Type 2s And DMUs From Bachmann

Both Class 25 designs and a retooled ‘Turbostar’ family headline the manufacturer’s ‘OO’ programme for 2018.

JANUARY 7 brought Bachmann’s annual announcements for the year ahead and on into 2019, this coming on the back of what was described as a positive 12 months for the manufacturer with sales across its ‘OO’ gauge range rising by 6%. The Graham Farish brand also maintained its position as part of an overall 9% increase in sales across all of Bachmann’s many product lines, not just railways.

As first announced last year, Bachmann is moving towards a revised strategy for unveiling all-new models, which will now happen later in the development process. In some cases, this will be when the research and development phase has been completed and models are ready to begin tooling or even much later still, when tooling and livery samples have been completed.

A case in point of the latter philosophy is the newly announced War Department ‘Parrot’ flat wagon, as built in 1917 for use during the First World War. Developed alongside the similar Second World War vacuum-braked ‘Warflat’ model, they will all be released together fairly early in 2018. As a result, some new tooling models, but not all, can now be expected to be delivered in the same year as they are announced.

Grey Pullman

One of the highlights of this year’s D&E range and certainly its most expensive is the return of the Class 251 Blue Pullman diesel unit. This sees the existing six-car Midland Pullman tooling altered to wear the later reversed grey/blue appearance, complete with the disfiguring cab front multiple working connections and cut back bufferbeam fairings. Work on the tooling changes has already taken place with a hand-painted sample illustrated here.