61661

Perhaps I can help, seeing as no-one has actually asked the manufacturer about it. ;-) We have not resurrected our plans for TT and have no intention to do so as things stand. That may change at some point in the future if we feel it is viable, but we think it’s more productive to focus on developing our OO and O gauge ranges at the moment. Hope this helps. Ben

They re on their way now. A little later than planned, but factory output and shipping is still unpredictable. We expect to receive them in July.

Thanks for your interest. We're genuinely delighted that you want more Peaks ASAP. As alluded to above, there are a couple of reasons we haven't announced more versions of the Class 44-46 models yet. Firstly, the initial batch was (by modern standards) a large production run including a number of retailer exclusives. Although the response has been amazing and they sold out from our warehouse very quickly, we don't want to overwhelm retailers or customers by immediately flooding the market with more. With regard to split headcode locos, TMC doesn't have an 'exclusivity' agreement but we want to ensure that it sells through its batch of D11-D15 models before we announce a standard split headcode version. Announcing them too soon could affect TMC's sales and we want to be fair and decent to them as they placed a lot of faith in us by ordering a large batch of all-new models straight off the drawing board. All the work for the standard split headcode locos is done, it's just waiting for us to 'push the button'. Class 44 requires a bit more work, but as I said to several people at the NEC last weekend it is high on our 'to do' list.

The roofs and the magnets are fine on all the samples - looks to me like someone on the Hornby Magazine layout (who borrowed a set over the weekend) just hasn't replaced the roof properly.

We'll take some photos on Friday/Saturday when everything has been unpacked and share them on our Facebook page asap.

Not quite - pack #9623 is in the early version of blue/grey (with blue roofs and brown bogies) applied in the late-1960s retaining the 'TCV' code. The other packs are branded NVV (vac brake/steam heat) and NVX (dual heat/dual brake) for the 1970s/80s.

In the maroon years they often worked in sixes with 4 Mk1 day coaches. Haven't seen eight together in any of the research we've done. The number used in each train steadily dwindled to two or three during the blue/grey period, so packs of three makes most sense.

I know I'm biased, but they are even better than the livery artwork. The samples received this week have a real 'wow' factor.

Just for you Chard, the roofs are easily removable - held in place by small but strong magnets. We will be demonstrating this feature at the NEC this weekend. Unfortunately for you, it won't be possible to put any cars in the centre well as that's where we've put all the weight.

Hi. How did you contact Heljan? Via the messaging service at www.Heljan.co.uk? We respond to queries as quickly as we can via the website and I haven‘t seen one about this issue so far. If the headcode panel insert was completely missing from your model we strongly suggest that it should be returned to your retailer for exchange. Hope this helps. Ben

We certainly do! It hasn't moved nearly as quickly as we'd like (various reasons, including the big global ones) but final deco samples are being prepared now. Assuming they are OK we should be able to go into production after we've reviewed the samples.

Let’s see how the Class 117 sells. We’d be keen to look at other DMUs in O if there’s sufficient demand. We have one obvious candidate currently being developed for OO*. That would be very nice in O too - IF there’s demand. *THIS IS NOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT. ;-)

Can’t see where that was said or even inferred, but happy to be proved wrong if you can point me to the source. For the avoidance of doubt it was never really ‘announced’ as such - no item listing, liveries, vehicle IDs or item codes were ever allocated or advertised and the only time Heljan ever mentioned it public was very briefly on that flyer in 2016. In a previous life I remember seeing a poster (probably at the same show as the flyer) on the Heljan stand referring to it as a ‘possible project’ (or similar wording). It’s sad that it didn’t develop into a full-blown project but, for the reasons mentioned earlier, the decision not to pursue it was taken a long time ago. Hope this helps. Ben

Things have changed a lot since that initial transition period. The 2251 was cancelled for different reasons.

Perhaps you’re taking the ‘whack-a-mole’ metaphor too literally. It happens about once a year.

Not how I remember it. Research work on the proposed O gauge Class 120 had already stopped when I joined Heljan in 2018. There was no 'review of the pipeline' or change of strategy at that point, I simply continued the inherited (active) projects and started new ones as required. I'm told that detailed drawings were not available and that makes life very difficult when there is just one preserved vehicle (a buffet car) and no driving cars of any version to survey. The leaflet shown above dates from 2016 when all of the DMU projects would have been at a very early stage. We've stated on numerous occasions over the last four years that the 120 is not happening. It has never appeared in a Heljan catalogue - the most important indicator of whether a project is happening or not. And yet, like a 'whack-a-mole' it still keeps rearing its head! Not sure who @Solo spoke to at Guildex but I recall only one conversation about the 120 over the weekend and it was along the lines of this post.

Thanks for the feedback. It's a compromise forced by the necessity to work over second radius train set curves and sudden, sharp changes of gradient on model railways. If we'd made it to scale it would have restricted the movement of the pony truck and caused a whole raft of complaints from people who use R2 curves. However, the fact that it actually has a proper axle stub protruding through a hole in the bogie frame is a big step forward from previous models of 1-Co-Co-1 locos. In fact this feature was one of the most frequently mentioned positive aspects raised by people who had a close look at the Peaks at DEMU Showcase last weekend. Hope this helps. Ben

Class 45s are suitable for second radius trainset curves/points. The very specific design of 18000 with deep side skirts meant that a floating inner bogie arrangement had to be adopted even to get around R3 curves. Class 45s have no side skirts and the bogies are free to rotate further.

It will have TDM cables but no names. As it's easier to add an etched nameplate than take off printed detail we thought this was the best and most flexible solution. It will be original NSE blue to match the original style of livery.

I've had a sample running on my layout for around 18 months and I can confirm that all the samples we've had are superb runners. The pony trucks are prototypically modelled with the stub of the axle protruding out through the side frames. It is not inhibited in its movement and works very effectively. I haven't had a single derailment during testing. The three powered axles are contained in a separately 'floating' inner bogie which provides excellent riding capabilities (similar to Kernow's Bulleid diesels). All six driving axles are powered and have pick ups. Hope this helps. Ben

Correct. That's pretty much word-for-word what I said when the 86/4s were announced. The original AL6s and 86/4s were done as a priority because they were significant gaps in the fleet. It's also important that we don't overwhelm retailers and customers with dozens of different 86s at the same time, so the releases are being phased to avoid that. The rerun of AL6s and 86/4s was not in the plan but we had some requests for exclusive liveries (such as NSE 86401) and standard liveries that had sold out in the previous runs.

Well, we do have the 104 coming OO! ;-)

Please bear in mind that this is a small production run for what is, at the moment, a very small niche market. The smaller the production, the higher the unit cost. If it proves successful we will hopefully be able to increase production quantities and pass on those savings.

Quick update on the Heljan OO Class 45s. We are expecting final decorated samples in May. Assuming all is well they can go into production and should be available towards the back end of the summer (factory issues, lockdowns, international shipping disruption, war and pestilence permitting). We know it's frustrating that these models have taken so long to materialise. We are frustrated too. They've been badly affected by factory issues, design changes and the pandemic but we are confident that there is clear light at the end of this particular tunnel. In terms of specification, detail and the range of detail variations available (now and in the future) our Class 45 is a major advance on any previous Peaks, including the following: - specific Class 45/0 and Class 45/1 variants with split headcode (D11-15 for TMC initially), split-centre headcode and sealed beam variants with/without HI headlights - Independently switchable cab and tail lights - Exceptionally good body, underbody and bogie detail, scaled down from the O gauge model - Specific period/livery detail options such as inner bogie sandboxes, boiler filler hatch covers, boiler step covers (factory fitted where applicable), bodyside grilles/plates, ETH connections. - Provision for DCC sound As proof that there is actually some progress, below is a photo of the livery samples being prepared at the factory. Hope this provides some reassurance. Ben

Spares will be sent to Rails when they are available.