Home
GP40 Diesel
F9-A Diesel
FT-A Diesel
U36B Diesel
U33B Diesel
BQ23-7 Diesel
F40PH Diesel
GP30 Diesel
DD40X Diesel
SD40-2 Diesel
35 Ton Diesel
GP18 Diesel
GP50 Diesel
Bachmann Plus Diesels
F7A and F7B
B23-7
GP35
SD45
B30-7
Saddle Tank 0-6-0
Old West 4-4-0 Steam Engine
Northern 4-8-4 Steam Engine
Overland 4-8-4 Steam Engine
N&W Class J 4-8-4 Steam Engine
Consolidation 2-8-0 Steam Engine
GS4 Daylight 4-8-4 Steam Engine
Texas 2-10-4 Steam Engine
Mikado 2-8-2 Steam Engine
Prairie 2-6-2 Steam Engine
USRA 0-6-0 Steam Engine
Bachmann Plus Steam Engines
Plus Series Consolidation 2-8-0
Plus Series Niagara
Plus Series Class J 4-8-4
Plus Series Northern
Plus Series GS4 Daylight 4-8-4 Steam Engine
Metroliner Electric
E60CP Electric
E60CF Electric
Plasser EM80C

Bachmann GP40 Burlington

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
Burlington 
No.0564-Powered -1970 Release
No.0584-Dummy -1970 Release

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
Burlington Northern
No.570 -1974-1981 Release
No.41-0635-03 -1982-1990 Release
 
One of the most obvious spotting features of the original tooling for Bachmann's GP40 included an interesting rear headlight package as seen in the above images of the BN example.  The third picture illustrates Bachmann's Burlington Northern GP40 featuring a silver roofline.  Both examples, black and silver roof, feature the same BN lettering and 2070 roadnumber.  Though not confirmed, I believe the silver roof examples of the BN GP40 arrives around 1980 in the Bachmann line.
 

www.ho-scaletrains.net

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
Canadian National 
No. 0568

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
Chessie System

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
Conrail 
No.0579 -1981 Release
No.41-0635-06 -1982 Release

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
CP Rail 
No.0575-Powered -1971 Release
No.0595-Dummy -1971 Release
 
The first roadname added, according to Bachmann's annual catalogs, to the GP40 roster was the CP Rail model in 1971.

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
CSX
No. 63618 -1992 Diesel and Caboose Release

www.ho-scaletrains.net
www.ho-scaletrains.net

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
Great Northern 
No. 0565-Powered -1970 Release
No. 0585-Dummy -1970 Release

www.ho-scaletrains.net

www.ho-scaletrains.net

www.ho-scaletrains.net

www.ho-scaletrains.net

www.ho-scaletrains.net

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
Illinois Central Gulf
No. 0571-Powered -1975 Release

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
Norfolk and Western 
 

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
Penn Central 
No. 0561-Powered -1970 Release
No. 0581-Dummy -1970 Release

Bachmann
                                    Pennsylvania GP40
Bachmann
                                    Pennsylvania GP40
Bachmann
                                    Pennsylvania GP40

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
Pennsylvania 
No. 0562-Powered -1970 Release
No. 0582-Dummy -1970 Release

GP40 Diesel
Reading 
No. 41-636-10
 
This green and yellow Reading GP40 makes no appearances in Bachmann's catalogs.  It was produced for inclusion in a special release train set offering that provided a powered and non-powered pair of diesels.

Bachmann HO-Scale Trains
                                    Resource

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
The Rock
No. 41-0635-08

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
Santa Fe 
No. 0567-Powered -1970 Release
No. 0587-Dummy -1970 Release
No. 41-0635-02 -1982 Release
 
Though Bachmann's early '70s packaging featured a blue and yellow Santa Fe freight painted geep, the Santa Fe GP40 at this time was dressed in passenger red and silver warbonnet.  The above image is from Bachmann's 1976 product catalog and is representative of what this offered looked like during the '70s.

www.ho-scaletrains.net

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
Santa Fe 
No. 0577

Bachmann GP-40

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
Southern Pacific 
No. 580 -1979 Release
 

GP40 Diesel
Union Pacific
No. 0566-Powered -1970 Release
No. 41-0635-01 -Powered -1982 Release
No. 0586-Dummy -1970 Release
 
Among the original six roadnames made available for Bachmann's GP40 was the Union Pacific example.  The 1970 retail for a powered GP40 was $14.98; and a dummy GP40 sold for $6.98.  The above image illustrates what this model looked like in the late '80s/early '90s.  Notice the front pilot has been opened up to allow for a coupler mounted to truck set up.  Bachmann on certain runs of the F9, U36B, and GP40 began using a Blomberg Dash-2 style truck sideframe.  This Dash-2 frame is identified by the vertical shock absorber found on one axle face.

GP40 Diesel Locomotive
Union Pacific -Gold 
 
This Union Pacific GP40 is a variation to Bachmann's standard offering of the time with a shiny gold plated finish.  I don't believe the gold UP GP40 was offered as a separate item, but was always included as part of the company's Golden Spike train set offerings beginning in the 1980s. 
 
The images presented above show the nose and tail of the gold plated UP GP40.  Notice the modification to Bachmann's original GP40 tooling.  The first GP40 models Bachmann offered throughout the 1970s and into the '80s featured a headlight located in the nose of the unit, this is removed in this variation.  The tail of the GP40 lost its vertical light that was mounted on the roofline of the original model.  Finally, notice the front and rear pilots have been opened up to allow the swing of couplers mounted to the trucks.

Railroad Model Craftsman image

Above is the GP40 example Bachmann displayed at the 1971 Chicago Hobby Show. Note the original drive, which is found in Bachmann diesels through the mid 1970s. Model Railroader magazine reviewed the original Bachmann GP40 in the May 1971 edition of Trade Topics. Model Railroader mentions this release is part of Bachmann's, "broadening into HO scale." The review found the original drive offered a scale speed range between 9 and 130 mph. The 1971 release offered six roadnames: Burlington, Great Northern, Penn Central, Pennsylvania, Santa Fe, and Union Pacific.

Gem Models

Notice the similarities in the tooling, when comparing the GEM and Bachmann? GEM also sold brass Metroliners, an F9-A and this GP40 that favored Bachmann's molds. GEM's F9 and GP40 diesels rode on Bachmann underframes. The GEM brass GP40 appears to arrive in the U.S. about a year after the introduction of Bachmann's plastic GP40. GEM's home was also in the same Philadelphia area as Bachmann's headquarters. GEM also offered a N-scale GP40 and F9-A that were similar to Bachmann's tooling.

Bachmann GP40s Old and
                                    New

Bachman GP40s old and new presented above.  The red and white Burlington 164 is an original early 1970s example of the Bachmann HO-scale GP40.  The wedge-scheme BNSF 3001 is 2011 Bachmann release GP40.  The BNSF GP40 is from the Rail Chief train set offering.  In the spring of 2014, Bachmann made revisions to its GP40 tooling again.  The June 2014 edition of Model Railroad News includes a review of Bachmann's Missouri-Kansas-Texas GP40 and details the revisions to the shell.

Click to View

You may view a 1971 HO Diesel Comparison between Athearn's SDP40, AHM's U25C, Bachmann's GP40, and TYCO's GP20 from Railroad Modeler magazine by clicking on the cover above.

 
Please note that this site was created for use by those with an interest in HO-scale model trains and does not necessarily represent the current Bachmann line available today. The author is not affiliated with,
nor representing Bachmann in any way.
This site is intended for your enjoyment and information only.