2022 marked a fantastic year for Bachmann Europe and saw twelve major projects carried out and dispatched to retailers across the country. The huge 2022 release saw over 400 brand-new items released for the British outline railway ranges. Now that 2023 is underway, Bachmann intends to see the year begin with a bumper start with its biggest announcement to date featuring 111 new items which will be delivered to Bachmann stockists over the coming months.
The range has also seen additions as part of the Spring British Railways Announcement with the OO9 scale models seeing an expansion in available rolling stock with a further five RNAD wagons. These brand new versions will be available alongside the eight models announced earlier and are now making their way to the UK, the wagons are detailed as in original RNAD usage and coloured as other freight operators including Southern Railway and ICI Lime in preserved condition.
N Scale has seen the all-new Graham Farish Class 90 Electric Locomotive available in Freightliner ‘Powerhaul’ livery with the operation of with or without SOUND FITTED. The Class 08 Diesel Shunter will also be available in the well-loved BR Green and BR Blue scheme and are using the newly-upgraded model which will enable SOUND FITTED models as well as standard.
The Graham Farish rolling stock range has also seen a huge increase in wagons including new releases as part of the spring announcement including:
- 14 Ton Tanks
- 30 Ton Bogie Bolsters
- Bogie Ballast Hoppers
- 27 Ton Steel Tipplers
- HKA Bogie Hopper Wagons
The above releases will be available in an array of liveries and the majority will include the choice of two running numbers per livery. Upgrades will also be available including the provision for SOUND FITTED models as part of the award-winning Bachmann Branchline BR Standard Class 9F Steam Locomotive which was revealed in Winter 2022 and as part of the spring announcement of two further models have been revealed including the sole surviving Single Chimney loco No.92134.
SOUND-FITTED versions of the Windhoff two-car Multi-Purpose Vehicle have also been released for the very first time as well as standard models in two Network Rail colour schemes.
Six new identities have also been revealed for the brand-new Class 37 from Bachmann Branchline which covers the early years in traffic with two BR Green-liveried models, through Sectorisation, and up to modern day as a Colas Rail Freight example. All of the models include unique tooling combinations in order for the to achieve the highest fidelity and also comes in three formats – standard, SOUND FITTED and SOUND FITTED DELUXE.
Spring 2023 also sees new tooling in the form of the MXA ‘Lobster’ Bogie Open Wagons. The wagons were originally built by DB Cargo utilising redundant Bogie Bolster wagon frames and were then outshopped in the vibrant red livery of DB Cargo, the new Branchline model will come with a choice of two running numbers.
Finalising the Bachmann Branchline announcement for this quarter is a twin pack of ScotRail Mk2 Coaches alongside a further release of the Class 158 DMU which is featured in Arriva Trains Wales livery.
The announcement also sees DMUs for EFE Rail are also featured with Class 143 and 144 ‘Pacer’ two-car DMUs available in five liveries over the two classes.
Bachmann’s Scenecraft range has also been enhanced with over a dozen brand new N scale models, whilst the OO scale sees a number of popular products return such as the Two Lane Engine Shed, Depot Water Tower and Art Deco Signal Box, as well as a number of new items.
Bachmann’s impressive DCC System, The E-Z Command Control Centre has also allowed entry into DCC for thousands of modellers and the spring announcement also sees a new version of this popular controller – E-Z Command Plus. This easy-to-operate DCC system allows the running of multiple locomotives with up to 29 functions able to be controlled enabling a full suite of sound and light effects from SOUND FITTED and SOUND FITTED DELUXE models. The system also includes simple on-track locomotive address programming as well as a rotary speed dial which is benefited from the addition of an illuminated speed scale. A brand new Locomotive Stop button also allows individual locomotives to be stopped, and the Stop All button enables a full emergency stop bringing the entire layout to a halt. E-Z Command Plus is able to be used with DCC-equipped N, OO and OO9 scale models and includes easy plug-and-play wiring which provides the ability to set up in minutes.
Further to the new products, Bachmann Europe has also officially unveiled its new logos coinciding with Bachmann’s 190th Anniversary. The new logos are for:
- Bachmann Europe Plc
- Bachmann Branchline
- Bachmann Narrow Gauge
- Bachmann Collectors Club
The new logos will appear on all new Bachmann products throughout 2023.
The Spring 2023 British Railway Announcements Catalogue has been exclusively published with the Bachmann Times which is the Bachmann Collectors Club official magazine and features the entire range of products revealed. Club members receive copies of all four of the British Railway Announcements made throughout each year.
The Spring 2023 Catalogue also features the Bachmann Europe Model Railway Combined Volume 2023 which is currently making its way to Bachmann Collectors Club members and may also be purchased from Bachmann stockists in the near future. The Combine Volume includes ongoing lines and items which are still stocked as well as upcoming items from announcements from previous years which are not yet in stock.
To find out more or to discover projected release dates, please visit www.bachmann.co.uk.
Responses
The “Welsh Red Green and White 143 class Dmu, is based on a livery that I produced and win a competition for in the Mid 1990s run by Mr Tom Clift my M.D.
I would like one please!