LNER O2/2 - BR Black (Early Emblem) - 63933 - OO Scale
Out of stock
Detailed Description
Detailed Description
Introduced by the Great Northern Railway in 1921 to a design by Nigel Gresley, these powerful 2-8-0s were built to haul heavy mineral trains. Several batches were built over a 22 year period by the GNR and LNER, with numerous improvements such as better cabs and bigger tenders. Heljan's model depicts the later '02/3' and '0 2/4' variants.
FEATURES
- 21 pin DCC interface
- Factory fitted speaker in the tender
- NEM couplings
- Sprung buffers
- Exterior Details
- Tender and Locomotive Pickups
- Improved design and assembly over the previous batch
- More robust motion/valve gear
SPECIFICATIONS
- CLASS 02 (Tango)
- BUILT BY GNR / LNER Doncaster Works, North British, Glasgow
- NUMBER BUILT 67
- SERVICE CAREER 1921 - 1963
- REGION GNR/ LNER, BR Eastern Region
- PURPOSE Heavy mineral trains
MEASUREMENTS
- LENGTH 250mm
Specification
Specification
Power, DCC and Lighting
Power, DCC and Lighting
Great loco and runner. Easy to fit DCC and does not derail as a certain YouTuber would have you believe. Great value at £119.99
Fantastic O2 Tango, but missing buffer beam pipework
The Heljan LNER O2 “Tango” is a fantastic model overall. It has real presence on the layout, the finish is excellent, and the heavy freight character of the prototype is captured very well.
At £119.99, it also represents excellent value for money. This model originally sat around the £219 retailer/RRP level, so the current Heljan direct price gives a saving of roughly £99, or about 45%. That is exactly where selling direct to the consumer makes sense. Instead of the full traditional retailer margin being built into the final selling price, Heljan are passing a real saving on to the customer.
This particular example runs well and I have had no issues with derailing. The tender also has a factory-fitted speaker already installed, and the model is 21-pin DCC ready, with easy access for fitting a decoder after purchase. That makes it very practical for anyone wanting to add DCC or sound without major modification.
The only reason I am giving it four stars rather than five is that the flexible vacuum brake hose / buffer beam pipework is missing on my example. I checked the detail pack and the part is not included there either, so it does appear to be missing rather than simply left for the customer to fit.
That is disappointing, because the rest of the locomotive is superb. It is a small detail, but it is on the visible front buffer beam, so it does matter on a model of this quality.
I also think some of the online criticism of Heljan has been unfair and exaggerated. Certain YouTube reviews seem to focus heavily on negatives, not just with Heljan but also with other manufacturers such as Bachmann and Hornby. No model range is perfect, but I prefer to judge the model in front of me rather than rely on one-sided online commentary.
People should support Heljan direct if they want these sorts of prices to continue. At £119.99, this is a serious, well-detailed locomotive at a very attractive price.
In my experience, this O2 Tango looks superb, runs well, and offers very strong value for money. It only loses one star because of the missing buffer beam pipe detail.
I have found that heljan locos have generally have been good despite certain utube reviews the latest that is fine no problems it is of a better build quality of others I have five in total now along with three night owls which after some fine tuning are ok a issue I have that there are no spare motors available