Bachmann’s newly announced 18 month plan is fairly modest with an honest admission that the firm will focus on consolidating and producing previously announced models.   However there still items of interest for many modellers.

Graham Hubbard, Managing Director of Bachmann Europe Plc, said today “as a company we continue to meet new challenges. Our parent company, Kader Industries, has faced a major reorganisation which involved transferring plant and production from a former factory into the main Kader complex. Faced with continuing price rises across the board, we have taken some difficult decisions but will continue to produce top quality products to meet the increasing demands of railway modellers”.

00 scale 2015/16 Highlights of the branchline range:

• All new Hawksworth 94xx pannier tank
• All new Ransomes & Rapier 45 Ton steam powered crane
• All new Class 450 Desiro EMU (South West Trains)
• New version of class 70 (70/8)
• New body tooling for Gresley V2 class (the chassis has recently been upgraded for DCC compatibility)
• New chassis for NER E1/LNER J72 class with 6 pin dcc socket
• New chassis for original royal Scot model (with 21 pin DCC socket)
• New chassis for LNER Gresley J39 (with 21 pin DCC socket.)

The new catalogue will also include the LNWR Coal tank for the first time, as previously announced at Bachmann club collector’s day

It turns out that speculation that Bachmann would announce an unrebuilt 00 scale of the Merchant Navy class were unfounded.  However Bachmann have revealed that they had begun work on models of the LSWR S15 and LNER J50 class models, both of which they have been changed due to Hornby producing the same.

To read the full announcement and details on RMWeb click here.  To read more about forthcoming 00 scale steam locomotive model releases, please click here.