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A couple of weeks ago I was told that they were en route to Denmark, but I haven't heard anything since. They cannot be not far away though. As soon as we have confirmation of delivery, we'll post a full update on our Facebook page. Apologies for the vagueness, but international shipping is somewhat unpredictable at the moment, for obvious reasons.

Haha. The existence of the 'shrink gun' and its counterpart, the 'bigginator', is finally confirmed! In reality, it doesn't really save any cost when we reduce or scale up a model. It saves a bit of time in the research phase as you have the materials to hand, and it can give you a bit of a head start on the deco artwork, but the CAD still needs to be done (with extra bits added, or smaller parts turned into mouldings, depending on whether you are going up or down in size) and by far the biggest part of the cost is the tooling, which cannot be repeated. In the case of the OO 25, we also went from one body version in O to two in OO, so that we could offer both the original and revised exhausts, which added time and additional cost.

OK. Thanks for the suggestions. I have a weathered and tatty 25/9 on my shortlist already, as well as one of the late blue with stencilled Welsh castle names.

There have been a few occasions since I joined Heljan where we have invested in mods to tooling to cure shape or positioning issues raised by customers and we will continue to do so if it is justified. Reactions from people who've seen our new 25 'in the flesh' have been overwhelmingly positive so far, but if you have reservations it's absolutely your prerogative to choose the model that most closely satisfies your demands. As an aside, almost all versions of our Class 25 are now sold out at the warehouse (with only small numbers of the green SYP, blue SYP and blue FYE 'D' versions left), so the decision to scale down our O gauge model has already been justified. Now we can start looking at a second batch. Any requests?

It's done on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes where a particular feature is considered desirable at the start of a project it might have to be dropped during the development process as it isn't possible or practical, or it causes a performance issue. In my experience so far, it's rarely about cost unless it is something very complex or difficult. I can only speak about the projects I've had some involvement in, but I set out wanting to include as many features as possible. What is possible, and what is desirable, is changing all the time. With regard to the community expecting "absolute fidelity", that is certainly true for a small segment but most seem to accept that an element of compromise is necessary on small scale, mass-produced models. However, what is an acceptable compromise to one modeller will be a diabolical liberty for another - we all have our 'red lines'. It's not simply a cost/benefit calculation, all sorts of factors come into it - practicality, performance, ease (or otherwise) of assembly, whether a part can be moulded as required, risk of accidental damage etc etc.

It's on our 'long list', but we haven't had too many requests for it so far.

Hi, I can't let this pass without comment. We actually made a number of revisions to the tooling after feedback about the first sample. For example, the windscreen frames and tail light frames have been modified to remove the rivet heads that were too prominent. After running tests we also made some modifications to the bogies to improve performance. I'm afraid that the old "Heljan never listens to feedback" line of argument is out of date - we've made mods to several models in response to customer feedback in the last couple of years. It's not always possible, but if we can do it we will. Ben

Even we’ve been surprised by how quickly these have sold. We knew it would be popular because the OO model always sell well, and it’s an ideal loco for any size of O layout, but it’s a pleasant surprise nevertheless. Just to clarify, just because a model is sold out at the warehouse doesn’t mean it is not available from our retailers. All versions should still be on sale in the UK if you shop around. And finally, it was a normal production run for a new O loco, not reduced in any way. As this and other recent runs of O models have sold very quickly I guess it’s an indication of the increasing popularity of modelling in this scale.

Jenny asked for the interview to be primarily about the Class 25, so that's what we did. AL6s are on their way though - more info on arrival dates as soon as they are confirmed.

Hi Neal, The OO gauge Railcars are expected April/May, depending on how quickly the factory gets back into full gear after the Chinese New Year break. The O gauge version arrived in Denmark on Tuesday and is being shipped out to retailers now. Hope this helps Ben

Hi John, The new O gauge Clayton and the Class 20 have nothing in common. From the outset the Clayton has been designed with a plug-and-play DCC interface designed to take the ESU LokSound L (not the XL) plug-in decoder. There's space in the bonnets for a speaker and a smoke unit if required. Unlike the 20, the Clayton has two self contained motor bogies, which allow the space inside the bonnets to be used for other features. The 20 was designed a long time ago when DCC and sound were not as prevalent as they are now. All new Heljan O gauge models will have plug-and-play decoder interfaces from now on, starting with the 17 and including the 26, 27 and 73 announced last autumn and anything we announce from now on (the new 47 and 56 predate this change, so have the older style chassis with screw terminals on the PCB). Hope this helps Ben

Put simply. No. Not connected in any way.

Sorry to read you’ve had problems with your 20. Sadly such things do happen occasionally and we are told to expect a failure rate of about 1% in motors. However that would usually manifest itself pretty quickly in the QC stage or immediately after purchase. Seems strange that it should begin behaving like this after 18 months though (unfortunately outside the warranty period) but possibly something inside has failed and there’s no way to pick that up at the QC stage if it is running as expected. As far as I’m aware, GM doesn’t have any spare motors yet, so my suggestion would be to try Olivia’s in Sheffield, who do have suitable replacement motors available for Heljan locos. Ben

Another new batch of gears is on order with the factory. I don’t have an ETA, but I hope they will be here sooner rather than later. Hope this helps Ben

Hi Ray, My post doesn’t say the problem was resolved 12-15 years ago. What I said was the the issue was limited to models produced at that time and has not been an issue on anything produced since. Without seeing the models in question I can’t pass an opinion but it’s not unusual for modellers (me included) to have locos stored away for years before they are used. The problem can take some time to surface if models are only sporadically used. The original issue was caused by gears being fitted onto axles that were very slightly too large, introducing stress into the plastic part and causing some to fail. We have supplied thousands of replacement gears FOC, allowing customers to repair their models if they fail. More gears are on order from the factory and should be in stock at Gaugemaster soon. Hope this helps Ben

Dear Ray, Thanks for bringing this to our attention (and thanks to Phil Parker for making me aware of the thread). Firstly, let me assure you that we do not take our customers for granted. We value your loyal support and constructive feedback, both positive and negative, especially where it allows us to improve our products/service. There are several points raised here, so allow me to deal with each in turn. 1) Gears: this issue was limited to certain early O gauge locos produced 12-15 years ago and was acknowledged and resolved many years ago. No recent models have suffered from this issue. 2) Class 31 plinth fixings: We were very disappointed when damaged 31s started to arrive with customers as they passed our QC checks in China and Denmark. The issue only became apparent when they were shipped individually and subject to violent shocks in the post. Unfortunately we were let down by our factory on this as the plinth was not what we approved. Although it is no help for the most recent batch, we have pushed the factory to devise a more satisfactory and robust solution for future models, including the refurbished 31s due next year. We are confident that this will overcome the issue and ensure that models arrive intact. 3) Internal wiring on older models: Older O gauge models including the Class 31 were developed before DCC and sound took off to the extent we see now. Therefore the internal wiring is not as DCC Friendly as more recent models. This is being addressed on new models, which will have chassis with plug-and-play decoder interfaces. Personally, if I was not confident of wiring in a decoder/speaker myself, I would take advantage of the various people out there who fit them on a professional basis. It is worth the money to get it right. Given the cost of redesigning and retooling chassis to provide a DCC Ready interface, and the large number of models involved, the old style chassis are likely to be with us for some time yet. Which leads me on to... 4) Instruction sheets: No argument from me that the old i-sheets were inadequate and we are currently in the process of rewriting and redesigning them as we work our way through the range. The 31 rerun predates this process, but you will start to see more comprehensive instructions from now on. This takes some time to filter through, but it is happening as a direct response to customer feedback. 5) Customer service: Firstly, it's important to challenge the notion that Heljan is a large company. Including myself, there are just five full-time employees - four in Denmark and me in the UK. We are not blessed with the huge teams that other manufacturers enjoy. With regard to email responses, cultural differences may explain their brevity, as well as the fact that Kim is not writing in his native language. However, I hope that this post may go some way to clarifying the situation, and to reassure you that we are listening to feedback and making significant changes to our products as we speak. Kindest Regards Ben

Dear All, Thanks for the all the recent replies to the roof line issue. Rails has reversed its previous decision and asked us to add the orange band. Fortunately we were still in a position to do this as the improved body decoration samples had not yet been produced. Revised artwork has already been approved and we expect the modified/improved samples shortly. Hope this Helps Ben

Hi John, We've had long discussions about this and as the evidence is not conclusive, we have agreed with Rails that we will not apply the orange band around the roof line. We think that if it was applied, it was only for a short period as we have many more photos of it in green where no band is visible, both with the early emblem and the late crest. To be on the safe side, and to ensure each model is accurate for the widest possible period, we will keep the roof decoration as it is. Hope this helps Kindest Regards Ben

Dear All, Thanks for the kind comments about the 18000 deco sample. Just to reassure everyone, we also feel that the waistband orange is too bright and we have asked the factory to modify it for the production locos. With regard to the main body green, it is matched to Railmatch 303 BR diesel loco green. We certainly wouldn't match it to the colour it is painted now. From memory, it was painted green during its stay at Barrow Hill - primarily to try and protect the disintegrating bodywork - and the paint was sourced from a local DIY store! Kindest Regards Ben

Remember that some of the parts mentioned above (MW jumpers, headcode inserts, for example) will be separate within the cab ends, which expands the number of ends possible. And we haven’t even touched the Scottish 47/7s yet. Also, some of these are ad hoc mods where we couldn’t justify the cost of tooling to include them, especially where they are specific to one loco. And if you’re counting preservation, the Cuban locos and individual exported locos you are really scraping the barrel! I think it shows how far we’ve come with regard to making provision for a huge range of detail variations on new models that this 47/48 will cover more differences than any previous RTR model and it’s still not enough!

This is only one of the two bodies we have tooled for the 86/4. The other has the later details you mention - different TDM pocket position and MW cables removed and plated over.

The raised square on the upper part of the cabside isn't a worksplate. In fact, we don't know what it is meant to be. It's not on the CAD, and we didn't ask for it, so it will be removed before any further samples are produced. We've identified a number of issues with this first body sample (the chassis is borrowed from a first batch model and the pantograph is from an AL6 sample) and they are being dealt with. Hope this helps Ben

Hi Clive. I think you are confusing me with someone else. I’ve never worked for Hornby Magazine and had nothing to do with the DBT. The 15 and 23 date from well before I joined Heljan but I’m sorry if you felt your comments weren’t taken on board. Ben

It’s not possible to apply liveries to 3D CAD artwork as far as I’m aware. I’m sure you’d have seen it by now if it was possible as it would be a useful tool! It’s also very difficult to paint 3D printed parts as the paint doesn’t adhere very well (at least without lots of rubbing down and preparation).

Hi Guy, Interesting point - thanks. Coming from an academic background (albeit a few years ago!), I understand peer review and know its value. Although of course, as has been proven many times over the decades, it's not a cast iron guarantee of success! My suspicion is that it doesn't sit entirely comfortably with a commercial product like model railways where, in the early stages when the really detailed feedback is most needed, it is often necessary to keep a project quiet to avoid someone else beating you to it. Like other manufacturers, we have a group of 'experts' (if that's not a dirty word these days) who assist us with our projects and consult others with more specific knowledge where necessary - much like peer review. They get to see drawings and CAD before it is made public and we then normally publish a draft of CAD to gather in public feedback before signing it off. After the tooling is made we can still make small changes but making big changes such as body shape etc is a very expensive and time-consuming enterprise that manufacturers of all kinds seek to avoid if possible. The most frustrating part for all concerned is that shape or detail issues occasionally are not evident until tooled/painted samples are shown. Constructive criticism is absolutely not a bad thing and any organisation worth its salt should value it. If you want to send any feedback to Heljan at any time, you can send me a PM here (although please be aware I don't monitor it every day) or email Heljan@Heljan.dk and mark it for my attention. Also, come and say hello at any show we attend (when we can do that again!) - I'm always happy to meet our customers and listen to feedback.