Bachmann announce Class 90 (OO)

[bescotbeast]

I've been looking at the Kickstarter  page to see if it might be a path to follow to bring an 86 to production, but there is quite a bit of work and research to do before anything serious can be put forward.  It's an idea at this stage.

I'd be up for another 86 Mark.

[ThaneofFife]

Trains In The 1980's Rugby Spring 1989, Part 1:

 

Nice view of 90023 on this video. This being 32-610 being released by Bachmann.

[brushman47544]

I wonder how much weight a manufacturer places on his pre-orders?

 

Just wondering if Bachmann look for pre order info and if the numbers are disappointingly low would they pull the plug?

 

I dare say that it may also come down to how far the project has got ie; maybe if tooling has been readied.

 

 

Could the 90 be canned if preorders look poor????

I very much doubt that a major manufacturer such as Bachmann would 'pull' a loco once announced ThaneofFife. People would tire of that approach very quickly.

 

For instance Bachmann continued with the LMS twins despite the Dapol model running in parallel with it.

 

What I am mindful of though, in light of the availability of some recent models (class 40, Polybulks for example) is if you want one, once released to 'buy them while they're hot' before they sell out.

 

I have been convinced for some time that we are heading towards a situation where a model may be cancelled due to insufficient pre-orders, but this will be based on orders from retailers, not us their customers - although of course retailers will have to judge their sales and place their order in the knowledge that further re-orders of a popular model will not be possible. This can work but requires a lot of trust all round.

 

But I also think this will really only apply to specific liveries or variants, not to all-new tooling such as the Class 90, because of the amount already spent on development etc. before the model was announced. Other European manufacturers such as Roco already do this, as I have found at first hand.

[ThaneofFife]

Ive no idea how far down the line Bachmann are with work on this model.

 

I do however look forward to eventually seeing a mainline livery version which will be a more realistic fit with my chosen time period.....ill exercise the licence though with a swallow version to tide me over.....

[wombatofludham]

Didn't IC Swallow emerge first before the Mainline livery?  The first 25 emerged in Swallow, so should be OK (depending on renumbering...) for operations post 1988.

[ThaneofFife]

Oh well if thats the chronology im laughing....

[wombatofludham]

Despite only the first 15 being owned by Intercity, the first 25 were painted in "Swallow" livery, the next 11 in "mainline" livery, and the final 14 in RfD grey.  Initially the idea was they would operate as "common pool" locos and as Intercity was in desperate need for new motive power, they tended to get first picks of the 90s, which didn't go down well with RfD who were nominally owners of 30 brand new locos they were not getting the benefit of.  That's why they started removing ETH, and changing the brakes, reducing the top speed to 75mph, effectively stopping the operating department using them on Intercity services, although initially RfD kept four in full passenger spec to act as a hire fleet.

 

So, 90023 was delivered in IC Swallow but was owned by RfD.  It ran in IC Swallow livery until sometime in 1992-3 when it emerged in RfD grey, it was carrying the RfD livery when working the ECML deputising for a 91 in 1993, and by 1997 it had recievd another repaint into the "European" style RfD livery.  It's now in EWS maroon. 

 

Which means I'm going to have to renumber my IC Swallow examples when released as I want 001 "Midlands Today", 008 "Birmingham Royal Ballet" and another non-namer as running in 1996!

[45059]

Other than Bachmann's initial announcement, no mention is made of what stage the model is at in the latest edition of the Bachmann Times that arrived through my letter box this morning.

 

Although a quick look in the 2014 catalogue the arrived with the club magazine today states (on page 66) that 40 of the class were built.. Oops, let's hope that Bachmann are getting the silly errors with the class 90 out of the way early!!

 

I too would rather have a Mainline liveried 90 over I/C Swallow, but I'll happily settle for anything that ran in BR days.

 

Edit, I have just noticed that the catalogue also states that the class were built between 1961-64... Oh dear!

Edited August 7, 2014 by 45059

[bescotbeast]

Well I intend running a Swallow liveried example on some freight turns into and out of Pendeford Sidings alongside my 81/85 and 86.

[ThaneofFife]

Unlike the class 85 with its corridor the class 90 should weigh a bit more as i cant see Bachmann bothering to mimic the corridor if, unlike the 85 with its extra windows on one side, it cant be seen behind the large grilles. Not even sure if the corridor in the 90 runs through the centre or on one side.......itll be in one of my books somewhere.

[ThaneofFife]

To explain the above i always felt the 85 was a bit lightweight having gotten used to handling small bo-bo's like the Heljan type 2s. I put the weight loss on the 85 down to the material lost to model the corridor plus the area of the lower roof.

[298]

Unlike the class 85 with its corridor the class 90 should weigh a bit more as i cant see Bachmann bothering to mimic the corridor if, unlike the 85 with its extra windows on one side, it cant be seen behind the large grilles. Not even sure if the corridor in the 90 runs through the centre or on one side.......itll be in one of my books somewhere.

The corridor is at the side, but in the centre next to the cabs.

 

I'm sure 90023 recieved euro buffers and had its Pullman rubbing plates removed whilst still in IC livery. I'll have to check the photo library.

[jonathan452]

By chance I obtained a copy of 'Model Rail' No.19 - May 2000 with a Master Class feature on the Class 90's. Including a nice double page illustrated spread of all the liveries they carried at the time, and which individual locomotives wore these.

 

Although I can think of at least ten liveries/livery variants that have been carried since then.

 

The most recent being the DRS on 90034, although I'm now getting wind that Virgin are going to get rid of the 'Pretendolino' (WB64) this coming November - I'm absolutely gutted about this.

Edited August 10, 2014 by jonathan452

[ThaneofFife]

I'm now getting wind that Virgin are going to get rid of the 'Pretendolino' (WB64) this coming November - I'm absolutely gutted about this.

So that would mark the end of wcml electric loco hauled daytime services then......only the sleeper and mails remain. Wcml heyday is well and truly over.......

[wombatofludham]

 Wcml heyday is well and truly over.......

 

Depends on your point of view - is a railway entertainment or a mode of transport?

 

As someone who spent their first 40 years living next to or in earshot of the WCML, literally from the month electric operation was extended down the Trent Valley (although I was more interested in filling my nappies and where my next rusk was at the time) it was always exciting to see the new electric expresses thundering through in early blue with maroon or very early blue and grey stock, and the long freights trundling through.  I still remember my first trip behind an AL6 and even when the line was overtaken as the fastest in Britain by other lesser regions with smelly oil burning contraptions it was still the busiest and most important route in the country.  However, living in the Trent Valley, the level of service locally was shocking.  Lichfield TV had a limited inter-city service, typically two up to London in the morning, and two back, Tamworth fared little better, Rugeley lost it's London services on electrification, and of course our village station closed in 1962.  The Trent Valley local service had been scaled back from roughly two hourly to a token four or five trains a day, so even connecting from local stations to Nuneaton or Rugby was a challenge.  So, at the point when I started to use the rail network, it seemed BR tried to put every kind of hurdle in my path.

 

Whatever the merits or demerits of the Mussolinos and their mini diesel cousins, and the Desiros, the level of frequency and speed has improved dramatically.  More to the point, intermediate stations from Stafford to Rugby now have their best ever local and London service thanks to the Dessies - ok, from Tamworth and Lichfield the service is slightly slower than in the days of loco-hauled, and you don't get a buffet service, but given the service is doing extremely well, it seems the self-loading cargo are happy to trade off loco-hauled but infrequent services for an hourly EMU direct. Rugeley now has an hourly London service running at 110mph, and even Atherstone now has London directs for probably the first time since the 1950s.  Being semi-fast, they also provide the best ever electric local service down the Trent Valley which, given the improved local connections possible at places like Tamworth, Rugeley and Lichfield means that journeys like Tamworth to Sutton Coldfield or Stone to Walsall (unlikely but someone might want to do it) can be made reasonably easily with one change without having to go through Birmingham first.

 

Probably the most telling factor in support of the current level of service is, just like in 1967 when electrification decimated the London to Manchester air service, which later regained dominance after the years of post-APT planning blight made the rail option unreliable and unattractive, the current Mussolino service has again caused the airlines to retrench to a basic connecting service into long-haul at Heathrow.  It may not be as attractive to enthusiasts, but as a transport service to the ordinaries, it's more popular than ever.  And, of course, that is the real reason why the line exists!

[ThaneofFife]

just from an enthusiasts pov (mine).

[Dagworth]

So that would mark the end of wcml electric loco hauled daytime services then......only the sleeper and mails remain. Wcml heyday is well and truly over.......

But isn't that why we build our layouts? To relive those heydays...

 

A

[ThaneofFife]

But isn't that why we build our layouts? To relive those heydays...

 

A

On a forum for flower arranging or origami or even keeping chickens id say that was a fair question to ask......but not on a model railway forum.

[wombatofludham]

I fully appreciate that many enthusiasts prefer loco hauled trains, but I personally find the contemporary, unitised railway just as interesting.  A couple of years back I had an hour to kill before I could pick up a tv from a shop in Lichfield (my nearest branch of this retailer to Fairbourne) so I drove down one of the back lanes I knew from when I lived in the area to spend an hour or so watching the trains go by, and it was fascinating.  Even the stream of identical Pendolini were interesting, the Voyagers managed to sound like a squadron of Spitfires as they approached, the continuous convoy of largely 66 hauled trains of boxes, all full and operated by multiple operators, the double 86 and single 90s on Freightliner boxes, EWS engineering trains, and the London Midland Desiros offered far more variety than I see passing through Fairbourne, and whilst it lacks the variety of rolling stock of ten or twenty years ago, it all looked very efficient, very busy and extremely impressive, although I was disappointed to see so much diesel working under the wires, something that has changed since with more electric traction being used.

[ThaneofFife]

Lichfield tamworth ll and rugeley tv have been old haunts of mine since around 2000. I used to take my study books with me park up with a clear view of the lines and watch the trains between my revision.

 

I rarely do this now as im not so interested in the modern railway.

 

it is strange seeing diesels running for long distances under the wires but i dare say the bean counters have worked out its cheaper and faster to stick with one diesel throughout than pay for loco changes at either or both ends of the wcml but Voyagers running Bham to Glasgow/edinburgh via Carlisle is less easy to explain. If the overhead is there at least use it.....

 

i remember when trains were trains.....5 car Voyager rammed to the gills to Scotland. Back a day you had 12 coaches with room to move relax and take in the view through a big window.....not forgetting the enthusiast could hang outside for some fresh air. For the normals of today im sure the west coast is a faster more efficient service but from an enthusiast of the 70s and 80s pov those times are greatly missed.

[Ragtag]

I'll be holding off until we see Res or EWS myself, but pleased to see a new 90 on the way.

[Legend]

I trotted out my Hornby 1990s Class 90 yesterday for a spin round the layout. It actually looked very toy like ( as there is no OHLE on my layout thats exactly what it is)! Sure the Bachmann 90 will be light years ahead. Will be fascinating to find out how they are going to deal with the front fairing and coupling issue . The only down side is probably the cost and as its not my core interest and I don't want to install OHLE probably I'll give it a miss.

[ThaneofFife]

Im sure all eyes will be on the high speed type pantograph.see how it stacks up against the realistic looking but frail Hornby version found on their limby 87s.

[James90012]

Has anyone seen any dates for the quarter that this model is expected?

[reevesthecat]

I am sure I read somewhere the new models won't be seen for 18 months. Will not be here this year as Bachmann website has items listed up to nov/dec such as the class 150 and the 90 is still listed as awaited.

Mark