Model Spot
For its latest OO gauge model, Heljan has turned to the earliest days of DMU operation and produced the Swindon-built version of the Great Western Railway diesel railcars. Sometimes referred to as ‘Flying Bananas’, Simon Bendall takes a look at the new of
Simon Bendall casts his critical eye over the new OO gauge Heljan GWR AEC railcar, which has recently been released in six different variations.
Of all the experimental diesel railcars that emerged during the 1930s, it was the Great Western Railway that was most successful in developing the concept, eventually amassing a fleet of 38 vehicles to a variety of designs. These were variously intended for suburban and rural duties, as well as inter-city services and, thanks to their compact nature, they have long been of interest to modellers, especially those with limited space.
Although kits had existed beforehand, it was the release of a ready-to-run model in OO gauge by Lima early in the 1980s that helped cement the popularity of the railcars in miniature. This depicted the Swindon-built passenger vehicles of Nos. 19-33, and did a good job of capturing their more angular cab design.
The solitary parcels-carrying version, No. 34, would also be produced by the Italian manufacturer, with the tooling for the models eventually passing to the ownership of Hornby in 2004, which has subsequently re-released both.
However, given the revolution in UK model standards this century, a modern rendering of the GWR railcars has long been overdue. Dapol went some way towards addressing this a few years ago by tooling the earlier, more streamlined Aec-built railcars, with the parcels version, No. 17, soon following the passenger variant. However, it has taken until now for a new version of the Swindon railcars to appear courtesy of Heljan.
A choice of six
Half a dozen models have been released initially, two for each of the three principal liveries carried during their careers. In GWR chocolate and cream are No. 22 with a white roof and shirt button emblem, while No. 29 displays a grey roof along with Great Western lettering and coat of arms.
Carrying BR carmine and cream is W21W (the model illustrated on these pages) with a fully grey roof, while W20W differs in having a white cab roof. A similar distinction is evident on the BR green duo, these both being lined with speed whiskers, but W32W has its cab roof in white while W26W has all-grey. The RRP of all versions is £189. The railcar employs a central motor and flywheels which are mounted beneath the floor but enclosed in a weight box that can be unscrewed to give access for servicing. The twin drive-shafts are external but unobtrusive, these connecting to gear towers on the bogies that drive all four axles very smoothly.
The bogies feature all-wheel pick-up, along with some separate parts such as fine wire sandpipes, while the NEM coupling pockets are bogie mounted with tension lock couplings included in the box. The bufferbeam pipework and functional screw couplings come pre-fitted. Plastic sprung buffers are provided. No cosmetic detail is provided behind the underframe valancing due to the motor enclosure, but the radiator grilles are etched with a separate moulding positioned behind that recreates the visible radiator framework. Happily, Heljan’s usual fine toolwork is on display for the rest of the body, where the many panel lines and small vents are subtly represented, as are items like door handles and hinges. Separate wire handrails are fitted around the passenger door and under the windscreens, while the plastic wipers are very fine.
The deceptively complex shape of the cabs has been well captured, particularly around the
tapering windows and peak of the cab roof. On first look, the LEDS used for the lights appear to be a little too proud and bulbous, but a comparison with photos shows they are not far off, although the hinged lens covers over the lower pair have been omitted.
The bodyside glazing is perhaps the biggest quibble with the model, being rather prismatic around the edges, but it is a good flush fit on the positive side.
On the roof, further fine tooling is evident in the rows of rivets, while the assortment of vents are all separately fitted.
This avoids a common problem of being moulded underscale, but the tightness of fit was a little variable on the model examined here.
Internal matters
Behind the glazing, detailed cab interiors, partitions and passenger seating of the correct pattern are all visible and just need figures to complete the effect. The 21-pin DCC socket is largely secreted away in the brake area, with the representation of the window bars on the glazing further helping to obscure it. Slightly controversially, Heljan has opted to tailor the DCC functionally of the railcar to particularly suit the ESU Lokpilot or Loksound V5 decoders. While decoders from other manufacturers will work, the lighting functions may need to be re-mapped for them to display correctly. Space is also available within the brake area to fit a speaker of your choice.
The lighting suite includes directional lower and top marker lights along with a central tail light, while cab and saloon interior lighting is also fitted. These can all be controlled independently with a DCC chip installed, and DC users can achieve the same result thanks to the bank of nine tiny switches fitted underneath the model. These give four options for turning off the lights at each end, as well as the saloon lighting.
The application of the BR carmine and cream colours is generally good, although it could be argued that the cream has too much yellow to it. In addition, the printing of the lining is commendably crisp and straight throughout, finishing off what is a welcome release from Heljan.