Historical information in future Bachmann catalogues

Bachmann Europe PLC today announced that it will show historical information alongside its products in future catalogues. Collectors and modellers have asked for more information on what coaches match with each locomotive and we have devised a system which will place each in a specific "historical period".

Bachmann Europe has led the way in many areas of the UK model railway market. Bachmann were the first manufacturer to introduce a UK outline DCC train set, first to produce models with a weathered finish and the first to introduce sprung buffers on UK models. Bachmann are breaking new ground by becoming the first UK supplier to devise a system which will place each locomotive and coach in a specific 'historical period'.

David Haarhaus Sales & Marketing Manager of Bachmann Europe PLC said today "our colleagues on the continent have been using the Epoch method of historical classification for many years. We feel that we should assist newcomers to the UK hobby in the same way. The history of Britain's railways is a fascinating and expansive subject. We have discussed the best way to do it justice without over complication. Our in-house team has come up with the table below. It is easy to forget, however, that many of the liveries survived longer than the period itself - indeed we still have units in service painted in Network SouthEast colours -12 years after the company ceased to exist"

David continued "we will launch this classification system on our websites www.bachmann.co.uk & www.grafar.co.uk. Each locomotive and coach will be accompanied by a symbol to indicate the historical period that it represents. It is part of our policy to provide greater information for our customers".

The following periods have been chosen by Bachmann and will apply across its Branchline and Farish ranges from publication of the 2007 catalogue.

They are:
Era / Period 1 1804-1875 - Pioneering
Era / Period 2 1875-1922 - Pre-Grouping
Era / Period 3 1923-1947 - The Big Four - LMS, GWR, LNER & SR
Era / Period 4 1948-1956 - British Railways Steam Era (Early Crest)
Era / Period 5 1957-1966 - British Railways (Late Crest)
Era / Period 6 1967-1971 - British Rail Corporate Pre -TOPS*
Era / Period 7 1971-1982 - British Rail Corporate Blue Post -TOPS*
Era / Period 8 1982-1994 - British Rail Sectorisation
Era / Period 9 1995 onwards - Post privatisation
* TOPS = Total Operations Processing System adopted when British Rail introduced a computerised numbering system in 1971 for its locomotives and rolling stock. Locomotives were renumbered into classes which formed the first two digits of each number.