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Bachmann 32-754A

Class 57/0 57009 DRS Compass (Original)

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

Prototype Eras
Era 9 (1995 to 2004) Initial Privatisation
Era 10 (2005 to 2015) Rebuilding of the Railways

Manufacturer description

Announced as part of our Winter British Railway Announcements we are delighted to bring you this Class 57/0 No. 57009 DRS Compass (Original) livery.

Fitted with a driver and featuring directional lighting, the model is also ready to accept a speaker and has a 21 Pin DCC Decoder socket for those wishing to equip their model for use on DCC.

Also available with SOUND FITTED (Item No. 32-754SF)

MODEL FEATURES:

• Bachmann Branchline OO Scale
• Era 9
• Pristine DRS (Original) Livery
• Accessory Pack
• NEM Coupling Pockets
• Sprung Buffers
• Interior Cab Lighting
• Directional Lighting
• Speaker Ready
• Fitted with a Driver
• Equipped with a 21 Pin DCC Decoder Socket – recommended Decoder item No. 36-557
• Length 265mm (over couplings)

CLASS 57 HISTORY

The British Rail Class 57 is a re-engineered locomotive, rebuilt by Brush Traction in Loughborough from redundant Class 47 locomotives between 1997-2004.They are fitted with a refurbished General Motors engine and a reconditioned alternator to improve reliability and performance. Enthusiasts have nicknamed the locomotives 'Bodysnatchers' because the body of the Class 47 has been stripped, rewired and re-engined. In 1997, Freightliner placed an order for six Class 57/0 locomotives, with the first being released to traffic in 1998. Twelve named locomotives were built and finished in the company’s green/yellow livery.

In 2002 Virgin Trains ordered 12 units classified as 57/3, with a revised power unit delivering 2,750hp enabling a top speed of 95mph. They were painted in the company's distinctive livery of red, white and silver and as their primary function was to act as emergency rescue locomotives, they were named after the characters in the 1960s TV series Thunderbirds. The order was increased to a total of 16 and all the locomotives were modified with automatic Delner coupling devices for use with 'Voyager' and 'Pendolino' units.

Brush Engineering developed a passenger demonstrator locomotive, a type 57/6 for the leasing company Porterbrook, which carried a very distinctive silver and purple livery. The locomotive was later purchased by the West Coast Railway Co and was painted in a plain maroon livery with black stripe. In 2003, First Great Western took delivery of four Class 57/6 locomotives, all named after castles, to work the Paddington to Penzance sleeper service.

In 2007, half of the Freightliner fleet was re-leased by Porterbrook to Direct Rail Services. Arriva Trains Wales obtained 3 of Virgin's Class 57/3 locomotives in 2008 and Advenza Freight purchased two ex-Freightliner locomotives, painted in the Advenza Freight livery.

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 Branchline OO‑scale model of a British Rail Class 57/0 locomotive, numbered 57009 and liveried in the original Direct Rail Services (DRS) “Compass” scheme. The kit is presented in pristine condition, with a length of 265 mm over the couplings and a Co‑Co wheel arrangement. It is fitted with a driver, interior cab lighting and directional lighting, and includes NEM coupling pockets, sprung buffers and a 21‑pin DCC decoder socket (recommended decoder item 36‑557); the model is also speaker ready and can be supplied with a sound‑fitted version (item 32‑754SF).

Technical specifications: diesel motive power, maximum speed quoted as 75 mph (or 95 mph in the higher‑spec variant), DCC ready, and built to Bachmann part number 32‑754A. The prototype represented by the model belongs to the period of initial privatisation, having been rebuilt between 1998 and 2000 from redundant Class 47 locomotives. The Class 57 series was re‑engineered by Brush Traction, with the 57/0 subclass originally ordered by Freightliner and later operated by Direct Rail Services.