Heljan 0 Gauge Class 27’s

[DLIBOD17]

Now on their way to the UK apparently…..

[Solo]

These look lovely and I'm hoping to procure one as my first 'big' diesel; but is it possible to actually buy one of the Loksound XL decoders needed to operate them on DCC (with sound)? Most of the usual suppliers appear to be out of stock.

[DLIBOD17]

Very impressed with my 27032. The factory weathering is certainly getting even better than some previous models. The instructions for affixing the snowploughs are incorrect & for a different design for fixing.

[dodge605]

Hi,see the sand boxes are missing from yours same as mine, was there any in box? 

[admiles]

38 minutes ago, dodge605 said:

Hi,see the sand boxes are missing from yours same as mine, was there any in box? 

 

No they've been missed off some versions. Assume Heljan will provide parts at some point for the customer to fit themselves.

[dodge605]

Thanks,may be a long wait!

 

[DLIBOD17]

No sandboxes in the box. I’m hoping that Rails of Sheffield will receive some for onward transmission to purchasers. Just hope that they are weathered to match the bogies.

[mikeford2002uk]

Hi

Are you on DCC or DC? If DCC does the roof fan spin please?

 

Mike

[DLIBOD17]

Apologies but I’ve not run mine yet.

[Peter749]

Heljan 2775 Class 27 D5382 in BR two-tone green with small yellow panels

Is this a fictitious livery?

I was looking thru a number of books but I cannot find a picture of a Class 27 without the white cab surround

Although I suspect somebody will know of one

[BR(S)]

18 minutes ago, Peter749 said:

Heljan 2775 Class 27 D5382 in BR two-tone green with small yellow panels

Is this a fictitious livery?

I was looking thru a number of books but I cannot find a picture of a Class 27 without the white cab surround

Although I suspect somebody will know of one

 

http://www.miac.org.uk/class27.html

[Hal Nail]

17 hours ago, Peter749 said:

Although I suspect somebody will know of one

Or spend 10 seconds on Google!

 

 

 

[Halvarras]

On 29/01/2023 at 14:26, Peter749 said:

Heljan 2775 Class 27 D5382 in BR two-tone green with small yellow panels

Is this a fictitious livery?

I was looking thru a number of books but I cannot find a picture of a Class 27 without the white cab surround

Although I suspect somebody will know of one

 

Just the two. I'm pleased to see that Heljan have correctly extended the roof grey down to the top beading (instead of rainstrip) and kept the yellow panels within the lamp brackets this time, compared to the earlier OO model.

 

Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s information on these unusual livery variations was extremely hard to come by, and tended to be 'rumour mill' material - unless one lived in the right area to actually see them it was initially word-of-mouth. Such locos seemed adept at dodging cameras and never appeared in the railway magazines of the time, which were mostly steam-oriented so diesel coverage was limited. Only the annual Ian Allan ABCs were likely to include photos of rarities and pics of blue small yellow panel D5389 and blue full yellow D5909 caused quite a stir in the years they appeared (the first was unknown to me and the latter had achieved almost mythical status, although it was known to exist as it was active in the London area so lots of reports but up 'til then no published photos). Those oddities in far-flung places, such as D5701 and D6109, the only blue examples of their respective classes, remained rumours to most of us; the first pictorial album dedicated to diesel traction I found was by Bradford Barton in 1973, but even the expansion of such albums after that failed to include images of most livery oddities. Although D5380 in two-tone green was known about it was thought to be unique and I still recall John Hague, the compiler and author of a supplement 'Un-Corporate Image' issued with BRM and Traction magazines in spring 2002, claiming to have been "floored by the discovery" of a colour photo of D5382 in ttg at Ayr in 1968. Obviously we now know that photographs of it were taken by a few people during the short time it ran in this livery (D5380 lasted longer) but it had taken a whopping 34 years for the rest of us to find out about it!!

Appeals for assistance with this supplement put a group of livery enthusiasts in touch with each other and instigated much internet-trawling. It was around that time that a b&w photo of withdrawn Class 21 D6109 in blue was unearthed - and only then was it discovered that it had received headcode panels and other Class 29-related external modifications, although many more years would pass before an excellent colour front 3/4 view would appear in print. Another surprising photo was green 6123 with headcode discs on its full yellow ends, the only NBL of either type to achieve this strange-looking combination. Also confirmation that Deltic D9010 really did run in green with BR arrow logos instead of emblems. All of this had been recorded by those there at the time but it was the internet which finally gave access to such material.

 

And incredibly, many of these one-time livery myths have become available as RTR models - 20 years ago that's something I would never have expected to see!

[Peter749]

On 30/01/2023 at 08:12, Hal Nail said:

Or spend 10 seconds on Google!

 

 

 

I did look on Google and just because you found a picture would depend on your search settings

[Hal Nail]

26 minutes ago, Peter749 said:

I did look on Google and just because you found a picture would depend on your search settings

apologies, wasnt meant to come across that rude!

[Eden Road TMD]

My mate has one of these and the sand boxes have been put on diagonally opposite from where they should be

[admiles]

On 04/03/2023 at 17:32, Eden Road TMD said:

My mate has one of these and the sand boxes have been put on diagonally opposite from where they should be

 

I guess the question is did he fit them himself or did they come factory fitted? Some versions come without them and have been supplied after release for the customer to fit.

[Eden Road TMD]

On 08/03/2023 at 17:01, admiles said:

 

I guess the question is did he fit them himself or did they come factory fitted? Some versions come without them and have been supplied after release for the customer to fit.

They came factory fitted. 

[Hal Nail]

7 minutes ago, Eden Road TMD said:

They came factory fitted. 

unless the retailer had done it to their unsold stock when the spares arrived later?

Edited March 11, 2023 by Hal Nail

[Eden Road TMD]

On 11/03/2023 at 08:03, Hal Nail said:

unless the retailer had done it to their unsold stock when the spares arrived later?

Definitely not the retailer. 

[thegreenhowards]

I’ve just had a nightmare changing the headcode on my Class 27. I assumed that the best way would be to remove the light box from inside and then the headcode would be a loose piece of paper which I could replace - wrong!

 

The light box was a pig to remove being superglued (or similar) into the roof. I managed to put a screwdriver through the roof in the process of removing it! Even then the headcode is firmly attached to the back of the plastic glazing unit. I tired scraping it off with a knife and it came eventually but resulted in a few scratches. This was sorted with some fine wet and followed by T-cut.

 

Then I realised that the Railtec transfers I had wouldn’t work because they are white lettering. They could be applied to a black painted background, but then one would lose the impact of the backlighting.

 

Precision labels came to the rescue with a set of headcodes on translucent film. At £1.50 for a pair or £4.50 for five pairs they’re excellent value. You just cut them out, place them in the light box loose and glue the clear plastic back on with something like glue and glaze or canopy glue.

 

For the other end and my other 27, I have just prised the clear plastic off the front of the light box with a sharp knife, and applied the fine wet and dry and T cut.  I’m pleased with the result, but what a palaver!

 

 

Now has anyone added a tablet catcher recess and converted it to sliding windows for a proper Scottish version?

 

Andy

[railtec-models]

10 hours ago, thegreenhowards said:

Then I realised that the Railtec transfers I had wouldn’t work because they are white lettering. They could be applied to a black painted background, but then one would lose the impact of the backlighting.

 

Andy

 

Hi Andy, it looks like you went for the sheet of just plain white alpha-nums (which some people use for some projects) rather than either:

 

- the stock item sheet of the reverse-printed alpha-nums with accompanying semi-translucent black backing, or

 

- the custom-made option where you get ready-made headcodes (either printed face-on or in reverse - your choice) with the realistic black / dark grey backing that can be applied in one easy hit. They let the light through perfectly on the alpha-nums whilst the interlocking black verticals between the blinds do not, giving the desired effect like this:

 

 

I would imagine a clear translucent film may allow the light to shine through across the entire thing? If memory serves I tried it back in the early days but I wasn't convinced with the effect, hence I went for the above.

 

[thegreenhowards]

3 hours ago, railtec-models said:

 

Hi Andy, it looks like you went for the sheet of just plain white alpha-nums (which some people use for some projects) rather than either:

 

- the stock item sheet of the reverse-printed alpha-nums with accompanying semi-translucent black backing, or

 

- the custom-made option where you get ready-made headcodes (either printed face-on or in reverse - your choice) with the realistic black / dark grey backing that can be applied in one easy hit. They let the light through perfectly on the alpha-nums whilst the interlocking black verticals between the blinds do not, giving the desired effect like this:

 

 

I would imagine a clear translucent film may allow the light to shine through across the entire thing? If memory serves I tried it back in the early days but I wasn't convinced with the effect, hence I went for the above.

 

Hi Steve,

 

Yes, I went for your sheet 1039 when I ordered the full 27 (5392) from you a month or so ago. Your other suggestions look like they would have done the job. I just didn’t see them on your website. I didn’t mean to be critical of your products which are always excellent. The white head codes would clearly do a job - just not the one I wanted! I should have asked you but I just saw 1039 and assumed it was what I needed.

 

Regards

 

Andy