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Category Archives: Product information
High Speed Kato
HELJAN REVEALS PLANS FOR ALL-NEW ‘OO’ GAUGE CLASS 47
Design work now underway on an all-new Brush Type 4/Class 47 for ‘OO’ gauge, to replace earlier HELJAN model dating from early-2000s.
In response to customer demand, HELJAN is now working on an all-new Class 47 in ‘OO’ gauge. The model will build on the research and design work undertaken for their new ‘O’ gauge Class 47, which is currently at the tooling stage.
While their older model remains a firm favourite with ‘OO’ gauge diesel era modellers, the tooling is no longer fit for production and in the years since it was first released, technology for features such as DCC sound and lighting has moved on rapidly. The new ‘47’ will make the most of these features with LED lighting, controllable lighting features and ample provision for DCC sound using the latest decoders.
With several sub-classes and myriad detail variations across the class over a career of almost 60 years (and counting), the models will reflect the complex history of Class 47 with a wide range of authentic differences according period, livery, sub-class and individual locomotives.
Heljan plan to release models in phases over the coming years, starting with Class 47/0s for the BR green and BR blue eras and Class 47/0s, 47/3s and 47/4s for the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Future releases will cover other popular versions including the ScotRail Class 47/7s, refurbished Railfreight Distribution and Rail express systems (Res) locomotives with cutaway bufferbeam cowling and more contemporary machines depicting locomotives still in main line service.
All major liveries will be covered, as well as numerous special liveries, ‘one-off’ variations and unofficial embellishments according to customer demand.
Detailed design work is in progress and the first releases are expected in 2021 to mark the 60th anniversary of BR’s most numerous main line locomotives.
More information on planned releases, detailed technical specifications, prices and expected release dates will be announced as soon as they are confirmed.
FREE gifts from CITADEL
- Spend £20 on CITADEL paint, get a FREE Painting Handle worth £4
- Spend £30 on CITADEL paint, get a FREE Painting Handle AND a FREE Water Pot worth £4 each
- Spend £50 on CITADEL paint, get a FREE Painting Handle, a FREE Water Pot AND a FREE Painting Mat worth £12
*whilst stock lasts
New EFE announcements
All-new Tooling
Volvo Olympian/Palatine I
The Northern Counties Palatine I bodied Volvo Olympian first entered service with London Central and London General in 1995. The once-fashionable split-level entrances fell foul of low floor access legislation in the Capital and the Olympians were cascaded to other operators outside London. Several early examples are still in service.
Revised Tooling
2019 will also see updated Atlantean tooling from EFE by Bachmann. The EFE Metro-Cammell Weymann bodied Leyland Atlantean PDR1 will be receiving a new open top upper deck in 2019, plus lower deck panel lines, driving mirrors and revised rear bonnet. Nine convertible open top ‘Sea Dog’ class buses were built for Devon General in 1961, and 25 years later several could be found hard at work in the Capital, Cumbria and elsewhere.
London Transport celebrated its fiftieth birthday on 1 July 1983 and in commemoration, a series of Golden Jubilee events were held at various LT Works and bus garages from April to October 1983. Nearly twenty LT vehicles received Golden Jubilee liveries, several in an attractive rendition of the old pre-1933 General livery.On 2nd/3rd July 1983, a special gala weekend was held at Chiswick and Acton Works, where the only Golden Jubilee single decker took part. Leyland National LS194 registration THX 194S allocated to Croydon Garage ran in this livery from June 1983 until the end of the year, being repainted red early in 1984.
Shown with route 234A blinds at the front, the rear triple track number blinds did not have letters and therefore 234 was displayed at the back. The original silver roof was overpainted white just prior to the Chiswick Gala.
Availability date to be announced.
Preserved former London Transport RT1347 registration KLB 596 has been repainted to represent one of nine similar vehicles acquired secondhand by Browns Blue Coaches Ltd of Markfield, Leicestershire in 1958. Eight RTs had the familiar route number box fitted on the front roof dome, the exception was ex-RT173 HLW 160 which received a later non-roofbox body during overhaul but had been disposed of early by LT. Although RT173 no longer exists, KLB 596 represents a non-roofbox Browns Blue RT.
We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of RT1547’s owner Mick Gamble, whose authoritative work ‘Browns Blue: The Leicestershire Bus Company That Took the Community to Its Heart’ was published in 2012.
Availability date to be announced.
Our Bristol RE with Flat Front Eastern Coachworks (ECW) bodywork has been updated with new driving mirrors and additional panel ribs on the body sides.The vehicle featured is registration POD 825H which was one of only two Devon General REs to receive the National Bus Company poppy red livery. Front blinds are set for service 374 to Exeter and the detailed printing includes fleet number 2726 and Western National legal lettering.
Available late September 2018.
The iconic ‘RT’ represented standardised double deck bus operation in Central and suburban London and the surrounding Country Area from the 1940s to the 1970s.
South London bus route 75 from Woolwich to Croydon dates back to 1912. RT types were introduced to the route in 1950 and continued in daily service for the next 27 years. Our model depicts RT3853, registered LLU 652, which performed the final duty into Catford Garage on 25th February 1977, bringing crew operation with driver and conductor on the 75s to an end.
Availability date to be announced. Limited Edition of 800
If you wish to pre-order any of the above please contact us below…
NB. Prices and availability dates are subject to alteration
Heljan announcement
All-new Derby/Sulzer Type 2 in ‘OO’ to follow the ‘O’ gauge version. Ten versions in development – PLUS first-ever ready-to-haul (RTH) ‘OO’ models of ETHEL train heating units!
Development work is well advanced on HELJAN’s latest ‘OO’ gauge BR diesel locomotive project – the popular Derby/Sulzer Type 2 in its final Class 25/3 guise. The model will benefit from the research and development that has gone into our forthcoming ‘O’ gauge ’25/3′ (due for release later this year) and is expected to make rapid progress towards a first release in 2019.
No fewer than TEN versions have been selected, covering a broad cross-section of BR green, BR blue and special liveries and offering a choice of London Midland, Scottish and Western Region prototypes from the mid-1960s to the late-1980s.
The model represents the final development of the 478 Derby/Sulzer Type 2s, which started with Class 24 in the late-1950s. Our model will cover the D5238-99 and D7500-D7677 batches, built by Derby Works and Beyer, Peacock of Manchester between December 1963 and April 1967.
For the first time, models will also be offered as the famous Scottish Region ‘ETHEL’ (Electric Train Heating Ex-Locomotive) train heating units converted from Class 25/3s as a short-term solution prior to the delivery of Class 37/4s in 1985. These machines later found work with InterCity’s Charter Unit, lasting into the 1990s.
The new HELJAN Class 25/3 will feature our renowned high-performance chassis with all-wheel drive and all-wheel pick-up, illuminated headcode panels and marker lights, a 21-pin DCC decoder interface and provision for DCC sound.
All the above information about this project is subject to change, but more details about the specification and pricing will be announced as the project develops. Look out for updates on the HELJAN Facebook page and in the model railway press
HELJAN CLASS 25/3 MODELS
2530 – BR two-tone green D7645 with small yellow panels
2531 – BR two-tone green D5244 with small yellow panels – WEATHERED
2532 – BR two-tone green D7550 with full yellow ends and BR blue data panel
2533 – BR early blue D7661 with small yellow panels
2534 – BR rail blue D7667 with full yellow ends (twin double arrows – 1,000th loco built at Derby Works)
2535 – BR rail blue 25252 (LMR) with full yellow ends (single, central double arrows) and headcode panel still in place
2536 – BR rail blue 25155 (WR) with full yellow ends (single, central double arrows) and headcode panel still in place- WEATHERED
2537 – BR Rail Blue 25093 (ScR/LMR) with bodyside numbers (single, centrally placed double arrows) and ‘domino’ headcodes
2538 – BR 25912 Tamworth Castle ‘Ice Cream Van’ livery with silver roof
2539 – BR Special two-tone green D7672 Tamworth Castle
2540 – BR blue/grey ETHEL1 ADB97250
2541 – InterCity ETHEL3 ADB97252
NEW Bachmann SE Area Exclusive
Built new for the Western Region in 1965 as D6692 some 53 years ago, this locomotive still survives today as 37425. 37425 was one of a number of Class 37/4 locos purchased by DRS from DB Schenker for re-use. Once overhauled for a new lease of life with DRS, 37425 was painted into the distinctive DRS Compass livery.
37425 was dual-named “Sir Robert McAlpine”/”Concrete Bob” in 2013 at a ceremony at DRS Crewe. This South-East Regional Area Exclusive model represents the locomotive soon after its naming around the 2014-15 period.
37425 has seen extensive use working passenger trains on the Cumbrian Coast route between Carlisle and Preston (via Barrow). Initially used in “Top and Tail” mode with another Class 37/4 on the rear of the train, these 3-4 carriage trains were formed of former BR Mk2F stock outshopped in DRS livery. These additional trains run by Northern Rail/DRS have improved seating capacity on the route and allowed BNFL workers to commute to Sellafield by train. 37425 is still active with DRS, currently working on the Norwich to Great Yarmouth/Lowestoft passenger diagrams.
This loco is due for release in August 2018 and will be available in both analogue and DCC Digital Sound versions.
Pre-order the analogue loco today @ Concrete Bob
Pre-order the DCC sound loco today @ Robert McAlpine
Peco Bullhead Turnouts announcement
For those of you who may not be aware of the legacy that the hobby in the UK has to deal with, it will help to explain why this new track system will be popular with some model railway enthusiasts. In the UK, proprietary model railway rolling stock is produced to a scale of 4mm to the foot (OO scale), but runs on HO scale track, hence the reason behind our track needing to be 16.5mm gauge. Because of this, PECO have always considered it best practice to compromise on the scale and spacing of the sleepers, in light of the hybrid scale/gauge of the track, and therefore the sleepers are proportioned to be more visually acceptable. However, there has been an enthusiastic demand in recent years for a prototypical track replicating British Railway practice, using bullhead rail, but with sleepers proportioned more closely to 4mm scale. The result has been the new PECO Streamline “Bullhead” range, strictly OO scale in all ways except the gauge, which has to remain at 16.5mm in order to accept the models that will be operated on it.
- Wider sleeper proportions, set at a spacing appropriate for 4mm scale.
- Bullhead profile nickel silver rail.
- Fine rail chair and bolt detail, fine wood grain effect.
- Solid, machined point blade.
- Nickel silver check rails.
- Unifrog format.
- Compatibility with all existing OO/HO Code 75 turnouts.
UNIFROG – these new turnouts, like all other PECO turnouts, work straight out of the pack without modification. However, the frog tip itself is a separate unit that can be “powered” (that is, switch the polarity according to the route selected) in conjunction with a changeover or micro switch, making use of the factory-welded wire attached to the frog tip. Unlike electrofrog turnouts, the modeller does not have to break any wires underneath the turnout to isolate the frog unit, nor bond across from the stock rail to the point blade, or even use insulating joiners, so is far easier to use as a result. These new arrangements lend themselves to being especially DCC-friendly.
UK SRP inc. VAT £32.50
SL-U1189 PECO Streamline OO Bullhead Turnout Large Radius L/H
UK SRP inc. VAT £32.50
It’s worth mentioning here that the rail joiners for bullhead rail are really quite special, incorporating bolt detail: you can really see that the bolts are square in profile, and all set at different positions, just like the real thing!
track detail to a whole new level!
thehobbyshop 