Heljan 10800 for OO

[Roy Langridge]

3 hours ago, Pteremy said:

 

It is disappointing, but I hope that I will forgive my one when it arrives from Kernow. It is a rule 1 loco for me so only destined to be an occasional performer. 

 

Heljan don't seem to have had the best of luck recently with this sort of issue. 

It is yet another blunder that should have been picked up or, if was identified, fixed. Thankfully this is further vindication of my decision to never pre-order Heljan again. 
 

As for luck, when it comes to business, luck and hope should not come into it. Processes, diligence and competence do. 
 

Or to plagarise from Ernest Hemingway, you make your own luck. 
 

Roy

[cctransuk]

10 minutes ago, Roy Langridge said:

It is yet another blunder that should have been picked up or, if was identified, fixed. Thankfully this is further vindication of my decision to never pre-order Heljan again. 
 

As for luck, when it comes to business, luck and hope should not come into it. Processes, diligence and competence do. 
 

Or to plagarise from Ernest Hemingway, you make your own luck. 
 

Roy

 

Having built the Dave Alexander kit of 10800 - complete with two Black Beetle motor bogies - I would say that the Heljan model - even sans a short length of beading - is a bargain!

 

CJI.

[Roy Langridge]

1 hour ago, cctransuk said:

 

Having built the Dave Alexander kit of 10800 - complete with two Black Beetle motor bogies - I would say that the Heljan model - even sans a short length of beading - is a bargain!

 

CJI.

It certainly is a good price compared to kit built, but, why do Heljan keep making easily avoided errors?

 

As has been noted in other threads, fixing things like this by properly reviewing CADs and then tooling against them is not rocket science. 
 

Roy

[cctransuk]

1 hour ago, Roy Langridge said:

It certainly is a good price compared to kit built, but, why do Heljan keep making easily avoided errors?

 

As has been noted in other threads, fixing things like this by properly reviewing CADs and then tooling against them is not rocket science. 
 

Roy

 

True - but we are all human!

 

If only I had never made a mistake whilst working!

 

CjI.

[Roy Langridge]

1 minute ago, cctransuk said:

 

True - but we are all human!

 

If only I had never made a mistake whilst working!

 

CjI.

Very true, but when you have made the level of investment that we are told it takes these days to make a model, you need to make sure you have in place checks and balances that mitigate for human failings. 
 

Personally I am glad about these human failings as it they and the processes need to mitigate for them that keep me in work and pay for this hobby!
 

Roy

[Boleyn Road]

Received mine on Friday and I’m really pleased with it! I can’t speak for the accuracy of the loco, and I know other more knowledgeable modellers have pointed out the flaw with the beading, but I think it is an excellent offering.

 

The bogies have lots of depth to them and there is a wealth of detail on the body - some of the grab rails on the roof are moulded rather than separately fitted but that’s really me nitpicking at this point!

 

Managed to dodge the rain and weather the loco as well, the plain black body mixed with the silver bogie certainly provide a challenge but I’m pleased with the results!

 

I know Heljan don’t always get things right but they do a good job of bringing some unusual and unique diesels to market which would probably have been overlooked by other manufacturers.

 

 

 

[Oldddudders]

It may be flawed, but that does look temptingly detailed. 

[jjb1970]

Not perfect but very good, I see more positives than negatives with this one.

[zr2498]

5 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

It may be flawed, but that does look temptingly detailed. 

And the weathering bring out the depth of detail very well. Nice one @stratford 47

[GeoffBird]

Hi, are there any books about this one-off loco?

[Covkid]

27 minutes ago, GeoffBird said:

Hi, are there any books about this one-off loco?

Not sure Geoff but there are some online images and text.  Apart from it's time on the Southern it worked a fairly regular diagram from Birmingham to Cambridge via Rugby. That covers quite a lot of modelling scenarios. 

 

I must admit the photos of the weathered example have nearly got me convinced.  I qwould love one but it was withdrawn just a wee bit too soon to match my modelling period.

[No Decorum]

5 hours ago, GeoffBird said:

Hi, are there any books about this one-off loco?

It’s covered in LMS Diesel Locomotives and Railcars (Locomotives of the LMS Series), Edgar V. Richards, RCTS. Out of print but obtainable used.

[mike3542]

On 29/08/2023 at 09:14, GeoffBird said:

Hi, are there any books about this one-off loco?

`The B T H & North British Type 1 BO-BO Diesel Electric Locomotives-British Railways Classes 15 & 16` by Anthony P.Sayer published 2021 by Pen & Sword Transport has an introductory 5 pages on 10800 at the beginning of the book.

[Downer]

It might just be me, but I find it hard to recall a new loco getting such little attention here.

[Eddie the dog]

Ok, you win ! 😂

I’m very pleased with my model, despite the fact that has been mentioned the beading is missing on one side.

This is not noticeable from normal viewing distance and for me says more about the high standards that

manufactures have set themselves that we pick up on such details.

My particular model does not have a cab light permanently on whilst running on dc either as Heljan state

in the paperwork, but would not be permanently on on the prototype in any case.

As I say “I’m very pleased with my model”.

[Dominion]

I have just been running mine in, I am very happy with it. I live in Canada, and it is really reminiscent of some of the locos CN and CP ran.
My Dad, Grandad, and Great Grandad all worked for Paxman’s so I had to have one :-)

Tom 

[adb968008]

In someways the steam generation failed railway preservation in 1968.

 

Had they continued pursuit into the 1970’s, 10800 and so many other lost diesel classes, including other prototypes could have been saved.

[stewartingram]

I am very pleased with mine.

As for the missing beading, I think that is wrong. To me it looks like wiring conduit for the marker lights, so would only be run where necessary, not all round the loco.

[MikeParkin65]

40 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

In someways the steam generation failed railway preservation in 1968.

 

Had they continued pursuit into the 1970’s, 10800 and so many other lost diesel classes, including other prototypes could have been saved.

I don’t think it’s fair to blame the ‘the steam generation’, they were very clearly trying to save parts of the steam age infrastructure. More I would blame ‘the authorities’ behind what became the National Collection - the BRB and the Science Museum who really should have had the foresight to realise they needed more than DP1 and the Tyneside electric to illustrate other forms of propulsion! Read elsewhere that the LMS Ivatt diesel’s were rejected in part because of where and how asbestos had been deployed in the body shells - don’t know how true that is but they certainly lingered at Derby for a long time before final disposal. 

[paul 27]

15 hours ago, Eddie the dog said:

Ok, you win ! 😂

I’m very pleased with my model, despite the fact that has been mentioned the beading is missing on one side.

This is not noticeable from normal viewing distance and for me says more about the high standards that

manufactures have set themselves that we pick up on such details.

My particular model does not have a cab light permanently on whilst running on dc either as Heljan state

in the paperwork, but would not be permanently on on the prototype in any case.

As I say “I’m very pleased with my model”.

How are these lights meant to operate running on DC mine has no cab lights and has a tail light

at cab end and all four lights at the front not what it says in the instructions.

[Eddie the dog]

Ok, you win ! 😂

I’m very pleased with my model, despite the fact that has been mentioned the beading is missing on one side.

This is not noticeable from normal viewing distance and for me says more about the high standards that

manufactures have set themselves that we pick up on such details.

My particular model does not have a cab light permanently on whilst running on dc either as Heljan state

in the paperwork, but would not be permanently on on the prototype in any case.

As I say “I’m very pleased with my model”.

Edited September 10, 2023 by Eddie the dog

[Eddie the dog]

Sorry, my bad, posted above twice.

Page 10/12 reads “Cab interior light (always on in DC mode)” hence comment.

No offence, just how I read it.

Cheers.

[Ian Hargrave]

18 hours ago, Downer said:

18 hours ago, Downer said:

It might just be me, but I find it hard to recall a new loco getting such little attention here.

    Yes you’re right.Especially when you consider the attention that models of other one off diesel/ ‘non steam’ locomotives of the transition period have been receiving lately…notably KR ( No such thing as bad publicity? ).
 Wonder why this is ? Are we sated by failures & near misses perhaps or might we consider that Heljan has sometimes been on the receiving end of some less than favourable comments on this forum. And thus are we mildly surprised that actually this is a good model ? Look then back over the last decade at the rtr editions they’ve provided. Yes ,maybe a couple of glitches but quite a bit of quality stuff too that others wouldn’t or couldn’t touch. …..the Gas Turbine ,the NER railcar & dc electric being recent. 

 

[Roy Langridge]

5 hours ago, stewartingram said:

I am very pleased with mine.

As for the missing beading, I think that is wrong. To me it looks like wiring conduit for the marker lights, so would only be run where necessary, not all round the loco.

Not the case. If you look at photos of the prototype, it is present on both sides, looking identical on either side.
 

The conduit for the lighting runs down from the markers, not along the running plate.

 

Both of these can be seen on the photo at the top of Hattons description of the prototype:  https://www.hattons.co.uk/directory/vehicledetails?id=3144614

 

Roy

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

On 09/09/2023 at 19:20, Downer said:

It might just be me, but I find it hard to recall a new loco getting such little attention here.

Nothing glamorous about it? Relatively little exposure?

 

I am slightly tempted, solely based on both the performance and appearance of the 15s and a 16 from Heljan, the latter especially. (It's the distinctive exterior styling by someone clearly equipped with in-depth prior experience of ventilated steel cabinet design.)

 

But it doesn't put in an  appearance in my modelling location and time span, whereas many other announced releases, including Heljan's GN cab and tender O2, very much do...