Heljan 7308

British Rail Class 73 73128 English, Welsh & Scottish Railway Maroon & Gold

Contents

Tooling

Announced in 2021 and delivered from late 2023, Heljan’s British Rail Class 73 electro-diesel locomotive for O gauge represents a major milestone in ready-to-run 7mm scale modelling. The Class 73 was a unique Southern Region design capable of operating on 750V DC third-rail electric power and via a 600hp diesel engine, making it highly versatile for passenger, freight, and engineering duties. Heljan’s model covers the production ‘JB’ batch built between 1965–67, which remains iconic on the UK network and heritage lines.

Industry reviews have praised the model as Heljan’s most detailed O gauge locomotive to date, highlighting its exceptional finish, authentic variations, and innovative features such as animated arc flashes and powered roof fan. BRM and Hornby Magazine noted its benchmark-setting quality for British outline O gauge. Social media discussions on platforms like Modern Image O Gauge have been positive, with enthusiasts impressed by the fidelity and operational performance, though some noted the need for suitable coaching stock for authentic Southern Region scenes.

Detailing: Highly detailed body with over 550 separate parts, etched metal grilles, wire handrails, and separately fitted bufferbeam details. Interchangeable headcode panels, optional arc shields, retractable collector shoes, sprung buffers, and fully functional drophead buckeye couplers. DCC-controlled third-rail arc flash effect.

Class & Prototype

  • Running Number: 73128

The British Rail Class 73 electro-diesel represents one of Britain's most versatile and longest-serving locomotive classes, designed in the early 1960s to solve the Southern Region's third-rail gap problem in goods yards. With dual 1,600hp electric and 600hp diesel modes (1,600hp diesel in Class 73/9 rebuilds), these Bo-Bo locomotives served prestigious duties from Gatwick Express to Venice Simplon Orient Express, and now operate Caledonian Sleeper services in Scotland. Of 49 built (6 Class 73/0, 43 Class 73/1), 39 survive with approximately 22 still operational, making them among British Rail's most enduring designs spanning over 60 years of continuous service.

Operator & Livery

The English, Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) operated Britain's largest rail freight network from 1996-2007, controlling 90% of the UK freight market. Formed by Wisconsin Central through acquisition of five British Rail freight companies, EWS revolutionised British freight transport with 250 new General Motors Class 66 locomotives and distinctive maroon and gold livery featuring the famous "three beasties" logo. The company was acquired by Deutsche Bahn in 2007, eventually becoming today's DB Cargo UK while maintaining its freight market dominance.

The EWS maroon and gold livery was introduced in April 1996, with the first locomotive to receive the scheme being Class 37 number 37057, which emerged from Toton Depot on 25 April 1996 to coincide with the launch of the English, Welsh & Scottish brand. The colour specification featured maroon bodysides, roofs and ends with black underframes and buffer beams, standard UK yellow warning panels, and a distinctive gold stripe running centrally between the cab ends.

To ensure accurate colour consistency, a sample plate was flown from Wisconsin Central's American operations to Britain, where British paints were mixed to match this standard. Interestingly, when Class 66 and 67 locomotives were later built by General Motors, another sample plate was sent to the manufacturer, resulting in a slightly lighter shade than the original British mix.

The livery evolved through several variations. Early applications from April 1996 featured "EW&S" lettering (including the ampersand) in Arial typeface within the gold band. From January 1997, this was simplified to "EWS" with improved Gill Sans typeface - continuing a tradition established by the LNER in the 1920s and used by British Railways until the 1960s.

The gold band width varied by locomotive class - most received 600mm bands, but Classes 37, 58, and 73 looked better with 550mm bands due to their distinctive body shapes. Company lettering and locomotive numbers appeared in maroon within the gold stripe with 20mm clearance from the band edges, positioned at opposite ends on each side of the locomotive.

For model railway enthusiasts, specialist paint manufacturers like Phoenix Paints produce authentic colour matches, with their E.W.&S. Red (P193) and E.W.&S. Gold (P194) paints matched to original Wisconsin Central colour panels. Alternative options include RailMatch EWS Maroon (1255) which many modellers prefer for value and colour accuracy.

The EWS maroon and gold scheme became one of the most recognisable railway liveries in modern British history, remaining in use until Deutsche Bahn's acquisition in 2007 and the subsequent adoption of DB Schenker corporate red livery from 2009.