Heljan Class 86/0
◆ SCALE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL Heljan Class 86/0 ◆ PRICE £189.95 ◆ AVAILABILITY Heljan stockists Web www.hattons.co.uk
Heljan first released a ‘OO’ Class 86 in 2010 and, while it was generally good, there were a few shortcomings in terms of looks. The tooling also limited its application to ‘86s’ from the post-1980s era, thus a revised version of this landmark AC electric locomotive is very welcome.
This all-new model depicts the handsome AL6 in original condition, sporting fourcharacter headcodes and without the later Flexicoil suspension modifications. Various iterations of original Electric blue and Rail blue liveries are on offer, mostly with E-prefixed numbers, save for a pair of Tops-numbered versions, in either pristine or weathered condition.
Reviewed here is E3104 in Electric blue with white cab roofs, along with Rail blue E3156 and 86034. I must say that they really look the part, even at first glance, capturing the look of these handsome locomotives perfectly (to my eyes at least). The ‘86s’ were, by far, my favourite electrics from my youth, especially in this unmodified form, and these models have rekindled fond memories.
Compared to Heljan’s earlier ‘86s’, the areas that some modellers criticised have been addressed, with greater depth in the moulded grilles and a more convincing rendition of the windscreens. Separate wire handrails adorn the cab doorways and ends, although their mounting holes are a little oversized in places, but they’re neatly fitted, nonetheless.
The level of finish is great on the pristine Rail blue version, with the paintwork showing a subtle satin sheen and clean separation between colour elements. E3104’s lighter blue livery, in contrast, has more of a matt sheen and there are some unsightly areas of dirt trapped in the paintwork. The heavy-handed weathering applied to 86034 is also disappointing, not helped by fingerprints in the paint.
The printed metallic numbers and BR logos are excellent, especially the lion and wheel emblems, which are well defined and almost resemble etched fittings. The glazing is also impressive, allowing the detailed cab interiors to be appreciated, while the wipers are finely represented.
Heljan’s usual practice of fitting the bufferbeam detail and dummy couplings in the factory is employed here, so the supplied tension lock couplers require some, or all, of this detail to be removed before they can be fitted. No spare details are provided. The sprung round
bufferheads show signs of being roughly broken away from a moulding sprue, so the edges are rather rough and need the attentions of a file. A set of fine lamp brackets sit atop the buffer shanks and the distinctive triangular footsteps are installed at each corner of the headstocks.
Below platform level, the bogies are attractively moulded, with suspension and brake equipment rendered crisply. Between the bogies, the various exhausters, compressors, battery compartment and electrical conduit are all fitted as separate parts and add an extra touch of class. Printed on the packaging is a warning about picking up the model in the centre of the body, lest some of this detail be dislodged, which is advice well worth heeding. That said, some of the underframe details were fitted a little sloppily on our sample of E3156.
The very shiny metal pantograph is a decent representation of the original Stone-faiveley unit, as fitted to 90% of the Class 86 fleet from new. It’s a little basic in some respects, but the springing offers a decent amount of resistance, which should allow it to remain in contact with a tensioned catenary system. However, we haven’t been able to test this in operation, although mechanical performance was exemplary, with the powerful motor and transmission running smoothly and effortlessly on my test track.
Directional lighting is installed, illuminating the headcode panels and tail lights as appropriate. The four-character headcodes feature convincing typefaces and an interesting mix of pre-installed codes. Appropriately, as-new E3104 sports a pair of
Class 1 express passenger codes, while mid-’70s E3156 has Class 1 and Class 4 (express freight) codes at alternate ends, which suits the livery/period perfectly. Cost-wise, a bit of shopping around will see at least £20-25 knocked off the RRP, making the new ‘86’ well-priced in today’s high-spec locomotive market. With an easily accessed 21-pin DCC socket and plenty of space for a speaker, it ticks a lot of boxes for contemporary consumers.
A few niggles
The ‘86s’ were my favourite electrics from my youth, so these models have rekindled fond memories