Jump to content
 

Heljan O gauge DMUs, 117/120/121/128


DavidM
 Share

Recommended Posts

Has anyone thought that soon everything needed for a West Wales and Central Wales based model 1960s- 1980 will be available ? 03, 08, 35, 37, 47, 52, D600, 120 2 car, 120 3 car. Look forward to seeing models of the Central Wales using 120 2 car, 03, 37 shortly !

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes that 120 deffo needs the shrink ray! Warley announcement perhaps?

 

Noooo -- I've only had my Silver Fox 120 for 6 months, give me a few more years of running it before an rtr version. On second thoughts probably would be a couple of years before release.  

Link to post
Share on other sites

Has anyone thought that soon everything needed for a West Wales and Central Wales based model 1960s- 1980 will be available ? 03, 08, 35, 37, 47, 52, D600, 120 2 car, 120 3 car. Look forward to seeing models of the Central Wales using 120 2 car, 03, 37 shortly !

Yes

Link to post
Share on other sites

Didn't a bunch of 120's end up at Etches Park? Seem to recall its was them I travelled Home to Grans on (Derby - Collingham & London). If that's right it'll be a 3 car 120 for me!

 

Yes; By 1976 22 3-car sets of the first batch were allocated to Etches Park.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Yes; By 1976 22 3-car sets of the first batch were allocated to Etches Park.

 

, too late for my Derby (ish) period. What did the Derby Lincoln trains before the 120's?

[in 76 I was 16 and not being shipped of to my Grans in the school holidays - at the age of about 10 I was put on a train in Derby having been introduced to the Guard who was to keep an eye on me and see I got off at Colingham where my Gran would meet me.]

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

######, too late for my Derby (ish) period. What did the Derby Lincoln trains before the 120's?

[in 76 I was 16 and not being shipped of to my Grans in the school holidays - at the age of about 10 I was put on a train in Derby having been introduced to the Guard who was to keep an eye on me and see I got off at Colingham where my Gran would meet me.]

Have a look at Dave Fs thread ....http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/85326-dave-fs-photos-ongoing-more-added-5th-september/page-306

 

The 120s were working off Derby well before 76....I did a DMU journey in 60s from Lincoln to Brum in one and don't remember changing... Railcar website has them at Derby from late 60s http://www.railcar.co.uk/type/class-120/

 

HTH

 

Phil

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Have a look at Dave Fs thread ....http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/85326-dave-fs-photos-ongoing-more-added-5th-september/page-306

 

The 120s were working off Derby well before 76....I did a DMU journey in 60s from Lincoln to Brum in one and don't remember changing... Railcar website has them at Derby from late 60s http://www.railcar.co.uk/type/class-120/

 

HTH

 

Phil

Thats near enough for me then.  I am guessing they'd all be blue and grey by the time they got to Derby?  I don't remember seeing a green on.

 

My O gauge collection is based on things I might have seen whilst trainspotting in the Derby area mid 60's to mid 70's but even that gets stretched. From my train spotting days the collection should be loads of Peaks (although for awhile it seemed like 3rd Caribineer worked all the NE-SW services) and a load of 20's but it has stretched to a Clan, the one and only one ever to make it to Derby.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Have a look at Dave Fs thread ....http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/85326-dave-fs-photos-ongoing-more-added-5th-september/page-306

 

The 120s were working off Derby well before 76....I did a DMU journey in 60s from Lincoln to Brum in one and don't remember changing... Railcar website has them at Derby from late 60s http://www.railcar.co.uk/type/class-120/

 

HTH

 

Phil

 

Line closures on the Western started to throw them up as surplus fairly early in their lives so they started drifting away in the '60s

Link to post
Share on other sites

Was anyone ever really clear about what the 119s and 120s were for? Cardiff-Portsmouth and S Wales-Brum services seemed to be the intended use but a six-car formation had two buffets - probably neither of them manned and such routes generally went over to loco-hauled. They seemed to end up doing duties on minor branchlines - I had a 120 virtually to myself on the Calne branch, and the 119s ended up on the Downs Line to Gatwick Airport with the buffet turned into a baggage store. Lovely comfortable units, both of them, but I had a VERY rough ride from Leamington up to Oxford in one of the 'late model' Class 120s which reminded me of one of those electric rodeo bulls. I'd find a Heljan O model irresistible if they were doing it in the original light green with whiskers. They're not. Oh, good! (CJL)

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Very interesting news, I wonder if this might be the precursor to a 120 in 00?

 

Will undoubtedly further fuel the interest in 0 but I wonder just how much cash there is to sustain the crowded marketplace that the diesel era in 0 is becoming?

Would be strange if they don't do the 120 in OO. Been wanted for years.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Heljan already have the correct length oo gauge chassis from the class 128 dpu, that they could use for the class 120.

Its a solid chassis which fills the body rather like a modern diesel chassis so I suspect a lot of potential buyers may be put off by that if it meant no interior. Though I would love a 120 admittedly.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Was anyone ever really clear about what the 119s and 120s were for? Cardiff-Portsmouth and S Wales-Brum services seemed to be the intended use but a six-car formation had two buffets - probably neither of them manned and such routes generally went over to loco-hauled. They seemed to end up doing duties on minor branchlines - I had a 120 virtually to myself on the Calne branch, and the 119s ended up on the Downs Line to Gatwick Airport with the buffet turned into a baggage store. Lovely comfortable units, both of them, but I had a VERY rough ride from Leamington up to Oxford in one of the 'late model' Class 120s which reminded me of one of those electric rodeo bulls. I'd find a Heljan O model irresistible if they were doing it in the original light green with whiskers. They're not. Oh, good! (CJL)

Apart from the routes mentioned, I suspect that they were ordered with a view to operation on some routes that disappeared after Beeching. Edit: Sorry, there's an echo in here. Stationmaster has already said this.

Edited by Joseph_Pestell
Link to post
Share on other sites

Was anyone ever really clear about what the 119s and 120s were for? Cardiff-Portsmouth and S Wales-Brum services seemed to be the intended use but a six-car formation had two buffets - probably neither of them manned and such routes generally went over to loco-hauled. They seemed to end up doing duties on minor branchlines - I had a 120 virtually to myself on the Calne branch, and the 119s ended up on the Downs Line to Gatwick Airport with the buffet turned into a baggage store. Lovely comfortable units, both of them, but I had a VERY rough ride from Leamington up to Oxford in one of the 'late model' Class 120s which reminded me of one of those electric rodeo bulls. I'd find a Heljan O model irresistible if they were doing it in the original light green with whiskers. They're not. Oh, good! (CJL)

 

It seems they are planning to produce a green with whiskers as a Tower models limited edition.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Memories of 120s are of being used turn and turn about with 119s on the Cardiff-Bristols, on the Crewe- Cardiffs, Cardiff - Cheltenham's, everything west of Swansea that wasn't loco hauled ( a good memory of getting on one to go to Tenby from the junction ). Used on the Newport - Cardiff - Swansea locals, ( the 2 car sets would be fairly common on these, lots of memories of a 2 or a 2x 2 coming past Canton around 5-6 pm.

Saw one once standing in for for a 116 on a valley train, not a good idea ! Took ages to unload :-) I liked them, not fast but comfortable, never saw a working buffet though.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Line closures on the Western started to throw them up as surplus fairly early in their lives so they started drifting away in the '60s

 

For sure ! And closure of intermediate stations on through routes too eg Worcester - Gloucester meant local workings no longer existed. There were only two DMU diagrams in the WTT through Abbotswood in 1971 for example

 

Phil

Link to post
Share on other sites

The buffet cars were in use for a few years, but only a few, on the Birmingham to Cardiff service. They were reintroduced on selected blue/grey livered sets, complete with short red cantrail stripe in early 70s on the Cardiff to Crewe workings after regular loco hauled services were switched to other routes. When in green livery the trailers had the word " buffet" written in the middle. Some of the later sets ( think the 3 car sets with 4 digit headcode) had non buffet trailers built. These differed in window spacing (I.e. They didn't have the blanked out section at the back of the buffet) and also didn't have a roof fan and no propane gas cabinets underneath or refrigerator equipment cabinet. It will be interesting to see what sort of job Helgan make of the interiors as they were quite distinctive with curtains at every window and mirrors on all the bulkheads. All quite reproducible in 0 I would have thought. The first generation DMU's were much maligned but the 120's and 119 were extremely comfortable even if the performance was not great by today's standards.

 

Interestingly I have never seen a 119 with working buffet and don't know if they had the word " buffet" on the side when painted green as photos of 119 trailers in green seem few and far between.Westdale make a 119 and I had considered getting one of these and converting to a 120, guess no need now!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Further to my previous comment I attach a photo of 0940 Crewe to Cardiff formed of a 120 with buffet in use. I snapped this in June '73 at Ludlow. It's not easily seen but the centre trailer has the word "Buffet" in corporate blue/ grey style plus a red line above the buffet area. It's most frustrating as I actually took a specific photo of the trailer but can't find it!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...