MR commission Heljan for class 11 & 12

[Bigmet]

Bored of your standard 350hp/class 08 shunters? Model Rail obviously believe enough will be, to justify a couple of the variants. Following three commissions placed with Rapido, the first of which has been delivered, I wonder if this move to Heljan owes something to former MR staffer and then editor Ben Jones' influence: appointed as Heljan's man in the UK, September last year?

Whatever, the BR diesel fleet has two more ticked off the list, not much left unexplored now...

[Jim S-W]

Too late, already done mine!

[Mountain]

What about tha class 10 Blackstone shunters? Quite a few 350hp (Or thereabouts) varients looked alike.

[Bigmet]

The Blackstone is the variant from the standard EE engine type on my modelling patch. Really, you couldn't tell.

[Mountain]

Something strange.... I get prosopragnosia with certain faces. However, though it is hard to tell with a model, but somehow by looking at pictures of various early 08's and other similar locos, I can pick out a Blackstone shunter. However, what puzzles me is I have studied and studied and studied pictures of Blackstone shunters and early class 08's, and I can't tell what my mind is picking out to know the difference. I don't look at the number... I don't know the old numbering sequences of either. But something somewhere my brain is picking up..... Wierd eh?

[Jim S-W]

There isn’t much difference externally between a class 10 and an 08 or 09. Class 11s have quite a few differences mind you. The smaller wheels make them look physically smaller but really they are just a bit lower

Class 11 on the left, 08 on the right

[Bigmet]

What about the class 10 Blackstone shunters? Quite a few 350hp (Or thereabouts) varients looked alike.

Further thought: I suppose this might be Hornby's* 'spoiler' opportunity? Just run the 'best fit' from their current 08 tooling options with liveries and numbers for the Blackstone engined gronks.

*Obviously enough Bachmann could do this too, but with their current reaction speed of a Brachiosaurus it wouldn't ever be a 'spoiler'.