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Heljan Co Bo Class 28 Third Release?


proton
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  • 1 year later...

As a couple of years have passed since the question was last asked, does anyone know if Heljan are considering a third run of Class 28's?  Given that the second release was about six or seven years after the first one it's now around the same amount of time after the second release. They seem to be readily snapped up on the occasions they appear on E-bay so presumably there must be still some demand for them.

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  • 4 months later...

The prices these reach on EBay are stratospheric! I’m really surprised that no one at Heljan has picked up on this and announced a new batch - there definitely seems to be a pent up demand, based on what people are prepared to pay for them! 

Edited by nickb4141
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In the recent interview with Richard Davies, the subject of the Class 28 came up - it appears that Hattons still have an interest in this but as with their other assets, it is very likely that this will pass on to someone else as part of the disposal (possibly to Heljan themselves but this was not a given); however it will hopefully unlock a rerun

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I have D5706 of the last release and it arrived in a Hattons box (from Kernow).

 

A very nice model but it caused me some grief because the Co end bogie pivot had too much slack, causing that end to ride a little low and the brake rigging on top of the bogie sideframes to catch on the pipework on the underside of the chassis. I managed to get a small 1mm-thick steel washer into position to cure it although it meant completely dismantling that end of the chassis, and IIRC when I removed the body the motor and drive shafts came away with it! Bit nerve-wracking on a brand new model but it was Kernow's last one in stock and purchased using my accumulated points so I decided to void the warranty and fix it myself. All's well that end's well, as they say!

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I bought D5705 (from Hattons) back in 2015 for what was a good price,at a time when Heljan diesels seemed to have fallen out of favour.

I don't have a layout,so the loco has only had a few runs on a length of track on the dining table,it runs smoothly and silently.I suppose the Class 28 could fall into the category of "how many people actually remember them and what would the likely demand be?". Reading the above,sounds like quite a lot,and I'd guess that when the preserved example is up and running that demand would increase.

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On 20/01/2024 at 17:49, nickb4141 said:

The prices these reach on EBay are stratospheric! I’m really surprised that no one at Heljan has picked up on this and announced a new batch - there definitely seems to be a pent up demand, based on what people are prepared to pay for them! 

 

With ebay you have to look only at items that sold - and ignore the grossly over-optimistic starting prices of things that are repeatedly relisted.  Even then, it only takes a few moneyed types fighting over an item for an auction to reach silly money.

 

I sold my Hornby Dublo Co-bo a good many years ago on ebay because I had seen some auctions resulting in prices I consider completely unjustified at the time.  But that was only 1 loco and an auction with a high starting price  (I would have been happy to keep it had it not sold).   I was once at a railwayana auction and saw something which the auctioneer would have expected to go for perhaps £20 to £50 that sold for £2000. 

 

Current Ebay prices are not enough in themselves to indicate sufficiently serious demand to warrant a re-run, though they could be low enough to confirm that a rerun isn't a good idea.

 

 

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On 20/01/2024 at 17:49, nickb4141 said:

The prices these reach on EBay are stratospheric! I’m really surprised that no one at Heljan has picked up on this and announced a new batch - there definitely seems to be a pent up demand, based on what people are prepared to pay for them! 

I looked on ebay and it seems the going rate is around £200. In fact for that there was a nice looking DCC fitted example (a big advantage if you run DCC as body removal on these isnt for the faint hearted!). If there is a rerun I would expect it will cost at least £200 new I'm afraid.

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22 hours ago, MikeParkin65 said:

I looked on ebay and it seems the going rate is around £200. In fact for that there was a nice looking DCC fitted example (a big advantage if you run DCC as body removal on these isnt for the faint hearted!). If there is a rerun I would expect it will cost at least £200 new I'm afraid.

 

worth keeping an eye on the S/H Heljan CoBos that appear here:

 

https://clarkrailworks.com/collections/Heljan/?sort_by=created-descending

 

 

 

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On 22/01/2024 at 14:36, Michael Hodgson said:

 

With ebay you have to look only at items that sold - and ignore the grossly over-optimistic starting prices of things that are repeatedly relisted.  Even then, it only takes a few moneyed types fighting over an item for an auction to reach silly money.

 

I sold my Hornby Dublo Co-bo a good many years ago on ebay because I had seen some auctions resulting in prices I consider completely unjustified at the time.  But that was only 1 loco and an auction with a high starting price  (I would have been happy to keep it had it not sold).   I was once at a railwayana auction and saw something which the auctioneer would have expected to go for perhaps £20 to £50 that sold for £2000. 

 

Current Ebay prices are not enough in themselves to indicate sufficiently serious demand to warrant a re-run, though they could be low enough to confirm that a rerun isn't a good idea.

 

 

If you look at sold prices on EBay, there are quite a few reaching over £200, so while, yes,I agree it’s not an exact science, it does suggest there is at least some demand for these. The only alternative is the ‘expressions of interest’ polls which, in my opinion are a complete finger in the air and absolutely meaningless. It’s been quite a while since the last batch sold out everywhere, so I would have thought it’d be worth a punt in releasing some more at some point? Incidentally, I wasn’t interested in Class 28’s when the first two batches were released, as they didn’t fit in with my layouts at the time. Currently, I’m planning a model based on the Furness line, so these are very much part of the scene, so I’d be looking for 2-3 if they ever do become available again. Yes, that’s only me, but I’d imagine there are other modellers whose modelling interests ‘evolve’ over time.

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11 minutes ago, nickb4141 said:

Thanks for the recommendation! Just had a quick look and the only Class 28 is, (you guessed it,) sold! 😁 I will however check back periodically, so hopefully, I’ll strike gold! 

 

yes the 28s do seem to shift quickly, as do any BR Blue TOPs 33s, shows where the demand lies!

 

 

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  • 1 month later...
  • RMweb Gold
Posted (edited)

As I'm modelling the Cumbrian coast line between 2017 and 18, I was wondering if I can backdate if from time to time and run the odd Class 28.  Do you think Heljan will ever re-issue it or more likely go to EFE?

Edited by TravisM
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On 24/01/2024 at 05:06, nickb4141 said:

Thanks for the recommendation! Just had a quick look and the only Class 28 is, (you guessed it,) sold! 😁 I will however check back periodically, so hopefully, I’ll strike gold! 

pm me, unused except for testing on the rolling road, not looking to make my fortune but I am in Australia so postage may be an issue.

Rgds Mike

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1 hour ago, TravisM said:

As I'm modelling the Cumbrian coast line between 2017 and 18, I was wondering if I can backdate if from time to time and run the odd Class 28.  Do you think Heljan will ever re-issue it or more likely go to EFE?

I’m sure the 28 will be released again.

its a popular model.

Chances are next time it will have an updated circuit board / leds as this seems to be an ongoing upgrade to older models by Heljan currently.


You never know they might even make a Railfreight livered one, as doing such liveries is becoming a popular thing now.

 

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1 hour ago, stewartingram said:

I have a H-D one, repainted, in my disposals box...

I have one too… but when I out it next to my Heljan one, it looks a little … err tall

😀

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7 hours ago, adb968008 said:

I’m sure the 28 will be released again.

its a popular model.

Chances are next time it will have an updated circuit board / leds as this seems to be an ongoing upgrade to older models by Heljan currently.


You never know they might even make a Railfreight livered one, as doing such liveries is becoming a popular thing now.

 


It would be interesting to see if it’s done again, given the interest shown in Rapido’s N gauge version 

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