Heljan 1802 Sound

BR Gas Turbine 18000 Class Locomotive BR Green Late Crest - DCC Sound

Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI images rather than photographs

Prototype Era
Era 5 (1956 to 1966) British Railways Late Crest

Manufacturer description

Rails of Sheffield Exclusive - Pre Fitted with DCC Sound by Rails

VERY LIMITED STOCK REMAINING

British Rail 18000 Gas Turbine Prototype Locomotive nicknamed ‘Kerosene Castle’

BR green with orange/black waistband lining (1957-60 condition) and BR late crest

Model Specification

• 21-pin DCC socket with easy access
• Directional LED Lighting, Cab lighting and engine room lighting!
  
• Heavy die-cast metal chassis with central motor and flywheels giving powerful performance
• Separately fitted wire handrails and sandpipes
• Spoked wheels
• Etched grilles
• Sprung buffers
• Flush glazing
• An optional Western Region style train reporting number frame and numerals will also be included in the package, allowing modellers to add this distinctive WR feature to the front of the locomotive.

Proposed model based on a unique gas turbine prototype built for BR, but ordered by the GWR in the 1940s. British Rail 18000 was a prototype mainline gas turbine-electric locomotive built for British Railways in 1949 by Brown, Boveri & Cie in Switzerland. It had, however, been ordered by the Great Western Railway in 1946, but construction was delayed. It spent its working life on the Western Region of British Railways, operating express passenger services from London Paddington to the West of England.
Loco was delivered in BR black with silver trim, but later painted in BR lined green with early emblem and then late crest, offering three livery options.
After withdrawal from BR service it went abroad and was used in various experiments in Austria and Switzerland in the 1960s and 1970s. Stored for many years in Vienna, it returned to the UK in the early-1990s for preservation and now resides at Didcot Railway Centre, albeit with many external modifications and without any internal equipment.
In terms of size and specification, this loco is similar to Heljan prototypes such as Kestrel and Falcon.

Catalogue listing

Model details

Heljan BR Gas Turbine 18000 Class Locomotive in BR green with late crest is a limited‑edition model released as part of the Rails of Sheffield range. It is supplied pre‑fitted with DCC sound (manufacturer part number 1802 Sound) and includes interior lighting.

The locomotive features a 21‑pin DCC socket with easy access, directional LED lighting for the cab and engine room, and a heavy die‑cast metal chassis with a central motor and flywheels. Additional details include separate wire handrails and sandpipes, spoked wheels, etched grilles, sprung buffers and flush glazing. An optional Western Region style reporting number frame and numerals are available as part of the package.

The prototype represented is the British Rail 18000 gas‑turbine locomotive, built in 1949 by Brown, Boveri & Cie in Switzerland. It operated on the Western Region from London Paddington to the West of England, initially in black with silver trim before being repainted in lined green with the early emblem and later the late crest. After withdrawal the locomotive was used in experiments abroad and returned to the UK in the early 1990s for preservation at Didcot Railway Centre.

Very limited stock remains. The model is comparable in size and specification to other Heljan prototypes such as the Kestrel and Falcon.