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Bachmann announce Narrow Gauge range led by Baldwin 4-6-0T


Andy Y
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This has appeared on the Bachmann website, and features a video of two of the production samples running. They certainly do look very smooth!

 

http://www.Bachmann.co.uk/details.php?id=406

 

I did take some photos at the York show, but haven't got around to getting them off my camera yet, when I do, I'll post them!

 

Very much looking forward to my WHR version, and I've or two of the open waggons

 

Cheers

 

J

 

 

Thanks, the loco looks great, those coupling rods are a sight to behold in motion!

 

Can't wait to get one.

 

cheers,

 

Keith

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Guest Midland Mole

Anyone know if the locos carried other liveries under the ROD in WW1? Such as Khaki or Grey/Green (like Simplex tractors)?

 

Alex

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That would be nice, but it would need a whole new set of tools as the ones they have for the Thomas range are licensed for producing and distributing the Thomas locos only. The cost of producing a new set of tools would far exceed any expected return on them.

 

Talyllyn, Dolgoch and Douglas all appear "in person" in the original Railway Series books - I don't know if that could be a way around the restriction...

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Talyllyn, Dolgoch and Douglas all appear "in person" in the original Railway Series books - I don't know if that could be a way around the restriction...

Nope they've signed a contract that ties it up totally and it's been discussed to death on the thread about Skarloey ;)

 

Re the Baldwins I've not seen any photos I can remember that suggest anything other than black. The simplexes got green as they went right near the front where the steamers were too obvious due to smoke that attracted artillery.

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Nope they've signed a contract that ties it up totally and it's been discussed to death on the thread about Skarloey ;)

 

Re the Baldwins I've not seen any photos I can remember that suggest anything other than black. The simplexes got green as they went right near the front where the steamers were too obvious due to smoke that attracted artillery.

 

simplexes were not painted green the same go's for WW1 tanks

there were painted light brown but were oiled on the front line (the oil was vegetable oil or olive oil ) so over time the oil gave the brown a green tint

Edited by 247 Developments
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simplexes were not painted green the same go's for WW1 tanks

there were painted light brown but were oiled on the front line (the oil was vegetable oil or olive oil ) so over time the oil gave the brown a green tint

It seems to be generally accepted that some tanks were later painted green at the front as various books feature them in home made camo patterns that are mostly green although as you say they were originally brown. I'll take your word for it with the simplexes as I have only seen the models, no doubt based on the restored one that they claimed to have found original paint on. That would figure if the oil turned it green still.
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By Buildings etc, I was not referring to the current Scenecraft items for narrow gauge as they imply in the video suitable WW1 items. (maybe the lifting bridge?) The Airfix resin generic items are useful, and there are WW1 ordnance items in1:72 scale, the British battle tanks, The Whippet tank, 6 inch guns, Buses, armoured cars etc.

 

There are specialist suppliers of WW1 rail already, plus resin kits of ordinance items, and figures are no problem at all.

Difficult to model near the Trenches as most stopped well back in earth works protected areas to transship to manual carts and trolleys to move ammunition and stores forward.

 

The trans shipping area from standard gauge could be portrayed, plus a stretch of war weary country side, then the off loading sidings near the Trenches, very much cratered etc., quite a bit of scope, perhaps a dog bone layout form, which would allow continuous running for display, although it would be a return loop and require switching or automation on the loops.

 

As mentioned the steamers were confined to duties well away from the actual front, where petrol or diesels were used in the earthworks built up to help protect them. The spoil from the Trench digging was banked up to protect the tracks from direct observation.

 

Light duties on the lines were done by Ford lorry conversions, usually troops being moved to and from the front line.

 

The narrow gauge lines could not manage items like tanks, but they could travel very well on the ground anyway. The main items moved were food and water, plus ammunition, then men.

 

There seem to be several good books on the lines and trenches, and would help the choices of layout design.

 

Stephen

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On the colour of the Simplex, they were delivered in Khaki Brown, but got repainted with whatever was to hand. It was never officially all green, this was in use after the war in private hands. Some had camouflage paintwork, khaki and green, plus dark brown. Some ran with brushwood fixed over the roof and sides to break up the shape.(Imperial War Museum shots). Most movements were by night to prevent observation near the Trench systems.

Stephen.

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Further to the colour, the book I have suggests a shade of light olive green, giving a faded colour rather rapidly. Another mentions Khaki, which is light brown, and I really do not see that fading to even pale green. Khaki is a stable pigment, whilst green is not in cheaper pigments. Only one thing is certain it was not a BR green or GWR green as preserved example have.

For camouflage the brown shades look better. Knowing the Army they probably got the men re-painting them at once and every few days as the paint chipped and wore away.

All Baldwins are simpler, they were black only as far as book references and the net go.

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At York yesterday:

Now........not wanting to cast the first stone but here goes!! I have been studying these photos and others of the pre-production samples (yes I acknowledge they are pre-production samples) but has anyone noticed that "Hummys'" chimney looks a bit skinny? The Ashover fitted cast, lipped versions were wider in diameter than the original Baldwin stove pipes (to assist with a poor steaming issue I believe). I assume that this is to reduce tooling and assembly costs. Just an observation and don't want to court controversy, especially as there's now a thread on this forum about Trolling that goes on in some of these topics!!

 

Anyway, enough negativity!! Photos of these locos that appeared in Pat Whitehouses' "Narrow Gauge Album" that my father had really captured my imagination as a child (now got my own copy). This book and these odd, foreign looking locos in the beautiful Derbyshire countryside cemented my love of railways along with other narrow gauge lines. I am however primarily a standard gauge modeler and enthusiast but with a real soft spot for narrow gauge. My father built a Gem 009 Baldwin many years ago together with a Peco Glyn Valley Tramway loco (which my son now has and loves. The Grafar chassis still runs superbly). Unfortunately the Baldwin never really ran too well and ultimately fell apart for some reason. Wrong adhesive I guess. 

 

I have two locos on pre-order and can't wait for their release, they look fantastic!! I hope that Bachmann will produce some Ashover coaches to go with at some point in the future. I am planning a new layout and have worked out an excuse to include a narrow gauge line with ex-WD locos and rollingstock.

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You don't need to wait and hope for Bachmann, Parkside Dundas offer a kit for the Ashover coach which is easy to build. MPM1

http://www.parksidedundas.co.uk/acatalog/Rolling_Stock_Kits__Plastic_.html

 

To be honest as I doubt there will be a rtr version anytime soon as it's such a distinctive coach.

Edited by PaulRhB
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You don't need to wait and hope for Bachmann, Parkside Dundas offer a kit for the Ashover coach which is easy to build. MPM1

http://www.parksidedundas.co.uk/acatalog/Rolling_Stock_Kits__Plastic_.html

 

To be honest as I doubt there will be a rtr version anytime soon as it's such a distinctive coach.

Thanks for the link. I did actually have a couple of half built kits in my early teens..........but then started going out with girls, so they never got finished!! I just about have some spare time for layout construction on and off as with 3 kids under 7 it's almost impossible to build rollingstock or locos so I focus on RTR (when the kids are older hopefully things will change). Nice to see they're still being produced given that there was only 4 of the real thing and quite distinctively ALR.

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Three children under 7? You have my admiration and sympathy. Given that there were 4 of the real thing and they are still in production, I take that to mean that you intend to have one more child. Would you explain, please, what is a child who is “quite distinctively ALR”? :D

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  • 3 weeks later...

On the evidence of the films the Baldwins went to the front in the grey livery not black. The USA sign shows the colour was light to show the blacker lettering. As the Locos were neither red nor blue, the orthochromatic movie film used would not have distorted the lightness of the livery.

Stephen.

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Guest Midland Mole

I think the American operated ones were grey, but the British/Commonwealth operated ones look darker to me.

P03608.010.JPG

P03608.009.JPG

 

Alex

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