Heljan announce Class 104 DMU in OO gauge

[Legend]

Just too expensive . Can’t justify spending that on a unit used only occasionally . Agree it looks superb 

[Matt]

On 28/11/2023 at 19:20, andyman7 said:

I think these are looking good! (Photo from Warley)

My first impression was that the front end looks like steel plate with cutout windows as per real thing - not something all other models achieve. Probably the combo of flush glazing and sharp moulding of body. Nice.  Do I need one ? No. Will I buy one? Err….

[Roy Langridge]

For me I never pre-order Heljan as I find them a bit hit-or-miss. This one is looking like it could be their biggest hit yet. 
 

Expensive? Yes, but I will find the money for a couple if it looks as good in the flesh as it does in those photos. 
 

Roy

Edited December 3, 2023 by Roy Langridge
Typo

[97406]

37 minutes ago, Roy Langridge said:

For me I never pre-order Heljan as I find them a bit hit-or-miss. This one is looking like it could be their biggest hit yet. 
 

Expensive? Yes, but I will find the money for a couple of it looks as good in the flesh as it does in those photos. 
 

Roy

 

Yes, I can see myself getting one too as they look the biz.

[stewartingram]

I have one I converted from a Hornby 110 when they were introduced. No added bits from anyone, all my own work. I picked up an etched 104 cab conversion in recent times to improve it, but I'm tempted by the Heljan version. (Never had a problem with Heljan, despite what others say). An absolute must for my Cambridge collection, green with one blue car; added to my Bachmann 101 converted to a 3-car from 2 x 2-car + a Lima centre car (again 2x green + the blue centre car).

But I'm bauking at the price at the moment.

[ColinK]

A 104 is probably the one dmu I need for my layouts.  The Heljan model looks superb, so I’m not even looking at the price.

 

If this is the success, hopefully a 120 will follow.

[Covkid]

17 hours ago, ColinK said:

If this is the success, hopefully a 120 will follow.

 

Entirely agree with that

[mallaig1983]

1 hour ago, Covkid said:

 

Entirely agree with that

Ah but will they do them with the 101 centre car though? 🤔

[Peter Eaton]

On 09/11/2023 at 13:37, MJI said:

AS I would like the WR 2 car, I am going to buy a S/H Hornby 110 and use Ironmink cab fronts and underframe bits.

Who are Ironmink please. Google seems no help.

Thanks

Peter

[Halvarras]

13 minutes ago, mallaig1983 said:

Ah but will they do them with the 101 centre car though? 🤔

 

For a Class 120? Well, anything was possible with DMUs (with matching MU codes of course), but AIUI the three Class 101 centre cars the WR got hold of c1968/9 (W59528/38/43) were to replace the three Hawksworth CKs (W7254/7804/7813W) converted to work within GRCW Class 119 cross-country sets and may have briefly done so before ending up strengthening Reading-based Class 117/118 suburban units instead.

I've never seen evidence of their use with Class 120s and tooling up a '101' centre car in isolation would be a bit mad really, so that would be a no I reckon.

 

Now if Bachmann were to introduce a centre car to create a 3-car Class 101 from their existing tooling that would present possibilities........so long as the inter-vehicle couplings matched up which from two different manufacturers is highly unlikely! (No such problem when I checked whether the centre car from my Hornby ex-Lima '101' centre car would work within a Lima Class 117 set but appearance-wise they were chalk-and-cheese so I rejected that idea!)

 

Those three '101' centre cars were the first short-frame DMU cars the WR ever got, followed by a few '103s' in 1971 and five former ScR 3-car '101s in 1974.

[MJI]

1 hour ago, Peter Eaton said:

Who are Ironmink please. Google seems no help.

Thanks

Peter

 

https://www.thingiverse.com/ironmink/designs

[mallaig1983]

3 hours ago, Halvarras said:

 

For a Class 120? Well, anything was possible with DMUs (with matching MU codes of course), but AIUI the three Class 101 centre cars the WR got hold of c1968/9 (W59528/38/43) were to replace the three Hawksworth CKs (W7254/7804/7813W) converted to work within GRCW Class 119 cross-country sets and may have briefly done so before ending up strengthening Reading-based Class 117/118 suburban units instead.

I've never seen evidence of their use with Class 120s and tooling up a '101' centre car in isolation would be a bit mad really, so that would be a no I reckon.

 

Now if Bachmann were to introduce a centre car to create a 3-car Class 101 from their existing tooling that would present possibilities........so long as the inter-vehicle couplings matched up which from two different manufacturers is highly unlikely! (No such problem when I checked whether the centre car from my Hornby ex-Lima '101' centre car would work within a Lima Class 117 set but appearance-wise they were chalk-and-cheese so I rejected that idea!)

 

Those three '101' centre cars were the first short-frame DMU cars the WR ever got, followed by a few '103s' in 1971 and five former ScR 3-car '101s in 1974.

Perhaps it was a LM region thing. I always assumed they replaced the buffet car trailers with these. I am talking very late in their lives though. I think the only ones I saw on the North Wales Coast and Cambrian lines in the early 80s all had a class 101 centre car.

[GordonC]

27 minutes ago, mallaig1983 said:

Perhaps it was a LM region thing. I always assumed they replaced the buffet car trailers with these. I am talking very late in their lives though. I think the only ones I saw on the North Wales Coast and Cambrian lines in the early 80s all had a class 101 centre car.

 

I thought it was meant to be because the Class 120 Centre cars contained asbestos where the Class 101 trailers presumably had it removed. It certainly happened in the Scottish region too, but then at that time mid-80s pretty much anything was lashed together to get sets out too.

[D9020 Nimbus]

I'd suspect a 120 from Revolution Trains might be just as likely — they're doing it in N gauge.

 

ISTR 101s had a different body profile to other DMUs — a 101 trailer in any other kind of DMU looks odd.

[25kV]

 

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lickeybanker/15063889527/ - photo by Don Gatehouse...

A bit of Class 120 with 101 centre action.

[Halvarras]

1 hour ago, 25kV said:

 

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lickeybanker/15063889527/ - photo by Don Gatehouse...

A bit of Class 120 with 101 centre action.

 

Well there you go - that's a first for me (although in my defence I didn't often venture off WR territory to see such things back then........that said no doubt I'll now find a photo in a book I've had for decades 🥴!)

[Peter749]

Slightly irritating that of all the liveries being produced there is not one that cover what I would like.

A 3 car set in BR blue with a single roof mounted light - as built, maybe a white cab roof.

 

What I remember from being a Guard in the Manchester area

 

Peter

 

[Covkid]

On 04/12/2023 at 16:54, D9020 Nimbus said:

I'd suspect a 120 from Revolution Trains might be just as likely — they're doing it in N gauge.

I

 

I would have thought the same as you, but surely they would announce it as such ? 

IMHO this is the similar scenario to Rapido and their N scale Conflat P.  Many 4mmers would like the same wagon in OO but it seems Rapido are not rising to the bait. 

[GordonC]

11 hours ago, Covkid said:

 

I would have thought the same as you, but surely they would announce it as such ? 

IMHO this is the similar scenario to Rapido and their N scale Conflat P.  Many 4mmers would like the same wagon in OO but it seems Rapido are not rising to the bait. 

 

a Class 120 has got to be a pretty open goal - in terms of widespread use of a distinctive class I'm actually really surprised no manufacturer has grabbed the bait yet. There's no mistaking the look and styling of them compared to other classes

 

[Covkid]

1 hour ago, GordonC said:

A Class 120 has got to be a pretty open goal - in terms of widespread use of a distinctive class I'm actually really surprised no manufacturer has grabbed the bait yet. There's no mistaking the look and styling of them compared to other classes

 

 

Very much so.  From their introduction where they worked a lot of  the Western region, the LMR and Scotland, their scope considerably widened, and I will always link them with the Birmingham - Cleethorpes service, as well as the Cambrian, Central Wales, North Wales coast, East Midlands etc etc etc  A huge operating scope - but we have done this to do death on RMweb on many previous occasions. 

 

The bare fact is most 120s worked as three car units - formed of three totally different cars.  Unlike the Lima 117 where they only provided 2/3rds of an accurate unit, manufacturers today woulod not get away with that, so purchasers would need to dip their hands in their pockets for several hundred pounds worth of Swindon Cross Country unit.   I certainly would.    

[25kV]

Plus you can almost get a two-for-one with your Class 120 body toolings - the Class 119 had very very similar bodywork if you swap out the cab design.

(David Ford on flickr)

 

(Redhill Bull on Flickr)

[MJI]

26 minutes ago, 25kV said:

Plus you can almost get a two-for-one with your Class 120 body toolings - the Class 119 had very very similar bodywork if you swap out the cab design.

(David Ford on flickr)

 

(Redhill Bull on Flickr)

 

Loads of differences, look at the door hinges, underframes totally different, 119 more Derbyish, bodyside profiles not quite the same, Swindon a bit flatter and Gloucester bottom rounder.

 

But window sizes and locations the same.

[Peter749]

On 04/12/2023 at 14:38, MJI said:

 

https://www.thingiverse.com/ironmink/designs

Having looked at the Ironmink page they just seem to have plans and don't have any fronts for sale - or am I missing something

 

Peter

[cctransuk]

Just now, Peter749 said:

Having looked at the Ironmink page they just seem to have plans and don't have any fronts for sale - or am I missing something

 

Peter

 

Ironmink don't sell anything - they post their designs; you download the designs for free; and print them on your 3D printer - or get a friend to do it for you.

 

CJI.

[Peter749]

On 06/04/2024 at 18:53, cctransuk said:

 

Ironmink don't sell anything - they post their designs; you download the designs for free; and print them on your 3D printer - or get a friend to do it for you.

 

CJI.

I will give that up as a bad idea.

No 3D printer and nobody in the local group has one.