Andy Y Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 Blue Pullman takes to the tracks Bachmann Europe today announced that it is to produce an all new 6 car Midland Pullman diesel unit as part of its highly regarded Branchline OO scale range. Metropolitan Cammell built two of these iconic luxury trains in 1959 for use on the Midland Main line between London St. Pancras and Manchester Central during peak business travel times. Following completion of the West Coast Main Line electrification scheme the two Midland units moved to the Western Region to complement the similar three Western Region sets which were 8 car units. There were differences between the two types. After carrying the Pullman grey / blue (the reversed corporate blue / grey colour scheme) for a period they were withdrawn from service in May 1973. The Blue Pullman has been a much-requested model and Bachmann was due to announce this project in March 2011. Graham Hubbard, Bachmann’s Managing Director said today “we are aware of others announcing the possibility of producing this unit. We have been working on it for several months and in order to bring clarity to the situation we have made our plans public â€. Graham continued “we first looked at this famous train some years ago and at the time we did not consider it viable. However the market has changed considerably over the past two years and we felt the time was right to dust off our plans. We had decided to do so long before the recent announcement from a retailerâ€. Each six car unit will comprise 2 x Power cars, 2 x Kitchen Cars (Type 4) and 2 x Parlour Cars (Type 6) and will be sold as a 6 car unit. The new model will incorporate today’s leading edge technologies and will include the following features: Drive System in power car New style close coupling concept Central coach ceiling and table lamp lighting Directional lighting Cab lights Sound prepared Etched fan grilles DCC socket The full six car unit (Catalogue No 31-255) is expected to retail at around £300. It is our intention to look at DCC SOUND options at a future stage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Garry D100 Posted July 25, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 25, 2010 Just got back on my chair and checked the diary...nope its not April !! Blimey, this is getting really interesting now. Wonder what will happen to the Olivias/Heljan project? Interesting times ahead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertcwp Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 I had to check the date too! Well done Bachmann! Looks like this rather expensive item will be obsolete: I hope they do the version with jumper cables. I could accommodate a 12-car set on the longest loop in my fiddleyard. But which livery do I buy, assuming Bachmann do the full range eventually? The 12-car set ran for around 18 months in grey/blue before the sets were split and mixed with 8-car ones (I think this happened in October 1971 judging by carriage working amendments). However, they also ran 12-car in original livery with yellow ends for several years in the late 1960s. Off peak WR workings used the 6-car sets individually too until May 1969 or thereabouts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Garry D100 Posted July 25, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 25, 2010 Just preordered mine Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulliver Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 Me too! Wonder how many requests for refunds Olivia's will be getting? I have to say I am far more confident about a decent model coming from Bachmann. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted July 25, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 25, 2010 Announced around the stores. Not April. Not a joke. They're really coming back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northants PC Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 I can see the Heljan / Olivers Trains model being canned personally. If the Bachmann model is as good as the CEP then the £289 (Kernow MC) price will be worth it ! Northants. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted July 25, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 25, 2010 Sure to be a very popular model judging by the comments here and on other boards. But probably not required in my collection. As an aside, what shall we do for pre-Warley / New Year foam now??? B) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alco Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 Christmas in July! Sunday July 25th announcement by Bachmann is just like Christmas for me. This is great news and one model I will be more than happy to add to my collection. I can see two six car sets for starters. I wonder how many years till they mods are done and the WR 8 car version is produced? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 As one of my daughter's would say "Oh my gosh". Now Andy, this is not a wind up is it? And it's to be the Midland Pullman too. Brilliant! Made my Sunday..... Feel sorry for Olivia's Trains though, but if they can concentrate their efforts on Woodhead stock, so much the better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest baldrick25 Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 31-255 Bachmann 6 Car Blue Pullman Midland Set £289.99 from Kernow available for pre-order now.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozzer models Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 Christmas in July! Sunday July 25th announcement by Bachmann is just like Christmas for me. This is great news and one model I will be more than happy to add to my collection. I can see two six car sets for starters. I wonder how many years till they mods are done and the WR 8 car version is produced? well it is On QVC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddys-blues Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 I'm being a bit cynical here, but Bachmann do sometimes have a tendancy to use a schoolboy style business spoiling bully tactics, see that someone else has announced it and taken the plunge, then they see it, want it, so announce it, and in my opinion I wouldn't hold my breadth on "It being delivered on time", may be just a case of throwing the spanner in someone elses work's. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Reid Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 I'm being a bit cynical here, but Bachmann do sometimes have a tendancy to use a schoolboy style business spoiling bully tactics, see that someone else has announced it and taken the plunge, then they see it, want it, so announce it, and in my opinion I wouldn't hold my breadth on "It being delivered on time", may be just a case of throwing the spanner in someone elses work's. No but at least it will actually be produced... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertcwp Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 I don't think it would be too much of leap to do the 8-car sets if the 6-car ones sell well. The Parlour First is the same. The Kitchen First has essentially the same bodyshell, the main difference being below the solebar. The Power car is very similar - the seating area is different and the WR sets had destination blinds on the sides. The Parlour Second is the only wholly new vehicle but even then some of the underframe detail will be the same as on other vehicles. If they made the 8-car set, I would buy them too, possibly one in each livery variant, of which there were three main ones: original, yellow ends, grey/blue. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.A.C Martin Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 I think a preorder is on its way...this was the manufacturer I most wanted to make a Midland Pullman set - that has made my year, frankly. Thanks Andy Y for the heads up - and can anyone else sincerely believe we'd have heard of two Blue Pullmans being made in 2010?! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddys-blues Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 No but at least it will actually be produced... This i do not doubt Bob, but its funny how Bachmann say they are secretly working on this item, they spent a longtime dismissing the item, then someone else decides to produce it, then Bachmann suddenly decide to blow Heljans/Olivia's out of the water, may be the good thing is Heljan "may" decide to start upgrading some of their items on there models, i.e. better lights and better details & so on, and stop taking the mickey out of modellers for there money with substandard fittings and lighting. I was making out the point of Bachmann "announcing & promising" and "delivering" are 2 different targets entirely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0rris Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 Brilliant news, but it leaves a very important gap, the frothy grail. Now we are going to have to think of another obscure DMU prototype, 124 Transpennine anyone? m0rris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.A.C Martin Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 Brilliant news, but it leaves a very important gap, the frothy grail. Now we are going to have to think of another obscure DMU prototype, 124 Transpennine anyone? m0rris You mean the 1** T****P****** Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddys-blues Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 124 & 123 units would be great. Saying that still waiting on the Split Box 40 in Blue !!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
amdaley Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 Good news & if the quality is like the recent Class 411 it will be worth the wait.B) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiltedsignaller Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 Just preordered mine I shall do the same when I get home. Oh, dear, looks like more Rest Day Working required! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Reid Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 This i do not doubt Bob, but its funny how Bachmann say they are secretly working on this item, they spent a longtime dismissing the item, then someone else decides to produce it, then Bachmann suddenly decide to blow Heljans/Olivia's out of the water, may be the good thing is Heljan "may" decide to start upgrading some of their items on there models, i.e. better lights and better details & so on, and stop taking the mickey out of modellers for there money with substandard fittings and lighting. I was making out the point of Bachmann "announcing & promising" and "delivering" are 2 different targets entirely. I agree with your sentiments exactly. Personally I don't really understand why they felt it necessary (to the point of rubbing salt in the wound) by including statements like “we are aware of others announcing the possibility of producing this unit" and "We had decided to do so long before the recent announcement from a retailer." which unfortunately come across as pure playground tactics. Sadly It must as a result of this announcement and very unfortunately put the whole of the Olivia's project up in the air (Heljan were of course to produce it for them, not front it). It is good news, it is however sad that the outcome for the retailer is unlikely to be as good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Max Stafford Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 Ah well, looks like ScR will be introducing a Grampian Pullman between Buchanan St and Aberdeen then... Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mcfarlane Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 Brilliant news, but it leaves a very important gap, the frothy grail. Now we are going to have to think of another obscure DMU prototype, 124 Transpennine anyone? m0rris I think the 5-Bel is shaping up quite nicely as a replacement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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