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Bachmann 31-520

Class 159 3-Car DMU 159013 BR Network SouthEast (Revised)

Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI images rather than photographs

Prototype Era
Era 8 (1983 to 1994) British Rail Sectorisation

Manufacturer description

Highlights:

• PLUX22 DCC Sound (Sound Fitted Models)
• Accessory-pack
• Directional and interior lighting
• Exceptional standard of exterior and underframe decoration
• Exceptional standard of interior finish, detail and colouring

 

History

 

The British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit (DMU), built specifically for British Rail's Provincial Services sector between 1989 and 1992 by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) at Derby Litchurch Lane Works and outshopped in Regional Railways Provincial blue. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, thereby reducing cost of operation, and to allow cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs.  The majority of the 182 158 units were built as 2-car units, with 17 3-car units constructed specifically for use on Trans-Pennine services.  Similar 3-car units were built for use by Network SouthEast but these were converted to Class 159 specification before introduction to service, with toilet retention tanks and other modifications to operate over the third-rail network.

 

All the Class 158s remain in service today, with operators including ScotRail, Northern, Great Western (GWR), East Midlands Trains (now EMR), and Transport for Wales (formerly Arriva).  Former operators include Central Trains.  The Class has worked extensively across the UK network, even into East Anglia as far as Stansted Airport and Norwich.  Some 158s have been converted to additional Class 159s and now operate for South Western alongside their original classmates 159001-022, upon which our model of 159013 is based. 

Catalogue listing

Model details

Prototype information

^* Class names often change over the lifespan of a locomotive, so this is not necessarily the class name used by the operator in the period modelled.

Bachmann Class 159 three‑car DMU model 159013, representing a British Rail Network SouthEast unit, is supplied in pristine condition. The kit is finished in the Red, White and Blue livery used by the sector and carries the running number 159013.

The model measures 915 mm in length, is DCC ready with a 21‑pin socket and can negotiate a minimum radius of 438 mm (2nd radius). It includes directional and interior lighting, and is fitted with PLUX22 DCC sound. The accessory pack provides additional detail, while the exterior and under‑frame decoration, as well as the interior finish, are reproduced to a high standard of colour and detail.

The prototype unit is a British Rail Class 159 diesel multiple‑unit built between 1989 and 1993, one of 30 three‑car units produced for the British Rail sectorisation era. The real‑world units were conversions of Class 158 units for Network SouthEast, featuring toilet retention tanks and other modifications for operation on third‑rail routes. This model reflects those specifications.