Factfile: Class 25/2 and 25/3
British Railways built up a fleet of almost 500 Derby/ Sulzer Type 2 Bo‑bo diesel electrics, encompassing Classes 24 and 25. The first example, D5000, appeared in 1958 and production continued until 1966, with various design modifications appearing along the way.
When the ‘Series Two’ version of the Class 25 arrived (the subject of the Heljan model), it heralded a much smarter appearance, with most of the bodyside grilles now shifted up to the roof line. Gone too were the front gangway doors, meaning that the cab ends could feature three large windscreens. This revised body style was employed on what would become the ‘25/2’ and ‘25/3’ sub‑classes. While they were both visually identical, they did feature different electrical equipment. Class 25/2 consisted of D5233‑99 and D7500‑67 (later 25083‑217), while D7598‑7677 (25248‑327) made up the ‘25/3’ sub‑class. Employed across most parts of England, Wales and Scotland, the ‘25s’ hauled anything from mineral trains to passenger and parcel services, often double‑headed for heavier work. As the need for Type 2 traction dwindled, the fleet began to contract, with the Class 24 and earlier ‘25s’ the first to go during the 1970s.
Many of the ‘25/3s’ soldiered on into the 1980s, working various Speedlink freight, parcels and newspaper services. They were also popular traction for ballast and other Departmental traffic. Despite a large mid‑‘80s cull, a dozen ‘25/3s’ were
3 kept on, being moved into the 25/9 sub‑class, ostensibly for freight and parcels work in the
North West of England, but the final curtain came down in 1987. Except for 25912 (25322) that is, which was retained by BR for staff training purposes and railtour work, which it undertook until 1991 when it entered preservation, joining 19 other surviving Derby/sulzer Type 2s. A handful of Class 25/3s were also retained following withdrawal, for use as mobile train heating units, known as ETHELS. Conversions began in 1983, with the ETHELS being employed to heat Mk3 sleeping cars and railtour stock when the allotted train locomotives lacked electric heat equipment.
features directional lighting, along with cab interior lights. Unfortunately, the latter cannot be controlled.
A rugged can motor is centrally mounted and drives both axles via a pair of cardan shafts and gear towers, with a pair of flywheels to ensure smooth running. On the tracks, the model ran faultlessly after the prescribed running-in period, with the mechanism settling down to a soft purr, with more than adequate haulage power recorded.
With the body off, the cab interiors could be appreciated. They feature plenty of detail, including control desks, handbrake wheels and bulkhead relief, although these elements would really benefit from picking out in appropriate colours.
Finally, the box includes a few bags of detailing parts, including a set of miniature snowploughs, extra bufferbeam fittings and footsteps, plus a set of blanking plates for the boiler compartment grille and access steps. Tamworth Castle, like many other 25/3s, should have the grille plates fitted, although the plating over of the access steps seems to have been rather arbitrary, so the provision of these items as spare parts is a sensible move on Heljan’s part.
MAKE MINE A 99
So, does Heljan’s new ‘25’ hit the spot? Aside from a few minor quality control issues, I’ve been impressed with this model. On the whole, it looks right, it runs beautifully and this particular example has rekindled some very fond memories. I can almost hear the sound of the Mr Whippy van approaching…! (GD)