This morning there’s a very interesting press release from Heljan at the 2018 Telford O gauge show. God news for 7mm modellers with the popular GWR AEC Railcar and BR Class 56 Diesels being announced below, but for the 4mm modellers amongst us there news of the AEC Railcar being covered in OO gauge too!

HELJAN LEADS THE WAY IN GAUGE ‘O’ WITH THREE EXCITING NEW PROJECTS

Support for British Gauge O modelling continues with an all-new Great Western Railway AEC Railcar, BR Class 56 heavy freight diesel and fully re-tooled BR Class 33 diesel offering new variants of this popular BRCW Type 3.

GWR AEC Railcar

Heljan AEC Railcar O Gauge OO Gauge

To complement the growing selection of HELJAN GWR/Western Region steam locomotives, we’re working on the first ever ready-to-run Gauge O model of the classic GWR AEC ‘razor edge’ railcar (Nos. 19-33). The perfect single vehicle branch line train for steam and transition era GWR/WR layouts, these pioneering vehicles were the predecessors of modern railcars and DMUs and retain a cult following decades later. The specification of the O gauge model will include:

Fine detail inside and out, discreet mechanism, LED lighting functions, Sprung buffers and couplings. Designed for easy DCC and sound installation, and interior lighting

PROPOSED LIVERIES

1900: GWR chocolate/cream (white roof and monogram)

1901: GWR chocolate/cream (dark grey roof and GWR coat of arms)

1902: BR crimson/cream (dark grey roof)

1903: BR crimson/cream (white cab roofs)

1904: BR green with speed whiskers (white cab roofs)

1905: BR green with speed whiskers (grey roof)

As well as the Gauge O model, we are working on an all-new version of the same railcar for OO gauge, further details of which will be announced at a later date. However, we expect it to have a similar specification and choice of liveries to its larger sister. (Image copyright Brian Daniels)

BR Class 56 Co-Co diesel

Heljan O Gauge Class 56

In response to strong demand from the O gauge community, we are

developing a model of the popular BR Class 56 heavy freight diesel, introduced in 1976. The HELJAN model will be based on the later Doncaster and Crewe-built locomotives (56070-135), allowing a wide range of the most requested liveries to be offered. Specification will include:

• Fine detail, Twin motors for heavy haulage, LED lighting functions,

See-through grilles, Sprung buffers and couplings, Designed for easy DCC and sound installation, Provision for smoke unit.

Heljan 5600 5601 5602 5603 5604 5605 5606 5607

• Expected Release in 2020.

PROPOSED LIVERIES

5600: BR Blue

5601: BR Large Logo blue

5602: Railfreight large logo grey

5603: Railfreight ‘Red Stripe’ grey

5604: Railfreight sector three-tone grey (unbranded)

5605: Railfreight Coal sector grey

5606: Railfreight Construction sector grey

5607: Loadhaul black/orange

(Image copyright Brian Daniels)

BRCW Type/Class 33 Bo-Bo diesel (Version 2/3)

Heljan O Gauge Class 33 3400 3401 3402 3403 3404 3405

Look out in 2019 for TEN new editions of our popular Gauge O Class 33, featuring updated and modified tooling to create both 1960s to 1980s and late BR/early privatisation era versions with high-intensity headlights and cab radio roof pods.

Expected Release: Early-2019. SRP: £549.00 each

VERSION 2: 1960s to 1980s

3393: Original BR green

3394: BR Green with small yellow warning panels

3395: BR Green with full yellow ends

3396: BR Blue with full yellow ends

VERSION 3: Late-1980s to 2000s

3400: BR Blue with full yellow ends

3401: BR Civil Engineers ‘Dutch’ grey/yellow

3402: EWS red/gold 33030

3403: Network SouthEast 33035

3404: DRS blue unnumbered

3405: Railfreight Construction sector grey

Heljan O Gauge Class 33 3393 3394 3395 3396

All versions are available to order now from your local HELJAN stockist!

All the above information about these projects is subject to change, but more details about the specification and pricing will be announced as the projects develop.

Updates on previous Heljan O gauge announcements

GWR / BR 61xx

Heljan O Gauge 61xx 6100 6101 6102 6103 6104

HELJAN’s first British outline steam locomotive in Gauge O, the GWR/BR ‘61XX’ 2-6-2T, is now available from HELJAN stockists. It features our usual high-quality mechanism and fine detail, as well as other features including a ‘plug and play’ DCC interface, sprung buffers and screw link couplings. It is available in five versions, covering the Great Western Railway (GWR) and British Railways (Western Region) periods.

Suggested Retail Price (SRP) is £699.00. The models are as follows:

6100: GREAT WESTERN green No. 6110

6101: GWR plain green No. 6106

6102: BR early emblem plain black No. 6144 (with 81A Old Oak Common shedplate)

6103: BR late crest plain green No. 6111 (with 81F Oxford shedplate)

6104: BR late crest lined green No. 6132 (with 81C Southall shedplate)

The first batch will be on sale at the Gauge O Guild’s Telford Convention on September 1st/2nd. Review samples will be circulated to magazines over the coming weeks.

NEW ‘WESTERNS’ AVAILABLE NOW

In response to demand from Gauge O modellers, also out now is a new batch of Class 52 ‘Western’ C-C diesels. With an SRP of £599.00 these feature the six most popular liveries carried by the class in BR service, and our first factory-weathered ‘Western’ in this scale. As this is a short production run, numbers on each item are limited and early ordering is recommended to avoid disappointment. Item no. 5289 (weathered BR blue D1067) is already sold out at the factory and stocks are low on the others.

5285: BR green D1035 Western Yeoman (small yellow panel) 5286: BR maroon D1061 Western Envoy (small yellow panel)

5287: BR maroon D1039 Western King (full yellow end)

5288: BR blue D1023 Western Fusilier (full yellow end)

5289: BR blue D1067 Western Druid (full yellow end, weathered)

5290: BR chromatic blue D1043 Western Duke (small yellow panel)

PROGRESS REPORT OTHER HELJAN GAUGE ‘O’ PROJECTS

GWR ‘43XX’ 2-6-0: Expected October

CLASS 03: First engineering prototypes now being checked – due 2019

CLASS 25/3: Decorated samples now being checked – due out late-2018

CLASS 37/4: Decorated samples now being checked – due out late-2018

CLASS 47: CAD for new tooling almost complete – due 2019 CLASS 50: Engineering prototypes checked and being corrected in response to feedback – due 2019

CLASS 52: New batch out now

Class 03 Update

We’re delighted to report that our Gauge O Class 03 diesel shunter is progressing well

and can now confirm the details of the first production run due in 2019. This superb model is likely to be extremely popular for layouts large and small spanning the steam/diesel transition era through to the 1990s. Features will include fine detail, a 21-pin DCC interface, working lights, sprung buffers and couplings and a highly detailed cab interior. Suggested retail price (SRP) is £349.00 each, making it excellent value for money. No fewer than 14 versions of these eagerly awaited models will be released in BR green (with or without ‘wasp’ warning stripes), BR blue and industrial yellow or dark blue, with both unnumbered and fully decorated versions available. Those versions will be decorated as follows with either conical or ‘flowerpot’ exhausts (see below).

Look out for further updates on these models over the coming months.

CLASS 03 MODELS – CONFIRMED LIST

2050 Un-numbered BR Green Conical exhaust

2051 D2011 BR Green Conical exhaust

2052 Un-numbered BR Green Flowerpot exhaust

2053 D2127 BR Green Flowerpot exhaust

2054 D2028 BR Green/wasps Conical exhaust

2055 D2033 BR Green/wasps Flowerpot exhaust

2056 Un-numbered BR Green/wasps Conical exhaust

2057 Un-numbered BR Green/wasps Flowerpot exhaust

2070 2096 BR Blue/wasps Flowerpot exhaust

2071 03107 BR Blue/wasps Flowerpot exhaust

2072 Un-numbered BR Blue/wasps Flowerpot exhaust

2073 Un-numbered BR Blue/wasps Conical exhaust

2074 Un-numbered Industrial yellow Conical exhaust

2075 Un-numbered Industrial blue/yellow Flowerpot exhaust

2054 – BR green D2028 with ‘wasp’ warning stripes

2071 – BR blue 03107 with ‘wasp’ warning stripes