Although on30 is really only accurate for 2 foot narrow gauge instead of the 3 foot it’s usually used for, I’ve done the math and HO is 2 foot 4 in o scale. The closest existing track system I could find that would work for o scale 3 foot narrow gauge is s scale (American flyer)
@@1471SirFrederickBanbury I know of sn3 because of Hyce, but I still wish there was a way to get 3 foot o scale without kit bashing an old American flyer locomotive, which is still something on my bucket list if I ever get a 3d printer. I think the first one will be the D&RG Montezuma
This is preservation Britomart (before she got the little steam siren, its a really fun feature), so they removed her wooden buffers and original couplings that she had in the quarry for choppers (which the Ffestiniog have been using since the late Victorian era). Also the firebox flicker would only really be seen when stationary, as the locos have no brick arch and so firing on the move is a process of open the door, swing in the coal and close the door. Otherwise you'd get leaking boiler tubes and that'd put the fire out. I'm totally not a Bala Lake Railway volunteer fireman...
1:49 Minor correction Sam, O scale is not twice the scale of OO, rather it's twice the scale of HO. O scale is 7mm to the foot, with HO literally being Half-O and 3.5mm to the foot. OO scale is 4mm to the foot running on HO gauge track due to a rather annoying decision made by the early models manufacturers, which is a shame because 4mm to foot is a nice easy scale to convert the full size imperial measurements to a scale metric measurement.
Wow! Thats quite bizarre, but awesome! maybe use some 00 gauge track around your 0 gauge layout and crate a 00 gauge/0 gauge narrow gauge line? Awesome video as always sam
The brass paint is quite easy to replicate. What they’ve seemed to have done is adding a little copper colour to it. I use two drops of Vallejo acrylic Metal Color Gold (77.725) and mix it well with one drop of the same range Copper (77.710) and you will get a result that looks like what Bachmann achieved. It’s a much warmer brass, not so bleak.
I bought Bachmann's OO9 Quarry Hunslet Nesta last month, like the OO9 Hunslet in your review it is a stellar model, running is still a bit intermittent though, even after cleaning the wheels and pick up. Overall speaking it's a cute engine assembled to a high standard. Thanks for your continued dedication to producing honest reviews Sam. 😊
Yeah I found the running a tad intermittent too - it's definitely a tricky wheel configuration for N gauge track! It's a pleasure - so glad you find them useful! Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Finally! A model that has a firebox flicker, but no compromise on the look of the illuminated door! There are many ways to get that high shine brass paint finish. On my new-ish Hornby J15, I painted all the pipework in a shiny silver (I used old Humbrol A6 silver, but Alclad, or others would do), then you use acetone to leach out the finest of the brass pigment and apply that over the silver. By the way, you should have a look at what Ultrascale crankpins are like, as they show how good model crankpins can be (the crankpins on my J15 are bugging me currently, so I felt like mentioning Ultrascale). Thanks as Always Sam.
@@SamsTrains it was so good that it made the turned safety valves look like the plastic parts, and they snapped when I tried to pull them off for polishing, but once I deal with gloss varnishing the body and polishing them, they’ll be good.
I have a Quarry Hunslet (Alice) on the way. I have a number of Bachmann On30 locomotives and plan to employ Alice as a small mining locomotive. I really enjoy your videos that have introduced me to the classic beauty of British steam.
Great video Sam. I've actually had a footplate ride on Britomart at Caernarfon station on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway. I also got footage of it with another Quarry Hunslet on route to Caernarfon. The choppers are realistic to life also.
would love to see Sir Haydn in O-16.5 but I would even love to see the Talyllyn Engines in 009. I find it odd that Bachmann USA is doing Talyllyn but I guess they are using the Skarloey tooling
@@terrier_productions unfortunately the paint shades on the OO9 Talyllyn are way off realistic, so there isn’t really much point unless you have the skills to completely redo them.
John here-Thank you for the review-as a Bachmann On30 supporter here in the US, I will say that while the prices have had to go up in the 24 or so years I've been in On30, the injection molding quality Bachmann has achieved is simply incredible. This is not the plastic molding of old, which truly was toy-like. What Bachmann has achieved is comparable to what in the past was only obtained by brass models. I have 7 examples of Bachmann's On30 Forney that unless you actually lift them from the rails are indistinguishable from their brass counterparts in On2. And here's the beauty of them-they actually run straight out of the box, as opposed to $500 brass models that need all kinds of finessing in order to get them to reasonably run. Our only problem on this side of "the pond" is that Bachmann has had to cut back on new/reprinted On30 products due to rising costs. The interest in O scale Narrow Gauge is still high over here, and with the resurrection of both the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway and the East Broad Top Railroad it will only continue to grow.
So, these are basically 0n30 locos, where you take an O scale locomotive, but use HO (00) track to serve as the narrow gauge track. On30 has a pretty interesting following in the US, though it's not as popular as it was once was. Bachmann practically cornered the market on it, though sales dropped off a couple years ago.
Britomart is a particularly attractive locomotive. It looks like a quality model of a good little locomotive for hauling a train of small slate wagons.
You refer regularly to your concerns about the price and value for money and I agree that £180 for a small loco is, on the face of it, not good value. I think there are several ways to look at this though. One way is to compare the NG7 Hunslet with its OO9 counterpart. I can't remember what my OO9 Britomart cost but I have a feeling that it was about £135. Is £50 more for the NG7 model such bad value? I think it is also worthwhile making a direct comparison with a small 0-4-0 that is available in both 4mm and 7mm scales -- the Dapol B4. You can pick up an 00 B4 for £100 and the 7mm for £200. That means the 009 Hunslet is more expensive than its equivalent B4 whereas in 7mm scale the Bachmann loco is cheaper. It is arguable therefore that the NG7 range is better value than the 009 range. You also compared the NG7 range with 4mm locos (Hornby Ruston, Peckett and Dapol Hawthorn). If you stick with 7mm comparisons, then a B4 with 3 basic flat wagons would cost you about £325 (£199 + 3x £42). Britomart and 3 Dinorwic flat wagons would be £248. One other point is that Bachmann are selling starter packs to assist with moving to NG7. So you could have bought the cheapest starter pack and got the loco with cab, 4 wagons, 4 resin loads and 2 footplate crew for £263-- not much more than you payed for your 4 individual items. Value is always going to be subjective, but from my perspective I think Bachmann have done rather better than you have suggested.
First excellent point : the functional reproduction of Norwegian couplings on the engine and the wagons. It's a great idea, especially while sold as standard issue. Superb engine, but lacks diecast, as you said. Especially for the price ! Fortunately, in spite of a lack of flywheel and being overgeared (usual British trend), the mechanism is great. Overall, an interesting idea I will keep an eye on, who knows ? I would be interested by more models, especially vans, passengers coaches, etc... in this scale. And, please, more die cast !
1:143.5 would be almost the same as British N scale. NG7 is 7mm to the foot, or 1:43.5 scale. Could you imagine if Bachmann had made that mistake and asked the factory to produce the models to 1:143.5 scale?! Those models would have been tiny! :p
I actually think this is a brilliant idea. You can create a new O-gauge layout without needing to immediately buy any new track, which keeps the costs down if you want to start in a new scale from HO/OO.
33:14 NG7 will definitely work as a scale because it already has been for many years. NG7 is just Bachmann's name for 016.5. To see what can be done in 016.5 here's a fantastic video of a layout I'm involved with, the Gretton and Wenlock railway: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_k2wNTZ3Ifo.html
@@caw25sha Agreed. It doesn't help anyone and it's already causing confusion as can be seen by this video and the comments to it. Bachmann uses all the normal names for all the other scales/gauges (N, OO, OO9 etc) so there was no reason for NG7 to become a thing other than their ability to trademark it.
Sam, I build a fair number of brass and scratch build locos and I can say for a fact that weight is your friend with picking up the "juice" from the track. I make custom lead weights for my engines and the difference with between a light brass chassis and a 200+ gram body on the same chassis is amazing. I suspect it would have gone over your point fine with a cast tank on the loco.
Britomart is, or was now, the name of the main railway station in Auckland, NZ. It opened in 2003 and at the time was one of the few underground, terminus, diesel railway stations. It's since been electrified and they are currently tunnelling to make it a through station.
This new NG7 Gauge Hunslet Quarry locomotive from Bachmann is a fantastic model because of its detail and its quality mechanism. Shame that this model is not made out of metal and it is also expensive too but the quality along with the detail cannot be argued about it because of how good it is Sam.
I recently bought the Bachmann Britomart loco in NG7/0-16.5 at the Model Railway Show in Chatham. Paid £170. I have been running it on my OO gauge railway on radius 3 curve track. It goes through the points OK. I run it with one Lionheart Lynton & Barnstaple coach. Copes OK with just one coach; I wonder if would struggle with a second coach. Do hope Bachmann expand their NG7 range! Andrew
Reminds me very much of Fleischmann Magic Train, a 0e (0 scale on H0 tracks) train system offered bei Fleischmann from 1992 until ca. 2010. Ofc it was European 0, so 1:45 and more geared toward kids train. Nonetheless, many modellers used it as base for a kit bashing, resulting in some of the nicest narrow gauge models I know. Having a reasonable priced mass manufactured base is always a good base. Sets and most models are still easy to come by. New/new like start sets (a look, a loco and 2-3 carriages) can still be found around 100 quid) Märklin also had a similar setup ca 1970 as MINEX, but that vanished quite fast.
I 100% recommend getting pet rats 😊. They are so cute and cuddly 🎉. I was wondering, is it your parents house that your layout is in or is it you or Chloe’s house?
I use 00 track but at 1/35 scale which is bigger than O gauge. Also there's a lot of accessories available in 1/35 scale if you use military kits, ie figures and workshop equipment
Super review, as usual, of what looks like a super model. Do I detect an opportunity for future Sam's Trains 3D printed creations, including crew, in NG7 scale? Food for thought... 🚂
1: It's an additional cost to the production. 2: If you want to change the identity of the loco there is a risk of damage to the paint when removing it especially if the name is shorter than the current fitted one. This is more important with these hunslets as there were so many of them and all had different length names.
Nice review. I understand your comment about the cost but don't forget you can buy one of the starter packs that gives you a loco, four wagons, extra loads and two figures, all for £263 for the DC version or £348 for the DCC/sound option. Initially, it's to be expected the prices will be higher. This is their first foray into 7mm narrow gauge. Comparing with 009 is not really comparing like for like. Also, 009 has been around longer and has a more established market. I could see the prices coming down over time especially if sales are good. They likely have other models in development ready to go if sales take off.
Ah!! Now I know that this is actually 0 Gauge narrow gauge, it’s much better than I thought. As I’m into 00 Gauge, it’s very likely that I might get some NG7.
I seem to recall that the new brass effect paint was first used on their OO9 Mainline Hunslets and in the announcement video for them they said it was something they had developed. Assume this means its exclusive to Bachmann.
Chopper couplings are fully realistic and are what the Ffestiniog use for their passenger trains, and they look fantastic. Yes some railways use different couplings, like the Ffesty's slate wagons using a chain with a hook on the end, but working choppers to scale are a beautiful addition to the market. It would've been nice to have a 2nd type of loco and some passenger vehicles and/or brake van for a "new" scale. Are you going to look at the Lionheart L&B stuff?
In 1/48 scale used in Victoria and South Australia for local O scale models. Better matches the 1600mm gauge broad gauge track and the 762mm gauge of Puffing Billy using the standard O gauge and HO gauge track if you check the maths.
Just a thought: its hard to be sure from your video, but the worm on the motor looked as if it might be quite large in diameter. If this is indeed the case it will also be acting as a flywheel which will help make the motor assembly more compact.
A really nice model with a purpose: hauling stuff out of a quarry. The wagons really add to the set and clearly show what it was meant for. The cast resin loads are great and add some heft. After all a load of slate or coal would have some tonnage to it. As for the loco being too light (shame on Bachmann), you could add weight with fishing weights and blue tack. But all in all a really nice little set. Beautiful to look at with ample power and those metal connecting rods just add to the realism. If just a bit too fast in a comical sort of way.
There are a number of European Alpine narrow gauge railways of various gauge but a few have the ability to piggy back standard gauge wagons and have a running gauge of a standard gauge railway with elevation of a wagon on a wagon or axle dolly. Zillertalbahn Austria has deliveries of timber to a sawmill on standard gauge wagons on 760mm tracked flat wagons.
your title would be better described as, its 0 scale narrow guage, running on 00/H0 track, I think Bachmann should be commended for this, they are a business but this is quite exciting... there is TONNES and TONNES of 00 and H0 track sitting around in the lofts of the world, this will then work on this.....this is something that "could" tempt me to model UK railways in the future.
@@SamsTrains I agree, have amended my original comment, I think one of the problems with the "hobby" for newbies is all the bloody scales ! I met a club who were having there AGM at the SVR Museum last year... the scale name was so long winded and obscure I switched off immediately ! NG7 means nothing to the laymen but everything to the dot the "i" types.
I currently model OO & 009 and I have 2 locos at a few bits of rolling stock in 0-16.5 so I am considering building an exhibition layout in O-16.5. The Bachmann NG7 range does instrest me. All my current stock has Kadee couplings so I was worried about changing the couplings. I'm glad that the locomotives have NEM couplings so I could (in theory) run them with my current stock but I a little sad that the rolling stock doesn't have NEMs so that would be an issue. This gauge looks to be more promising then Hornby's TT:120 so I hope this new range succeeds and we can see more stock in the future. I hope Bachmann produces the Talyllyn Engines in NG7. Getting the chance to pre-order a NG7 "Sir Haydn" / Corris Hughes Falcon would make my day
016.5 isn't really my thing, though I appreciate its attractions. I'm tempted to buy UNA when she appears (having had a pleasant weekend working on that particular loco many years ago) just as a memory of happier days!
The weight issue can be remedied by adding weights. While we all like metal construction, at the end of the day you can't see weight but you can see detail and finish. I do get the critique though because 180 pounds is a lot of money for something that small. Surprising how smooth and slow it is despite not having a flywheel, which makes me wonder just how much better a flywheel would make it.
Yeah that’s the thing - for over £180 you shouldn’t really have to add anything. I think a nice chunky metal tank would’ve done it nicely, and if it was done like the Hawthorne Leslie the finish and detail would still be good!
If NG7 or OO9 ever make a train set that's definitely when I'd want to get it It's my sole complaint compared to the other main scales like OO, N and TT; Train sets make these scales more accessible to everyone
I wonder if they will make narrow gauge Thomas characters in this scale I would love to see a sir Handel for sure I think I might collect some of this range
It is a matter of how a loco is used in the real world but this loco has no coal storage. If working on a quarry floor passing a coal storage each time then no problem, but if required to go a few miles could be a problem. The wagon's need brake chocks (wedges with handles) at least 2 per wagon for keeping the wagon rolling away when stopped and stored on the wagon when running.(some would use a trackside rock) But if an FR wagon also braking pole against a wheel for the gravity trains.
Regarding the flywheel issue, could you tell how big the worm gear was? It's not easy to see on the video, but it looked like it might have been quite substantial, which would give a bit of extra momentum
Hi Sam! I was watching your review of the Hornby HM7000 system and have been considering getting one myself for my layout and locos. However your review showed that it’s very difficult to fit the decoders into non Hornby models. I was wondering if in new reviews you could show if the HM7000 decoders do fit. Love your videos. Thanks
I'm more familiar with On30, i am canadian after all, but when B'mann initially introduced On30, it was very affordable. Over the years its gotten more expensive, they've stopping making a number of standard well selling locos, etc.., this looks great and hopefully B'mann supports its UK endeavor better that On30 over the last few years.
This stuff is neat! The prices are a little steep, but then again prices all around are these days, really not any budget options anymore. I think the lack of diecast is the biggest issue here, outside of that though, and a slightly lower price, you couldn’t really ask for any more out of a loco!
