Early 1960s UK West Coast Mainline in 00- Heljan Class 28 vs Hornby Stanier Pacific "King George VI"

The UK class 28 was an experimental diesel loco that was part of the 1955 modernisation plan pilot scheme. This saw small batches of diesel locos constructed to see what worked, and what didn't. The 28 appeared to have been based on the design ideas of the famous locomotive engineer OVS Bullied- even though it wasn't his design, the oddball looks and concept certainly have his hallmarks! It was given a Crossley 8-cylinder HST V8 two stroke engine, which required a six wheel bogie to support its weight. The other was a four wheel bogie, giving the loco a very strange asymmetric look. The engine was a disaster for railway use- noisy, unreliable, rattly and not very powerful. OVS also inflicted this engine on the Irish, as it was used by locos he worked on for the CIE modernisation plan! The whole class 28 was sent back to its manufacturer to be fixed up, returning to Barrow shed in the Lake District in the early 60s. They settled down to provide haulage of passenger trains (up to light express, and sometimes they double headed heavy expresses) and freight on the West Coast Main Line. They also covered associated secondary routes and branches in the area. Apparently, at the time, Barrow shed staff thought that the locos were sound, but the engine continued to be a let down, needing "special attention" at regular intervals. There were plans to re-engine them, but they were eventually withdrawn and scrapped after 10 years of intermittent service. So the good news is that you can interwork a class 28 with anything that would have been running on the WCML at the time, including Stanier Pacifics and Black 5s! In fact, the later were often sent out to cover for the diesels when they broke down! I first got to know about these locos from the famous Terence Cuneo poster here:   / dhjcrnzomy0   I then saw the only preserved example at Peak Rail when I was a teenager- of course I was fascinated by this unusual loco- it looked like someone had taken half a class 23, half a class 37, chopped their noses off and glued them together. I had forgotten Heljan had made an 00 scale model, but was reminded when a popular Youtube reviewer covered the loco. It was not a glowing review, but I wasn't listening to the words- I totally fell in love with the model during the review and had bought one from ‪@railsofsheffield‬ before the review ended. There is no such thing as bad publicity. To me, it is a fantastic model that runs well and looks amazingly crazy (especially if you get the version with all green front and white wheel rims, that draw attention to the weird wheel arrangement). The roof fan detail is amazing and the loco runs really nicely. There are some detail parts to add (I am used to this as I usually model continental models, where you are often expected to spend hours adding additional parts to an expensive model). It isn't clear where the horns fit, but I found out they go under the buffer beam. In the end, I glued them either side of the NEM pocket. They are still there (for now). The cab handrails are a pain and can snap, but no more of a pain than similar handrails you might need to fit on a 300 euro Roco model. I explained how I installed the handrails on the notes to my class 28 short here:    • 00 scale Heljan class 28 hauling early 60s...   It looks like my loco is running the northerly portion of a split WCML express, or an intermediate semi fast/express from the Lake District to the NorthWest. It is running with my Hornby Stanier Duchess class King George VI (funny kind of duchess!), which is hauling an express that includes a Stanier 12 wheeler restaurant coach (which were still around in the 60s). Rails of Sheffield were still selling versions of this model for £159.50 as of 15/10/2026, so if you fancy a conversation piece weird diesel that will mix in seamlessly with your steam locos and green class 40s, now is your chance!