Bachmann 16 tonners

[Pennine MC]

Now arriving in shops, the latest batch of 16 tonners. You know the drill - get 'em now, or wait til next Spring and pay ten quid on Ebay

 

37-225F is the bog standard top flap Morton braked beastie with a new number (B87019) and it also has the brakegear assembled correctly. My local shop also has a fitted wagon numbered B55-something but I didnt take much notice of that. The other Hattons shots show a Morton braked wagon with pressed end door and an MoT non-flapped double braked wagon, but as those are currently library shots they show last autumn's running numbers

[Jenny Emily]

16 tonners are one thing that Bachmann have excelled in bringing out new production runs of. I was lucky enough to spot them when they first turned up, a decade or so ago. I think at last count I had around forty of these things with different running numbers. My only gripe would be that the ready weathered versions seem to have been thin on the ground in recent years from Bachmann, with only 37-377E appearing recently factory weathered. They also seem to have begun concentrating on a few of the versions, with some examples (37-253 and 37-254 ring a bell) being quietly forgotten each time 16 tonners reappear in the catalogue. My chosen modelling period forces me to wait for the imminent release of 37-252D with interest, as well as the 37-225W release from Modelzone.

[Dave777]

Would I be right in saying that TOPS branding didn't appear until 1975+ ?

 

How rapid was it after that?

[The Stationmaster]

Would I be right in saying that TOPS branding didn't appear until 1975+ ?

 

How rapid was it after that?

 

It depends what you mean by 'TOPS branding' Dave? The new codes (CARKND in TOPS speak) came in with TOPS in 1973 but appeared on wagons very slowly at first and seem to have become a more common sight in 1974/75 if my memory is working properly (long time back so I might be a year out on the 1974/75 date - the 1973 one is spot on) and there were lots of hand painted changes, especially on mineral wagons, although in some cases stencils were used.

 

If you're thinking of the yellow (originally) data panels they came in from 1968 onwards but I'm not at all sure when the stencilled versions first appeared although I think it was a year or two later.

 

 

[RANGERS]

The TOPS branding was pretty quick but with so many wagons to do, there's still plenty of pics of wagons in the late seventies bearing the older brandings - Min VB and Vanfits spring to mind.

 

Like everything else, find some pics of your chosen period and use those for reference.

[Dave777]

Ah, I'm showing my ignorance here I suspect.

 

I was thinking of chaps like this fellow:

 

http://railsofsheffi...-JJJA12836.aspx

 

(as opposed to the more simple 'just the wagon number' approach here: http://railsofsheffi...-JJJA15500.aspx )

[Fat Controller]

The one in the 'Rails' photo appears to be one of the re-bodied ones, which started appearing from the early 1970s. My recollection (and I was being paid to record wagon numbers for some of this period!) was that quite a lot of these appeared with TOPS branding depending on which works rebuilt them. The grey in that picture strikes me as being a bit dark for the 'Freight Grey' of the period, however.

[hmrspaul]

Ah, I'm showing my ignorance here I suspect.

 

I was thinking of chaps like this fellow:

 

http://railsofsheffi...-JJJA12836.aspx

 

(as opposed to the more simple 'just the wagon number' approach here: http://railsofsheffi...-JJJA15500.aspx )

 

I suspect you are confusing two different things, the second one - unboxed on black ground was from c1950 until 1964. Then you get the boxed style - but with names for the wagons - far more frequently than before 1964 - for example 16 ton minerals became MIN and MINFIT etc and COAL 16 or COAL VB - see http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/p52653223.html a rebodied example.

 

 

But as others have said TOPS coding - MCO as the first model wagon was from c1974. It was slow on most stock (very slow on many PO wagons - many of which didn't have codes well into the mid 1980s) BUT there was a lot of rebodying on-going and they quickly got the TOPS code such as http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/p52653434.html

 

But relettering was not necessarily done with consistency for example http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/p14663364.html

 

There are many hundreds of examples on my fotopic site.

 

As to the grey colour - where do these companies all get the idea that BR grey was anything more than an off white! Yes there was a brief period when some very dark (ex battleship) grey was used by a few works but... as Fat controller says too dark once again.

 

Paul Bartlett

[bike2steam]

If only we could get the 00 version for the price of the N gauge example .

[craigwelsh]

You can mask the diagonal line and panel and lighten the colour a bit with some drybrushing. i've done it in the past on a couple to retain the original number.

[Jenny Emily]

37-250F and 37-252D have now both appeared in stock at Hattons (other mail order giants available)

 

EDITED TO ASK:

 

Currently the only online pictures I can find of item 37-252D are the Bachmann stock pictures, which actually show the 37-252C release. Can anyone who has bought one of these confirm the livery/running number of it? This catalogue number has been released in the past with a variety of livery variations covering a fairly wide period (37-252 ZHV olive green; 37-252A (not issued); 37-252B bauxite as "COAL VB"; 37-252C MXV in bauxite).

[Dave777]

Okay, useful info, thanks Paul - I think I need to gen up a bit to find out what to order... and take a look at what I've already ordered and also what's in the stock box

[Fairburn]

16 tonners are one thing that Bachmann have excelled in bringing out new production runs of. I was lucky enough to spot them when they first turned up, a decade or so ago. I think at last count I had around forty of these things with different running numbers. My only gripe would be that the ready weathered versions seem to have been thin on the ground in recent years from Bachmann, with only 37-377E appearing recently factory weathered. They also seem to have begun concentrating on a few of the versions, with some examples (37-253 and 37-254 ring a bell) being quietly forgotten each time 16 tonners reappear in the catalogue. My chosen modelling period forces me to wait for the imminent release of 37-252D with interest, as well as the 37-225W release from Modelzone.

 

TMC have a second set of 3 factory weathered 16t (with different running numbers), under the ref. 37-225v (due spring 2011) according to the their latest ad in Model Rail - no link to said establishment, save for being a purchaser of the initial set.

[Jenny Emily]

TMC have a second set of 3 factory weathered 16t (with different running numbers), under the ref. 37-225v (due spring 2011) according to the their latest ad in Model Rail - no link to said establishment, save for being a purchaser of the initial set.

 

The sets of three have been quite popular with Modelzone doing one (37-225Z) then Hattons (37-225Y) then TMC (37-225X) then Modelzone again (37-225W). All were factory weathered, and 37-225W is the NCB internal user ones.

 

 

 

 

 

37-252D is, incidentally, an MXV with running number B577541 (I have just received mine in the post)

 

 

 

[caradoc]

TMC have a second set of 3 factory weathered 16t (with different running numbers), under the ref. 37-225v (due spring 2011) according to the their latest ad in Model Rail - no link to said establishment, save for being a purchaser of the initial set.

 

The advert states these are 'Late BR Grey', and although it is very hard to tell from the picture these might have TOPS numbers, or at least post 1964 boxed-style lettering. I certainly hope so, as the earlier-syle dark grey wagons that Bachmann continually re-issue are no use to my modelling period.

Matt

[caradoc]

The advert states these are 'Late BR Grey', and although it is very hard to tell from the picture these might have TOPS numbers, or at least post 1964 boxed-style lettering. I certainly hope so, as the earlier-style dark grey wagons that Bachmann continually re-issue are no use to my modelling period.

Matt

PS Meant to add, no mention of these on the TMC Website yet.

Matt