Bachmann 2020 Announcements - Spring

[The Johnster]

Don’t agree.  It’s a matter of taste and opinion, but I don’t think a gloss finish looks right on 4mm scale models.  This is because it doesn’t seem to ‘scale’; look out of your window at the card parked in the street.  They are glossy, but this is less obvious when they are more than about 20’ away, and hardly obvious at all at 20 yards.   We mostly view out models from scale distances greater than that, but a glossy finish behaves as it does at the actual distance of a few feet. 
 

A really flat matte doesn’t look right either, and most RTR models are, rightly IMHO, given an eggshell semi-gloss.  Easy to put a layer of gloss or matt varnish to taste; I weather all mine anyway to tone them down a bit. The real world, even the modern one which is admittedly increasingly colourful, is nowhere near as bright or vivid as  the RTR one. 

[tomparryharry]

Sorry, I blinked.  57. Is that a 57xx?

 

Ian.

[truffy]

13 minutes ago, tomparryharry said:

Sorry, I blinked.  57. Is that a 57xx?

 

Class 57 is a 57xx

[Pre Grouping fan]

33 minutes ago, truffy said:

 

Class 57 is a 57xx

Could be the Class 57 Diesel in the modern GWR Green. 

[truffy]

who'd have thunk it? 

[Steamport Southport]

People mistaking Class 57s for 57XXs? That's mind bottling*

 

 

 

I take it Class 158 Productions means this. And I tend to agree it doesn't look good in the matt finish.

 

http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/p/63360/32-756A-Bachmann-Class-57-6-57602-Restormel-Castle-GWR-Green

 

 

 

*I'm watching Dave Gorman about people getting phrases wrong....  

 

 

 

Jason

[tomparryharry]

Hello folks... What you young whippersnappers fail to understand, is that we've been all of this numbers malarkey before.  For a 57, we always used 57xx as the correct nomenclature. When you start using numbers to describe locomotive classes, you'll run into trouble.

 

So, a 57 is a steam locomotive. A Brush 57 is a diesel locomotive.  

 

Everybody got that? Good! Class dismissed!

[griffgriff]

Brush 57...... but they were ‘body snatched’ .....

 

surely this is a 57

 

 

 

 

[adb968008]

1 minute ago, griffgriff said:

Brush 57...... but they were ‘body snatched’ .....

 

surely this is a 57

 

 

 

 

now if you tap the Class 57 on its numbers does the chassis come out, just like by tapping the 57 on the bottle the sauce optimally comes out ?

 

[brushman47544]

23 minutes ago, tomparryharry said:

Hello folks... What you young whippersnappers fail to understand, is that we've been all of this numbers malarkey before.  For a 57, we always used 57xx as the correct nomenclature. When you start using numbers to describe locomotive classes, you'll run into trouble.

 

So, a 57 is a steam locomotive. A Brush 57 is a diesel locomotive.  

 

Everybody got that? Good! Class dismissed!

sorry but I can’t say I’ve ever heard Brush 57. They were Brush Type 4s and then Class 57. I would understand Class xx as a diesel or electric for steamers they were just 57xx, Castles, A4s etc.

[tomparryharry]

9 minutes ago, brushman47544 said:

sorry but I can’t say I’ve ever heard Brush 57. They were Brush Type 4s and then Class 57. I would understand Class xx as a diesel or electric for steamers they were just 57xx, Castles, A4s etc.

 

Aha! Thank you, kind Sir! You appear to have illuminated my point extremely well!

[truffy]

2 hours ago, tomparryharry said:

Hello folks... What you young whippersnappers fail to understand, is that we've been all of this numbers malarkey before.  For a 57, we always used 57xx as the correct nomenclature. When you start using numbers to describe locomotive classes, you'll run into trouble.

 

So, a 57 is a steam locomotive. A Brush 57 is a diesel locomotive.  

 

Everybody got that? Good! Class dismissed!

I read somewhere on RMweb (waves arms about) that the 'xx' suffix was added by enthusiasts, while the crews just referred to the steam locos as the class number.

[tomparryharry]

37 minutes ago, truffy said:

I read somewhere on RMweb (waves arms about) that the 'xx' suffix was added by enthusiasts, while the crews just referred to the steam locos as the class number.

 

Not according to the paperwork I have here.  I have an MIT class illustration, which shows the valve arrangement for things like 29xx (saint, Hall, Grange, Manor 43xx, and the arrangements for the 40xx, such as Stars, Castles & Kings. 

 

No doubt the footplate staff used the name 30, 40-50, etc, whilst the office type people used the XX, or later XXX type system.

 

[caradoc]

3 hours ago, tomparryharry said:

Hello folks... What you young whippersnappers fail to understand, is that we've been all of this numbers malarkey before.  For a 57, we always used 57xx as the correct nomenclature. When you start using numbers to describe locomotive classes, you'll run into trouble.

 

So, a 57 is a steam locomotive. A Brush 57 is a diesel locomotive.  

 

Everybody got that? Good! Class dismissed!

 

Although 'a 57' could also describe a Metrovick Co-Bo !

[Phil Bullock]

50 minutes ago, truffy said:

I read somewhere on RMweb (waves arms about) that the 'xx' suffix was added by enthusiasts, while the crews just referred to the steam locos as the class number.

 

Use of XX suffix continued in official documents in to diesel era...

 

 

Edited March 29, 2020 by Phil Bullock
Photos added

[Steamport Southport]

2 hours ago, truffy said:

I read somewhere on RMweb (waves arms about) that the 'xx' suffix was added by enthusiasts, while the crews just referred to the steam locos as the class number.

 

Nope. They used the XX suffix in the GWR publications such as GWR Engines, Names, Numbers, Types and Classes dating back to at least the 1910s.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/G-W-R-Engines-Names-Numbers-Classes/dp/0715353675

 

I've never seen any of the companies use Class as a prefix, it was always used a suffix.

 

Castle Class not Class Castle (it was even cast into the nameplates of some). A3 Class, Britannia Class. The LMS/MR used the power rating rather than "class" so it was a 5MT not Class 5MT.

 

Class as a prefix seems to have came in with TOPS. Class 08, Class 37, Class 47, etc.

 

I've heard someone once use Class 56 at Llangollen before and was wondering what he was on about as they didn't have one. Then I realised he meant 5643 (a 56XX). He was a youngster.

 

 

Jason

[atom3624]

I would guess that as the diesel Class 57 didn't exist when the original GWR '57' came out, then there was probably no need to mention the 57xx.

 

Now that there are both, it makes more sense to consider accepting '57xx' for the kettle and 'Class 57' for the diesel.

 

Perhaps ....

 

Al.

[The Stationmaster]

I suspect the XX suffix is a child of the numbering system introduced during the Churchward era and it very clearly did not work with pre-Churchward classes (and not even with all of them, due presumably to number blocks shared with other types?).

 

Thus a 1927 internal use official publication from Swindon (in relation to passenger trains) shows such things as - 40XX, 29XX, 41XX, 31XX, 'Bulldog (Belpaire)'  'County 22XX',  "City",  "Atbara", "Duke",  36XX, 39XX,  ' 3521 Type 0-6-0 & 0-6-0T Stand. Gds)',   3201-3202, 2-4-0T 'Metro' and so on.  thus it was a mix of XX suffixes to identify Churchward and later designs while earlier engines were identified by either blocks of running numbers or names, or even a combination of the two

 

PS The use of the XX suffix with diesel classes lasted until the introduction of the 2 digit class identifier numbers in 1968 (and might even have seen some use after that?)

Edited March 29, 2020 by The Stationmaster
correct typo

[tomparryharry]

Right! Back to topic! So, what's this all about a 57, then?

[Class 158 productions]

Sorry for the confusion I caused, I hoped that my profile picture of a class 220 would suggest that I model more modern eras, the class 57 I was talking about was the new edition from Bachmann, not the steam loco, their 57xx is nice but shows it’s age nowadays. Sorry for any confusion, I’m a novice on this platform! 

[Class 158 productions]

What I noted that in a recent video, I saw that it now looks glossy. Like the 158 and Hornby hst. I own an iep and class 57 with matte paint jobs, it’s realistic on the 800 but looks quite bad on the class 57 

[TravisM]

With all these announcements of when things are due and the government now saying that the restrictions might not be lifted until October.  With a lot of model shops closed, will everything suddenly arrive from Bachmann (and others) once the restrictions are lifted.  Fortunately there’s not a lot I need but others might have ordered a substantial amount and get hit with a big bill when it all arrives.

[Gwiwer]

I think it would be fair to say that we do not know precisely what will happen as the year unfolds.  Some - perhaps many - model shops remain open for online trading and telephone orders but the doors to the shops are closed.  It is therefore still possible to buy from them and perhaps more important than ever to support your retailer of choice through these times.

 

As most of our hobby goods originate from China there may be significant changes to the expected delivery pattern.  The only shop I have seen make any comment is Kernow MRC who state that deliveries continue to arrive and orders are sent out as quickly as possible by the one or two staff members still working.  

 

Only if there is a global shut-down of non-essential goods shipment would there be a famine followed by rush of everything as restrictions were lifted.  Peco and Dapol, I understand, have temporarily halted their operations meaning supply of their products may be interrupted.  That would likely be their business decisions in response to a need for staff welfare and protection.  The UK Government seem keen that we are able to continue with indoor hobbies and are supplied via the internet and deliveries.  As such, within their jurisdiction, many things are still moving and might be expected to continue doing so at least for now.  

[newbryford]

3 hours ago, jools1959 said:

With all these announcements of when things are due and the government now saying that the restrictions might not be lifted until October.  With a lot of model shops closed, will everything suddenly arrive from Bachmann (and others) once the restrictions are lifted.  Fortunately there’s not a lot I need but others might have ordered a substantial amount and get hit with a big bill when it all arrives.

 

If the stories about China slowly getting back on it's feet are true, then some stuff is likely to arrive well before October.

 

Whether we can all afford to/want to pay if and when it does appear is another thing.

 

Let's put it into perspective - especially in the current climate. Nobody "needs" model trains. It's a hobby- it's optional.

 

 

Edited March 30, 2020 by newbryford

[Pre Grouping fan]

In any case if any deliveries were to arrive from the far east. The manufacturer in question isn't going to want to sit on stock in the warehouse, they'd much prefer to distribute it asap to get the money in. Subject to in house batch QC tests like Bachmann carry out on every delivery which may be difficult with few staff on site atm