Bachmann Spring Announcments 2023

[rob D2]

On 24/01/2023 at 23:31, XChris said:

I would have thought that we will see more 37’s, 47’s and 158’s. The 37’s are likely to be Loadhaul/Mainline or those that will challenge Accurascales already announced models. The 47’s would be nice to see some modern era, Riviera WCRC or ROG or LSL models, I think we will also see RES, Virgin and EWS ones.

 

the 158 I’m hoping will appear in Northern Blue/Purple, but I can imagine it appearing in white/purple and maybe FGW blue, ATW/TFW or northern Spirit.

I’m not sure they’ll be that many more 37 and 47 unless they are a far way off, as the current batches don’t appear to have sold through and are progressively reduced in some cases.

 

EWS wise, the collectors club one didn’t seem that popular , hung around and then got shunted out to other retailers 

[nightstar.train]

On 24/01/2023 at 23:31, XChris said:

I would have thought that we will see more 37’s, 47’s and 158’s. The 37’s are likely to be Loadhaul/Mainline or those that will challenge Accurascales already announced models. The 47’s would be nice to see some modern era, Riviera WCRC or ROG or LSL models, I think we will also see RES, Virgin and EWS ones.

 

the 158 I’m hoping will appear in Northern Blue/Purple, but I can imagine it appearing in white/purple and maybe FGW blue, ATW/TFW or northern Spirit.

 

There's currently a Virgin 47 for the Bachmann Collectors Club, so I don't think they'll make one for the main range.

[Torn-on-the-platform]

On 25/01/2023 at 13:49, Halvarras said:

The ribs quietly vanished from the roofs of Bachmann Mark 1s some years ago, as I found out when I bought a new blue/grey SO (E5057) and placed it with my older Mark 1 stock. That was the first I knew of the tooling change, and TBH it was a tad irritating as the new coach stuck out like a sore thumb and smoothing down all of the other roofs to match this one was a non-starter! 

I think the TPO vehicle was the first Mark 1 release with a 'rib-less'  roof.

I discovered this having snapped up W numbered crimson-cream MK1s, a further solitary W numbered MK1 (SO I think it is) was released a few years later but the darker, ribless roof sticks out like a sore thumb. Unpopular opinion I'm sure but I prefer the ribs to completely smooth! I'm sure a happy medium could have been achieved.

 

I personally don't want to see an all-new Mk1. I agree with the comments that both Hornby and Bachman variants stand up well. An all singing, all dancing model will surely cost similar to the current prices which make rake building a rather eyewatering prospect, whilst at regular viewing distances, I can't imagine the benefits will be that obvious, aside from the ribs of course!

 

Having said that, I am happy to join the calls for further BR (S) Bulleids!

 

Will be nice to see what else comes in the OO9 range too. Hopefully Bachmann America will announce Dolgogh to follow on from Tallylyn at some point.

[Halvarras]

1 hour ago, Torn-on-the-platform said:

 I'm sure a happy medium could have been achieved.

 

You mean like Tri-ang managed in the early 1960s? (Jus' sayin'.......🤔!)

[cravensdmufan]

On 25/01/2023 at 11:43, Solo said:

I was just thinking that the other day about the MK1s.  Having a look at my own whilst doing some weathering, it occurred to me how good the tooling must have been for its time; they still pass muster and the shape is excellent.  But it surely is the one class of BR coach that is ripe for the picking when it comes to an upgrade: something along the lines of what Accurascale are doing with the MK2s and Suburbans.  It would be a shame if Bachmann missed the boat on that, having had it in their stable for so long.

I agree that the original tooling for the Mk1s was good. IMO just a few minor tweaks would be good:

 

Addition of window frames (most Mk1s had this modification made from the early 1960s onwards due to corrosion).

 

Removal of steps (apart from the bottom one I think) and also the ledge above the corridor connection from the carriage ends.

 

Address the "roof rib" situation once and for all!  Yes, there should be lines visible but subtle weld lines, not raised ribs! And I would agree that having a completely smooth roof doesn't look good either!

 

With those tweaks I reckon the Bachmann MK1 would continue to be a great carriage.

[Combe Martin]

You've left out correct height corridor (gangway) connections. 

[ThaneofFife]

How close is the 81 to the class 85 apart from the side grills?   To my eye they seem very similar surely the chassis is nigh on ifentical for an easier win over a complete ground up design?   Bit disjointed on my part as an armchair tooling amateur but i say what i see.....the roof detsils too look similar.  Would really love a br blue class 81 TOPS with domino headcodes.

Also time another blue grey run of mk2fs came thru but i dread what the new RRP would be.....i suspect £99.99!

Edited January 27, 2023 by ThaneofFife
Error

[The Black Hat]

I can see Bachmann defending against competition and doing more to follow on from the release of the 37 and 47.... something maybe taking a GM power unit....

[Ed-farms]

16 hours ago, rob D2 said:

I’m not sure they’ll be that many more 37 and 47 unless they are a far way off, as the current batches don’t appear to have sold through and are progressively reduced in some cases.

 

EWS wise, the collectors club one didn’t seem that popular , hung around and then got shunted out to other retailers 

 

Issue is anything announced will have been planned in advance, it could well be on the boat or even in the warehouse - certainly not a going to on the schedule in the factory still model, so poor sales of the previous runs may not affect this batch.

 

Personally I am hoping for run of  the mill stuff, I was in my local model shop last month and not a single N gauge Blue and Grey mark 1 or Mark 2 was in stock, hopefully a new batch will come out soon

[JSpencer]

2 hours ago, The Black Hat said:

I can see Bachmann defending against competition and doing more to follow on from the release of the 37 and 47.... something maybe taking a GM power unit....

 

The Bachmann Spring Offensive!

[Roy L S]

On 25/01/2023 at 14:07, John M Upton said:

It is interesting to see how the OO scale Bachmann section gets all frothy and excited about a forthcoming periodic announcement whilst over in N Scale Farish land, all is  silent.  You can tell which scale is the most optimistic, I think us N scale guys have had too many low relief toilets and have rather lost faith...

 

Indeed and "Farish Land" still remains silent to date. Will 2023 finally turn out to be N's turn for some sustained attention from Bachmann across the product range?? 

 

Well we can hope, but I think the silence speaks volumes personally...

 

Roy

[Ed-farms]

15 minutes ago, Roy L S said:

 

Indeed and "Farish Land" still remains silent to date. Will 2023 finally turn out to be N's turn for some sustained attention from Bachmann across the product range?? 

 

Well we can hope, but I think the silence speaks volumes personally...

 

Roy

 

I live in hope of something good this year release wise. We did finally get a new loco last year (the excellent 90) so hopefully others will follow. As always its stuff for locos to pull we need

[Zunnan]

I'm hoping for an IC Exec Duff and a banger blue cutaway bufferbeam split box 37, both being rare beasts from the original tooling.

 

Less likely, the demise of the old Mainline LMS P1 coach tooling also has me hoping to see a new tool at some point. All those lovely LMS locomotives and no LMS coaches in the range anymore unless they get fictitious with the Portholes. Something older than Hornbys Staniers will always be most welcome in this neck of the woods.

[norfolkchinaclay]

6 hours ago, The Black Hat said:

I can see Bachmann defending against competition and doing more to follow on from the release of the 37 and 47.... something maybe taking a GM power unit....

We can but hope! 🤞

 

I don’t think we will see a similar update to the 66 this time around but you never know. It’s the logical one to follow the 47 and 37 upgrades (unless it’s an 08!) 

Edited January 27, 2023 by norfolkchinaclay
Spelling

[cages_cage]

15 hours ago, cravensdmufan said:

I agree that the original tooling for the Mk1s was good. IMO just a few minor tweaks would be good:

 

Addition of window frames (most Mk1s had this modification made from the early 1960s onwards due to corrosion).

 

Removal of steps (apart from the bottom one I think) and also the ledge above the corridor connection from the carriage ends.

 

Address the "roof rib" situation once and for all!  Yes, there should be lines visible but subtle weld lines, not raised ribs! And I would agree that having a completely smooth roof doesn't look good either!

 

With those tweaks I reckon the Bachmann MK1 would continue to be a great carriage.

 

Perhaps most importantly (in my eyes, ha!) would be addressing the incorrect height the NEM pockets have perpetually been at on the older Mk1 models. I would think changing the drawbars would have been an easy task on the many Mk1/Mk2 rereleases that have happened over the last 20-some years. It is only a single part, and the pocket on the drawbar needs to be moved down, not up; nothing is obscuring its move down.

 

Despite what seems like a simple change - and newer Mk1/Mk2 stock from Bachmann having drawbars with NEM pockets at the correct height - Bachmann has never altered the drawbars on the older tool Mk1/Mk2s. Dealing with these drawbars has been enough of a headache that I've refrained buying the older-tool Mk1s secondhand (or firsthand, for that matter). I found many possible solutions to this coupling quagmire to be unsatisfactory, too invasive, or too expensive. I hope any major upgrade to the existing tooling would come with a NEM pocket height change!

[choo1choo]

Ever the optimistic how about the LBSCR E4 in Stroudley IEG to go with all those generic coaches that have been sold.

 

Ever hopeful Craig.

[younGGuns7]

Pretty sure we will see some Class 37 with centre HCs 

[Covkid]

9 hours ago, Zunnan said:

I'm hoping for an IC Exec Duff and a banger blue cutaway bufferbeam split box 37, both being rare beasts from the original tooling.

 

Less likely, the demise of the old Mainline LMS P1 coach tooling also has me hoping to see a new tool at some point. All those lovely LMS locomotives and no LMS coaches in the range anymore unless they get fictitious with the Portholes. Something older than Hornbys Staniers will always be most welcome in this neck of the woods.

 

Very much agree.  Bachmann have a healthy collection of LMS and ex LMS locos desperate for passenger coaching stock to haul.  LMS 2P, black five and Jube, 4F etc etc as well as the ex LNWR Claughton they are about to announce.

 

Maybe I made the Claughton up, or did I actually mean the L&Y 4-6-0 !!!!

[Zunnan]

5 minutes ago, Covkid said:

Maybe I made the Claughton up, or did I actually mean the L&Y 4-6-0 !!!!

 

I think you mistyped Precursor and George V there! 😉

[KDG]

For me, a centre coach for the class 205 DEMU Thumper would be excellent. In NSE of course.

[Covkid]

23 hours ago, ThaneofFife said:

How close is the 81 to the class 85 apart from the side grills?   To my eye they seem very similar surely the chassis is nigh on ifentical for an easier win over a complete ground up design?   Bit disjointed on my part as an armchair tooling amateur but i say what i see.....the roof detsils too look similar.  Would really love a br blue class 81 TOPS with domino headcodes.

Also time another blue grey run of mk2fs came thru but i dread what the new RRP would be.....i suspect £99.99!

 

 

I am no expert but I believe the class 85 was a kind of hybrid between the "roarers" and the 86s in as much as the upper bodyside fan and window sections were slightly recessed similar to the AL6.  The AL1 (class 81) had full width bodysides right up to the gutter.  Whether it could be achieved with filling and sanding a few times I really don't know but you would then need the AL1 louvres and windows - either etched, 3D printed or handmade.  Whether the cabs were actually the same I have no idea, but it would the upper bodysides on a Bachmann AL5 that would need to be altered if I were to try one.  

Edited January 28, 2023 by Covkid

[NIK]

2 hours ago, KDG said:

For me, a centre coach for the class 205 DEMU Thumper would be excellent. In NSE of course.

Hi,

 

Same here but in a choice of liveries (probably BR Blue for me).

 

Regards

 

Nik

[Standards_in_OO]

Even some new running numbers of the existing Mk1 coaches would be nice. I haven’t noticed any new variants of these in any of the recent quarterly releases. I suspect the announcements coming up will be dominated by narrow gauge plus 37s and a single Farish release in a livery no one has really asked for!

[Roy L S]

3 hours ago, Standards_in_OO said:

..... plus 37s and a single Farish release in a livery no one has really asked for!

Or wants...

[ted633]

10 hours ago, KDG said:

For me, a centre coach for the class 205 DEMU Thumper would be excellent. In NSE of course.

Likely as I hacked my EPB to bits a few months ago to create one!

 

Would like to see the Farish 319 upscaled, but I doubt it somehow.