See Our OO Scale Class 69 In Action at This Weekend’s GB Railfreight Gala!
See Our OO Scale Class 69 In Action at This Weekend’s GB Railfreight Gala!
Visitors to this weekend’s GB Railfreight Gala at the Nene Valley Railway (NVR) in Peterborough will be able to catch a sneak preview of the upcoming Bachmann Branchline OO scale Class 69 diesel locomotive, with a sample model running on the Hornby Magazine layout throughout the gala. This special event has been organised by Modern Railways magazine with support from fellow publication Hornby Magazine and funds raised from the gala will be donated to the MS Society which provides support to those suffering with Multiple Sclerosis.
GB Railfreight (GBRf), who will be providing several types of locomotives to haul trains along the Nene Valley Railway’s line, are also offering several other pre-bookable activities including driver experiences and tours of GBRf’s headquarters and motive power depot. GBRf will be donating the funds raised from its site tours to its charity partner, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. In addition, visitors can look forward to shuttle services along the NVR’s Fletton branch, rail ale trains and live music. At Wansford Station, there will be a number of model railway layouts which is where enthusiasts will be able to see the Bachmann Branchline Class 69 running on one of Hornby Magazine’s layouts.
More information about the GB Railfreight Gala and where to purchase tickets for the event can be seen on Modern Railways’ website at https://www.modernrailways.com/gbrfgala.
Bachmann Europe will be producing models of the new Class 69 locomotives in both N and OO Scale as part of an exclusive agreement with GBRf and the first models to arrive will be the OO scale versions which are now at an advanced stage of development.
The Bachmann Branchline models of the Class 69 will feature highly-detailed mouldings with many separately fitted parts such as etched bodyside, roof fan grilles, metal windscreen wipers and separately fitted driver’s door handrails. The models will have fully decorated cab and machine room interiors, which are complemented by separately controllable interior lighting when used on DCC. Each model also features directional lighting that can be switched on or off at either end as well as a full set of decorated, model-specific bufferbeam pipework and accessory parts, including etched nameplates where applicable.
The model is just as impressive on a technical basis, with a five pole motor with twin shafts and flywheels to provide drive to both bogies, all-axle drive with each axle having electrical pickups and separate metal bearings, close coupling mechanisms at each end, two pre-fitted speakers, and a Plux22 DCC decoder interface (recommended Decoder Item No. 36-570B).
There will also be SOUND FITTED and SOUND FITTED DELUXE versions of each model which feature an ESU Loksound V5 DCC Sound Decoder that has been pre-programmed with an exclusive sound project using recordings from real locomotives. The SOUND FITTED DELUXE variants will additionally feature motorised radiator fans and the new Bachmann Auto-Release Coupling System! These versions can also be used on most Analogue (DC) layouts, where they will play authentic engine start up sequences and running sounds when power is applied.
You can find out about the various Class 69 models that will be available below.
35-776(SF/SFX) – Class 69 69001 ‘Mayflower’ GBRf (UK & US Flags)
35-777(SF/SFX) – Class 69 69002 ‘Bob Tiller CM&EE’ BR Blue (Large Logo) (GBRf)
Our second model depicts Class 69 No. 69002 in GBRf’s interpretation of the BR Blue livery with large logo.
This locomotive has been named ‘Bob Tiller CM&EE’.
35-778(SF/SFX) – Class 69 69003 ‘The Railway Observer’ GBRf
35-780(SF/SFX) – Class 69 69005 ‘Eastleigh’ BR Green (Late Crest) (GBRf)
The final Class 69 model depicts No. 69005 in GBRf’s version of the BR Green livery with late BR crest.
This locomotive has been given the name ‘Eastleigh’.
These brand new models are already shaping up to be very special indeed, and with livery samples due to arrive with us this Autumn, we can’t wait to share the Class 69s in all their glory later this year, before production commences ahead of their release in 2025. Head to the Bachmann Europe website for more details of each model and keep checking back for future updates on the pricing and availability of the Branchline Class 69. In the meantime, why not pre-order yours from your local Bachmann stockist.
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