Bachmann HO scale Venture coach

Color photo of modern HO scale passenger coach. — The Bachmann HO scale Venture coach is based on a contemporary prototype built by Siemens. The model is decorated for Amtrak Midwest and VIA Rail Canada. *Cody Grivno photos*

Amtrak’s newest passenger equipment is now available in HO scale from Bachmann. Entering service in 2018, Siemens has already built more than 100 Venture cars for service with Amtrak, Brightline, and VIA Rail Canada. The company is also under contract to deliver more equipment to existing operators and Ontario Northland Ry.

A modern prototype

The full-size cars made their debut in the United States when All Aboard Florida (now Brightline) purchased five trainsets and 10 Siemens SCB-40 Charger diesel locomotives. The Venture-series cars were adapted from Siemens’ Viaggo Comfort cars, which are used in Europe. Construction of the Venture cars began in July 2015 at Siemens’ factory in Florin, Calif., and continues today.

Bachmann’s HO scale Siemens Venture passenger car is available in two different body styles — coach and business class. Two railroads are represented in the manufacturer’s first run of cars — Amtrak Midwest and VIA Rail Canada. The Amtrak Midwest cars are only offered as coaches. VIA Rail Canada cars are available as coaches, business class, and a cab car. The models match Bachmann’s Siemens SC-44 and SCV-42 Charger diesels (sold separately) that the prototype cars are typically run with.

The sample we received at the Model Railroader offices is decorated as Amtrak Midwest No. 4008, a coach class car with Illinois Department of Transportation (IDTX) reporting marks. Though Amtrak owns the locomotives and passenger cars in its long-distance trains, the Venture coaches in Midwest service are owned by the Illinois DOT.

Color photo showing end details on HO scale passenger car. — Metal grab irons and Bachmann E-Z Mate Mark II underset-shank couplers are among the features on the Bachmann HO scale Venture coach. Both ends of the car have transparent red lenses for the light-emitting diode marker lights.

The model’s paint is smooth and evenly applied. It closely matches that of the prototype, with crisp lines and legible markings. The metal grab irons, uncoupling levers, and door steps are separate, factory-applied parts. Molded details, including the antennas, equipment hatches, plumbing, and trainline receptacles, are appropriately located.

Color photo showing interior of HO passenger car. — The interior of the Bachmann HO scale Venture coach, molded in gray plastic, has 70 seats. The printed-circuit board for the interior lighting and marker lights runs the length of the car.

The car’s interior is molded in gray plastic and features 70 seats with a prototypical aisle width of 24″. The windows are untinted sheets of separately applied clear acetate. With the optional included close couplers, the car’s length matches the prototype length of 85 feet. However, the width and height of the car are short by around 6″ each. The floor height above the top of the rail and the door width (51″ and 34″, respectively) both match the full-size car. The distance between truck centers is a prototypical 591⁄2 feet.

When it comes to lighting features, the Bachmann model has everything that a passenger car could need. The interior is illuminated by a constant, light-emitting diode (LED) strip suspended above the seats. The lights are always on.

In addition to interior lighting, the car has selectable end marker lights. These LEDs are on both ends of the interior lighting board with red lenses installed in the shell. A note on the underside of the car and the arrangement of roof details designate the end of the car where the marker light control panel is located.

Color photo showing roof of HO scale passenger car. — The marker lights on the Bachmann HO scale Venture coach are manually operated. The switches that control the markers are located under a hatch cover on the roof.

To activate the markers, a hatch cover next to the exhaust fan must be removed. Two switches are under the cover. One toggles the marker lights on one end of the car, while the other toggles the markers on the opposite end. When finished, the cover snugly fits into place. The interior and marker lights operate on both DC and DCC.

Color photo showing underbody of HO passenger coach. — The underbody of the Bachmann HO scale Venture coach features a variety of molded details. The injection-molded plastic trucks are fitted with blackened machined metal wheelsets.

Due to the pickup whiskers contacting the backs of the wheels, the car isn’t free-rolling. However the correctly gauged blackened machined metal wheelsets ride in finely detailed trucks, matching the prototype. The couplers are slightly lower than National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) standard S-2. The car weighs 5.8 ounces, 1.2 ounces less than NMRA Recommended Practice 20.1.

Bachmann’s HO scale Siemens Venture coach is a great representation of this contemporary car. The factory installed interior and marker lights add to the value of the model and make it truly ready-to-run. A consist of Venture cars running behind a Bachmann Charger locomotive would make an impressive modern Amtrak train.