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Heljan GWR 47xx Night Owl


Hilux5972
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Have just spotted this announcement in the warley news thread. Due for release in 2016 and working in collaboration with the Team who are currently building No.4709. Hopefully they get it right and do not repeat any of the problems with the Garretts because I will be purchasing several.

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I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, I do like the big 4700s and I am glad that a RTR model is coming out. With their regular turns on summer Saturday trains, I predict they will be popular.

 

However I am sad to hear that Heljan will be doing it as it means there is little prospect of an N Gauge version in the foreseeable future.

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For those who want to know more about the Night Owls and the 4709 Project, a short book, "Recreating the Night Owl-the story so far" edited by Andrew Fowler, was published earlier this year.

 

4709 is being assembled at Llangollen a few meters from The Unknown Warrior. There wil opportunities to see both at The Steel, Steam and Stars 4 Gala 6-8 & 13-15 March 2015. See you there.

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Due to use on overnight freight work apparently: http://www.knowles-cadbury-brown.co.uk/4709/

I know what work they did - in fact I knew more than a few men who worked on them as it happens - but I've only heard this 'night owl' name in very recent years and in connection with the new build project. Hence wondering where it came from?

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Has anybody any idea where the 'night owl' name for the 47XX came from?

Probably a recent invention since this new-builds inception (?), can't say I've heard it before, and I've seen 6 of the class in service.

OOpps, sorry to repeat you Mike !!

Edited by bike2steam
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Now this is one new announcement that I'm really pleased to see. I've a Cotswold version built, oh, 25 years ago or more, and it will "pull a house over", but it's obviously of its time and poorly detailed against today's rtr offerings. Mind you, I'll still wait to see the quality of Heljan steam locos before ordering - I think the Beyer-Garratt is a little too specialised and complex to take as a general marker for quality/detail.

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Probably a recent invention since this new-builds inception (?), can't say I've heard it before, and I've seen 6 of the class in service.OOpps, sorry to repeat you Mike !!

My understanding from all the written sources at my disposal is that the title dates from the locos' service days and is not an invention of the Heritage Movement.

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Has anybody any idea where the 'night owl' name for the 47XX came from?

47xxs' were  so nicknamed because they originally were employed on overnight work ,they also appeared post war on Saturadays only holiday traffic to and from west of england , ie,Paignton Kingswear . RK

Edited by ralph124red
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RMWeb member "7013" has been asking for a 47xx since the days when Pat Hammond manually collated the wish list results submitted by email.

I am concerned that he may have fallen from his chair and hasn't got back up as I would've expected some response from him.

Please let us know you're alright and that this model finds favour.

 

King regards "7013"

Roy Palfrey (from our old MREMag days)

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RMWeb member "7013" has been asking for a 47xx since the days when Pat Hammond manually collated the wish list results submitted by email.

I am concerned that he may have fallen from his chair and hasn't got back up as I would've expected some response from him.

Please let us know you're alright and that this model finds favour.

 

King regards "7013"

Roy Palfrey (from our old MREMag days)

I can just imagine 7013 running around town tonight like a demented dervish, dribbling and muttering something about needing a few to all the groups of young ladies he passes, only to be then locked up by dibble to spend the night impersonating a 47xx in his cell!

 

Bet he's a happy chappy that's for sure :-)

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It was because they were mainly used on overnight fitted freights and there were thus rarely seen during the day except in the summer when they were used on excursion traffic.

They also used to turn up occasionally on Westbury-Exeter Central block cement trains and a blind eye seems to have been turned to the fact that they weren't supposed to go up the bank from St Davids.

 

IIRC one of these turns was the last revenue earning trip for a member of the class.

 

One of my favourite ex-GWR classes and I'll be delighted to have a model of one.

 

John

Edited by Dunsignalling
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They also used to turn up occasionally on Westbury-Exeter Central block cement trains and a blind eye seems to have been turned to the fact that they weren't supposed to go up the bank from St Davids.

John

The last duty for the last member of the class (I think it was 4704)in early 64, the curve on the climb to Central was the problem, the 47 could only proceed up it dead slow, control was worried about stalling so a couple of those type 2 hydraulics were put behind to bank it up gently(ish).

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47xxs' were  so nicknamed because they originally were employed on overnight work ,they also appeared post war on Saturadays only holiday traffic to and from west of england , ie,Paignton Kingswear . RK

And aslso on "The Royal Duchy" on occasion,not just on holiday extras. Then came the ubiquitous 9F's....

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Probably the same Herbert/To**er/Journalist who gave us "Taffy Tanks....."

 

Grrrrr.....

 

Ian

That wouldn't surprise me one bit Ian - I won't claim to have every history of GW loco practice ever written or indeed every history of the Company and its various traffics ever written but I do have/have read quite a lot of them plus virtually all the GWR's own engine books together with knowing, as I said before, quite a lot of men who worked on them and this 'Night Owl' thing (presumably to distinguish them from a 'Day Owl'?) seems to me to be very recent and I have definitely never seen it in any pre-war books or magazines.  

 

In fact the name 'the owl' was applied - in different places I think - to various overnight trains at least one of which might once have been worked by a 47XX but that's about as near as I can get.

 

As far as the model itself is concerned we are clearly at very early days with what seems to have been a very low key announcement from Heljan although that might hide work proceeding in the background - maybe they were worried someone else might announce it this weekend?  It stands a good chance of being popular with 'mainline' GW/WR modellers and with those who like big engines for the sake of their appearance (which was definitely impressive, especially when clean).  So it ought to sell fairly well but judging by the way things are going I have a feeling it will arrive with a hefty price tag - although the day of the £200 r-t-r loco is drawing ever closer.

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