Bachmann 32-859A

Tooling

In late 2022, Bachmann Europe introduced an upgraded tooling for its Branchline Standard Class 9F model in OO gauge. This update marked a significant enhancement over the original 2006 tooling, with improved detailing, built-in sound capability, and accurately modelled variants including the distinctive "Tyne Dock" Westinghouse-pump-equipped locomotives.

Tooling Features & Detailing

• Shell & Bodyside Detail: Refinements include updated running plate cut-aways for pumps and revised underbody pipework to accurately depict pump-fitted locomotives like the Tyne Dock batch.
• Chassis Construction: Plastic and metal build retained, with enhancements in separate fittings—cab lamps, brake pipes, detailed bufferbeams, authentic brake rigging and chemically blackened motion work.
• Couplings & Tender: Features NEM pocket tension-lock couplings and sprung buffers. The tender offers an adjustable drawbar with dual positioning for accurate coupling distance.

Mechanical & Electrical

• Drive & Motor: Still powered by a robust 5-pole motor, driving four wheels with built-in chassis weight for excellent traction.
• Pickups: Electrical pickup now extends through tender wheels, enhancing slow-speed running and curb curve performance.
• Minimum Radius: Operates comfortably on R2 curves, benefitting from improved underframe clearance and pickups on tender.
• Weight & Running: Overall weight remains substantial; driver feedback notes smooth and strong pulling under heavy load.

DCC & Sound Integration

• Onboard DCC Socket: PluX22 socket pre-installed, facilitating easy insertion of any suitable decoder.
• Factory-Fitted Speaker: A major upgrade—onboard speaker allows genuine out-of-box sound.
• Sound-fitted Versions: Many releases include ESU Loksound V5 decoders with Westinghouse pump, boiler chuffs, injectors, whistle, coupling clank, and other multi-function effects.

Liveries & Variants

• Tyne Dock Editions: Featuring detailed moulding and pipework for Westinghouse pumps; typically in heavy-weathered black, representing ore transport to Consett.
• Other Releases: Include BR Black early/late crest locomotives, single- and double-chimney versions, all released in both plain and heavily-weathered finishes with optional sound-fitted or standard versions.

Reception & Community Feedback

• Detailing: Broadly praised, particularly the refined running plate, accurate pumps and fresh paint & weathering work.
• Sound & Running: Sound-fitted models receive acclaim for their rich function set and strong motor performance.
• Curve Performance: Improved pickups and underframe detail address earlier issues on tighter curves, though some modders still fit guide wheels or stay-alive capacitors for perfect operation.

Media & Social Commentary

• RMweb and club forums highlight the quality of Westinghouse pump modelling and sound calibration, often backed by comparative layout and running videos.
• Railways press coverage in Bachmann’s Autumn 2023 announcement emphasises the tooling’s accuracy, onboard speaker, and Tyne Dock option as key enhancements.
• YouTube comparison videos show the improved moulding compared to earlier tooling and rival Hornby variants, especially in tank and pump details.

Additional Notes

• Still mechanically based on the original 5-pole motor and drivetrain architecture, but with incremental refinements enhancing performance and sound capability.
• All models retain removable coal load and two-setting drawbar, with tender weight and pickups delivering improved tracking and gradual deceleration.
• The tooling remains in current production, forming the basis for future variants and liveries through to the next-generation release.

Bachmann's Description & Specifications

The Bachmann Branchline OO scale BR Standard Class 9F locomotive is an imposing model and with its high fidelity, exquisite detailing and powerful performance, it is no wonder this is an Award Winning model. With an impressive weight and a presence befitting the strongest of BR’s standard steam locomotive classes, the Branchline 9F is a fine choice to haul prototypical trains on your model railway. Now updated to feature a Plux22 DCC decoder socket and pre-fitted speaker, you can easily fit sound to this model or, choose our SOUND FITTED model to enjoy sound straight from the box.

Class & Prototype

No prototype found.

Operator & Livery

British Railways transformed Britain's fragmented rail network into a unified national system following nationalisation on 1st January 1948. Created from the "Big Four" companies under the Transport Act 1947, BR operated most of Great Britain's railways until rebranding as British Rail in 1965, managing over 20,000 route miles and inheriting nearly 20,000 locomotives of diverse designs.

The organisation pioneered standardisation through its revolutionary BR Standard locomotive programme (1951-1960), producing 999 advanced steam engines under Robert Riddles' direction. These included the versatile Britannia Pacifics, mighty 9F freight engines, and mixed-traffic classes that incorporated the best features from all predecessor companies. The 1955 Modernisation Plan accelerated diesel and electric traction development, creating fascinating mixed-traction operations.

Notable achievements included establishing unified locomotive classification systems, introducing distinctive corporate liveries, and managing the complex transition from steam to modern traction. BR's six regional structure preserved operational diversity whilst enabling standardisation of practices, signalling, and rolling stock that had eluded private enterprise for over a century.

The BR era represents steam traction's final flowering alongside emerging diesel technology, creating unparalleled locomotive variety. Today, this heritage remains highly popular with railway enthusiasts through extensive preserved fleets, heritage railway operations, and comprehensive model ranges from manufacturers like Hornby, Bachmann, and Dapol, making BR subjects essential for authentic post-war British railway modelling across all scales.

British Railways' plain black livery remained the standard finish for freight and shunting locomotives from 1956 onwards, representing the most economical and practical scheme for inherently dirty industrial operations. Plain black locomotives retained red buffer beams and received white lettering in Gill Sans style, maintaining the utilitarian approach established in the early BR period. The livery was applied to a vast range of locomotive types, from powerful freight engines like the 9F class down to humble shunting locomotives and industrial engines working in goods yards, collieries, and freight terminals.

From 1956, these locomotives received the new "Lion and Crown" emblem (nicknamed the "Ferret and Dartboard"), a proper heraldic device featuring a rampant lion emerging from a crown and holding a spoked wheel, enclosed in a roundel with "British Railways" displayed on bars either side. Unlike earlier practice, the new emblem was positioned centrally on tender sides or tank sides without reference to axle boxes, following heraldic conventions with the lion facing left. This livery period coincided with increasing neglect as steam operations wound down, with locomotives often covered in layers of grime that obscured the paintwork and made the already austere black finish appear even more weathered. The plain black finish continued until individual locomotives were withdrawn from service, with many examples lasting into the final years of steam operation in 1968. For modellers, this livery represents the twilight of steam freight operations, capturing the workaday reality of British Railways' industrial locomotive fleet during the final phase of steam traction.