Bachmann Press Statement

[Alex3410]

At our annual Press Day held at the Churnet Valley Railway on Friday 31st August 2018, we outlined that our parent company, Kader, had opened a new model railway production facility in Gaobu to supplement the existing facilities at Shenzen and Dongguan.

Although the Kader site in Dongguan was earmarked for redevelopment by the local authority, it was expected that production would continue in the medium-term whilst the new sites came onstream.

Unfortunately, we have been asked to vacate the site sooner than previously indicated and to facilitate this, staff from other locations have been engaged in the transfer of machinery, tooling and materials to the new Gaobu site.
This will regretfully lead to a temporary reduction in production capacity whilst reorganisation of our production facilities takes place, this is reflected in the information that is communicated to our customers and consumers.
Once the reorganisation is complete we shall be in a stronger position, with increased production capacity, that will allow us to deliver those models that are still outstanding, along with many more that are currently in development.

In the meantime, the following items are currently in transit and are expected to be released during the remainder of 2018:
OO scale – Class H1, H2 & C1 Atlantics, Class 37 ‘EuroPhoenix’, BR Mk1 POT Coaches, BR Mk2F Coaches (all types), FFA/FGA ‘Freightliner Flats’ and BR Mk1 Horseboxes.

Further supplies of the N scale Class 3F ‘Jinty’ Locomotives are also due to arrive.

Via Kernow Model Rail Centre Facebook

[Bigmet]

That strengthens Hattons' arm in respect of their class 66. The only significant rival model is effectively out of contention...

With so many manufacturers looking for prototypes, will there be some 'picking off' of items on Bach's announced list, some of which are now significantly delayed?

[mahoganydog]

They all need to quit copying each other and start looking outside the box for long lived prototypes. LNWR 2-4-2T's ran well into the fifties along with some other LNWR classes. Tilbury tanks would sell too seeing as one survives plus NLR tank.

There is an almost complete lack of non passenger stock. No LNWR or even LMS freight stock apart from that from dated tooling. There is virtually no LNER freight stock either (brake vans from Hornby and cattle van from Oxford plus a couple of vans from Bachmann) nor Southern (Hornby cattle and brake/ordinary vans from Bachmann).

The manufacturers need to grow up a bit and open their eyes. When I look at old pictures you see a huge diversity of stock some trains having wagons from multiple companies including pre group. Same with passenger stock.

We can't replicate these trains in model form because the few that are available (etched kits) are beyond a normal person's ability to make.

[Bigmet]

I agree with the general proposition. However I am a litle more optimistic considering that there are two pregroup 0-6-0s ex CR and ex NBR, and the ex NER G5, announced, with the ex-GER J70 and N7 imminent. There are an awful lot of small long in service pre group design locos to cover, but they do seem to be getting attention at last, what with the L&Y 2-4-2T, MR 1F 0-6-0T, GER J15, GNR J50, GCR J11 already released. The one time fame of the LT&SR 4-4-2T does seem to have faded, which puzzles me. Far better regarded than those obscure little Adams Radial tanks...

For sure I would like more NPCCS, but hopefully the recent flurry of horseboxes and CCTs may mark a change of direction there.

... No LNWR or even LMS freight stock apart from that from dated tooling. There is virtually no LNER freight stock either (brake vans from Hornby and cattle van from Oxford plus a couple of vans from Bachmann) nor Southern (Hornby cattle and brake/ordinary vans from Bachmann)...

Getting down to specifics though, the RTR LNER wagon provision has miraculously improved to probably best of all the big four! Bachmann have provided a suite of vans covering general merchandise, fruit and fish, and an assortment of the high steel general merchandise opens and via TMC commission the 20T *twin bolster and *plate wagons. Oxford offer the LNER six plank general merchandise open and a (somewhat troubled) cattle wagon, Hornby the *25T steel ballast hopper (later BR 'Trout') and just out the Toad B and E to supplement the (long available because it became BR standard) Toad D. (Two designs of specifically LNER standard general merchandise opens: that's two more than any other group, and yet this was the most numerous of company owned wagons in the big four period!)

I really thought that Bachmann must surely 'follow on' after the LNER models with the equivalent LMS designs, but not so. (The asterisked types listed above of course equally applicable to LMS as they were joint designs.) It looks like an open goal to me, LMS design general merchandise opens and vans, but there it is.

[D605Eagle]

The one time fame of the LT&SR 4-4-2T does seem to have faded, which puzzles me. Far better regarded than those obscure little Adams Radial tanks...

Being stuffed in a barn right in the middle of nowhere for the last 45 years hasn't done it any favours in the eye of the public.........

[Bigmet]

The one time fame of the LT&SR 4-4-2T does seem to have faded, which puzzles me. Far better regarded than those obscure little Adams Radial tanks...

Being stuffed in a barn right in the middle of nowhere for the last 45 years hasn't done it any favours in the eye of the public.........

Possibly so for the public, but it shouldn't overly affect the modeller's interest. Why else would models of totally scrapped classes like the D16/3, J50 ad J70 appear in RTR? 'We' know they operated and that's enough. The final LT&SR 4-4-2T was a very neat design development that required a significantly larger machine to outclass it on the work it was designed for.

Lovely A5 model BTW, yet another class that no longer exists, despite having a claim to be considered the best of all the pre-group designs of large suburban service tank locomotives.

[D605Eagle]

Yes I see what you mean now. I got a very talented guy to paint and line the A5, beyond my abilities I'm afraid. It is a shame no survived as they would be ideal engines for preserved lines. Sadly victims of early dmu introductions and being withdrawn in the wrong part of the country. Now if only Dai lived in the north east........

[Mike Parkes]

Hornby however seem to have a number of extinct class models which regularly appear with hefty reductions. Apart from the LTSR tank the other preserved loco that seems oddly absent IMO is the LNER K4 2-6-0 while I do not understand why Hornby have not made the necessary alterations to their K1 2-6-0 in order that it can correctly represent the sole preserved loco.

[D605Eagle]

I don't think the K1 has sold too well, that's probably why they haven't.