Heljan - OO - B-tank wagon

[russ p]

Any news on when the Oxford ones are being released?

[Michael Delamar]

 

photo Alan Murray Rust from Geograph. Garston Junction Liverpool 1967.

 

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6746606

[paul 27]

Looking for the early black ones any retailers selling these,

if some one wants to sell theres please pm me.

Edited June 12, 2021 by paul 27

[rembrow]

Just dug out this old thread, as I've just received an e-mail from Rails, which advises that Heljan are producing a new run of 35t tanks in both class A and B type. They are being released in packs of 4 and are already manufactured and due for shipping. There are 2 packs of Esso class A and 2 packs of Esso Class B each with variation. A Regent Class B and a Molasses. Price is very reasonable at sub £100 with discount. Also a Fina 4 pack and an Esso with hazchem markings, and a single wagon in ICI.

Edited October 12 by rembrow
Addition

[AY Mod]

4 minutes ago, rembrow said:

Price is very reasonable at sub £100 with discount.

 

I was pleasantly surprised too as I'd asked Ben about a re-run a while back and it looked as though the factory costs wouldn't be viable for them to be competitive.

[No Decorum]

At a time when prices seem high, it seems to me as well that these are very good value. I’m rather spineless. In spite of telling myself that I already have too many models I shan’t be able to resist adding to the ones I already have in order to make up a decent rake.

[rembrow]

1 minute ago, No Decorum said:

At a time when prices seem high, it seems to me as well that these are very good value. I’m rather spineless. In spite of telling myself that I already have too many models I shan’t be able to resist adding to the ones I already have in order to make up a decent rake.

Me too, but have always wanted more Esso type B, these became like hen's teeth unless you bought the Class 33 and tanker sets. So order placed. Rails advise they may be in stock before the end of the year, subject to shipping.

[russ p]

I missed them first time round but managed to find a secondhand set of class As I repainted to be mixed in with some 45t ones

I'm hoping to get two packs of the esso class Bs without lettering 

I'm hoping to use these as fuel for the depot and run as loose vehicles in freights 

I presume they would be in that condition in late 60s

[adb968008]

Really nice wagons, I bought them first time round and it was hard not to get carried away. The first batch though was a bit limited in numbers, so I may be filling a few gaps here and swapping some out. 

 

Seen playing with (just for fun really, S160’s were long gone in reality) something new released at the same timein HO back in 2017, when these first came out, kind of full circle to be rereleasing when the 00 version is coming out..

 

[KeithM]

Good news, we just need Heljan to release there dogfish wagons and that it puts a stop to the silly second hand prices.

cheers

[Legend]

That’s a nice reintroduction and sub £100 for 4 wagons these days is reasonable . I remember not buying them the last time because of the price . Want there a thought that Oxford were producing them too - never happened ! Could it be I’ve just got accustomed to higher pricing ? Frightening thought to a fully fledged Scotsman ! 

Edited October 12 by Legend

[adb968008]

12 minutes ago, Legend said:

That’s a nice reintroduction and sub £100 for 4 wagons these days is reasonable . I remember not buying them the last time because of the price . Could it be I’ve just got accustomed to higher pricing ? Frightening thought to a fully fledged Scotsman ! 

A few years ago Heljan were selling some at Warley at £25 a piece,

 

I just checked my records, back in April 2017 Hattons were selling a single was £20.50, and 4 pack was £74.95… so 7 years inflation these have really done well.

Edited October 12 by adb968008

[PMP]

I’ve just been giving some of their weathered first releases a makeover.

 

[JSpencer]

I have been waiting and waiting for ESSO B tanks for years. I missed the first run, then had hopes of the Oxford versions (which must be dead by now), then there were batches with a class 33, but I had enough early type 33s to not need another... and I was loosing hope thinking I would have to contend myself to the pair of A tanks I own.

 

And finally, some lovely packs of 4 Esso ones 😁 Order straight in!!

[rembrow]

5 hours ago, KeithM said:

Good news, we just need Heljan to release there dogfish wagons and that it puts a stop to the silly second hand prices.

cheers

Always hoped that Heljan would follow up with the Catfish, which uses the same chassis. After many years waiting, I made up 7 Cambrian catfish as a covid lock down project. Not the easiest kit as the hopper doesn't sit straight without a lot of fettling with the supports. Having made those, followed up with 2 Herring hoppers and they were a nightmare.

[Halvarras]

I bought a pair of 'Regent' wagons - some of the last Kernow had in stock - because when I was a teenager regularly rushing off to spot diesel-hydraulics we knew a family living opposite where the father worked for Regent, which seemed a good-enough reason! They were both numbered 409 so one's been tweaked to 400. They are very nice models.

 

Remember the furore when the Dogfish wagons first appeared with an RRP set at £25, which was considerably higher than other manufacturers' 4-wheel wagons? (I think there was a problem with the wheelsets too - they weren't insulated!) The price was later reduced, to a more reasonable £15 which was still more than most Bachmann 4-wheelers at the time (how things have changed....) but at least sales then picked up for a much-needed wagon type. They became even more reasonable when issued as 4-packs, these were available sub-£40 - IIRC I paid Cheltenham Model Centre just £35 for mine, at which point it could be argued the pendulum had swung too far the other way, not that I was complaining of course! These packs were the first opportunity to obtain the wagons in Engineers black livery, with one pack including one wagon in Gulf Red. Again, very nice wagons, although the provision of (rather loose) kinematic couplings seemed a bit OTT on a 4-wheel wagon.....

 

 

[Phil Bullock]

4.35 in to this video… 

 

Cardiff Tidal - Soho Pool tanks

 

By my era the Regent tanks were debranded. Also all renumbered to individual numbers… 

[SHerr]

Could anyone advise where/when the blue ICI ones ran and what they carried?

 

I’ve never seen them in that livery before and off hand can’t see any on Paul Bartlett’s site or any other references.

[John Isherwood]

42 minutes ago, SHerr said:

Could anyone advise where/when the blue ICI ones ran and what they carried?

 

I’ve never seen them in that livery before and off hand can’t see any on Paul Bartlett’s site or any other references.

 

ICI had some similar ferry chemical tank wagons - but these had brake platforms at one end.

 

I suspect - though am open to correction - that the ICI ones are a 'might-have-been' livery.

 

John Isherwood.

[BluenGreyAnorak]

9 hours ago, adb968008 said:

A few years ago Heljan were selling some at Warley at £25 a piece,

 

 

A few years ago they were selling 4 packs at Warley without any external packaging for around £80. I say around as the deal was done in Danish Krone and the exact amount varied depending on the exchange rate. A friend and I bought a pack each and despite doing so minutes apart, we both paid different prices. Very odd.

[Fredo]

Hi, does anyone know the A and B tanker formations (type of tanker) that were used during the 60’s as I am planning to expand both formations to 8 tankers. Thanks Fred

[adb968008]

[russ p]

Are the fina ones prototypical? 

[Michael Hodgson]

Is there some technical difference between class A and B tanks, or is it just a matter of operating restrictions associated with what fuels they were permitted to carry and their livery?

[Crepello]

Class A was for lighter oils, hence you’ll see in the photos that the tank could make use of the full length of the chassis, whereas the Class B tank is shorter on the same chassis.