The latest limited edition model to be produced exclusively for Bachmann Collectors Club members is the N Scale Class 08 Diesel Shunter as No. 878 ‘Basra’ in Longmoor Military Railway livery (371-020K). Although not technically Southern Railway related the extensive Longmoor Military Railway was located in the heart of the Southern Railway territory in Hampshire between Bordon and Liss, where it had a connection to the SR network on the Portsmouth Direct Line.  The model is priced at £109.95 and just 504 have been produced, each is supplied with a certificate of authenticity.

The real locomotive was delivered new to the LMR from Derby Works in 1945 as War Department No. 70272. It later gained the number 878 and was named ‘Basra’, carrying the iconic blue and red livery of the LMR. When the Longmoor Military Railway closed in 1969, ‘Basra’ was transferred to the Ministry of Defence site at Bicester and was renumbered to AD601. After spells at Bicester, Shoeburyness, Welford Park and Thatcham, the locomotive was eventually sold to the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway in 1980 where it survives in preservation.

The Bachmann Collectors Club produces a range of limited edition models, which are available exclusively to Club Members, and the latest model was launched in the Spring 2019 Bachmann Times – the official quarterly magazine of the Bachmann Collectors Club. For further details visit the Clubs website here.  

This latest release is based on the popular Graham Farish Class 08 Diesel Shunter and features a highly detailed body with numerous separately fitted detail parts. The chassis incorporates NEM coupling pockets and an accessory pack is included with additional bufferbeam
detailing parts. ‘Basra’ joins a growing number of LMR-themed models from Graham Farish, with the Longmoor Military Railway Train Pack that was produced in 2015 now highly sought after and the WD 2-8-0 No. 79250 ‘Major-General McMullen’ (372-429) due for release later this year.