Bachmann Class 20/3
◆ GAUGE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL Bachmann 35-127 Class 20/3 20312 DRS ‘Compass’ livery ◆ PRICE £179.95 ◆ AVAILABILITY Bachmann stockists Web www.bachmann.co.uk
Since their emergence in the late 1990s, Direct Rail Services’ Class 20/3 fleet has been a firm favourite with enthusiasts. The fusion of a heritage traction type with modern external fittings, handsome livery and their use on eye-catching traffic flows – especially nuclear flask workings – has cemented their place in modern traction history.
Modellers tempted to recreate the modified ‘Choppers’ have been faced with the need to hack existing models around, with a variety of etched metal and resin detailing parts being provided from Shawplan/ Extreme Etchings and PH Designs. Having rebuilt a number of Bachmann Class 20s in this way, I can vouch for the job being a labour-intensive one.
Thanks to the folks at Bachmann Branchline, there’s now an opportunity to purchase a ready-made Class 20/3, with an all-new Type 1 hitting the shelves of model shops this month. And oh my, what a beauty it is. As soon as the locomotive is removed from its box, it’s clear that this is a completely revamped Class 20, not simply a new body tooling atop an existing chassis. Bachmann’s previous ‘OO’ Class 20 (first released in 2004) is a very fine model, but it has begun to lag behind more contemporary products in terms of lighting and finer details. This version, however, has all the ‘bells and whistles’ that we’ve come to expect in the 2020s.
First announced in 2017, it’s great to finally see one of these models in the flesh. It’s quite a weighty beast for such a compact locomotive, giving the Bo-bo an impressive tractive effort. But we’ll come to performance shortly. Firstly, let’s admire the aesthetics…
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
The rebuilt cab and nose ends are exquisitely rendered, with the WIPAC light clusters, multiple working equipment
(the sockets of which are excellent), reinforced window frames and radio aerial all present and correct. The addition of the upper, central headlights confirms the tooling within the 20306-315 number range (see Factfile panel) and I was particularly impressed by the presence of the tiny, ‘L’-shaped washer jet nozzles beneath the windscreens.
Other rooftop antennae are present, along with a radiator grille that features a fine, resilient mesh and a 12-bladed fan. The vertical louvres on the bonnet sides are crisply moulded, as are the various grilles and access doors on each side. The long-range fuel tanks feature delicate lifting eyes and curved pipes, while the various handrails are neatly installed and the sprung Oleo buffers are another highlight, with a central recess in the faces, just like the real thing. Separate lamp brackets and coolant filling nozzles add the finishing touches.
The flush glazing is universally flawless and there’s a fully detailed cab interior visible, with control handles, dials and electrical cabinets on the bulkhead, plus a red hand brake wheel. Below the solebar, the battery boxes are adorned with warning legends and safety catches and the battery isolation switches are separately moulded and look fantastic. Fuel and oil filler and drain cocks are also separate items, along with strips of electrical conduit, all of which are picked out in appropriate colours.
The bogie frames are an upgrade on Bachmann’s older Class 20, with greater definition in the detail and separate white air piping, although having these as separate plastic mouldings inevitably mean that they’re slightly over-scale. The axleboxes have BR TIMKEN legends moulded into their casings, with square blocks fitted to one axle to represent the speedometer/odometer devices. Sanding equipment is installed at the outer corner of each bogie, the pipes curving elegantly to line up with the adjacent wheel treads. There are also guard irons running down from the bogie frames which, again, align with ‘OO’ track. Conversely, although they’re only just visible, the brake shoes do not line up with the wheels, being placed closer to the bogies frames, presumably due to clearance issues. This doesn’t detract from the overall appearance of the bogies which, it has to be said, is very impressive. Other notable features of the underframe include the air cylinders between the battery boxes, which easily unclip to reveal a set of switches to control the various lighting functions. The nose end footsteps are etched metal components, featuring the correct open frame brackets, which is another great touch. A full set of bufferbeam hoses is provided, along with a set of cosmetic screw couplings and a very fetching pair of miniature snowploughs that screw into holes behind the headstocks. The latter feature a prototypical rake that is far superior to most plastic snowplough sets provided with RTR diesels in the past.
The quality of the livery application equals the finesse of the tooling. The attractive ‘Compass’ style of DRS’ livery really suits the Class 20s and the base colours are immaculately applied, with barely a hint of fuzziness between elements. Logos, numerals and the various data and safety panels are tidy and crisp. Surprisingly, there are even small white marks printed onto the wheels – employed to
The base colours are immaculately applied, with barely a hint of fuzziness between elements