THE SUMMER OF 69 – NEW RTC CLASS 69 AVAILABLE NOW FROM THE BACHMANN COLLECTORS CLUB!
The latest Bachmann Collectors Club limited edition model was launched as part of the Summer 2026 British Railway Announcements and it is none other than the much-requested Class 69 No. 69004 ‘RIDC Melton’ in RTC Red & Blue livery, which is in stock and available to purchase now.
The fourth of sixteen Class 69s created for GBRf from redundant Class 56s, 69004 emerged in early-2022 and like many of its classmates, was soon painted into a unique livery, in this case the red and blue colour scheme originally used by British Rail’s Railway Technical Centre (RTC). The locomotive was later named ‘RIDC Melton’ after the modern testing facility – commonly known as Old Dalby test track – that is today operated by GBRf.
The new Bachmann Collectors Club model builds on the success of the all-new Branchline Class 69s that arrived in late-2025 and this new limited edition is in stock now. The model is available in three formats and Club members save 10% on the RRP of each, with prices starting at £224.95 for the standard version giving members a saving of £25 (35-779K, RRP £249.95).
SOUND FITTED models come with the Dual Fitted XL Speaker System for Bachmann’s best sounds yet, whilst recordings from the real 69004 are loaded onto the pre-installed ESU Loksound V5 DCC Sound Decoder. SOUND FITTED models cost £323.95, a saving of £36 on the RRP (35-779KSF, £359.95).
For the ultimate experience SOUND FITTED DELUXE models come with all the benefits of SOUND FITTED versions plus motorised radiator fans and hands-free, automatic DCC-uncoupling – thanks to the Bachmann Auto-release Coupling System. The ultimate RTC Class 69 is priced at £350.95 providing a saving of £39 off the RRP (35-779KSFX, £389.95).
The new Club Class 69 is limited to one per member and the models will only be available to Club members for an initial period. However, with savings of at least £25 over any potential non-member price, and with Club membership starting at just £29 per year, why not join the Club today to buy 69004 and enjoy all the benefits of Club membership for as little as £4 for the whole year. Visit the Club website for full details about the membership packages that are available and the wealth of benefits each provides, to find out more about our new Class 69s, and to order yours, whilst stocks last!
