Jump to content
 

Heljan Class 14s for Hattons


dcroz
 Share

Recommended Posts

New information now on Hattons website - they are now being shipped by sea from China! -

 

"Customers who have a preorder for the one (or more) of Heljan Class 14 Teddy Bears will be pleased to hear that production has now been completed in China, and these are expected into stock in the new year. The journey from China to Denmark will take 6 or 7 weeks (by boat), there will be a period of checking and then they will be sent to us."

 

There wil be:

 

- 1400: D9500, BR Green

- 1401: 14029, BR Blue

- 1402: No. 31, NCB

 

No images as yet on the website of the finished models.

 

Best wishes,

 

David

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest Max Stafford

Nice. I have an NCB one on order. A healthy new emphasis on pre-despatch testing I see too. I guess its a case of 'once bitten, twice shy' but they're doing the right thing by satisfying themselves that all's well before getting the locos out to the dealers. I suppose NCB 31 went on test to one of the Stirling area pits in the 1970s and never returned to Ashington... ;)

 

Dave.

Link to post
Share on other sites

...I suppose NCB 31 went on test to one of the Stirling area pits in the 1970s and never returned to Ashington... ;)

 

Dave.

 

Dave,

 

I remember 1 (or 2) of these working at Polmaise, in the late 1970s, early 80s, but I never noted the Running No(s) while I was in my "working clothes". (rookie Secondman!).

Link to post
Share on other sites

Dave,

 

I remember 1 (or 2) of these working at Polmaise, in the late 1970s, early 80s, but I never noted the Running No(s) while I was in my "working clothes". (rookie Secondman!).

 

Huh? Since they were all withdrawn from BR service by c. 1970 and the only one I know of to work in Scotland (before preservation) was at Grangemouth (Wikipedia, for what it's worth has details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_14 ), are you sure you're not mistaken? Plenty of industrial designs had a similar centre cab layout.

 

Adam

Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest Max Stafford

Well, since Polmaise is just about bang on the money for the layout's imagined location, this is a potential mistake I'd be happy to go along with. And if indeed it is true, with the other example at nearby Grangemouth, what a piece of good luck! :D

 

Dave.

Link to post
Share on other sites

It's entirely plausible in any case [that the NCB might have acquired one for use in Scotland*] Dave. What is less likely is that loco's were loaned between areas rather than simply bought outright - a bit of strategic re-lettering is more than fair enough!

 

Adam

 

* They seem to have turned up in every other coalfield (except Lancashire) after all.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Huh? Since they were all withdrawn from BR service by c. 1970 and the only one I know of to work in Scotland (before preservation) was at Grangemouth (Wikipedia, for what it's worth has details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_14 ), are you sure you're not mistaken? Plenty of industrial designs had a similar centre cab layout.

Adam

 

I hate to be one to contradict Wikipedia :D ...but

 

Class 14 Allocations

They were all withdrawn from BR service by 04/69 (and most quite a few months before that)

None of them ever were BR allocated to Scotland. The furthest north they were allocated was Hull (50B)

 

Most of them were sold on to the NCB and to British Steel (only 5 were immediately scrapped)

 

D9524 was sent to BP Grangemouth 04.69

 

Two of the class were exported.

 

Although I think it quite reasonable (if not probable) that some of the NCB and BS ones reached Scotland I think it is extremely unlikely in BR service. However the sell off to BS started in April 1968 (when the majority were withdrawn from BR traffic) So it would have been possible to have seen them "transported" to Scottish Steel works or pits at any date after that.

 

As yet, I have no details of which loco went to which location (only if it was BS or NCB) other than D9524 and D9526.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest Max Stafford

Thanks Kenton. It's an NCB example I have on order in any case.

Also a suitable warning about Wikipedia there - on no account accept any info there at face value! :)

 

Dave.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Ah, so it looks like I might actually be getting a 2010 release rtr loco to go on the 2010 Challenge layout (or that I'll need to get the layout done to go under the loco blush.gif).

 

 

You and me both, Mike!

I wonder how many others will do the same as us, hopefully lots of people though not neccessarily for a challenge layout!

Cheers,

John E.

Link to post
Share on other sites

As far as I am aware the British Steel Corporation bought ? 23 of the class from B.R. in 1968 and all were for service on the internal lines delivering ironstone from the local quarries to Corby steelworks in Northamptonshire. The nature of this usage was more main line in nature for which they were ideal. ? However, they were large locomotives, even by steelworks standards, with a long wheelbase and not well suited to shunting in the confines of a works.?  None of the B.S.C locomotives ever saw service at Scottish works. ? 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Huh? Since they were all withdrawn from BR service by c. 1970 and the only one I know of to work in Scotland (before preservation) was at Grangemouth (Wikipedia, for what it's worth has details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_14 ), are you sure you're not mistaken? Plenty of industrial designs had a similar centre cab layout.

 

Adam

Fair comment Adam.

 

TBO, I couldn't swear 100% that the Locos I saw were both Class 14s. They certainly werent in BR Blue livery. I only ever saw 2 of them at the same time on a couple of occasions. They also used to take tanks to an Industrial Plant just south of Stirling station located right next to the Up Main, and to another Plant just across from Plean Signal Box, also adjacent to the Up Main. Admittedly, I never saw 2 of them together again after Polmaise closed.

 

One thing I do know for certain was that it was Grangemouth and Stirling crews who worked them, because I sat my MP12 Basic Drivers Course with 2 Stirling Drivers Assistants (that would be early 1982), and they referred to having worked Class 14s. (Stirling having a small Footplate Depot until the Alloa Freight Line closed).

Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest Max Stafford

I wonder if it's possible that this class code might have been applied for control purposes to certain industrial types cleared for short trip working on main line metals.

 

Dave.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I wonder if it's possible that this class code might have been applied for control purposes to certain industrial types cleared for short trip working on main line metals.

 

Dave.

 

As far as I am aware, no, or at least, not in that period. I believe that current practise is to classify loco's used in the way you describe under TOPS class 01/5. This is, however, a relatively new thing - though I'm not sure of how new (Wikipedia and here has some details.

 

Previously, such loco's were certified for such use by the British Transport Commission and such loco's were identified by cast plates fixed somewhere obvious (in footwells or on cabsides). These would be fairly restricted in mainline use, ususally only certified to access limited stretches of BR metals, often with BR pilotman or inspector on the footplate for longer distance workings. Barclay (very likely in Scotland), Hunslet, Hudswell and YEC - amongst others - all made offset or centre cab 0-6-0 designs which were common in industry.

 

Adam

 

Adam

Link to post
Share on other sites

Nice. I have an NCB one on order. A healthy new emphasis on pre-despatch testing I see too. I guess its a case of 'once bitten, twice shy' but they're doing the right thing by satisfying themselves that all's well before getting the locos out to the dealers. I suppose NCB 31 went on test to one of the Stirling area pits in the 1970s and never returned to Ashington... wink.gif

 

Dave.

 

 

Thats right Dave, my dad seen it at Polmaise!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Fair comment Adam.

 

TBO, I couldn't swear 100% that the Locos I saw were both Class 14s. They certainly werent in BR Blue livery. I only ever saw 2 of them at the same time on a couple of occasions. They also used to take tanks to an Industrial Plant just south of Stirling station located right next to the Up Main, and to another Plant just across from Plean Signal Box, also adjacent to the Up Main. Admittedly, I never saw 2 of them together again after Polmaise closed.

 

One thing I do know for certain was that it was Grangemouth and Stirling crews who worked them, because I sat my MP12 Basic Drivers Course with 2 Stirling Drivers Assistants (that would be early 1982), and they referred to having worked Class 14s. (Stirling having a small Footplate Depot until the Alloa Freight Line closed).

 

 

Mark,

 

think the two industrial places being referred to here are Caberboard (beside Plean Signal box) and possibly superglass just south of Stirling maybe that will help to trace if there were any???

Link to post
Share on other sites

I've placed an order for:- 1400: D9500, BR Green; hopefully Ultrascale will do a drop-in replacement EM Gauge wheelset.

 

I've also got one on order, and want to convert it to EM, so I've been in touch with Ultrascale and it looks, unfortunately, as if they won't be producing a conversion wheelset for this model, which is a shame, but they don't have a suitable wheel in their range and can't justify tooling up for one for the Class 14. Time to put the thinking caps on and work out a plan of action then!!!

 

Regards

 

Alastair

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

I've also got one on order, and want to convert it to EM, so I've been in touch with Ultrascale and it looks, unfortunately, as if they won't be producing a conversion wheelset for this model, which is a shame, but they don't have a suitable wheel in their range and can't justify tooling up for one for the Class 14. Time to put the thinking caps on and work out a plan of action then!!!

 

Regards

 

Alastair

 

That's a great shame; plan B; then? Alan Gibson ?

Link to post
Share on other sites

That's a great shame; plan B; then? Alan Gibson ?

 

Well, Alan Gibson definitely has a Class 14 wheel in the range, so that's a start. Problem is that it's likely to be on an 1/8" axle - would put money on the Heljan model not using the same diameter! I guess it's a case of waiting!!!

 

Regards

 

Alastair

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for those shed allocations Kenton. I??™m rather surprised that there was never one allocated to 86B (Newport EJ). I remember them on the Golden Mile working Western Valley trains.

 

 

Pity that there won??™t be a drop-in conversion kit from Ultrascale - I rather fancy one in P4. Let??™s hope the new guys in charge of Alan Gibson come up trumps!

 

 

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...