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