Heljan 1177

British Rail Class 117 TCL W59479 British Rail Blue

Contents

Tooling

In late 2024, Heljan announced its long-awaited, fully tooled O gauge Class 117 DMUs, marking its most ambitious suburban DMU project to date. This launch forms part of a wider "First Generation" suburban DMU range that also includes the Class 121, Class 122 railcars and Class 149/150 trailer cars, offering enthusiasts a comprehensive set from the late-1950s through the 1990s.

Reviews from the modelling community have been overwhelmingly positive. Model Rail and Key Model World highlighted its "impressive" detailing and smooth running, describing it as a milestone for O gauge DMUs. Many noted Heljan's long wait—announced originally in 2018—as fully justified by the striking final result. Social media and discussion forums praised its realism, especially the accurate detailing, strong drive performance, and well-engineered coupling system.

Detailing: Includes factory-fitted handrails, glazing, wipers, exhausts, lamp irons, gangway connectors, tail lamp, and buffer beam detail. Underframes feature chassis pipework, battery boxes and air tanks. Fully modelled passenger saloons, cab interiors, cab lighting and detailed driver's footplate. Screw-link couplings at the ends, magnetic bar couplings between cars, and sprung buffers for realistic operation during shunting and movement.

Class & Prototype

  • Running Number: W59479

The British Rail Class 117 diesel multiple units were built by Pressed Steel Company between 1959-1961 as three-car suburban sets comprising DMBS, TCL, and DMS vehicles. Powered by dual Leyland 680 horizontal diesel engines producing 600hp per unit, these elegant DMUs served Thames Valley, Birmingham Cross-City, Scottish, and Cornish routes for forty years until final withdrawal in 2000. The class achieved remarkable preservation success with 51 surviving vehicles across twenty heritage locations, including the Swanage Railway's mainline-certified set operating scheduled Network Rail services. Bachmann produces comprehensive OO gauge models (£459.95-569.95) featuring dual motors, authentic period liveries from BR green through Network SouthEast, and optional sound-fitted variants, whilst Heljan offers O gauge versions arriving December 2025.

Operator & Livery

British Rail (1965-1997) transformed Britain's railways through revolutionary modernisation, introducing the iconic double arrow logo, Rail Blue livery, and business sectorisation. BR pioneered high-speed rail with the InterCity 125 and Advanced Passenger Train, electrified major routes, and created profitable divisions like InterCity and Network SouthEast. From steam succession through diesel and electric development to privatisation preparation, British Rail's diverse locomotive fleet, multiple livery schemes, and operational scenarios provide unparalleled variety for railway modellers across all scales and periods.

BR Blue, also known as Rail Blue or Monastral Blue, was introduced in 1965 as part of British Rail's comprehensive corporate identity overhaul that accompanied the rebranding from British Railways to British Rail. The colour was officially defined by British Standards BR28/6001 (airless spray finish) and BR28/5321 (brush finish), representing a dark, greyish blue tone specifically chosen to hide dirt and weathering effects well.

The livery was prototyped on the experimental XP64 train in 1964 before becoming the standard scheme from 1 January 1965. Rail Blue was applied to all diesel and electric locomotives with yellow warning panels (initially small, then extending to full yellow ends from 1966). The standardised application included the iconic double arrow logo and Rail Alphabet typeface, creating one of the most successful transport corporate identities of the 20th century.

The livery dominated British Rail operations for over two decades until sectorisation in the 1980s began fragmenting the unified appearance. Despite initial colour fading problems in early applications, these were resolved by the late 1970s when the Large Logo variant was introduced featuring extended yellow areas and full-height double arrow symbols. Rail Blue's enduring appeal among railway enthusiasts reflects its role as the definitive British Rail image during the organisation's most unified period.