The Ugly - Heljan's Class 128

I recently acquired this 'lovely' Heljan Class 128, Running Nº: M55995, Catalogue Nº 89421. 

She is in weathered condition and, I think, she actually looks great, despite the title of this post. and is as very nice addition to the railway. We do already have a rake of Royal Mail RES coaches, augmented with a couple of TPOs, however, this will make a nice alternative for parcels-only services.

Only ten of these units were built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company and they were introduced in 1959.

Each unit had two 230 hp, British Unit Traction, Albion engines and they were specifically built for parcels with no passenger accommodation installed and were, instead, fitted with parcel racks plus space for bicycle storage at each end of the unit.

The last members of the class were withdrawn in 1990 and, sadly, all were cut up the following year with none making it into preservation.

In the first two photographs, above, we see our Class 128 departing Davemoor while, in the third photo, she is seen about to pass under the girder bridge that carries the branch line to Anchwood.