No.58 A Western Celebration
This last week saw the arrival of Western King – with no yellow panels. Heljan had already introduced their Western Class models prior to my return to the hobby and I have been on the lookout for some time for a Maroon model with no yellow panels – now I have found one!
I have fond memories of the introduction of the Western
Class diesel hydraulics. As a school boy I used to be taken once or twice per
year to visit 'family' on the Wirral. My parents would take the opportunity to
spend a day shopping in Chester and I would get to spend time train spotting at
Chester General.
D1007 Western Talisman
In those days office workers did not have as many days
holiday as now and Father used to arrange our visits to include a Bank Holiday.
Hence I know that the above picture was taken during August Bank Holiday 1962.
In the summer of 1962 Chester General was a shadow of its former self. No
Castles only a rundown Hall. The Beeching cuts had started to take effect and
I think this was probably the last occasion that I spent time collecting engine
numbers.
5985 Mostyn Hall
In 1962 August Bank Holiday Monday was the 6th, records for
the Westerns state that D1007 was completed on 01/08/62 - ties in quite nicely
with the picture which shows an obviously recently ex works locomotive with
yellow painted buffer beam and no yellow warning panels.
I also spotted a green Western on the same day. However I am
confused as I appear to have written down D1001 but have also written Western
Explorer (D1002). I never was any good at mathematics (but I wasn’t colour
blind - D1001 was painted maroon).
Lima Golden Series – D1016 Western Gladiator
Prior to the Heljan models I owned a couple of Lima models.
Western Gladiator bought in 1981, came as part of one the Lima Golden Series
train sets.
I bought a Craftsman detail kit for the engine, fitting the
nickel silver handrail and white metal buffers. I also cut off the Lima
coupling and screwed in place a Mainline type coupling.
The picture above shows the three coaches that came with the
set, all fitted with white metal buffers. For the Restaurant Car I rearranged
the ventilators on the roof and added some extra pancake types above the
kitchen . I also added to and rearranged the battery boxes on the underframe,
but that is not visible in this view.
My second Lima model was Western Pioneer. This was bought
new for the princely sum of £6.75 in 1984 from the Bradford Model Centre (in
Manchester?). The picture above shows Western Pioneer repainted, and fitted
with etched plates and nickel silver handrails alongside Heljan Western
Empress, just prior to the sale of the Lima model.
I think the original Heljan Western models are some of the
smoothest running and most powerful railway models produced. Western King seems
to have settled in nicely and I have posted a video of it together with Western Talisman.
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