Bachmann ‘J72’ 0-6-0T

◆ SCALE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL Bachmann Branchline 31-061 Worsdell ‘J72’ 0-6-0T No. 68733, BR unlined black ◆ PRICE £124.95 ◆ AVAILABILITY Bachmann Branchline stockists

You can absolutely see the logic of Bachmann fitting new chassis with provision for DCC to some of its older models. Those old Mainline and early Bachmann toolings can still hold their own 30 or 40 years after they were first offered. Yet you only have to compare Hornby’s LNER ‘B1’ 4-6-0 with Bachmann’s revamped offering; the 21st century tooling is far superior and, in many cases, it might have been worth Bachmann starting with a fresh sheet of paper.

That’s exactly what it decided to do with the ‘J72’.

This remarkable 0-6-0T has a story unlike that of any other British steam locomotive. They were built by three different railway companies and the first emerged in December 1898; the last didn’t enter service until May 1951. Consequently, it has made sense for Bachmann to produce an all-new ‘J72’, to cater for the tweaks Vincent Raven, the LNER’S Group Standard scheme and Arthur Peppercorn made to this design, rather than simply give the old Mainline model a new chassis with a DCC socket.

Why lavish all this attention on a simple 0-6-0T? Well, the humble ‘J72’ was the first locomotive to appear in Bachmann Branchline packaging way back in 1990 so this little locomotive is held in high esteem at Barwell.

There are four models in the initial range and you can see the level of detail that Bachmann has gone to; smokebox door handles or wheels; NER or LNER buffers; safety valve bonnet or not. The list goes on…

Received for review is

No. 68733 in BR unlined black. This locomotive was one of a handful that moved to Scotland, which is why it retained its smokebox door wheel but didn’t receive other accoutrements that other Scottish ‘J72s’ received. A quick look at the panel on p100 reveals just what detail combinations this model has.

First impressions are that Bachmann’s effort has been justified. The ‘J72’ is a very simple machine and Bachmann has captured its understated lines well. The shape and key dimensions match photographs published in volumes by Ken Hoole and the RCTS.

There are some lovely touches, such as the tank securing mounts, bolt heads around the cylinders, the moulded – and painted – inside valve gear and the fact that one boiler handrail terminates in a knob, while the rail extends beyond the knob on the other side (just like the real thing).

FAB CAB

The cab is another work of miniature art and it’s pleasing to see that just as much attention has been paid to the rear as has been paid to the backplate. All handrails are wire throughout, the sandbox linkage is very refined and the sandpipes are made from a very sturdy yet still fine wire.

It seems churlish to criticise the two bufferbeam planks when photographs of No. 68733 in the 1950s show it with a single plank of wood in the front bufferbeam with a different number of rivets, which would suggest a localised repair. Photographs also show it without the fire-iron holder on the tank top.

It’s only really the prominent seam between the smokebox and the cylinder block that detracts from the overall quality. It’s also arguable that the smokebox door ought to be a touch more dished to really nail the ‘J72’s’ face.

There are a couple of other issues. There’s too much light visible through the backs of the splashers (which suggests the frames are not as deep as the prototype) and there are prominent seam lines along the chimney and safety valve bonnet. The main frame arrangement and the way the guard irons fix to the frames is also unprototypical but it’s difficult to see how Bachmann could achieve this, given the constraints of making a working and reliable model.

Bachmann’s attitude it to make the best possible model and so the ‘J72’ is crammed with features. Next18 enables manufacturers to offer full lighting and sound functionality in smaller spaces and the ‘J72’ is an ideal subject for a Next18 socket. Access is easy: remove the front NEM pocket to access a screw and then remove another screw under the cab. The body simply lifts away. It’s only when the body is removed that you realise how much weight has been included. It’s this that gives the locomotive its superb pulling power (see panel).

The ‘J72’ also marks the return to sprung buffers. These are a bit of a gimmick in ‘OO’ (they really come into their own in ‘O’) and Bachmann’s turned yet fixed metal buffers offered on previous

models have been of excellent quality. However, if every other manufacturer is offering sprung buffers, why not include them?

GLOWING PRAISE

Bachmann has also offered firebox glow which makes the ‘J72’, to the best of our knowledge, its first model to have this feature. Analogue users get a pleasing red glow when the model is under power whereas DCC users get a true fire flicker using red and yellow bulbs.

Newcastle’s and York’s ‘J72s’ station pilots received North Eastern Railway green with BR and NER emblems. Sadly, our model is one of the ones that carried unlined BR black! However, being a Scottish ‘J72’, the number is carried on the bunker (apparently due to a high proportion of EX-LMS men in influential SCR positions) rather than on the tank side, which was Darlington’s style.

The black paint has the usual Bachmann lustre and finish and the BR emblems and numbers are to the standard one would expect. The only disappointment is that the oval plate on the bunker has been printed in what appears to be a light grey colour, and it’s only from angles and in certain light that you can see that it’s there.

The old Mainline ‘J72’ was always a great little model but Bachmann’s new version deserves to take its place among the best six-coupled tank locomotives. Recommended. (RF)

This remarkable 0-6-0T has a story unlike that of any other British steam locomotive