Jump to content
 

Heljan announce Class 45 in OO


AY Mod
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • RMweb Gold
20 minutes ago, 'CHARD said:

 

45060 ran in BFYE with split boxes 

 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Class_45-0_45060_Sherwood_Forrester%2C_Sheffield_Midland_station%2C_21_April_1976.jpg

 

and was modified in the late seventies/ early eighties to look like this

 

https://photos.smugmug.com/RAILWAYS/FENLAND-RAILWAY-FOTOS/CLASS-4546/i-jX3psKB/3/1de487e1/L/45060-L.jpg

 

in which state it entered preservation, where it was later retro-modded to look like this

 

https://live.staticflickr.com/4243/33950731403_1726f8c30a_b.jpg

 

Brilliant

Thank you very much

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Just for clarification as I want to order 45133 as it is preserved, basically does this loco come with an extra headlight or not?

The latest prototype images on Flickr which are quite limited show it does have this extra headlight but what Heljan have described in their announcement it appears it doesn't come with it thus I find this confusing or has it recently been removed off the prototype?

Any information would be very much appreciated.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have been planning to add a 45 for my mid to late '60s BR southern layout to haul my HAA coal train bound for the cement works at Cliffe. I have seen images of them working through Kent, sometimes piloted by a 33, IIRC, but have no idea about which numbers or named engines definitely did this work. Personally I would prefer pretops green with split headcodes, but if anyone has more info the Heljan does look good.

  • Like 1
  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
1 hour ago, classy52 said:

Just for clarification as I want to order 45133 as it is preserved, basically does this loco come with an extra headlight or not?

The latest prototype images on Flickr which are quite limited show it does have this extra headlight but what Heljan have described in their announcement it appears it doesn't come with it thus I find this confusing or has it recently been removed off the prototype?

Any information would be very much appreciated.

Hi Classy52,

 

I agree that from the information provided by Heljan, it would appear that the model of 45133 doesn't come with a headlight. However as the prototype only got its headlight in Aug 1986 (looking at Flickr photos) I suspect that the model is correct for the early to mid 80s, not as it currently is in preservation.

 

PJ10 

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, MGR Hooper! said:

No need for a Class 45, find them extremely ugly. But well done Heljan, it's going to be miles ahead of the Bachmann one.

 

By the logic of the above statement, Bachmann should make its Class 45 uglier in order to better Heljan's effort.  Crazy times we live in.

  • Like 1
  • Agree 1
  • Funny 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

My reading of it is..

 

Quote

45100 – BR green D31

45101 – BR green D57 with small yellow panels

45104 – BR blue 64 Coldstream Guardsman with full yellow ends

45106 – BR green D65 Grenadier Guardsman with small yellow panels (Rails of Sheffield exclusive)

45300 – BR blue 45003 with full yellow ends

45304 – BR blue 45033 ‘Sirius’ with full yellow ends and Tinsley names WEATHERED

45305 – BR blue 45060 Sherwood Forester with full yellow ends (Rails of Sheffield exclusive)

45402 – BR blue 45133 with full yellow ends

45500 – BR blue 45110 ‘Medusa’ with full yellow ends and Tinsley names WEATHERED (Kernow Model Rail Centre exclusive)

45501 – BR ‘railtour’ green 45106 with full yellow ends, Tinsley diamond plaques and square headlight

45502 – BR blue 45118 with full yellow ends, orange cantrail stripes and square headlight

 

There are gaps in catalog sequences: 45102/3/5. And 45200, 45301/2/3/5and 45401/45503... so theres more to come.

 

plus.. 

 

Hattons / Olivias are advertising unnumbered versions catalog numbers 45: 

107 - 45/0 Green split centre headcode

108 - 45/0 GHYE split centre headcode

109 - 45/0 GHYE “economy green” split centre headcode (i assume sans white stripe)

306 - 45/0 Blue sealed beam (no headlight)

403 - 45/1 Sealed beam without headlight

504 - 45/1 Sealed beam with headlights 

 

whilst “customised” is an easy to guess, the sku catalog numbers haven't been announced by Heljan, presumably Hattons haven't invented catalog numbers, it would suggest unnumbered variants are to be produced ?

 

My guess is 452xx is for either split box, or solid centre headcode versions at some point.

 

Christmas has come early... i’m in dilema now, Will Bachmann have the right tooling vs what will the Heljan 45 deliver like ?

 

For now i’m going into excited holding pattern, once the Heljan EP appears and once the Bachmann ones arrive, it will be judgement day..

 

The winning model is in for quite an order from me, Ive been upgrading Replica Peaks for quite a while, so i’ve quite a few to part with.

 

 

Edited by adb968008
  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Nconsistent said:

I have been planning to add a 45 for my mid to late '60s BR southern layout to haul my HAA coal train bound for the cement works at Cliffe. I have seen images of them working through Kent, sometimes piloted by a 33, IIRC, but have no idea about which numbers or named engines definitely did this work. Personally I would prefer pretops green with split headcodes, but if anyone has more info the Heljan does look good.

These ran from Welbeck Colliery in Derbyshire via Toton and Brent but I don't know when the North Kent works were equipped for MGR working, I believe they'd previously ran with vacuum braked wagons and I wouldn't be certain that MGRs ran before the 1970s.

 

They ran twice daily in the late 70s and early 80s and were rostered for Toton type 4 haulage which could be anything from home, Holbeck or Tinsley based 45/0, 45/1 or any variant of 47 from just about any depot. Pairs of 25s were a pretty rare but acceptable substitute, legend has it type 1s were used on occasions after they'd been fitted with guard's brake valves in the early 80s but I've never seen a photo and as Cricklewood crews weren't trained on them, it seems unlikely they'd have progressed beyond Wellingborough. A look at an Ian Allan Locoshed book for your chosen period should give plenty of options.

 

The roster had an exchange of north and southbound trains between LMR and SR motive power and crews at Brent but this didn't always happen and a pal of mine who was at Cricklewood 1978-1983 took the train onward with a pilot from Clapham several times. 

  • Like 1
  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

I've found a couple of low quality (Kodak 110) grainy images in my archive of 45 119 from my spotting days at secondary school with the railway club we had, so that's the one I'd want to model. I think a Hattons one (unnumbered, sealed beam blue with no high intensity light) may be the best fit.

Link to post
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, pinzaboy said:

This is great news about the 45. But I do hope Heljan give serious consideration to the headcode fonts and get it right this time, unlike their previous attempts on their diesel locos.

Here's hoping!

Tim

The problem with head codes for all manufacturers is that the model production methods generally use computer fonts. The full-size roller blinds generally didn't, so there are no easily available fonts that precisely replicate the real thing. I suspect that those - including decal manufacturers - who get them right, have to do a lot of their own origination of letter shapes or photographic copying from the real thing. (CJL)

Link to post
Share on other sites

What's missing from the list for me is a bog standard 45/1 in blue with headlight and no cantrail stripe or Tinsley embelishments. From memory not many received the orange cantrail stripe as per 45110 & 45118.

 

Presumably however this is simply a matter of adding a headlight to 45133 as they did on the prototype?

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

A very welcome model. What is missing from the details in this news release is a description of the drive mechanism and pick-ups. Will it be a true 1-Co-Co-1, which has pick-ups on all wheels? I note there is reference to the coupling being part of the buffer beam, but I return to a question posted on an earlier occasion, will the droopy coupling that comes with Heljan models be dispensed with, rather than keep on producing a glaring idiosyncrasy? Also, will the chassis be of an improved material, obviating issues found on some earlier models, i.e. Class 23s (Baby Deltics) and so on?

  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
4 hours ago, MGR Hooper! said:


 I have no personal interest in the Class 45, I find it an ugly locomotive.

 

Much too curvy, all that unnecessary clutter on the sides - and why all those extra wheels?!

 

  • Funny 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
6 hours ago, Nconsistent said:

I have been planning to add a 45 for my mid to late '60s BR southern layout to haul my HAA coal train bound for the cement works at Cliffe. I have seen images of them working through Kent, sometimes piloted by a 33, IIRC, but have no idea about which numbers or named engines definitely did this work. Personally I would prefer pretops green with split headcodes, but if anyone has more info the Heljan does look good.

 

Have you looked at these year based pages ? Theres a lot of good gen there, may help you. An air braked GSYP loco may be a challenge....

 

https://www.derbysulzers.com/67.html

 

Phil

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
4 hours ago, dibber25 said:

The problem with head codes for all manufacturers is that the model production methods generally use computer fonts. The full-size roller blinds generally didn't, so there are no easily available fonts that precisely replicate the real thing. I suspect that those - including decal manufacturers - who get them right, have to do a lot of their own origination of letter shapes or photographic copying from the real thing. (CJL)

 

I'm surprised that no-one has bothered to create a font for the roller blinds - it's not exactly hard. Scan in pictures or photocopies of the originals (would they be available from historical reference sources like the NRM?) and use readily available font software to create the font file(s).

 

Heck, if someone can supply me with the original artwork, I'll do it myself.

 

Edit: I'm presuming that copyright on the originals is now out of date so effectively putting the typeface in the public domain.

Edited by Ian J.
  • Like 2
  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm putting my money behind Heljan on this one. Bachmann have had an open goal for years and have ignored it, for them to announce now as a spolier to Heljan is a tad underhand in my view and for that they do not have my support in this one.

  • Like 1
  • Agree 7
Link to post
Share on other sites

Heljan got the head codes correct years ago on their 47s. How they’ve been all over the place since then is a mystery as the real things are the same size across all the loco and unit types having 4 character head codes.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I’ve tried to post this on Hatton’s site but trying to get past Disqus is pretty disheartening once you’re busy proving you are not a robot several times. 

 

They seem to have incorrectly carried over the descriptions for both #45502 and #45501 on their website as the descriptions do not tally when you click on the link - the high intensity headlight disappears.

 

So if that is your choice may be worth a quick message to them to confirm exactly what you are going to get.

 

//Simon 

Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Ian J. said:

 

I'm surprised that no-one has bothered to create a font for the roller blinds - it's not exactly hard. Scan in pictures or photocopies of the originals (would they be available from historical reference sources like the NRM?) and use readily available font software to create the font file(s).

 

Heck, if someone can supply me with the original artwork, I'll do it myself.

 

Edit: I'm presuming that copyright on the originals is now out of date so effectively putting the typeface in the public domain.

I'm really only familiar with print industry fonts - and that was from day release study in 1970 when most fonts were owned by those who originated them - either Monotype or Linotype (mainly newspaper fonts). The rights to those fonts were jealously guarded at that time and may still be, by whoever now owns them. I guess roller blinds would have been screen-printed and probably the company that did the printing would have owned the font it used. The letter-form needed to be tall and narrow to fit the blind shape, so may well have been specially created for the purpose. (CJL)

Edited by dibber25
Link to post
Share on other sites

Is the shape of the outer windows correct in the front? It looks like they have the radius at the top corner too tight with an extended straight section at the top. This is the same as the 7mm version which to my eye lets it down.

 

Regards

 

Mark Humphrys

  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
9 hours ago, dibber25 said:

I'm really only familiar with print industry fonts - and that was from day release study in 1970 when most fonts were owned by those who originated them - either Monotype or Linotype (mainly newspaper fonts). The rights to those fonts were jealously guarded at that time and may still be, by whoever now owns them. I guess roller blinds would have been screen-printed and probably the company that did the printing would have owned the font it used. The letter-form needed to be tall and narrow to fit the blind shape, so may well have been specially created for the purpose. (CJL)

 

I'm going to open a thread about headcode typeface as otherwise it might get annoying for those looking for Class 45 news.

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...