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Bachmann 35-501SF

Class 117 3-Car DMU BR Blue & Grey

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

Prototype Eras
Era 7 (1972 to 1982) British Rail Blue (TOPS)
Era 8 (1983 to 1994) British Rail Sectorisation

Manufacturer description

Announced as part of our Winter British Railway Announcements we are delighted to bring you this Class 117 3-Car DMU in BR Blue & Grey livery. With a wealth of individually controllable lighting features, this model is also SOUND FITTED for a fully authentic experience!

Bachmann has designed the Branchline models of the Class 117 and its sibling, the single-car Class 121, from the rails-up, to achieve a new standard in fidelity to prototype in OO scale DMUs. The model is equipped with a low profile, underfloor driveline that permits reproduction of an unprecedented level of interior detail, with no intrusion from the motor.

Our SOUND FITTED model features realistic running sounds and much more - see full details of the sound functions below.

MODEL FEATURES:

• Bachmann Branchline OO Scale
• Era 7/8
• Pristine BR Blue & Grey livery
• 3-Car Unit No. L426, comprising DMS No. W51406, TCL No. W59516 and DMBS No. W51364
• Destination Blinds for Banbury and Oxford
• Accessory Pack
• NEM Coupling Pockets
• Close Coupling Mechanism
• Interior Cab Lighting
• Directional Lighting
• Illuminated Destination Blinds
• Lighting can be controlled by chassis-mounted switches or via DCC
• SOUND FITTED - See below for function list
• Length 850mm (over couplings)

SOUNDS
F0 - Directional Lights - On/Off

F1 - Warm Engine Start-up / Shut-down (with F5 On - Cold Engine Start-up)

F2 - Brake

F3 - Single Horn (Speed & Direction Dependent)

F4 – Two-Tone Horn (Speed & Direction Dependent)

F5 - Cold Start (engage F5 before F1) / Light Load

F6 - Engine Cruise / Compressor Speed-up

F7 - Flange Squeal (at Speed Steps 1-39 of 127)

F8 - Detonators (Speed Variable)

F9 - Saloon Lighting - On/Off

F10 - Guard’s Whistle

F11 - Crawler Mode (Low speed & sounds only)

F12 - On - Guard’s Single Buzzer / Off - Driver’s Single Buzzer Response

F13 - On - Guard’s Double Buzzer / Off - Driver’s Double Buzzer Response

F14 - On - Driver’s Door Open / Off - Driver’s Door Closed

F15 - Passenger Door Slam (Before moving)

F16 - DMS Destination Blind Light - On/Off

F17 - DMBS Destination Blind Light - On/Off

F18 - Fade All Sounds

F19 - Windscreen Wipers

F20 - DMS Directional Lights - Off/On

F21 - DMBS Directional Lights - Off/On

F22 - Rail Join Clatter - Off/On (Speed Variable)

F23 - On - Passenger Door Open / Off - Passenger Door Closed

F24 - Cab Lights - On/Off

F25 - Handbrake

F26 - Air Tank Drain Down

F27 - Volume Down

F28 - Volume Up

 

Analogue Users: Please note that normal load running sounds and any other automatic or randomised sounds will also operate when this model is used on analogue control (DC) straight from the box!

 

CLASS 117 HISTORY

The BR Class 117 diesel multiple units (DMUs) were built by Pressed Steel from 1959 to 1961. When first introduced, these three-car units were all based with the similar Class 121 single carriage (railcar) units on British Railway’s Western Region for suburban work out of London Paddington. The units were largely based at Reading and Southall depots and they remained here for many years working these services.

Withdrawal of other DMUs facilitated moves for some units from the Western Region to Birmingham and Scotland, prior to the delivery of new units to replace them. They were given refurbishments. The first shake up in ownership occurred in the late 1980s, when the Scottish, Welsh, Cornish and Birmingham based units were transferred to Provincial Services, later Regional Railways, in the sectorisation of British Rail, while the Southall-based units transferred to Network SouthEast. They were replaced on the lines out of Paddington when the Class 165/1 'Network Turbo' units came into service in November 1992.

They remained in service on the former Western Region until replaced by Class 150 and Class 153 DMUs during 1993. An attempt was made to remove them from Cornish work using Class 142 ‘Pacer’ units, but these non-bogie units proved to be a liability on the tight curves of the Cornish branches, increasing rail and wheel wear, and so the Pacers were moved to the North of England instead. They were finally replaced when Class 150s and Class 153s became available, having been freed up from other areas. They continued to work in Scotland until January 1998 where they were replaced with Class 156s.

For many years, passenger services on the Birmingham Cross-City Line were worked by elderly Class 117, along with Class 115, 116, 118 and 121 diesel multiple units, but all were withdrawn from service by 1995. In 2000, Class 150 Sprinter units replaced the Class 117 units on Silverlink, finally bringing to an end decades of service on Britain's rail network.

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 117 three‑car diesel multiple unit, presented in the original BR Blue and Grey livery. The model bears the running number L426 and is supplied in pristine condition.

The model measures 850 mm over the couplings and uses NEM coupling pockets with a close‑coupling mechanism. It includes directional and interior cab lighting, illuminated destination blinds for Banbury and Oxford, and an under‑floor driveline that allows detailed interior features without motor intrusion.

The unit is DCC‑sound fitted, offering a full set of 29 sound functions covering engine start‑up, brakes, horn tones, door operations, lighting control and other effects. All sounds and lighting can be operated by chassis switches or via DCC, and they also function on analogue control.

The prototype Class 117 DMU was built by Pressed Steel between 1959 and 1961, with a total of 123 cars produced. Designed for the Western Region of British Rail, the three‑car sets had a maximum speed of 70 mph and served suburban routes from London Paddington, later operating in Scotland, Wales, the Midlands and Cornwall until final withdrawal in January 1998.