Review: ‘OO’ gauge Class 27 ‘MacRat’
Modellers will be delighted with the re-issue of such a useful and popular ‘OO’ gaugemodel of the Class 27, with its well-proven drivemechanism. Version 3 issue includes BR rail blue and green versions with locomotive-specific detail and provides a useful
More support for Scottish Region modellers in the form of the Version 3 release of Heljan’s popular Class 27, as the Danes continue to dominate the BRCW locomotive scene.
LONG-associated with the Scottish Region, the BRCW Class 27 or ‘MacRat’, a name shared with the Class 26, was a stalwart of the West Highland line and Edinburgh-Glasgow push-pull workings that saw the class divided into three distinct sub-classes.
Built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (BRCW) in 1961 and 1962, the Class 27s were numbered as D5347-D5415 and allocated to depots as far apart as Eastfield (Glasgow), Thornaby (Teesside) and Cricklewood (London). Leicester received an allocation as locomotives were transferred away from Cricklewood and Thornaby.
The reallocation of Class 25s on the Midland Region resulted in the Class 27 becoming solely a Scottish locomotive replacing the unreliable Clayton Class 17s.
The majority were constructed with steam-heating and became Class 27/0 with TOPS, working on the West Highland line and Central Belt freight and passenger workings.
At the start of the 1970s, at about the same time as TOPS numbers were being applied, the first sub-class, the Class 27/1, was formed through the fitting of dual brakes to 24 locomotives dedicated to Edinburgh-Glasgow push-pull working, with a locomotive marshalled at each end of a rake of modified Mark 2 stock in top and tail formation.
Class 27/2 was formed when
Deutz auxiliary engines and generators were fitted to 12 of the Class 27/1s to provide power for electric train heating (ETH). Each push-pull set became formed of one each of the two sub-classes until reliability issues resulting from intense passenger working at sustained high speed took their toll. When replaced with Class 47/7s, Mk.3 and DBSO stock, the push-pull Class 27s reverted back to Class 27/0.
The withdrawal of the class was completed by 1987 with asbestos contamination and poor reliability among the reasons for their demise. Interestingly enough, many refurbished examples of the older Class 26 survived them by up to five-years. Eight Class 27s were secured for preservation.
V3 issue
Version 3 release of the Heljan ‘OO’ gauge model includes examples of Class 27/0 and Class 27/1 using the generally highly regarded original tooling. Locomotive-specific details and a range of liveries from BR green through to BR rail blue with TOPS numbers are included in the latest batch. The list of newmodels includes those with water tanks removed from
the underframe and tablet catcher recesses covering the life-span of the locomotive. The basic format of a neatly-moulded injection-moulded plastic bodyshell mounted on a die-cast chassis remains, with a frame-mounted, five-pole motor and all-wheel drive remains the same as with previous releases.
Body detailing
All of the features of a non-ETH locomotive are modelled in the single piece bodyshell, which has had the distinctively curved cab-fronts and the shape of the roof and finely detailed shoulder grilles nicelymodelled. The large body-side radiator openings remain as fine moulding integral with the body representing the thinmeshmaterial that covered it instead of an etching, as used on the re-tooled Class 33/0 model.
A hint of the framing behind the mesh is visible in themoulding. The bodyshell tooling allows for tablet catcher recesses, which are represented on one of the two reviewmodels, together with the different cab-side windows. The No.2 end has the correct detail for steam-heating and the various moulded roof panel details have the appearance of distinct body sections
rather than an amorphousmoulded lump. For those locomotives with no steam-heating boiler, the roof port blanking panels are supplied in the box.
The moulding is, in the main, subtle and stands up well when compared to more recently tooled models.
Small detailing components are used to enhance the model and include metal hand-rails, lamp irons, plastic flush glazing, windscreen wipers, cab detailing and an etched roof fan grille. A packet of additional fittings is supplied, which includes miniature snow ploughs, small roof blanking panels and brake hose detail. None of the additional grille detail relating to the auxiliary generator fitted to the 12 Class 27/2 are included, although etched Class 27 grilles are available fromShawplan Models.
Underframe and bogies
Underframe and bogie mouldings are composed of unpainted plastic with a distinct shine to it that will benefit from some toning down. The various parts are clipped in place, with the tank detail and bogie sideframe simple enough to remove and wash for painting – correct washing is essential to degrease the plastic to allow paint to adhere well to the mouldings.
A coat of black paint with an eggshell finish will enhance the appearance of the bogie sideframes and underframe parts, even if the model is to be finished in ex-works condition. The framing located along
the bottom of the body is equally as shiny as the bogie sideframes and will benefit from painting and weathering too. Detail is well cut-in, including the suspension spring detail, which is nicely rounded. The ends of the sideframes at the front are incomplete to allow for the bogie-mounted NEM coupling pocket. Separate foot steps are applied to the bogie frames. Bufferbeams are fitted with metal sprung buffers that depress fairly smoothly. A screw shackle coupling is fitted at both ends of both review models alongside the multiple working jumper cables.
Chassis, drive and bogies
Heljan’s Class 27 is a relatively heavy model with four-axle drive powered through a frame-mounted motor in the samemanner as the Class 26 and Class 33. The model’s chassis and drive are a long established part of the range, used in all Heljan BRCW locomotives and with a reputation for smooth operation and reliability. The five-polemotor is mounted in the middle, encased in a rubberised cradle, which secures it well and reduces vibration.
The bogies are built with gear towers, linked to the twin brass flywheels and motor with drive shafts. All-wheel current collection in the form of traditional wipers supplied power to the simple circuitboard, which is mounted on top of the chassis. An eight-pin interface socket for DCC is fitted, Heljan not taking the opportunity
to upgrade to a more modern type of socket or to through-wire the model for digital sound.
Marker lights and headcode box illumination is through small lamps rather than LEDs, with leads secured to the circuitboard with small edge connectors that are simple to unplug for maintenance and any painting project that requires themodel to be dismantled. Illumination is not too bright as a result, and somemodellersmay choose to replace the lamps with LEDs. The design is not digital sound-friendly, with little room for a speaker in the bodyshell. While a sound decoder will fit on the circuitboard, accommodating a good-sized bass enhanced speaker takes more thought as to where it can go.
The fuel tank area is the first choice for many modellers. The advent of small but powerful compact bass enhanced ‘sugar cube’ speakers has done much to help modellers install sound in some older model designs.
Livery and finish
Both reviewmodels are finished in BR rail blue, one with original D-series
numbers and the later one representing a late 1970s and early 1980s locomotive with the larger Scottish TOPS numerals.
The shade of rail blue is smoothly applied with a medium shine and good colour density over all raised and recessed details on both models. The shade of warning panel yellow is a Heljan standard shade that equates closely to pre-1985 warning panel yellow. Printed details, particularly those applied to No. 27029, including the Highland stag emblem, is good and with opaque colour.
Apart from a slight amount of adjustment to the chassis framing at the bottom of the body and one slightly mis-fitted headcode panel insert, the models are well-presented and while they are older models, they provide an excellent basis for further detailing and weathering.
The Class 27 is a signature locomotive for the West Highland line and other services in Scotland in the 1970s and early 1980s, making it a welcome one for Scottish Region modellers who will be delighted at their re-appearance, especially given how popular West Highland line modelling remains today.