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Thanks for the message. Unfortunately, as with any model, we can’t do every livery option for every version in the first batch but there’s nothing to stop us doing one or the other in the second batch (assuming Batch 1 sells well enough to justify a rerun!)

It will be a shade under 350mm long - the real thing was 87ft 3in over the buffers. We haven't designed the packaging yet, but expect the length to be something akin to a medium sized O gauge diesel box (but not as deep).

Hello, For the avoidance of doubt, as there seems to be a perception that the LNER Garratt will somehow be a rehash of an older model, our new LNER U1 Garratt is a completely new model of a different loco that has nothing in common with the LMS model. It has been designed from scratch to our specification (as opposed to the specification laid down by the customer, in the case of the LMS Garratt) and it will be produced in a different factory which has a reputation for good quality. There will always be the odd 'rogue' among a batch of mass produced RTR models (no-one is immune from that), but this model will not go into production until we are entirely satisfied with its quality and performance. Hope this helps. Ben

No firm release date at the moment unfortunately. We hope to have new samples before CNY and that will give us a better idea of the likely timescale. As it’s a new product for the factory concerned we want to make sure they get everything as we want it. On the up side, we know the quality is higher than the previous factory so the disappointment of the closure will (eventually) be something of a blessing in disguise.

Thanks for the message. All three Class 86/4 rerun samples were produced by a new factory (due to the closure of the previous factory responsible for 86 production). Unfortunately they used some wrong parts for the first set of decorated samples and the samples were immediately rejected. Completely take your point about displaying incorrect samples and we avoid it wherever we can but at the time they were purely for illustrative purposes. New samples should be with us in the New Year that will have the correct combination of details for the locos modelled.

We have no plans at the moment. It would need its own bespoke bodyshell and internal lighting set-up (our Peaks don't have separate nose ends and we haven't done a late-build centre headcode end yet) and we didn't feel that the additional cost was justified for one loco in one, maybe two, liveries and relatively small demand.

The CAD image is the current state of play but I’ve asked our designer to look at it again.

The model of D9 (not 44009) is pre-crash with standard ends.

The model has been designed so that earlier locos have MW equipment and, as with the Class 45s, the sandboxes for the inner ends of the bogies are in the bag of optional detail parts and can be quickly and easily added if you need them. There are lots of little differences from the 45s that have been incorporated on the new 44 tooling - and quite a few differences even among the 10 locos that we have built into the tooling. Windscreens have been reshaped in response to feedback about the 45s as has the curve at the top of the cab doors. Hope this helps. Ben

That's not the case. Windscreen shape has been adjusted in response to feedback about the Class 45. Likewise there's been a very small adjustment to the curved area at the top of the cab door to make it more obvious.

Thanks. We think it will be good value, especially considering that it is effectively 2x 2-8-0s and four sets of wheels and motion. You will be able to order direct from www.Heljan.dk in the EU without having to get involved in any UK-related complications.

We had no involvement in the Hattons LMS Garratt in N. It was as much a surprise to us as everyone else! No plans to get into N scale, we have more than enough on our plate with OO and O at the moment!

The next batch of O2s is about to go into production. Despite the setback of the factory closure we’ve put a lot of work into improving detail parts and performance with the new factory and the deco will be much better (I have to admit giving the original batch a fairly critical mag review some years ago). Although it’s true that the real U1 shared parts such as driving wheels and cylinders with the Gresley O2s we are not carrying anything from our O2 over to the Garratt. New design and a factory that has done some excellent stuff for us recently - a very different animal. Thanks for the O1 suggestion. Let’s see how the new O2s sell first!

IIRC Maunsell wanted to build some for the West of England route.

Yes. It’s designed for R2 curves. The speakers will be under the boiler as the noise comes out of the chimney. And it depends on how long your release road is. ;-)

Glamour and weirdness sells - see also Pullman Cars, big shiny express Pacifics in colourful liveries, Deltics etc. All are vastly more common on model railways than humble 0-6-0s on coal trains or multiple units that outnumber/ed them. Perhaps less about railway knowledge (although that is undoubtedly a factor) and more about what fires the imagination. As soon as it's possible, I'm going to talk to our Andy at Rapido and get the U1 and Y7 together for a photo shoot. ;-)

Me too. My Dad's Garratt is a lovely runner.

Understand your situation. As someone who joined Heljan after those models were designed/released, I'm also determined to avoid similar issues and we have made great strides to do so in recent years. In that regard we are being helped by the fact that we now use different factories as one of our previous suppliers ceased production. The first running sample of the U1 is expected in January, so we'll see how it performs in the real world and it will not go into production until it does everything we ask of it to the required standard. I have a 1-in-25 gradient on my layout so I'm very much looking forward to seeing it tackle that with a big train. What I can promise is that the LNER U1 will be a VERY different animal to its LMS cousin, which was designed to Hattons' specification and price point. Also worth noting that the problems that arose with the first batch of LMS B-Gs were addressed for the second batch, which did not have any issues. With regard to loco choices, we listen to what people are asking for and make our own judgements on what is likely to sell enough to justify the investment. Over the last 15 years or so we've done numerous one-offs and obscure prototypes and generally they've been successful. We get numerous requests for prototype and other locos, but I can honestly say that I've never had a single request at a show or online for a Fowler 3MT, Maunsell U or similar 'missing links'. I'll leave it to RMwebbers to discuss why that might be.

It‘s a fully operational drophead buckeye coupler. It can be lowered to reveal the hook, as per the real thing.

Very simple answer - both 73s painted in this livery carried both the initial EW&S and later EWS branding so to give customers full flexibility we omitted the branding so that they could choose how to finish them. More often than not our O gauge models are delivered without numbers or printed details tying them to specific locos. There’s no requirement for a licence to use the defunct EWS branding and, in any case, we have a long standing agreement in place with DB. Hope this helps.

I think that was certainly the case on some of the older models from 10-15 years ago, but less so now as we‘ve changed the way the NEM pockets are mounted.

In theory, yes! The coupler prongs and pocket should conform to NEM norms in terms of dimensions. However, as you suggest, the reality is that there's lots of variation across different manufacturers and coupling types, even where moulds are perhaps getting worn out. We have a couple of different tension lock sizes to cater for differing buffer lengths etc, plus cranked and straight versions to meet the NEM box height norm on different models. I model Swiss/German HO and there's endless variation there - some couplings fit the boxes perfectly, others are a real squeeze or the prongs are over-sized.

Thanks for the feedback about the couplings. We will look into this as they should be produced to NEM standards. I've checked the couplings in my sample pack and can confirm they are a bit tighter than I'd like. I very quickly ran a flat needle file over each side of one coupling and it fits much better now and can be removed more easily. However, it may be that the tooling for this part is not quite right so we'll ask the factory to check and adjust as necessary for future production. Hope this helps. Ben

Quite the opposite in fact. Almost all the triple packs were pre-sold before the stock arrived at our warehouse. The only ones we have left currently are small quantities of the factory weathered maroon and blue/grey packs, which are likely to sell out soon too. Pleasingly for us, pre-orders increased significantly in the last couple of months, despite events elsewhere. The decision to offer individual vehicles was in response to feedback from customers. Fortunately our factory was prepared to be flexible and supplied the single vehicles as quickly as it could. In the end, they arrived from the factory not long after the packs - much more quickly than we expected. Edit - just been informed that more than 75% of the singles have also been sold from the warehouse, so we're running low on all versions - packs and singles. Hope this helps. Ben

Hello, Just catching up on a few queries here about these new vehicles. Firstly, the early TCVs have Rail Blue roofs and brown-grey running gear, as per the standard for early corporate era repaints around 1966-ish. Later Blue/Grey NVV and NVX vehicles have standard dark grey roofs and black running gear.