Bachmann 32-489

Class 40 Disc Headcode 40097 BR Blue

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

Prototype Era
Era 7 (1972 to 1982) British Rail Blue (TOPS)

Manufacturer description

The Class 40 Diesel Locomotive has long been a highlight of the Bachmann Branchline OO scale fleet, and for 2023 this popular model has been upgraded to bring you more features than ever before. Finished in BR Blue livery with Disc Headcodes, we are pleased to present No. 40097.

With the DCC decoder interface upgraded to Plux22; new lighting features and enhanced speaker arrangements have also been employed on the Class 40 to enhance the operating experience. On track the model has a mighty presence, just like the real locomotives and, with its five pole, twin flywheel motor powering all six driving wheels, you can be sure of a performance to match too. This Class 40’s good looks are enriched by the superb livery application using true-to-prototype colours, fonts and logos to produce a model fit for any collection.

 

 

DETAIL VARIATIONS SPECIFIC TO THIS MODEL

 

BACHMANN BRANCHLINE CLASS 40 SPECIFICATION

MECHANISM:

DETAILING:

LIGHTING:

DCC:

SOUND:

LIVERY APPLICATION:

 

CLASS 40 HISTORY

The British Rail Class 40 is a British Railways diesel-electric locomotive, rated at 2,000 hp and classified as a Type 4. A total of 200 were built by English Electric between 1958 and 1962 and numbered in the series D200-D399. They were for a time the pride of the British Rail early diesel fleet. Despite their initial success, by the time the last examples were entering service they were already being replaced on some top-link duties by more powerful locomotives. As they were slowly relegated from express passenger uses, the type found work on secondary passenger and freight services where they worked for many years. The final locomotives ended regular service in 1985.

Class 40s operated in all areas of British Railways although Western and Southern Region workings were less common. After the early trials, the majority of Class 40s were based at depots in northern England; notably Longsight, Carlisle Kingmoor, and Wigan Springs Branch on the Midland Region, and Thornaby and Gateshead on the Eastern Region.

The heyday of the Class was in the early 1960s when they hauled top-link expresses on the West Coast Main Line and in East Anglia. However, the arrival of more powerful diesel locomotives, such as Class 47s and Class 55s, together with the electrification of the West Coast Main Line, meant that the fleet was gradually relegated to more mundane duties. In later life, the locomotives were mainly to be found hauling heavy freight and passenger trains in the north of England and Scotland. As additional new rolling stock was introduced, their passenger work decreased, partly due to their lack of electric train heating for newer passenger coaches. They lost their last front-line passenger duties - in Scotland - in 1980, and the last regular use on passenger trains was on the North Wales Coast Line between Holyhead, Crewe and Manchester, along with regular forays across the Pennines on Liverpool to York and Newcastle services.

Throughout the early 1980s Class 40s were common performers on relief, day excursion (adex) and holidaymaker services along with deputising for electric traction, especially on Sundays between Manchester and Birmingham. This resulted in visits to many distant parts of the network. It would be fair to say that few routes in the London Midland and Eastern regions did not see Class 40-worked passenger services from time to time. Regular destinations included the seaside resorts of Scarborough, Skegness and Cleethorpes on the Eastern region, with Blackpool and Stranraer being regularly visited on the West Coast.

Catalogue listing

Brand
Bachmann
Range
Branchline
Product Code
32-489
GTIN
803393072049
RRP
£229.95
Catalogue
Summer 2023
Release date
September 2023

Model details

Passenger figures
No
Motor
5 pole & twin flywheel
Finish
Pristine
Livery
Blue
Minimum radius curve
2nd Radius (438mm)
DCC status
DCC Ready PluX22 socket
Coupling
NEM
Based on preserved
No
Tooling date
2023
Scale
OO Gauge (1:76 Scale)
Chassis construction
Plastic & metal
Coupling mount
NEM pockets
Coupling type
Tension lock
Minimum radius
Radius 2
Features
Pickup in tender
Directional lighting
Interior lighting

Prototype information

In service until
1985
Locomotive type
Diesel-Electric
Builder
English Electric at Vulcan Foundry
Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns
Build dates
1958 to 1962
Total built
200
Tractive effort
52,000 lbf
Wheel configuration
1Co-Co1
Operated by
British Rail
Main duties
Mixed Traffic
Locomotive class*
Class 40
Motive power
Diesel

* 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.

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The Bachmann Class 40 Diesel Locomotive in BR Blue livery with Disc Headcodes is a new addition to the Bachmann Branchline OO scale fleet. This model, number 40097, features a five pole and twin flywheel motor, providing a smooth and authentic driving experience.

The model has a minimum radius curve of 2nd radius (438mm) and a length of 285mm. It is DCC Ready and features a Plux22 socket, allowing for easy installation of a decoder. The livery application is authentic, with true-to-prototype colours, fonts and logos applied using multiple paint applications and multi-stage tampo printing.

The model includes a range of detailed features, including disc headcodes, nose-top and nose-corner handrails, a Clayton boiler port, cantrail grilles, a square boiler access panel, multiple working equipment, dual brakes, and etched frost grilles.

The mechanism of the model features a five pole and twin shaft motor with two flywheels, providing drive to both bogies. The model has an authentic 1Co-Co1 drive arrangement with six axle drive and electrical pickup from all twelve driving wheels. It also features separate metal bearings fitted to each driven axle and gearing arranged for prototypical running speeds and haulage capabilities.

The model's detailing includes bogies with separate steps and sandboxes, a rotating radiator fan, separately applied metal detail parts, sprung buffers, and a pre-fitted driver in one cab. The model also features directional lighting, including headlights and high intensity headlights, which are switchable on/off at either end on DCC or Analogue control.

The model is DCC Ready and features a Plux22 decoder interface. Sound versions of the model are also available, equipped with an ESU Loksound V5DCC Sound Decoder and two quality speakers for optimum sound reproduction.

The Class 40 Diesel Locomotive was a British Railways diesel-electric locomotive built between 1958 and 1962. A total of 200 were produced, and they were initially used for express passenger services but were later relegated to secondary passenger and freight services. They operated in all areas of British Railways, with a heyday in the early 1960s when they hauled top-link expresses on the West Coast Main Line and in East Anglia.

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