Four New Tooling Projects Headline Bachmann Europe’s Winter 2023 British Railway Announcements
Bachmann Europe Plc today unveiled its Winter 2023 British Railway Announcements, revealing new products that are set to be released over the coming months for each of its model railway ranges. With more than 150 new items scheduled to arrive during Winter, the four new tooling projects revealed today are joined by numerous new liveries and identities for existing models.
Bachmann Branchline
Bachmann Branchline has turned its attention to the rolling stock fleet this winter with two new tooling projects unveiled for OO scale. The first is the LNER Thompson Full Brake Coach which complements the five other diagrams of Thompson coach that were first released by Bachmann in 2017. This all-new model sports separately fitted detail components, close coupling mechanisms and is available in four liveries.
The second new tooling from Bachmann Branchline caters for the modern scene with DB Cargo’s HRA Bogie Hopper Wagons appearing for the first time in OO scale. The prototypes were cut down from HTA Coal Hoppers to provide a more suitable vehicle for aggregates and four models will be available in DB Cargo’s red livery. Each model is fitted with buckeye couplings whilst optional buffers and tension lock couplings are included so that wagons can be configured as ‘inner’ or ‘outer’ wagons when building up a train.
The distinctive Class 94xx Pannier Tank returns to the range with three new models including preserved locomotive No. 9466 which made fame hauling Steam on the Met rail tours. The Class 20/3 is also back, with a pair of models in original DRS livery and a second pair carrying DRS Compass livery – each model now includes working marker lights at the cab end. The story of the original Class 20s is not forgotten either, with no fewer than five models covering the BR Green era through to the sole example that received Railfreight’s triple grey scheme.
The Refurbished CEP revealed in Autumn 2023 has been bolstered with a fourth vehicle to create a Refurbished 4-CEP – this appears in BR Blue & Grey alongside the colourful liveries of BR London & South East Sector – affectionately known as ‘Jaffa Cake’ livery – and Network SouthEast. New rolling stock comes in the form of eight 14 Ton Tank Wagons, alongside a pair of 102 Ton TEA Bogie Tank Wagons which are available in pristine condition or with a weathered finish.
Graham Farish
New tooling for the Graham Farish range this Winter sees the HRA Bogie Hopper Wagons produced in N scale too, however another major development is the upgrading of the Class 47 Diesel Locomotive.
Not only has new tooling been produced to model the ‘Crewe-Cut’ locomotives, but technical advancements have seen the models gain cab lights, independently controlled directional lights, a Next18 DCC decoder interface and an integrated speaker, allowing SOUND FITTED models to be launched.
Further versions of the Class 158 2-Car DMU have been added to the range, along with more Ivatt 2MT and Standard 5MT locomotives. Meanwhile, the rolling stock fleet welcomes additional Mk1 and Mk2F coaches and several new mineral wagons.
Bachmann Narrow Gauge
Bachmann Narrow Gauge revealed its OO9 scale models of the modern-day Ladies – ‘Linda’ and ‘Blanche’ – at the Ffestiniog Railway in October and following a period of exclusivity to the railway, these models will be put on general release from December. The pair are modelled as coal firing 2-4-0 Saddle Tanks with Tenders for the first time, the condition in which ‘Blanche’ currently runs and to which ‘Linda’ is being restored. With the development of the Gloucester Bogie Coach now complete, three further models will be released this Winter giving a welcome boost to the OO9 rolling stock fleet.
EFE Rail
Possibly the biggest surprise this Winter comes by way of the EFE Rail range where Bachmann has invested in a suite of brand new tooling to model the Southern Railway Booster locomotives. This pair of pioneering electric locomotives has never been produced in model form before and Bachmann’s tooling covers a timescale of almost thirty years, capturing the various changes and modifications that the real locomotives underwent during this time. Five models make up the launch range catering for Southern Railway and BR Southern Region modellers all the way from the first days in traffic through to the final operations in 1969. Two more ‘Pacer’ DMUs in pristine condition also join the range, with a Class 143 in Arriva Trains Wales livery and a Class 144 in BR Regional Railways colours.
For N scale the EFE Rail range offers four more WD Austerity Tank Locomotives, including a model in the popular Longmoor Military Railway livery and two preserved examples, No. 92 ‘Waggoner’ and No. 7 ‘Robert’ – the latter having found fame when it took part in the Rocket 150 celebrations at Rainhill in 1980. There are also further releases of the PBA Clay Tiger Wagons.
Scenecraft by Bachmann
The Bachmann Scenecraft range of finely-detailed, hand-crafted models expands with an impressive Electric Train Depot inspired by the depot at New Cross. The adaptable two-road depot can be used in multiple to create longer depots or to provide additional roads suited to meet the needs of any OO scale layout. For Narrow Gauge modellers the station building influenced by Woody Bay on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway returns in a choice of two colour schemes. In N scale, several useful railway and lineside structures join the range for the first time, with a number of the models available in two colour schemes.
With the next three months set to see an influx of new arrivals across the Bachmann model railway ranges, a new e-newsletter has been launched to provide consumers with weekly updates of the models that are being released each week – visit https://www.bachmann.co.uk/page/newsletters to subscribe to this service.
Full details of the Winter range can be found in the Winter 2023 British Railway Announcements video below, on the Bachmann Europe Website, or in the Winter 2023 British Railway Announcements Catalogue published with the Bachmann Times – the official magazine of the Bachmann Collectors Club – which is on the way to Club members now.
The first of these new models will soon start arriving on retailers’ shelves, so be sure to get in touch with your nearest retailer to let them know which models you want!pre-order yours!
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