Bachmann Blue Pullman

[K9-70]

Looks like it's going to happen

http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/pr ... idland_Set

[DrStroganoff]

Awesome news.

The spec sounds very impressive with all of the lighting etc... if its up to the standard of the CEP then it should be very special indeed. I'm very tempted to pre-order !!

[Dead Man's Handle]

If Hornby were to revamp the old Triang one then it'd be just like buses - you wait forever then three come at once!

Is this a reaction to the Heljan/Olivia's Trains model? I think people will be waiting a loooong time for either...


Ade

[sishades]

At least we will now find out if all that hot air about wanting a BP will turn into actual sales. At that price I doubt many will actually purchase a set. May be these are the same people who would be willing to spend nigh on two thousand pounds on the Brighton Belle.

[Zunnan]

At £300rrp for a complete 6 car unit it is still considerably cheaper by a few hundred pounds than the 'proposed' Olivias Trains/Heljan effort (for want of a better word) would work out at. Hopefully all of the ifs and buts attached with the extremely ill concieved speculated OT/Heljan model will quietly disappear under the rug and be forgotten about. I'll quite happily have one as a display piece and look forward to seeing it reduced to N Gauge in the distant future now that a reputable manufacturer has waded into the equation.

Out of interest, have you noticed that a lot of the new 2 car DMU/EMUs that are on the way are nigh on the £100rrp and they often share the same chassis unit between the two cars and only minor body differences. Oddly enough that makes three 2 car units worth £300. Suddenly the proposed BP price doesn't seem as high as it initially did for a model which will require 3 different chassis mouldings and 4 different body mouldings* for a LMR unit alone and it is widely known that very little technical data/drawings still exists which means that the R&D costs are going to be astronomical.

*4 mouldings for the Midland units - 3 for the units as delivered, and one for them in their later guise as modified following transfer to the Western Region. Then there are an additional 3 bodies and 2 chassis required to make a Western 8 car unit because the driving cars are slightly different, the kitchens are built the opposite way around (mirrored internally too) and don't have a power bogie and generator like the LMR units do, and they have two second class coaches added to the formation which are fitted with the power bogie and generator set instead. The Blue Pullman is a research minefield.

[Metadyneman]

You may like to look at today's MRE mag. Hornby have sent their old tri-ang Blue Pullman tooling to China for assessment and evaluation with a view to production!

[sishades]

Thats it then........War!

[Metadyneman]

Well to be honest if Bachmann are bringing out an all singing all dancing Blue Pullman and Hornby bring out a budget version of it utilising some of the original tooling at half or even three quarters of the price price of the Bachmann version I know which one I'd buy coz i cannot justify £300 on a train that although might be very nice, ain't really my bag. So the Hornby one would get my money.

[Metadyneman]

and it is widely known that very little technical data/drawings still exists which means that the R&D costs are going to be astronomical.

Not so true... here is the quote from Simon Kohler announced on Pat Hammond's extremely informative and excellent MREmag website this morning. I have highlighted the interesting bit which would seem contradict what Zunnan has said above.


"There has been much rumour just recently concerning Hornby and the Blue Pullman tooling. So as to prevent further conjecture, and even more rumours, I am happy to confirm that we have shipped the Blue Pullman tooling to China for examination, with a view to seeing what is required should we wish to commence production.

I have obviously been watchful of the demand for the Blue Pullman and the interest generated whenever the train is mentioned and, even though I am on record as being sceptical, I believe that there is significant interest for Hornby to once again consider manufacture obviously, times and expectations have changed over the years and I can confirm that Hornby do have a complete set of works drawings for the Blue Pullman train, including those coaches that were never produced.
As time progresses, I will keep you and your readers aware of our plans concerning the Blue Pullman but, for the time being, it is a question of watch, with keen anticipation, this space.

Yours most sincerely

Simon


So there you have it from the horse's mouth so to speak!

We will all now sit back and watch what happens! will it be burn out time for the manufacturers or will one succeed and the others back off??? only time will tell

[Zunnan]

Funny, every time they've been asked about producing the BP in the past everyone, including Hornby, have cited a lack of working drawings as one of many reasons not to produce them. Olivias Trains certainly had hit the brick wall regarding sufficient accurate reference material when I called them some time ago after digging up as much info as I could find, including a complete scale floorplan for an 8 car BR(W) set. So, if Hornby do have a complete set of drawings (and so presumably have done for some time), then it is only them who are to blame for the BP not being produced considerably sooner given its continual appearance in wish lists. The fact that they have shipped the original tooling are exploring the viability of using it smacks of the idea that they in fact do not have full working plans and just intend on p***ing on Bachmanns parade with a sub standard cheap and nasty model.

And before you say 'well, Bachmann have done just that to OT/Heljan', I would point you towards 'another forum' whos moderators were privvy to evidence that Bachmann were working on this project before the OT announcement and have been pushed into an early announcement by Hornby piddling about with the Triang tooling.

[Dead Man's Handle]

I'd think there will be a market for both the Hornby and Bachmann versions (and it would seem they both agree). £300 for the Bachmann six-car set doesn't seem a lot to me (I mean comparatively, not like I can afford one right now!) How much cash were people getting out for Deltic?

But there doesn't seem to be 'space' now for the Olivia's/ Heljan version. How long before they announce it's been knocked on the head?

[Dead Man's Handle]

And before you say 'well, Bachmann have done just that to OT/Heljan', I would point you towards 'another forum' whos moderators were privvy to evidence that Bachmann were working on this project before the OT announcement and have been pushed into an early announcement by Hornby piddling about with the Triang tooling.

But if anyone still wants to say it, head away from the 'other forum', as the ban threats are out already

I guess if someone is privy to inside information, but 'not allowed' to mention it (until now), and feels the need to silence (by the way of post deletion or banning) a dissenting voice, then I'm gonna take what they say with a pinch of salt, as they obviously have some kind of 'relationship' which goes beyond simple communication.

[Metadyneman]

To be honest we can specuate and comment as much as we want.. I am more interested in seeing what eventually happens than squabble over who did what to whom, why and when. The only ones to win out of all this surely has to be the people who have whinged and whined about not having a Blue pullman. Now they have the prospect of possibly three differing versions of it to count rivets with so where is the problem?

[THE CHIEF]

I quite like the idear of a "railroad" version of the blue pullman. Dont forget that many people wont have room for a six car scale set. The shorter triang model though might do well with younger modellers. I wounder if the triang emu might be looked at?

[kennyGWSR]

the emu would be good and maybe centre cars for the blue pullman so you could add extra coaches if you wanted to.