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Heljan Model Railway Locomotive Reviews -
Class 57
Author
"47806"
(forum member)
 Heljan
Class 47 Locomotive - Virgin Trains (4601)
Rating 9.5/10
Performance:
-
Motor:
Twin-flywheel, 5-pole motor.
-
Couplings: NEM
couplings
-
Traction Wheels: 8
Powered traction wheels
-
Wheel Pickups: All 12
wheels pick up power from the track.
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DCC Status: DCC Ready
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Easy to fit the DCC chip? -
I have not done it,
according to the instructions, simply take off the shell,
pop out the dummy chip and put in the real one.
This is a very powerful
locomotive, good momentum and speed control. It takes time
to store energy before it moves off and beware, it takes time to
stop. The top speed is fast but not unrealistic. The
slow speed control isn’t bad but if the momentum is killed, it
will stop. I have run up to seven coaches on 2nd
radius track without issue. The loco performance is better
on larger radius curves, I would say 2nd radius is
the absolute minimum.
Detailing
The paint is crisp and
accurate to the livery. Hand rails are plastic and very
brittle, they have fallen off my model many times, consider
using metal ones as replacements. Window wipers look good
and rest on the glazing. The bogies look heavy and will
look better with weathering. Antennae are cast into the
shell, one has broken off my model in transit. Overall,
the detail looks like a class 47.
Overall
Overall, I would recommend
this model to anyone who wants to buy a class 47. You will
not be disappointed. When I visited the UK this past
summer, I saw class-mate 47810 in Norwich, the loco looked just
like the Heljan model, a very good effort to model a popular
favourite.
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