Heljan Class 25/3
◆ GAUGE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL Heljan Class 25/3 25912 Tamworth Castle ◆ PRICE £179.95 ◆ AVAILABILITY Heljan stockists Web www.gaugemaster.com
Ihaven’t met many railway enthusiasts who haven’t had a soft spot for the Class 25. These modest little diesel electrics were once ubiquitous across the UK mainland network, busying themselves with all manner of freight and passenger tasks. Indeed, their scurrying nature earned them the affectionate nickname ‘Rats’.
It was a sad day when the class disappeared from BR in the late 1980s, although I was lucky enough to have the last few examples working around my neck of the woods during my ‘spotting days. Furthermore, it was the arrival of Bachmann’s Class 25 model in the early 2000s that reignited my interest in model railways after a brief hiatus.
Bachmann’s family of ‘OO’ Class 24/25s proved to be landmark models in lots of ways. At the time, I couldn’t believe the uplift in running performance compared to my old Lima and Ringfield-powered Hornby diesels, hence why I suddenly felt an urge to start building layouts again! But time moves on and 2021’s consumers now demand more in the way of technical specification and detail finesse.
Which brings us on to Heljan’s new ‘OO’ release, the hotly anticipated Class 25. By portraying the ‘Series Two’ version (Class 25/2 and 25/3 sub-classes), Heljan has arguably chosen the more stylish iteration of the Derby/sulzer Type 2. With its neater body styling and lack of front gangway doors, these were also the longest lived ‘25s’ in BR service.
A number of models are on offer in this initial production batch, carrying BR two-tone green (with large and small warning panels), plus BR blue, with weathered versions of each also available. Additionally, there’s an early version of Rail Blue with small yellow ends (as D7661), along with a pair of ETHELS in blue/grey and Inter City colours (see Factfile panel).
Our sample model represents a favourite from my youth: 25912
Tamworth Castle, in its special ‘ice cream van’ livery, with painted-on names. I can recall seeing the prototype as it pottered around Warrington Yard with her Class 25/9 sisters, as they saw out their days working freight and ballast trains in 1986/7. Gaining a cult following, Tamworth Castle became a darling of the contemporary railway press, and I must admit to having a few posters of her on my bedroom wall as a teenager, among my football and music idols.
A FAB OR A MINI MILK?
First impressions of the model are very favourable, with the bogies and detailed underframe catching my eyes, despite the vibrant colour scheme. I’d seen pre-production samples of the Heljan ‘25’ at close quarters – and even painted one up – but they lacked some of the fine detail parts now fitted to the production models. The bogies are excellent, offering a very convincing depiction of the distinctive framework and suspension. The brake gear looks the part, with the shoes perfectly aligned with the wheels, plus SKF roller bearing axle covers and delicate footsteps all adding up to an impressive sense of realism.
The fuel tank and battery box area is equally impressive, with a convincing sense of depth to the complex arrangement. All but a handful of Class 25/2 and 25/3s
were built without train heating boilers, so there is no water tank installed. The lines of electrical conduit have been picked out in orange paint, as have the white air lines on the bogie frames.
Before we move upwards, the bufferbeams are also worthy of note. A full array of hoses and brake pipes are pre-installed, along with dummy screw couplings. Pivoting NEM coupler pockets are fitted to the outer bogie frames and a set of tension lock couplings is supplied as separate items, although the hoses will need to be removed to accommodate these. Furthermore, the small cylindrical tanks fitted behind the bufferbeams
impair the rotation of the bogies slightly, so modellers may choose to dispense with them. Our sample sports a set of polished buffers, befitting 25912’s celebrity status, and the Oleo heads are sprung, albeit with very little tension.
Looking at the bodyshell, Heljan has done a very good job of capturing the handsome character of the prototype. In terms of overall dimensions, it’s pretty much spot-on and the moulded detail is crisp and well executed. The small side grilles are moulded, but the louvres are sharply defined, while the larger grilles are separate metal etches, which look
good. The all-important front ends have an authentic profile and the fine metal handrails and separate lamp brackets add a touch of class.
The fit of the windscreens at one end is not quite perfect on our sample, but otherwise the glazing is clear and almost flush. The painted black beading is applied to the outer faces only, leaving the yellow exposed around the edges of the windows, which is a shame, but can be easily fixed with a fine brush and is limited to this particular livery version anyway. The cab doors are a little short, scaling to about 5ft tall, but everything else looks fine, with some nice rivet head detail on the various panels.
On the roof, the radiator fan grille is also etched metal with an appropriate mesh pattern, while a fan is fixed beneath. Appropriately, the boiler compartment is barren and the main exhaust port panel sits above the roof, which does look a little untidy.
Livery application is very good, with the various elements of Tamworth Castle’s unusual colour scheme captured accurately, including the black edging along the lower bodysides and cab gutter strips. All the printed detail is neat (including Carlisle Kingmoor depot stickers), and the silver roof has a subtle metallic finish.
Having removed the body, the innards are refreshingly uncomplicated. There’s a small PCB in the centre of the chassis, incorporating a 21pin DCC interface and there’s space on either side for a sound system of your choosing. The model
In terms of overall dimensions, it’s pretty much spot-on and the moulded detail is crisp and well executed