please could someone also tell me how to do this? I have looked in the instruction manual but can't find the word speedmatch/ed or anything along those lines. Thank you very much in advance.

Thank you very much for the reply and the information. I really appreciate it. If the recall stack is six locos I might not need to change anything because I won't need to move more than six separate locos at once. However is their anyway that I can increase and decrease the recall stack as and when required? Or can't this be changed? Thank you very much in advance.

Just my personal opinion here and I have know credible knowledge as to if this is accurate or not. Maybe these ten 66s are been offered for sale solely because of cracked engine blocks which sounds like a significant failure which cannot be repaired easily. Also alongside this fact considering that DB have lost some contracts and from what I know some drivers have or are to lose their jobs, these further two reasons probably support and validate the initial reason behind selling them.

Thank you very much for the reply and for the information. I really appreciate it. I never knew that it was that simple. Is their a maximum number of locos that I can recall or is it unlimited no matter how many locos that I want to move? Thank you very much in advance.

Hi all, Thank you for all of the help so far with the NCE Controller. I really appreciate it. I am getting used to how the controller works and I am really impressed with it. I just have one main question though if anyone could help me please? I have two circuits of track so that I can run more than one loco at once on the layout. If I start one loco running on one circuit and then start a second loco running on the second circuit, if I then want to go back to the first loco that I started running when I select the loco address and press enter the speed for the loco shows 0 and all of the lights are switched off. The loco stays running despite the speed saying 0 but then when I decrease the speed of the loco to slow it down it slows right down as if starting moving from speed 0 really slowly. Does anyone know how I can make it so that when I select the first loco after moving the second loco so that it stays running and the controller shows this on the speed screen and so that all of the lights that were switched on originally stay on? Thank you very much in advance.

As far as I know 68001 is still available from DRS at £200. The next batch will contain 68003 and 68008 in DRS livery.

I have noticed today when checking the Kernow website that 66709 is now saying due for delivery in August. Whereas yesterday and the previous days it was saying July/August.

Dapol posted on their Digest the other day that they are expected in autumn 2017. Hattons is saying due November or December 2017. Hope this helps.