Bachmann Club adds limited-edition Class 69 RIDC Melton in RTC livery

Bachmann has made its latest Class 69 a club-only prize: No. 69004 RIDC Melton in RTC red and blue, limited to one model per member during the opening sales window. The model was added in the Summer 2026 British Railway Announcements and is already in stock, putting a highly current British diesel straight into the hands of Collectors Club members before any wider release.

The prototype has the kind of backstory modern-image modellers like. GB Railfreight unveiled 69004 at Eastleigh Works on 17 February 2022, and the livery and naming celebrate its work with Network Rail’s RIDC Melton test facility. That matters because RIDC Melton is not a generic test site: Network Rail describes the Melton and Tuxford RIDC locations as strategically important, and the Melton site includes 11 miles of 25kV overhead line equipment, 3rd and 4th rail DC equipment, a high-speed track up to 125 mph and a slow-speed track up to 60 mph. For layouts built around present-day freight, infrastructure or engineering traffic, that gives 69004 instant scene value.

Bachmann’s pricing puts the release squarely in premium territory, with the standard model at £249.95, the SOUND FITTED version at £359.95 and the SOUND FITTED DELUXE at £389.95. The deluxe model adds motorised radiator fans and the Auto-Release Coupling System for hands-free DCC uncoupling. The sound-fitted versions use Bachmann’s Dual Fitted XL Speaker System and an ESU Loksound V5 decoder loaded with recordings from real locomotives, a strong pull for anyone who wants a ready-to-run diesel that sounds as convincing as it looks.

The access model is part of the story too. Bachmann says members can save at least £25 against a possible non-member price, while annual Collectors Club membership starts at £29.99. That makes the entry cost close enough to the saving to feel deliberate: Bachmann is using the club to turn demand into a membership decision, not just a purchase decision. For buyers weighing it up, the release looks less like an isolated one-off and more like a sign that the Class 69 is becoming a mainstream fixture in the hobby.

That reading is strengthened by Bachmann’s own timing. The company said the club release builds on the success of its all-new Branchline Class 69s that arrived in late 2025, so 69004 is not a stray repaint. It is a targeted variant for collectors and modern-era operators who want a named, recognisable locomotive with fresh detail and strong prototype credentials. For many layouts, that makes it a variant play; for anyone tracking the rise of the Class 69 in ready-to-run form, it is another clear marker that the class is here to stay.