I'm very glad you pointed out just how expensive model railways are now Sam. I fall into the category of not being able to afford most models these days. The way how things are going with the prices of model railways,I think most collectors are being priced out and there is a danger that model railways will become a hobby just for the rich. Anyway,great video!
Agreed prices are getting beyond a joke lately. Of course you could try railway modelling. Ready to run isn’t the only option. Building a kit or scratch building is extremely satisfying. When it goes right. If it doesn’t everyone has to learn - right! At least that’s what I tell myself. Oh and you aren’t tied to whatever model the manufacturer thinks he can sell. Anyone for an Orenstein and Koppel narrow gauge steam loco? I think the odd one out is the class 91 which is paired with loco hauled stock and isn’t a D.M.U.
@@SamsTrains I think you should do a video Sam on why model railways are so expensive. A massive eye opener to me was when you replaced an electric motor in one of your steam locomotives. Hornby selling them for £27 but you got one for less than £2? Something is seriously wrong with how manufacturers are treating their customers.
Another great review! I think the original RRP of this model when it was released was around the £115 so you may have got it at a vastly reduced price back then. Production costs in China has risen substantially over the past few years and not just model trains have been affected - whether this is for wages, rent etc I don't know but I guess that may have something to do with it!
@@JBofBrisbane I thought current Hornby prices were stiff, but since their (policy) mass increases across the board a couple of years ago Bachmann Branchline have priced themselves out of the market AFAIC. I can only say I am so glad I had the opportunity to buy much of my kit in the years of recession, or prior to that gargantuan rise in Bachmann pricing. I bought and still buy my OO from the UK regardless, and although to Brits it probably seems a good deal us getting our goodies less UK VAT, the impost of international postage/weight category restrictions, risk if a return is necessitated, international transaction CC fee (then 3%) on an already loaded bank rate on an already pithy exchange rate of the NZ & AU pacific peso our Pacific Peso all exacerbated by the multi-millionaire mate of Gerry Harvey and Solomon Lew Turdbull and his imposition of GST on packages of any value whilst his own companies dodge it in safe tax havens now hurts. I'd trade the addition of VAT and benefits of local shipping/ease of returns for all of that in 2020. IDK if UK Outline is dead in AU now other than with curmudgeons already in possession of their kit, but it wouldn't surprise me given the absurd cost now.
@@theblytonian3906 yes you are right. I'm in Oz and take exception to getting ripped off constantly. I refuse to purchase from ROS or Olivias because they refuse to deduct the VAT off export purchases to Oz. Hattons and Kernow deduct the VAT so always buy my stuff from them. I used to buy everything from Bachmann for ages... now they are gouging... not any more. That DMU should only cost around £105 allowing for inflation. Bachmann should be boycotted.
@@GaryNumeroUno Same. Bought from Kernow and numerous others. Indeed 98% of my OO gauge MR kit over the past decade came from the UK running to a five figures spent just with Hattons alone. Never dealt with Olivia or Rails. Not wanted or needed to, nor would I with their VAT exploitation scam.
Hi Sam, just a bit of history if no one hasn’t already said, these units were also converted to single car units to run on the Bletchley ~ Verney Junction ~ Banbury lines. One of these single cars is one of the units that survives, along with a two car unit. They both survived due to the single being turned into ‘Test Coach Iris’ and the two car being an ‘Ultrasonic Test Train’. I recommend googling them, the liveries are interesting to see on a unit of this age
I have one of these! I got it at a discount with DCC sound from Digitrains. It only cost me £160 with sound.....£200?! Glad I didn't pay full price! Great review as always Sam. It's' 3 pole but I upgraded mine to a 5 pole and the crawl is now awesome!
Hello Sam, i recently broke my pinky finger and cant do as much and i find great joy watching your videos. I subscribed, much love from Cincinnati Ohio! 😀
It will always amaze me that the ads on your videos line up perfectly with the transition from each section. I also noticed the odd one out is the class 91, which is an electric locomotive, not a Diesel Multiple Unit
Lovely review mate! The DMU looks absolutely stunning! I'm just wondering if it's only a problem on my end, but the polls in the top right corner don't seem to be showing up!? It's strange and I do miss seeing the polls in your older videos! Can't wait to see what else you have in store!
Hi, Just to say, the mechanism on the new one, I believe to be complety updated. If it's anything like the new bachmann 158, and 150. The two motors are placed beneath the passenger compartment and directly drive the two inner bogeys. Also, the two cars would have a plug connector, allowing them to help each other with pick-ups and allowing just one decoder to be needed for dcc fitting. Any questions, about the new 158, just ask. Hope this helps :)
Are you sure about that? Looking at the photos on retailer websites, you can still see the large single motor bogie through the windows! Thanks for watching - Sam :)
hi sam great video.in 1967 i remember a single car version in real life, it ran for a while between henley and twyford. i think it was based at reading shed.the handbrake was on a tower ithink , i was only 13. at the time
Lovely looking DMU. All that glazing is screaming out for some passengers tho! It's a lovely model but the RRP for the upcoming model I totally don't agree with. I'll be keeping an eye out for one like yours online because they are lovely models to have running on a branchline. Great review and info as usual. All the best, Clint
Cheers Clint - yes you're right, passengers would make these even better! Good luck - hopefully you find a well priced one! :D Thanks for watching - Sam :)
6:04 Check behind the buffer beams and see if there is any holes. I think they are the AWS plate things that go behind the 3 link coupling. They might slide into there. 😁
I really have a particular fondness the derby lightweight especially in BR Green, i think its just the way they stunning looks albeit their undeniable yet bittersweet role in helping to end the steam era
I got my Hornby Adams Radial yesterday and the performance seems hit-and-miss. Sometimes it runs really smoothly but sometimes it keeps cutting out every 2 seconds and running really jerkily
Nice review on the BR Derby Lightweight! As far as your ratings go, the Detail, Performance, Mechanism, and Quality are looking good so far! For a Bachmann locomotive, you’d mostly expect most of those features to be good! As for Value, unfortunately £200 or £195 is too expensive for something like this, if the price was a bit cheaper than that, then I bet the score will be a little better than that, but unfortunately not. Overall, I’ll be grading this BR Derby Lightweight train pack a “B-”, nice review Sam! 😃👍
Hey Sam great video I would only pay between $80 to $100 because there are other models that have more detail and run better such as the Hornby J36 Maud Overall great video as always
Thanks so much! I do this for a living, so I budget for new models as part of my business... I wouldn't afford this at £200 though! Thanks for watching - Sam :)
I don't have this DMU but have the Cravens 105 from Bachmann. Very nice model I think I paid around 100 pounds for it a few years back. I would have expected a mid 150 price for this type of model in these expensive times but well over 200 for a non-new tooling seems like a bit of profit boosting from Bachmann at the cost of the hobbyist. I doubt Bachmann will be getting any of my money with their current pricing regime. Nice review Sam.
Thanks for sharing Gerry - yeah £100 was a very typical price for Bachmann's 2-car sets just a few years ago - my 108 was about £90 too! That's it - I'm not willing to invest in much of their new stuff for review, because the prices are just way above what you'd expect :/ Thanks for watching - Sam :)
I purchased a Bachmann 416 for just over 100 EP 2 years ago the biggest difference is the use of 1 decoder for both coaches with a wired coupling I wouldn't pay even 195 ep for this good video as usual
Nice review. I think if they're going to put non-standard (for UK) couplers, they should have gone the extra step and put a close coupling mechanism with wiring. My Marklin railbus set is at least 15 years old and has those features - the buffers almost touch each other on straight track. (Though of course, Marklin models usually cost a lot more than Bachmann. I just looked up their current railbus set, it's 400 euro. Only available with DCC sound.)
Thank you! Yeah you're right - they're literally no closer than the standard couplings.... so you have to wonder why they did it, haha! Thanks for watching - Sam :)
I think £220 would be reasonable for a ultra high detail, all wheel pickup and driven driving car with DCC sound in a 3 or 4 car set. But that price is honestly one of the most unreasonable I've ever seen from bachmann for what you get.
@@SamsTrains Yeah I completely agree. To be honest it was that expensive I thought at first it was an updated model and retool, not the same one you have.
Really good video thanks for making good videos for us in these troubling times Today I bought a piece of rolling stock from a local model railway shop called croppers models for a cheap price on holiday
Hey Sam, how about you do a running session video, but all of the models have their body shells off. That way, we could try and guess what loco each model was. I think that could be quite interesting, and fun too!
odd one out is the intercity 225 as it is classed as an emu however is made up of a class 91 locomotive and class 82 dvt (one class 82 has been converted so it runs under its own power and is classed as a class 19)
Concerning the “Tablet Catcher Pads:” those, afaik, would be used to exchange tokens with a signalman when traveling over single-track routes. Nice DMU set, shame Bachmann decided to triple the price. Doesn’t make much sense, does it?
Apparently it does ...to Bachmann Branchline UK distro. But I concur with your sentiment. I wouldn't pay two hundred plus quid either, nor anything near it for this model. Fortunately, I don't have to. Re the tablet catcher PE accessory parts. I didn't know that either, and like Sam had puzzled over what they were and where they were supposed to fit and why. Thanks for clarifying some of it. Bachmann, and Hornby for that matter, need to employ better technical writers, and can afford to at current prices.
I wish I knew - increases in production costs must be a factor, but I can't imagine why SUCH an increase could be justified?! Thanks for watching - Sam :)
According to Wikipedia, Bachman is a Chinese owned company, HQ in Hong Kong, registered in Bermuda, so I guess dropping in value of Sterling and Bachman looking at protecting profits results in UK prices rocketing - as you say it's life these days... Goodness knows watch happens post Brexit 😬
@@SamsTrains Based upon historical inflation rates from 2016 onward I have calculated the total inflation over the period to be around 7.8% (i.e. the price of goods is now 7.8% higher than in 2016). Bachmann's price increase is nearly 126%. People keep suggesting that it is OK for the prices to increase at this rate because quality is improving so much, but if as you say they are re-releasing the same model this disproves that theory. We can only conclude that the extent of the rise in prices is not due to justifiable cost grounds. Bachmann (and the other manufacturers) have worked out that enough of their customers are willing to pay whatever price they pluck out of the air. Great for the manufacturers and not a problem for their wealthy customers, but dreadful for modellers with average pockets and for attempts to break down the image that people have of model railways as an exlusive hobby for middle class white men who remember mainline steam.
Hiya @19:45 When I'm showing any Carriages or Locos which has lights - that's what I like to do - turn of the main lights - throwing the room in to darkness - just to show the lights on the Carriages / Loco!!! 😊🚂🚂🚂
I think these models are so true to life as i remember seeing them at Carlisle upperby in 67' and even then they were so distinctive compared to all the other DMU's,,,,I would definitiely buy it!!!!!!!
Ahh that's not good mate - if you don't feel confident attempting pickups adjustments yourself, why not return it to your retailer for a replacement? Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Bachmann's sales globally in 2019 fell by a third and the parent company Kader recorded a loss of about £1.5m. I think it's adopting a lower-volume, higher margin approach now.
Given their current usurous pricing, I predict their Branchline sales volume will continue to slide. I used to buy Bachmann Branchline product regularly quite frequently. Haven't bought Bachmann anything since they jacked their prices through the figurative roof, and won't. Grudge buy resistance price point exceeded.
Good point Andrew - apples to Camera companies now - less people wanting a camera now (smartphones taken over) but still need to sell abeit higher asking price.
Bachmann needs to fix their pricing too! Their 450 is 290-340. Their 350 was a legit £180 model. Over £100 difference when production costs won’t be much since they are practically the same model
Lovely unit. I've got a 3 car blue 108 and a 2 car green 105, both fantastic. Need to get myself a derby lightweight and a 101, as I've got 2 lima 121s and a 3 car lima 117 so not wanting to get extras (might invest in a bachmann 117 if/when they do a 2 car version). I'd pay no more than about £100 for a lightweight. Pricing for existing models has gone through the roof, and its pricing loads of people out of the hobby. A bit odd to call it the first DMU to run on british railways, considering GWR made a multiple unit based on their railcars, and the LMS had a unit that was introduced just before the war as well. But, I guess it is the first widespread class of DMU on BR.
Hi Sam, thanks for another really useful review. I love the detail on these and the fact they were designed for branch lines in the 1950's. However £200 is a heck of a lot of money. You would think they would want to encourage younger modellers but clearly not if they are going to charge so much. That said I am really tempted to raid the piggy bank and buy one. Cheers David
No problem David - yes I love these too, though not for the cost! Good luck - hopefully you can get one cheaper on Ebay or something! :D Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Honestly, Bachmann’s pricing is ridiculous. On their website, two car 158s are selling for £259.96 and £349.95 (sound fitted). I think it might’ve been a new tooling driving the price up but £350 for a DMU is outrageous under all circumstances. P.S. Great video! Keep up the good work and stay safe -Nate
Thanks Nate - yeah I don't understand that at all - Bachmann are making themselves look bad compared with other manufacturers. If the quality and detail from Bachmann was much better than their competitors, it might be okay.... but that's rarely the case! Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Spot on about the price madness. I got mine about 5 or 6 years ago, for about the same as yours. But £229.95 .....and then the nerve to trumpet that they've knocked 15% off..lol. But all the shops are at it and it just keeps on going up. Think someone wanted £5k + for a Bachmann S-class tube train the other day on ebay and £50 per wagon for some of the new brands....do me a favour! I do my own super-detailing of old Hornby/lima stuff these days, as buying new is un-affordable.
Right? So they certainly were widely available for that price then! I know - the 15% off is pretty amusing too.... do they actually believe some people will consider that a great deal? Very funny! Thanks for watching - Sam :)
the odd one out is the Class 91, and the Lightweight is such a beautiful DMU. Great review as always Sam. Btw, do you plan on getting the Bachmann London Underground S Stock?
Hi Sam, I don’t know what the differences are between the 2016 model and the 2020 model, but they do have different model numbers from Bachmann. They do look very good though. But £225 is ridiculous for a 2-car DMU. Bachmann have a few other 2-car DMU’s coming out shortly, and they’re all RRP of £225, except for the DCC Sound Class 101, which looks very similar to the Derby Lightweight, and they wanted £325 for that! Bit of a bargain! Jim Jim
Yes they do Jim - each new release of the same model tends to get different catalogue numbers, as they do make small changes in liveries and running numbers etc. They are excellent for sure, just not for the money.... can't believe the cost! :( Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Hi Sam if you think the new Derby lightweight is expensive think about the new class 158 and 150/2 you are looking at £220 plus especially if you have to own a dcc chip to use all of the lights for it great video 👌
Lovely model Sam and you forgot to mention that there is a single car variant as well which is preserved at the ecclesbourne valley railway and it’s named Iris
The Bachmann 121 bubble car is way better than dapol, full lighting and amazing performance. Weighed it though and it is almost equal to a normal Bachmann coach so it cant pull a lot, but then again they weren't designed to! You should check it out and do a comparison video, Dapol VS Bachmann
I'm not surprised... it'd be hard for them to be worse than the Dapol! I sent my Dapol one back in the end for a refund - I got through three of them, all with motor failures! Great idea - I'd love that! :D
Unfortunately some of Bachmann’s prices for older tooling models are... too much. Nice lingering shot of the non-DMU Class 91. Bachmann’s obsession with the European style couplings for DMUs extends to the Highlander coach pack, the Class 101 trailer has one and the Mk2 has one at one end. Go figure.
I did like the originals. Although they didn't run in the West of England where I lived, I did get to ride in the front behind the driver between Derby and Stafford in about 1955 on a run in turn. The benefit was being able to see the driver's view, which was much better than the conventional coaches where you could only see out of the side. If the cost of a detailed modern coach is £40-50 and with added lighting an extra lighting perhaps £10 then the cost of the motor being £40-50 then the costs perhaps could be £150-160. So £200 is over the top. Being on a pension, I now have to seriously look at where my money is spent so unless I really wanted this particular item, I wouldn't buy it.
That's great Don, thanks for sharing! Yes you're right - so if the RRP was £155 (I agree, this would be perfectly reasonable), then we'd expect to pay around £130 from the retailers - that's pretty much spot on in my opinion, and in line with other manufacturers! Thanks for watching - Sam :)
They were probably thinking that you Brits will pay the same price as Piko asks for their VT98 railbus... but that one is ages ahead in DCC integration. That one goes for 215 euro for a two unit set, with up to two intermediate trailers for 100 euro each, all running on one decoder. For this one add 60 pound for the decoders, and the annoyance of running the thing permanently in double traction mode...
Beautiful model with lightning - well worth the price you paid Sam - however think that £129.99 is sensible asking price for a DCC Ready model. Extra can be asked for Digital Controller chip and for Digital Sound (if it can be fitted).
According to online inflation calculators, an item that cost £79.50 in mid 2016 would be around £89 today (average 2.8% per year c. 12% rise overall). Even at the expected reduced price, this model will have shown an increased cost of c.250% (or 300% if you pay the full rrp). As you say, that can't be justified! I suspect that when re-released it will fairly quickly be discounted.
I see that Bachmann's RRP for a 2 car 101 is also £239.95 - or over £300 if you want one with sound, so this seems like the price area they are going for - but prohibitive for most of us.
@@SamsTrains Pfffft, come over to spain, second hand models will easily fetch 30% more than new models. For example, electrotren made a talgo III set that retailed in its last version for 156 eur. They stopped making them now, and it is impossible to finde even the older, supposedly less detailed sets for any less than 220 eur
Nice review Sam it is blooming expensive though,but then if people are willing to pay it,they will charge it! My Dapol 121 is still running lovely do they make a second carriage to go with that?
People are saying bachmann 158s are better but even just looking at a photo you can see the dimensions are kind of out. Early bachmann 158 was just fine so get that and respray it if you wanted a 158.
I'm glad you're reviewing these s one. I've been thinking about getting one second hand off Ebay, but not for GBP 195,=. Also, I'd go for the one with speed whiskers.
Thanks a lot mate - yeah there are some better prices on Ebay actually - some are at about £130 - still a lot for a used model, but way better than £200! Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Unfortunately, the class 101 will be the same price. I'm gonna have to save up to get that because I fell in love with them as soon as they were announced, but £200 is stretching the limits of what I'm willing to pay
Yeah it's a shame isn't it? I assume they're producing very limited numbers of each model these days - maybe due to limited demand? Seems like they're not looking to sell many models any more :( Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Tablet catcher pads.....would they be on the cabside somewhere for automatic single line tablet collection? Scottish region locos had recesses in their cab sides for tablet collection apparatus.
Hi Sam it is a shame bout the 200 quid price because that would be a really good DMU with a better price. I personally like the BR Derby Lightweight model and the lighting just tops it off. Looking forward to the live stream. Cheers Liam
A fine model Sam, and a credit to Bachmann for that, however as I've said before these prices are getting to a level that not everyone can afford....Bob
Hi Sam , I’m thinking 140 to 150 pounds would be a fair price for this outstanding set but seeing the high price of my home country manufactured Aussie locos well lm not too surprised at price hikes overseas sadly. Dave
Because in times past when working class adults worked very long hours in an age of austerity in the single income family as was struggling to make ends meet most of the time coincident with the post-war baby boom, they were made for children who were then the predominant sell-to demographic. Trix and then Tri-ang throughout the 1960s made *affordable* OO gauge model train sets for children/adolescents with a focus on play value. Hornby targeting the adult retailed their model train products at much higher prices into a much smaller demographic failing to adapt to where the demand was which sent them broke. Tri-ang purchased the brand. As a self-funding kid lusting after a model train set in through the display counter glass, I could afford Tri-ang and their product targeted and appealed to me. Hornby prices were just silly back then. Approaching the mid-1960s, better off parents with just a couple of kids, usually a boy and a girl, could more frequently afford that once in a lifetime childhood Tri-ang model train set as a single/big Xmas or birthday gift. Those kids have long since grown up, and as the old farts were are today, are demanding detail, fidelity and complexity, ...and have income to pay for it. Model railways today are really an unglamorous older adult hobby, but that association as a children's toy has never been discarded.
*Slowly turns to look at the giant lego train set that I spent a couple of weeks automating* Yeah, you have a point, why WOULD anyone think of these as toys?
The two issues are related - RU-vid doesn't allow comments on videos that are intended for children. Some of Sam's videos have comments disabled for this reason (like the ones featuring Thomas & Friends).
Very nice Sam. What a beautiful model of a wonderful 1st generation DMU. But, unfortunately, call me 'excluded!' That price! Thanks for a great review.
I have one of the new Bachmann 121's. Beautiful model in every way....apart from it is sooooooooooo lightweight and needs near perfect track conditions to run well. Not cheap at £130
I watched your video on Thomas's 75th anniversary, this year is the 20th anniversary of Thomas's very first movie, "Thomas and the magic railroad," you should do a video renacting the chase at the end of the movie (check out the scene and you'll see what I mean)
Oof 😫 It's a lovely model but at that price I think most people who are in the market for an early DMU from Bachmann would be better off saving up the extra for the new Class 117 instead. It's more pricey but it's a brand new model with all the bells and whistles and you get coaches instead of two. I know Bachmann have had some difficult times in the past few years but I don't think they're going to win customers over and increase sales by charging high prices for older models. They'd have probably been better off keeping the price low on this one to entice anyone who was put off by the expense of the 117... a little bit like Hornby does with their Railroad range.
Yeah you're right - would have been better (though still not ideal) if it was brand new! You're right - things won't get better for them by overcharging :( Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Everyone has tried contacting Bachmann regarding why they charge so much for models but the phone only goes to the long phone engaged beep. Even emails aren't answered. Their models are brilliant in detail and I to have some excellent models built by them. Even the new BR 121 bubble car DMU which looks a lot better than the old hornby/Lima model and its slightly better than the Dapol version but its still way more expensive than the other manufacturers models.
I'm not surprised Ben - what reasonable explanation could they possibly have, given the generally much better value from other manufacturers such as Oxford, Hatton's and Hornby! I would love to try their 121! Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Just checked prices online and Olivias Trains is selling the same model, Bachman 32-515A, for £175 (Analogue); £231 (2x decoders fitted - standard decoders in both cars); £339 (ESU v4 Olivia's Sound Fitted - Sound decoder in the Power, Standard in the dummy). From what I can gather they are BR Green Livery with half yellow ends.. It looks as though they are selling the original model you purchased in 2016 for £79.50 and taking advantage of the consumer by selling at the over inflated prices (as detailed above). I say the original model because the stock number is the same as your own. I cringe at these prices especially when I am thinking about returning to the hobby after an absence of 40 years. Other than stop buying at these prices, what else can you do? Mike
Well blow me - Olivia's trains has a competitive price!! Even so, couldn't recommend this for more than £130 unfortunately :( Agreed - it's so off-putting seeing prices like that :( Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Spotted the odd one out. From this angle I can't tell if it's an Intercity 125 or 225, but either way, it's fronted by a locomotive rather than the engine being part of the carriage itself. So technically it isn't a DMU.
