Bert1925

Thank you to the gentleman answering my comments, but I am very intrigued to understand where you have found your information. I have purchased a copy of ‘Tornado’ from WH Smith, which is endorsed by ‘The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’. I trust you also have this publication, being an enthusiast. So, as proof of my findings, please refer to pages 76-77 and view the large photograph and the ‘single’ lubricator, between the sandbox fillers, not two as Bachmann have done. This is apparent on many other images. Please also see page 93, which clearly shows the centre cylinder as I described it and not flush, as the Bachmann model portrays. Unless the Tornado photographed in the Tornado publication was constantly undergoing maintenance, I think that it is possibly you sir, who should consider the apology.

Bachmann Tornado – A Real Disappointment! After a recent visit to the wonderful NRM in York and seeing the Tornado for real, I decided that I had to have a model for my cabinet. I have a layout in my spare room, but some loco’s just need to be looked at. So at the first opportunity I managed to purchase a fine Bachmann Tornado from my local model shop. I have many Bachman models and was expecting good things from them. I removed it carefully from the packaging and my first thought was ‘wow’! Particularly the valve gear, which in die-cast, looks so real. As I looked over the model in its entirety, I notice one or two things which really didn’t look right. So I started looking through the photo’s I took of Tornado for some comparison. The first thing that struck me is that the wash-out on the real engine are sunken into the firebox and the Bachmann model has them protruding, which I must say looks terrible. This also highlights the fact that the firebox is actually completely wrong! Then of course I started looking for other things that aren’t right. Which really isn’t good when I had just spent a considerable amount of money on what I thought was to be a good copy of the wonderful Tornado. And as I looked into it more, I became very upset that I had spent so much, on something that really is quite poor. The roof detail has no rivets at all, when the real Tornado has many. The Bachmann model has two sandbox’s on the footplate, where the real Tornado has only one. The Bachmann model shows the centre cylinder flush with the front of the footplate, when the real Tornado has a cylinder that is part vertical and part flush. The rear of the Bachmann model, under the cab looks just terrible. It all looks too wide and the angles are too sharp and with sloppy pony wheel, it all seems cheap (which it is not). Other things could be mentioned, lining etc, but I do not want to go on for too long. It may seem that I am nitpicking, but when I spend so much of my pension on a model, that I am led to believe is a copy of the real thing, I am left very, very disappointed. Simple things have been neglected. If I could take my Tornado back to the shop, I would, but it has been opened and run and reading your magazine, it is fit for purpose. I do feel hard done-by though and will ask to see models out of the box in future, before parting with my money. Bachmann Tornado – A Real Disappointment!