BACHMANN BRANCHLINE – MASTERS OF THE 08, BUT LOOK WHAT ELSE WE’VE BEEN SLAVING OVER
There are very few classes of diesel locomotive of which OO Scale models have not been produced in recent years, and now that list is one lighter still, as we are proud to announce the first ever ready-to-run model of the British Rail (BR) Class 13 Diesel Shunters as part of the Bachmann Branchline range.
The real locomotives were created in 1965 when BR’s Darlington Works modified three pairs of Class 08 diesel shunters to meet the locomotive requirements of the new Tinsley Marshalling Yard, and the Branchline models follow hot on the heels of the widely-acclaimed all-new OO scale Branchline Class 08 models that were delivered earlier this year.
Tinsley Marshalling Yard, on the outskirts of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, opened in 1965 as a distribution hub where goods trains would arrive, be broken down, and then reformed for onward travel to other destinations. To aid the forming of new trains, the yard employed hump shunting, which allowed wagons to roll into the siding where their train was being assembled; however, to move these trains and propel the wagons up the hump for gravity to take effect, a new locomotive was required.
The solution was the Class 13. Formed of two modified Class 08s, the 13s had a greater tractive effort than any standard locomotive in BR’s fleet at the time, and by using two locomotives coupled together rather than one long-framed bogie locomotive, the risk of grounding on the hump was avoided.
The Class 13s were built at BR’s Darlington Works in 1965, using six standard Class 08s to create three new locomotives, each comprising a Master Unit and a Slave Unit. The donor locomotives were fitted with heavy metal plates to their bufferbeams to improve adhesion; visually, this resulted in the bufferbeams being both thicker and much deeper. Multi-working equipment was fitted to the two units as well, allowing both locos to be controlled from the master and enabling the cab of the slave unit to be removed. Special in-cab signalling and radio equipment was installed to allow communications with the control tower that presided over shunting operations at Tinsley.
The three Class 13s were delivered in BR Green livery with wasp stripes at the outer ends and were initially formed cab-to-cab, but within a couple of years they had been reformed with the slave leading the master, both radiator first, to improve crew visibility. As a result, the master unit ended up with wasp stripes at each end, meanwhile, the shortened former cab sheet of the slave remained plain at first, but wasp stripes were eventually added here too.
Even as Tinsley Yard was opened by Dr Richard Beeching in 1965, British Rail was already feeling a hit on its services from the increasing competition provided by road transport, and this only worsened in the 1970s as the decline in wagon-load goods traffic continued. By the 1980s the writing was on the wall for large marshalling yards like Tinsley and in December 1984, the arrival sidings and hump were closed, making the Class 13s redundant and leading to their withdrawal at the start of 1985. By this tim,e only Nos. 13001 and 13003 (originally Nos. D4501 and D4500) remained in traffic anyway, as No. 13002 (D4502) had been taken out of service in mid-1981.
Whilst the Class 13s were destined for a life working at Tinsley Yard, each of the three locomotives was dispatched to Doncaster Works for a major works overhaul once during their careers, and on occasion in their twilight years, it was not impossible to find a Class 13 heading a railtour in the local area. Following withdrawal, Nos. 13001 and 13002 would make their way to Swindon for disposal, while No. 13003 went back to Doncaster to be scrapped, finally succumbing to the cutter’s torch in September 1986, more than 18 months after it last worked at Tinsley.
Just like the real locomotives, the DNA of the Branchline Class 13 can be found in the all-new 08, and each Class 13 comprises two motorised, fully-functional, highly-detailed units – the Master and the Slave. Both the master and slave units are fitted with powerful five-pole motors and flywheels, driving the geared axle through a metal gearbox and with each axle running in a pair of separate metal bearings. The all-wheel electrical pickup is complemented by the Bach-Up Stay Alive System, one in the master and a second in the slave, to provide DCC users with uninterrupted power to prevent stalling, light flicker and sound cut-outs.
Four marker lights are fitted to each end of the pairing – the cab end of the master and the radiator end of the slave – and these are user-configurable via the microswitches located below the roof panel on each unit. The master, with its enclosed cab, also features a cab light; meanwhile, the shunting light mode, which displays one red and one white marker light, is selectable using the microswitches on each unit, or with a single DCC function that activates the shunting lights on both the master and slave.
With an extensive suite of lighting and technology on board, a Plux22 DCC decoder socket is fitted to each unit underneath the removable roof panel – the use of two decoders avoids the need for an obtrusive multi-pin conductive coupler between the master and slave. Instead, a fixed bar fulfils this purpose, attached via NEM coupling pockets, which are mounted on close coupling mechanisms. When using the Branchline Class 13 with sound, a discreet plug-in wired connection is added to allow a single sound decoder to be use,d which in turn provides the sound effects for both the master and slave, played through the dedicated speaker fitted to the respective unit.
Whilst the new Branchline models share the same mechanical and technological basis as the Class 08s, the outward appearance of the models is anything but identical once you take a closer look thanks to a significant investment in new tooling to capture the unique elements of the Class 13 to a tee.
The thick, deep bufferbeams fitted to both the master and slave are modelled faithfully while it’s impossible to miss the fact that the slave unite has lost its cab roof and front and just shortened side and rear sheets remain. Within the cab space, the controls have been removed, replaced by a few access panels to keep the hand brake standard company. Antennas and aerials for the signalling and radio systems are added externally, along with long vertical handrails on the bonnet sides where the radiator ladders had been fitted before them.
The multiple-working equipment that allowed the master and slave to operate as one locomotive required numerous pipes and cables to connect the pair, and these are modelled faithfully and included in the accessory pack for optional fitting, along with bufferbeam infills to plug the gap in the deep bufferbeams for those who may wish to remove the standard tension lock couplings.
Alongside these defining features, the models boast a high level of fidelity throughout, on both the master and slave unit, employing precision moulded components, diecast metal parts and etched and formed metal details. This is brought to life by the expert livery application for which Bachmann is renowned, using advanced paint and print processes with authentic BR colours, logos, fonts and typefaces to create the ultimate diesel shunter.
The first releases of the Branchline Class 13 depict No. D4502 in BR Green (Wasp Stripes) livery and No. 13003 in BR Blue. The two models will be available in standard, SOUND FITTED and SOUND FITTED DELUXE formats. SOUND FITTED and SOUND FITTED DELUXE models are pre-fitted with two premium Zimo DCC decoders – a MS450P22 sound decoder in the master and a MN330P22 loco decoder in the slave, with sounds played through the speakers fitted to both units when the wired connection is installed (sounds still play through the speaker in the master unit when the connection is not installed).
SOUND FITTED DELUXE models also feature Bachmann’s revolutionary Auto-Release Couplings, fitted at each outer end, to provide hands-free uncoupling controlled by a single DCC function.
Production of the models is now complete, and delivery is expected before the end of 2025. The recommended retail Price for the standard model, which includes two motorised, fully-functional units, has been set at £399.95. Meanwhile SOUND FITTED versions, with two premium Zimo DCC decoders pre-installed, have a RRP of £539.95, and the SOUND FITTED DELUXE variants, which include the Auto-Release Couplings, carry a RRP of £569.95.
The models can be pre-ordered from Bachmann retailers now, and with only limited quantities produced, ordering early is advisable to avoid disappointment. The fully decorated, factory-finished models will be revealed in the run-up to Bachmann’s Winter 2025 British Railway Announcements on Wednesday, 5th November 2025.
