Good review, thanks for sharing. Factory fitting the accessories to one end would be a good compromise. It still has the original's shortcomings with regards to the bodyshell. At least there's no debate regarding the size of the headcode box, as there is on the 47. Smooth runner, and great looking too. Expensive though for what it is. Having said all that, I really like my Heljan class 14, 15 & 58. Hejan is a crazily mercurial manufacturer.
Hello John, I have just bought the 57601 Windsor Castle and I was a bit concerned it might be a problem by some reviews. It is a cracking loco, here is my findings with the loco to go with your review, for anyone interested in this loco. Mine does not take off quickly as yours did, it can really do a good crawl, I am DC only with a Gaugemaster Model D transformer. Another CZcamsr had problems with loco stalling when running slow, I have not. Top light not illuminating! yeah a bit of a downer but the two other are fine and light up even running very slow, unlike some manufacturers. I have 19 various Heljan locos some with bulbs so having LEDs is great. Over scale? looks good to me. Greasy buffers I was thinking not a good idea but I really don't notice them when loco is running. I'm not impressed with the silver around the 4 vents and exhaust ports, I have modified that. I really don't like kinematic couplings as they cause derailing and thank goodness Heljan have kept to the old fashioned system. I paid £136 for mine from TMC with free delivery, so a great deal. Finally to sum up if any one is wary as I was (I should not have been as I have loads of Heljan locos, wagons and coaches which ALL run great) get one, it is brilliant. Thanks John for doing the comprehensive review, it forewarned me exactly as to what I would receive, Bill.
I just bought the fgw blue version for my sleepers, don't mind the lighting issues, my Bachmann's have incorrect lighting , the 2 bottom markers only show red when trailing, nothing when leading. I modified them, should be quite easy to add the top marker on these. I don't think the width issue will be a problem, probably won't notice from normal viewing distances, thanks for the review, Rich
Having noted Sams Trains numerous problems with Heljan, I do not have any of their locos in my collection of 384 locos. I do like my version of the 57 from Bachmann. It is still without sound.
Finally got me one in fag packet livery, ran it in on DC, getting the body off is pure arse hell, but managed it, DCC fitted 4 function decoder , red lights turn on and off independently which is a great touch, runs well...very very happy ....
I think it's over width is the main put-off for me, Second put-off is the pipes pre-attatched,, V-trains 47 had the best option, also easier to modify the area of Serck shutters, as mounting screws get in the way with the Bachy 47's. However I'm impressed with the moulded rad grills area, And yes, they're heavy as house bricks 😅
Looking at the width issue, I think the designers forget the bodyshell wall thickness...they are 1.35mm thick, per side, they designed the metal chassis at " full width " so when the body was dropped on....ok dear... Having no top lamp is that of a toy, hardy a problem in fitting a LED with plug and socket.?? The lighting is not correct either ...
Nice review. I remember the excitement of going into the shop in 2001 & buying the new Heljan 47 , as a Lima man through & through , i was so looking forward to the 4 axle drive / can motor , then Tim at Arcadia got it out of the box to test it out & then the excitement just evaporated, how did they get the sizing so wrong? I could just not reconcile the size issue, maybe if id had rid of all the Lima 47's beforehand i might have been more accepting , I was looking at replacing the Limas with the Heljans, but i never bothered , just stuck with the one tubby duff in swallow livery, i eventually traded it in for a Bachamnn xc 221 voyager & have bought Lima 47's ever since. Converted a Lima 47 to Freightliner 57001 back in 1998 when it first emerged from Brush, nice conversion to undertake. The 57's have always been interesting locos. I find the Dapol 68's to be nice quiet runners, the Bachmann 70 has a nice sound along with the 66, must admit that each manufacturer having a different sound is all part of the charm. Nothing wrong with moulded grilles, as ive found with the Lima 60 etc , amazing what a black sharpie can achieve in picking out the details , the prefitted pipes etc are always going to be a marmite one, suppose it depends how tight they are to get out vs always having to make the holes bigger to get the pipes in. Interesting that with 4 axle drive they dont go the full HO continental & fit traction tyres to 2 of the wheels on each bogie like the ESU & Marklin class 66 models that are also very heavy models to make them run smoother etc. 00 seems very reluctant to get a full handle on how the HO continental manufacturers do things, Cavalex just taking the cradle packaging from the ESU class 66. Must say i do find your layout a nice watch , on a personal note i like the lighting better on your youtube vids, seems far richer than what comes across on the facebook.
I was like you going from Lima in 2001 and then Heljan offered us the new Clasd 47..I went mental and bought so many of them...I loved them (and still retain a few) the look of then, the weight of them, the silent huge motor...so what they were a bit bigger....doesn't bother me even now on the re jigged Class 57...it maybe a 20 Year old tooling but it's still a great model 👍 😀
I have this model and have had to remove the pipework at one end to fit a coupling. It is really firmly glued in place and impossible to remove without breaking bits. When I told Rails about this they (at first) said if I remove the detail it would invalidate the warranty! I pointed out that unless you intend to only run light engine then the model is next to useless. Also, the red tail lights do not work as described in DCC. I tried different decoders, no joy. I got them working by plugging them into the AUX 3 & AUX 4 sockets and configuring the CVs accordingly. As for the top light, no it does not work, AT ALL. Rails eventually agreed that I could remove the detail without affecting my warranty, since the model was useless for it's intended purpose otherwise. I am still waiting for a reply from Rails (after they emailed Heljan 3 weeks ago) regarding the tail lights. Not impressed!
I was a bit like...erm...the detailing bits are fitted both ends, is this a 2nd hand model? I wondered if the detailing bits would come off easily to fit a NEM coupling...obviously not...you have proved this...I will mention this in my next video update...its bad that removing the fitted pipework and shackle invidates the warranty.....how on earth are people supposed to haul trains in fear of this? Plus the model obviously has issues in DCC operation..thanks for the comments Paul, regards, John
@@HaroldRoad It also says in the info leaflet that it has a speaker fitted... it doesn't! I will keep this model and get the top light working somehow (maybe with a Bachmann cab pcb) and weather it to make it more realistic looking. However, it it also overscale by about 3mm apparently? I look upon it now as a challenge 😂. Last Heljan loco I buy! £10 more buys you a Accurascale loco which blows this away completely. Cheers Harold for your review👍👍
I detail both ends of my diesels and fit a .75mm wire to the bufferbeam , formed into a U shape and secured into a suitable location, set at the NEM coupling hight... But as a new R to R with the need to remove some of the detailing, ??? Better to fit one end only, its still a " fat " 47/57 too me, stick with Bachmann ot Vtrains models...
Are these models made in china ? If so I'd be concerned about the quality, , i mean i love a good Singapore fried rice from my local takeaway, but ive heard so many neg quality issues regarding Chinese build quality.
I don't have an issue with its width...ive always been a big Heljan 47/57 fan, thier models are big and powerfull, it looks excellent...sounds great on the track...me saying its 3mm to wide is the 'purists' who slated the Mk1 variants for thier size...my review was to ascertain if its a new model or indeed a remake of the 20 Year old chassis and bodyshell and it is...with a few upgrades...as i stated...I actually like it...and at 50 pounds cheaper than a Bachmann its a decent money saver...
@@HaroldRoad Just watched the video. I was disappointed with the led lights. all three running off just one light. Normally i buy the Bachmann class 57 GWR.
I hope you don't have running issues that some heljan model are renowned for. As you do modern era, do you ever have steam tour visitors vista Harold roads?
Could just need CV's tweeking, my bachmann 47's jerked really badly when i first installed dcc chips, but ran perfectly once I changed the CV's. Great video, i subscribed
Hi, an interesting review of the Class 57. I've seen one bad and one not so bad.............So I guess it's very subjective and depends what your looking for or happy with. Personally I'm quite a fan of Heljan, just because they are so powerful and run so well. I have a mk1 Class 47, same chassis as yours, and I think that the one central LED for the forward direction is the old LED for the Class 47 headcode panel, now made to do two headlights. There is no way your ever going to get light up to that top headlight over the windscreen, it's just not going to happen. So yeah very mk1 just with a new circuit board. Then the price is very attractive compared to Bachmann so it's a difficult one. I'm interesting to hear your thoughts on the new Heljan Class 47, as I think that it is too narrow at the front even if the body is the correct width now..............Anyway all the best and thanks Dave.
Its a heavy, powerfull model, I went into this wondering if it was a new model or a an update, and its clear it is a 20 year old tooling update...just a new PCB board and upgraded lighting (to a extent) being a massive Heljan Class 47/57 fan of old...it is what it is....its a marmite model...me...I like it..the purists won't...
It really is basic LED lighting with two main LED'S one each end to light forward motion...two further LED'S each end are for thr tail lights...in reality...in forward motion all lights should illuminate..where with this model only two white lights show in forward direction...and we won't even mention the fact the top light will never see any light...yes...not great, but Heljan can state it has LED lighting ..its a shame 😔
Good review, thanks for sharing.
Factory fitting the accessories to one end would be a good compromise. It still has the original's shortcomings with regards to the bodyshell. At least there's no debate regarding the size of the headcode box, as there is on the 47.
Smooth runner, and great looking too. Expensive though for what it is.
Having said all that, I really like my Heljan class 14, 15 & 58.
Hejan is a crazily mercurial manufacturer.
Hello John, I have just bought the 57601 Windsor Castle and I was a bit concerned it might be a problem by some reviews.
It is a cracking loco, here is my findings with the loco to go with your review, for anyone interested in this loco.
Mine does not take off quickly as yours did, it can really do a good crawl, I am DC only with a Gaugemaster Model D transformer. Another CZcamsr had problems with loco stalling when running slow, I have not.
Top light not illuminating! yeah a bit of a downer but the two other are fine and light up even running very slow, unlike some manufacturers. I have 19 various Heljan locos some with bulbs so having LEDs is great.
Over scale? looks good to me. Greasy buffers I was thinking not a good idea but I really don't notice them when loco is running.
I'm not impressed with the silver around the 4 vents and exhaust ports, I have modified that.
I really don't like kinematic couplings as they cause derailing and thank goodness Heljan have kept to the old fashioned system.
I paid £136 for mine from TMC with free delivery, so a great deal.
Finally to sum up if any one is wary as I was (I should not have been as I have loads of Heljan locos, wagons and coaches which ALL run great) get one, it is brilliant.
Thanks John for doing the comprehensive review, it forewarned me exactly as to what I would receive, Bill.
I just bought the fgw blue version for my sleepers, don't mind the lighting issues, my Bachmann's have incorrect lighting , the 2 bottom markers only show red when trailing, nothing when leading. I modified them, should be quite easy to add the top marker on these. I don't think the width issue will be a problem, probably won't notice from normal viewing distances, thanks for the review, Rich
Having noted Sams Trains numerous problems with Heljan, I do not have any of their locos in my collection of 384 locos. I do like my version of the 57 from Bachmann. It is still without sound.
Finally got me one in fag packet livery, ran it in on DC, getting the body off is pure arse hell, but managed it, DCC fitted 4 function decoder , red lights turn on and off independently which is a great touch, runs well...very very happy ....
I think it's over width is the main put-off for me, Second put-off is the pipes pre-attatched,, V-trains 47 had the best option, also easier to modify the area of Serck shutters, as mounting screws get in the way with the Bachy 47's.
However I'm impressed with the moulded rad grills area, And yes, they're heavy as house bricks 😅
Looking at the width issue, I think the designers forget the bodyshell wall thickness...they are 1.35mm thick, per side, they designed the metal chassis at " full width " so when the body was dropped on....ok dear...
Having no top lamp is that of a toy, hardy a problem in fitting a LED with plug and socket.??
The lighting is not correct either ...
Nice review. I remember the excitement of going into the shop in 2001 & buying the new Heljan 47 , as a Lima man through & through , i was so looking forward to the 4 axle drive / can motor , then Tim at Arcadia got it out of the box to test it out & then the excitement just evaporated, how did they get the sizing so wrong? I could just not reconcile the size issue, maybe if id had rid of all the Lima 47's beforehand i might have been more accepting , I was looking at replacing the Limas with the Heljans, but i never bothered , just stuck with the one tubby duff in swallow livery, i eventually traded it in for a Bachamnn xc 221 voyager & have bought Lima 47's ever since. Converted a Lima 47 to Freightliner 57001 back in 1998 when it first emerged from Brush, nice conversion to undertake. The 57's have always been interesting locos.
I find the Dapol 68's to be nice quiet runners, the Bachmann 70 has a nice sound along with the 66, must admit that each manufacturer having a different sound is all part of the charm.
Nothing wrong with moulded grilles, as ive found with the Lima 60 etc , amazing what a black sharpie can achieve in picking out the details , the prefitted pipes etc are always going to be a marmite one, suppose it depends how tight they are to get out vs always having to make the holes bigger to get the pipes in. Interesting that with 4 axle drive they dont go the full HO continental & fit traction tyres to 2 of the wheels on each bogie like the ESU & Marklin class 66 models that are also very heavy models to make them run smoother etc. 00 seems very reluctant to get a full handle on how the HO continental manufacturers do things, Cavalex just taking the cradle packaging from the ESU class 66.
Must say i do find your layout a nice watch , on a personal note i like the lighting better on your youtube vids, seems far richer than what comes across on the facebook.
I was like you going from Lima in 2001 and then Heljan offered us the new Clasd 47..I went mental and bought so many of them...I loved them (and still retain a few) the look of then, the weight of them, the silent huge motor...so what they were a bit bigger....doesn't bother me even now on the re jigged Class 57...it maybe a 20 Year old tooling but it's still a great model 👍 😀
I have this model and have had to remove the pipework at one end to fit a coupling. It is really firmly glued in place and impossible to remove without breaking bits. When I told Rails about this they (at first) said if I remove the detail it would invalidate the warranty! I pointed out that unless you intend to only run light engine then the model is next to useless. Also, the red tail lights do not work as described in DCC. I tried different decoders, no joy. I got them working by plugging them into the AUX 3 & AUX 4 sockets and configuring the CVs accordingly. As for the top light, no it does not work, AT ALL.
Rails eventually agreed that I could remove the detail without affecting my warranty, since the model was useless for it's intended purpose otherwise. I am still waiting for a reply from Rails (after they emailed Heljan 3 weeks ago) regarding the tail lights. Not impressed!
I was a bit like...erm...the detailing bits are fitted both ends, is this a 2nd hand model? I wondered if the detailing bits would come off easily to fit a NEM coupling...obviously not...you have proved this...I will mention this in my next video update...its bad that removing the fitted pipework and shackle invidates the warranty.....how on earth are people supposed to haul trains in fear of this? Plus the model obviously has issues in DCC operation..thanks for the comments Paul, regards, John
@@HaroldRoad It also says in the info leaflet that it has a speaker fitted... it doesn't! I will keep this model and get the top light working somehow (maybe with a Bachmann cab pcb) and weather it to make it more realistic looking. However, it it also overscale by about 3mm apparently?
I look upon it now as a challenge 😂. Last Heljan loco I buy! £10 more buys you a Accurascale loco which blows this away completely. Cheers Harold for your review👍👍
Rails now selling Blue FGW 57 for £99.95
I detail both ends of my diesels and fit a .75mm wire to the bufferbeam , formed into a U shape and secured into a suitable location, set at the NEM coupling hight...
But as a new R to R with the need to remove some of the detailing, ??? Better to fit one end only, its still a " fat " 47/57 too me, stick with Bachmann ot Vtrains models...
Are these models made in china ?
If so I'd be concerned about the quality, , i mean i love a good Singapore fried rice from my local takeaway, but ive heard so many neg quality issues regarding Chinese build quality.
Although Heljan are based in Denmark, thier products like most main manufacturers thier products are produced in China
Good review. It runs, it pulls…..3mm too wide? Aren’t all OO model bodies way over scale and too big compared to wheelsets and track?
I don't have an issue with its width...ive always been a big Heljan 47/57 fan, thier models are big and powerfull, it looks excellent...sounds great on the track...me saying its 3mm to wide is the 'purists' who slated the Mk1 variants for thier size...my review was to ascertain if its a new model or indeed a remake of the 20 Year old chassis and bodyshell and it is...with a few upgrades...as i stated...I actually like it...and at 50 pounds cheaper than a Bachmann its a decent money saver...
I am waiting for my Heljan class 57 GWR from R.O.S.. I prefer detailing at one end only. I am hoping the lighting is much better.
Watch the video....I address the lighting, nice model...the GWR 57 looks a stunner
@@HaroldRoad Just watched the video. I was disappointed with the led lights. all three running off just one light. Normally i buy the Bachmann class 57 GWR.
I hope you don't have running issues that some heljan model are renowned for. As you do modern era, do you ever have steam tour visitors vista Harold roads?
I have seen that there are issues with the model on DCC...jerking and stalling...but is that a one off??? 😳
Could just need CV's tweeking, my bachmann 47's jerked really badly when i first installed dcc chips, but ran perfectly once I changed the CV's.
Great video, i subscribed
Hi, an interesting review of the Class 57. I've seen one bad and one not so bad.............So I guess it's very subjective and depends what your looking for or happy with. Personally I'm quite a fan of Heljan, just because they are so powerful and run so well. I have a mk1 Class 47, same chassis as yours, and I think that the one central LED for the forward direction is the old LED for the Class 47 headcode panel, now made to do two headlights. There is no way your ever going to get light up to that top headlight over the windscreen, it's just not going to happen. So yeah very mk1 just with a new circuit board. Then the price is very attractive compared to Bachmann so it's a difficult one. I'm interesting to hear your thoughts on the new Heljan Class 47, as I think that it is too narrow at the front even if the body is the correct width now..............Anyway all the best and thanks Dave.
Its a heavy, powerfull model, I went into this wondering if it was a new model or a an update, and its clear it is a 20 year old tooling update...just a new PCB board and upgraded lighting (to a extent) being a massive Heljan Class 47/57 fan of old...it is what it is....its a marmite model...me...I like it..the purists won't...
@@HaroldRoad Thanks for the reply, yeah I'd like it too if I was up for a class 57 on my layout.
It's a shame that Heljan still skimp on the lighting, really poor and the for the money that these models cost that should not be happening.
It really is basic LED lighting with two main LED'S one each end to light forward motion...two further LED'S each end are for thr tail lights...in reality...in forward motion all lights should illuminate..where with this model only two white lights show in forward direction...and we won't even mention the fact the top light will never see any light...yes...not great, but Heljan can state it has LED lighting
..its a shame 😔