Bachmann to produce S Stock for London Transport Museum

[trevor7598]

I really do hope the S stock venture is a success . It's dipping a toe in the water time, if the waters too cold they'll

be dumped at a discount after a while. If the waters warm , who knows, R stock, CO/CP, or even earlier types.

LT. Railways are an almost untapped market, and world famous.

THE FUTURE'S BRIGHT, THE FUTURES RED !. ( and silver ).

[PhilJ W]

While I welcome that finally someone is doing a London Undergroud unit, I must admit I am disappointed that there is no internal lighting. Something I consider essential considering they spend most of their time in the dark.

 

Are they expecting to make a very small number of these units? Say 500?

As someone said earlier, it would have added £60+ to the price. Hopefully there will be provision for purchasers to add interior lighting.

[PhilJ W]

I find it hard to believe there will be a surplus. The LT museum commissioned a Croydon tram (circa 2008?) from the Austrian firm Halling. They didn't hang around on the shelves long, and that was far more geographically restricted than the S stock. There was never a re-run either, as I've been trying to get hold of one.

And it was to HO scale as well which one thought might have limited sales but apparently not so. They also had a very limited run of modern tube stock that was hand made. I saw one of the last ones left at an Acton Town open day about five years ago and I was debating whether or not to purchase it but by the time I had decided someone had beaten me to it. It might have been this that inspired the LTM to go for the 'S' unit models.

[big jim]

As someone said earlier, it would have added £60+ to the price. Hopefully there will be provision for purchasers to add interior lighting.

The bloke on the badhmann stand at the weekend said there is provision to fit interior lighting from after market suppiers, i should imagine the likes of train tech will do/already do something suitable

[G-BOAF]

Interesting- David Haarhaus states in the May BRM (P38 just past halfway down the right-hand column)  "Furthermore Bachmann Europe will suspend sponsoring any more external tooling commissions which can consume a great deal of management time, and we'll steer clear of any head-to-head duplication of products".

 

That was in the May issue.  Presumably this was already in the pipeline, together with.the duplication of product in announcing an N-gauge J72. 

 

 

My wallet is very happy with this set.  It leaves it breathing space to buy other things.  However I'm very happy for those who are excited by LUL and looking forward to buying one.  It will be good.  Enjoy it.

 

Les

 

So no more Locomotion Models special releases from Bachmann, no more Invicta special editions (CCT, TPOs etc). This is a real shame, as these commissioners have proved there is a market for models that Bachmann seemed unwilling to produce on their own accord. I can understand suspending until the current backlog is cleared, but putting a blanket ban on tooling commissions...

[PaulRhB]

They did say suspend not cancel or stop

[Horsetan]

I find it hard to believe there will be a surplus. The LT museum commissioned a Croydon tram (circa 2008?) from the Austrian firm Halling. They didn't hang around on the shelves long, and that was far more geographically restricted than the S stock. There was never a re-run either, as I've been trying to get hold of one.

 

 

And it was to HO scale as well which one thought might have limited sales but apparently not so. ...

 

Modern tram systems are not exactly well catered-for in 4mm scale, and the short-run specialists such as Halling or Narobahn (famous for their Zurich tram range) work in HO anyway. Buyers clearly worked on a "grab it whilst you can" basis, regardless of the difference in scale, because there wasn't going to be another opportunity.

[The Stationmaster]

They did say suspend not cancel or stop

And they haven't said for how long  I am fairly sure that we have not seen the end of Bachmann taking commissions which involve tooling although clearly it uses 'their' spots in the Kader factory.

[Budgie]

Perhaps it means they want to make these things for themselves rather than for others to sell. In that case I'll have half-a-dozen 8-car Electrostars, please Mr Bachmann, with the new low-level motors, etc.

[Budgie]

The current Rail magazine, p.33, mentions that LU is

 

... developing its New Train for London concept for its Deep Tube fleets. This project should provide a uniform fleet for the Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City lines, ...

I would expect this to take some years to come to fruition, but when it does I would hope that models are produced for sale, either through the LT museum as with the S stock, or direct by the manufacturer with a licence fee paid to LT. Assuming I am still around at that time, I shall certainly buy a set.

[Nobby (John)]

I've been waiting for this and guess what.............................they haven't done the unit number I wanted, absolute disgrace  

[Revolution Mike]

I've been waiting for this and guess what.............................they haven't done the unit number I wanted, absolute disgrace

 

That is scandalous - don't they know who you are!?!

[Dunsignalling]

Perhaps it means they want to make these things for themselves rather than for others to sell. In that case I'll have half-a-dozen 8-car Electrostars, please Mr Bachmann, with the new low-level motors, etc.

If they came out at the same price as the LU set, that would set you back a mere £2,640, plus, of course the cost of installing 54 feet of additional storage loops on your layout.   

 

John

Edited June 1, 2015 by Dunsignalling

[Mike Bellamy]

The last few stock moves I have seen from Derby have employed the 2 BR Blue and 2 BR Railfreight grey 20's.

Visitors to the Derby show at The Roundhouse a couple of weeks ago would have seen these locos parked up with a couple of tankers inbetween.

 

Regarding the 'secrecy' surrounding the announcement reminds me that some years ago there were photos published on narrow gauge forums of some Bachmann On30 stock (two car railbus) that was on sale in Japan but hadn't been announced by Bachmann USA - in fact their spokesman on the Bachmann Forum denied it was one of their models until shown the name underneath and the box it came in - turns out that they had been despatched in error before the main container load was sent to USA as they were due to be announced and put on sale at a major event in USA.

 

 

.

[Budgie]

If they came out at the same price as the LU set, that would set you back a mere £2,640, plus, of course the cost of installing 54 feet of additional storage loops on your layout.   

 

John

At least it'll keep me out of trouble!

[PenrithBeacon]

... Personally thing the full size 'S' stock is one of the most badly designed examples of modern rolling stock I have ever had the misfortune to travel on!!

Totally agree! The BR Pacers get an awful lot of stick here and elsewhere but they're better than the S Stock. This is true of the riding and the seating.

 

Regards

[stewartingram]

I'm surprised no-one else has picked up on the following comment before now?

At one of the Warners exhibitions fairly recently, a talk was given by one of the Bachmann guys, concerning how their models are chosen and developed I believe. I didn't attend the talk, but happenned to drop in right at the end). Anyway, he said something along the lines of havingto go offbeat with their choices nowadays, and look at models of pre-groupimg, minor railways, and narrow gauge. This S-type therefore is following this plan, even though commissioned by LTM.

 

Stewart

[exet1095]

Here's the model, in the display stand at the LTM Shop this afternoon. Looked pretty good to me.

[melmerby]

I'm surprised no-one else has picked up on the following comment before now?

At one of the Warners exhibitions fairly recently, a talk was given by one of the Bachmann guys, concerning how their models are chosen and developed I believe. I didn't attend the talk, but happenned to drop in right at the end). Anyway, he said something along the lines of havingto go offbeat with their choices nowadays, and look at models of pre-groupimg, minor railways, and narrow gauge. This S-type therefore is following this plan, even though commissioned by LTM.

 

Stewart

IMHO I wouldn't call TFL's lines "minor". It is a substantial network by any count.

 

Maybe next on the list could be this:

http://www.southernelectric.org.uk/news/overground/img/bswann378137edenbridge280909.jpg

 

 

 

Keith

[melmerby]

Totally agree! The BR Pacers get an awful lot of stick here and elsewhere but they're better than the S Stock. This is true of the riding and the seating.

 

Regards

I wonder how a Pacer would cope with the reverse curves and flat crossings around Aldgate?

 

Keith

[Astockfan101]

The model looks good and the motor does not go into the body and as I like LT stuff I might get one of these units.

[melmerby]

I very much hope so!

 

In my view early camelback / steeplecab electric locos are charismatic and charming. There are still examples of the 4-wheel tinplate model of an NER ES1 around, but nothing recent RTR.

 

 

Paul

Another one (in 1900) somewhat more restricted, gauge-wise is this one from the Central London Railway:

 

 

Keith

[Horsetan]

Here's the model, in the display stand at the LTM Shop this afternoon. Looked pretty good to me.

 

Don't forget to add the cost of travelling into London to buy this!

[Dunsignalling]

IMHO I wouldn't call TFL's lines "minor". It is a substantial network by any count.

 

 

So it is, but perhaps not one that seems to be very widely modelled. In all the years I've been going to exhibitions, I only recall seeing a couple of LT-based layouts and a few more with an LT platform adjacent to main line stations. This unit might be just the thing to increase this but we won't know one way or the other until we find out how well it actually sells.

 

The price will probably inhibit impulse buying by those of us who don't already have a hankering after LU/LT/TfL modelling so the success (or otherwise) of the S Stock models should give a good idea of the extent of the 1:76 scale LT network spread around (or under) the nation's homes. 

 

From my own point of view, the real interest that emerges from this lies in whether the technology might be employed in future DMu/EMu models. 

 

John

Edited June 1, 2015 by Dunsignalling

[Horsetan]

.... The price probably acts against impulse buys by those of us who don't already have a hankering after LU/LT/TfL modelling so the success (or otherwise) of the S Stock models should give a good idea of the extent of the 1:76 scale LT network spread throughout the nation's homes. .....

 

To put it another way, I don't see many tourists going home with a set. In any event, even if they wanted to, it's more likely they'd be beaten to it by mostly male UK-resident collectors (some of whom have eBay flogging in mind).

Edited June 1, 2015 by Horsetan