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Bachmann announce Blue Pullman


Andy Y

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Blue Pullman takes to the tracks

BP1.jpg

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.

 

BP.jpg

 

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 After carrying the Pullman grey / blue (the reversed corporate blue / grey colour scheme) for a period they were withdrawn from service in May 1973.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 ”.

 

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 retailer”.

 

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.

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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.

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I had to check the date too!

 

Well done Bachmann!

 

Looks like this rather expensive item will be obsolete:

P1050337as.jpg

 

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.

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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) :P :lol:

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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?

 

:D

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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.

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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?

 

biggrin.gif

 

 

well it is On QVCrolleyes.gif rolleyes.gif rolleyes.gif rolleyes.gif tongue.gif wink.gif

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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.

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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...

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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.

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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?! :blink:

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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.

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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.

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Guest Max Stafford

Ah well, looks like ScR will be introducing a Grampian Pullman between Buchanan St and Aberdeen then... ;)

 

Dave.

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