Bachmann class 150 DMUs

[scouse889]

Can anyone who has one of these new models comment on the lighting, in particular in the trailer car? I have a number of the previous releases of these models with interior lighting and find it to be very suscecptible to flickering, try as I might to keep the track and the contacts clean. I suspect this is a combination of there being no capacitor included in the lighting circuit and the metal contact method Bachmann adopted on these models not being the most reliable. This appears to be a particular problem with the trailer car which I put down to it being lighter so less able to maintain contact. Do others find this is an issue, and is it an issue on these new models (GWR and Northern) in people's experience? (I'm running DC at the moment, until I get time/funds to make the DCC plunge!).

I've thought about hard-wiring the contacts to solve the problem - has anyone tried this and does it work? I'm reluctant to take a soldering iron to a £200+ model if I don't know the modification will improve things!

Any advice welcome.

[Tony Walker]

I've got the Northern one and I haven't noticed a problem with the lighting at all. Just wish Bachmann had wired the lights, so you could turn the interior lights on and off separately.

I have got an old style 150, with the big block in the motor car. I have real problems with the running on it and hard wired the connections, but it didn't make that much difference, for some unknown reason. Strange, as another same model runs perfect without any modifications.

[TomScrut]

41 minutes ago, Tony Walker said:

Just wish Bachmann had wired the lights, so you could turn the interior lights on and off separately.

 

Yes, I thought this too as an ECS move I expect would have lights off?

[Class 158 productions]

Haven’t had this on my GWR one (yet) but nearly all other later tooled 150s I have,3, have had the issue. The coupling is utter *expletive of choice here* and I’m really ticked off it wasn’t changed to the plux 22 system or the one used on the 4 TC. 

[scouse889]

Thanks for the reply @Class 158 productions. The electrical connection of the two cars through the coupling has always intrigued me - the trailer car wheels are fitted with pick ups yet the trailer car lights don't light up unless it is plugged into the power car, so clearly two separate circuits... but then this always seemed silly to me not to have all the lights and the motor drawing power from all wheels if the two cars were linked... Probably my ignorance of electronics is showing here (A level physics was a long time ago! ), and I think I remember reading somewhere that it is to make DCC operation easier, so only one decoder is needed for the whole train?

I never really thought of the coupling as being responsible for the flickering of the lights but I suppose bad connections in it would contribute towards the head/tail lights flickering (which they do, but it's less obvious) as well as the interior lights flickering. OTOH all the original tool models I have don't suffer from flickering of the head/tail lights (no interior lights fitted = no probem!), which is why I've always put it down to a problem with the pick up arrangement in the trailer car.

I've never encountered running problems with these models but unfortunately all of the retool 150s I have suffer from the flickering - Northern, FGW KMRC special issue and Centro. I wondered if I was just unlucky but it seems perhaps not. I've been inside the trailer car before and tried bending the contact strips to make better contact but that never seemed to make much difference. I will try using a few different 150 couplings and see if I notice any difference.

[adb968008]

2 hours ago, scouse889 said:

Thanks for the reply @Class 158 productions. The electrical connection of the two cars through the coupling has always intrigued me - the trailer car wheels are fitted with pick ups yet the trailer car lights don't light up unless it is plugged into the power car, so clearly two separate circuits...

All wheel pickups reduces chance of flicker as youve at least 8 wheels picking up over a 2ft distance, but as lights are DCC controlled, the wiring all buses to the chip, which then buses back to the lights… if your DC only, it still goes to the blanking chip to bridge the circuit.

Edited September 10, 2021 by adb968008

[TravisM]

I just dropped into my local model shop in Northampton and picked this up for £145.  Bought new from the shop and then traded back a few weeks later on a different loco.  It’s never been out the box and though I don’t need it as it’s outside my modelling area, it was too good to not grab a bargain 

 

As I’m modelling the Sleaford area, my reason for it being on the layout is that East Midlands Trains swopped several 153’s temporarily for the 150.  My rules, my train set 

 

 

Edited October 15, 2021 by jools1959
Spelling

[TomScrut]

8 hours ago, jools1959 said:

picked this up for £145

 

Wow, and given they'll have made money on that somebody made a big loss on it in a few weeks.

[TravisM]

2 hours ago, TomScrut said:

 

Wow, and given they'll have made money on that somebody made a big loss on it in a few weeks.

They gave him the £145 trade in and sold it to me at the same price.  I think he was mad to trade it back after such a short time, even worse is that the list price is now £290, so effectively I got it for half price.

Edited October 16, 2021 by jools1959
Spelling

[TomScrut]

8 hours ago, jools1959 said:

They gave him the £145 trade in and sold it to me at the same price.  I think he was mad to trade it back after such a short time, even worse is that the list price is now £290, so effectively I got it for half price.

 

Once Bachmann sell out these will be worth way more than that on eBay.

[PieGuyRob]

On 06/04/2021 at 20:34, 89A said:

I'm sure there would be plenty of complaining when a litre of petrol goes from £1.21 to £1.43. That's how much percentage wise the GWR 150 has gone up in this years price increase. £50 more on £269.95. 18.5%.

Wow, you predicted the price of petrol, 6 months ago. Well done!

[The Black Hat]

More class 150s announced (how much!!) but I am curious. How far did the GMPTE units get East. Did many get to Leeds or York...?

[Dicky L]

1 hour ago, The Black Hat said:

More class 150s announced (how much!!) but I am curious. How far did the GMPTE units get East. Did many get to Leeds or York...?

 

A very good question and something I intend to research myself. I am aware that Orange GMPTE 142s certainly strayed into the Calder Valley, so I suspect these also will have worked in West Yorkshire too.

[The Black Hat]

Just now, Dicky L said:

 

A very good question and something I intend to research myself. I am aware that Orange GMPTE 142s certainly strayed into the Calder Valley, so I suspect these also will have worked in West Yorkshire too.

Well mine is for one to start at around Leeds and York having worked into the area to then head onwards. If they make it to York then I have reason for another twist of them being used on a service that would start at Leeds area and head north eastwards. However, given the price of them I can see that being another  - would have been nice but I have plenty to run so will watch that one pass by... 

[Global]

The Provincial 150/2 is a very welcome surprise! But what are the strange black squares at the bottom/side corner of the yellow warning panel on each side?! I’ve yet to find a photo of one in that condition! Am I missing something?!! 
 

Also, due to changing era it’s a long time since I’ve bought a 150 and never with sound. Any comments on the sound quality at all? Cheers.

[adb968008]

Very happy with both Sprinters here, they compliment each other and the provincial one a few months back.

 

Wouldnt it be nice if the BCC model is an original white front 150/2?

 

(Not my image/ Flickr URL for Martyn Hilbert).

it was strange seeing these first enter service, as a ghostly white colour in place of the yellow end that covered everything else.

 

Who is going to be first to attempt this one..

 

looks like introduced in 1991, expanded from 150133-150142, though 150133-138 inherited an extra 150/2 carriage from disbanded units 150218/222/224 by 1993.

Edited November 3, 2021 by adb968008

[cs233]

The GMPTE livered units did travel quite a bit. Being allocated to NH depot it is quite possible they worked the Calder Valley services at sometime? They certainly made it to Barrow, Morecambe and North Wales. In the early 90's the workings from Holyhead and other North Wales destinations worked through to Wakefield Westgate.

 

Not impressed with the blue seats, these seats were indeed dark blue with white dots but the minimalist interior does not capture the feel of the units. Sadly the underframe error on the 150\1 also seems to remain at the radiator area.

[cs233]

After further inspection seems to be two livery errors the grey on the model is far too dark and the GMPTE logo has square edges whilst the prototype was very rounded. The colour looks way off to me. 

[adb968008]

On 03/11/2021 at 20:36, cs233 said:

After further inspection seems to be two livery errors the grey on the model is far too dark and the GMPTE logo has square edges whilst the prototype was very rounded. The colour looks way off to me. 

You might be right on the rounded corners, but I think it will pass the observation test.

 

Re the grey, I think it was darker than the Provincial light grey (or it could just be dirt making it look darker), but think its in acceptable range, certainly Hornbys GMPTE 142 was as dark as these pictures, and lets face it, thats all your going to get to run it with as a matching livery, as the only other thing in this colour iirc was a few 305/323’s.

The class 950 had a similar shade of grey.

 

If you compare my image just above post (on a typical wet grey Manchester day), to the other images (more professional typically “sunnyside up” composed) pictures on the net, my image above appears much darker than they do, the Bachmann image is more browner, which looks closer to the light brown used on GMPTE literature at the time (I may have some still).
 

However as a young a Mancunian, I always saw the grimmer darker,

ls-lowery-esqe view of Manchester’s trains, so darker works for me.. i’m ok with it, I think I prefer it, its closer to how I recall it than the other pictures out there.

I can do the ultimate test when it comes out, I have some genuine original GMPTE signage from 1991 to compare against. Lets see how it looks under natural light, rather than studio light.

 

Edited November 4, 2021 by adb968008

[e30ftw]

i Think it looks far to dark a gray in the pics of the model.

[cs233]

Everything is subjective in this world, for 32-930 I make the following an issue:

 

Radiator area incorrect based on the 150\2 series (minor, unless you know the class in detail)

GMPTE logo square, clearly the wrong shape (moderate)

GMPTE logo too light in colour (minor)

Grey used for the upper body looks incorrect in every single picture against the prototype (significant)

 

 

[The Black Hat]

Looks like 150 units landing soon. Price increase is staggering... 

[The Black Hat]

What's worse is several sellers on a well known auction site raising their prices to match the new arrivals even if the stock is older.... 

[Class 158 productions]

8 hours ago, The Black Hat said:

What's worse is several sellers on a well known auction site raising their prices to match the new arrivals even if the stock is older.... 

this is a pain, but I’d argue the worse is seeing an older 150 that I remember being £54 at hattons now be able to go for double if not triple that on a good day. But sadly prices are rising and have been rising for the last decade, it is inevitable. At least with these rising prices Bachmann have actually done some work. The motor retool, toilet window and now front glass mod. Just wish they’d tool up another interior. Kinda annoyed of having multiple 150 216s in GWR/FGW. Received a provincial one this morning, works well and looks great. Without passengers the price is high but more reasonable. 

[fezza]

On 05/11/2021 at 09:29, cs233 said:

Everything is subjective in this world, for 32-930 I make the following an issue:

 

Radiator area incorrect based on the 150\2 series (minor, unless you know the class in detail)

GMPTE logo square, clearly the wrong shape (moderate)

GMPTE logo too light in colour (minor)

Grey used for the upper body looks incorrect in every single picture against the prototype (significant)

 

 

The blue also seems too light...

 

So the red, blue and grey is wrong. The logo is wrong. There are detail discrepancies. And they want how much?

 

Wow.