Bachmann Europe NG7

[Hamish K]

Bachmann Europe have announced a new range of O Scale narrow gauge trains that they are calling NG7 scale. These are British O scale (7mm to the foot or 1/43.5) running on 16.5mm gauge track. Up to now this scale has been called O16.5 in the UK. Bachmann's announcement is the first ready-to-run in this scale, though kits etc have been available from other makers. Bachmann have announced Hunslet quarry locomotives in cab and cabless versions, two types of slate wagons and a coal wagon. Quarry Hunslets are very small 0-4-0 tank locomotives originally used in slate quarries in Wales and now preserved on tourist narrow gauge railways.

The scale is of course larger than ON30 though running on the same track, but given the small size of the prototypes they may look not too out of scale with ON30 equipment, Bachmann has created its own couplers for this range, however the locomotives use NEM 362 coupler pockets, so knuckle style couplers should be able to be fitted. Not sure about the wagons.

I realise that this range may not be of much interest to American modellers, but here in Australia narrow gauge railways often used a mixture od American, British and European equipment, so they could be useful.

In any event it is good to see that at least one branch of Bachmann sees a future for O scale narrow gauge models.

Hamish

[Hamish K]

A minor correction, l have discovered that there is another British maker with a small range of quite different ready-to-run O16.5 models, so Bachman is not the first. It looks as though the scale, the British equivalent of On30, is on the increase there.

Hamish

[JC_O14]

The NG7 range has certainly caused some excitement in the UK and also Australia, NZ, etc. 7mm scale Narrow Gauge has been around for several decades but until recently locos and rolling stock had to be scratch built or from kits - some being body kits for commercial OO/HO chassis. Recently Lionheart introduced the first 7mm scale RTR of a British NG loco for Lynton & Barnstaple Manning Wardle 2-6-2Ts and the Bachmann NG7 Quarry Hunslets are the second RTR introduction in this genre. A small-scale producer is about to release a 3rd for the Corris Railway No.3.

All of these RTR locos are for 16.5mm gauge track. The L&B and Quarry Hunslet prototype locos were (a nominal) 2ft gauge and there is a significant number of modellers who are having them converted to the 'correct' 14mm gauge. There is a specialist supplier doing this as a service. The Corris was 2ft 3ins so 16.5mm gauge is near enough correct.

I've had the opportunity to review a NG7 Alice and wagons for the Narrow Gauge & Industrial Review magazine, and they are very fine models indeed.

John