Skateboard, Dogbox, Tin Rocket – call them what you like but Class 153s have been a familiar part of the UK railway scene for 30 years. Reaching almost every corner of the network, from Penzance to the Highlands of Scotland and Fishguard to Lowestoft, they are one of the few ‘go anywhere’ trains and the perfect single vehicle train for any layout.

With calls for a Second Generation ‘Sprinter’ DMU in ‘O’ gauge growing all the time, HELJAN has responded with a superb model that will set new standards for detail and high-end features in this scale.

First engineering samples of the O gauge Class 153 have arrived in the UK for review and will make their public debut at the Gauge O Guild’s Guildex event in Stafford on September 2/3.

Based on original research and extensive assistance from Porterbrook Leasing, the HELJAN Class 153 is packed with desirable features that make it a ‘must have’ for modellers of the BR Sectorisation era and post-1994 privatisation period.

• Eight separately switchable lighting functions in DCC mode
• Saloon interior and cab lights
• Tail lights and headlights with day/night settings
• Illuminated destination blinds
• Bodyside door locking indicator lights and illuminated door buttons
• Original/revised headlight units, according to period and livery

Other standard features will include the myriad rivets and panel lines typical of the British Leyland derived body design, fine underframe and bogie details plus...

• Factory fitted speaker on all models
• Detachable BSI auto-couplers
• Optional magnetic coupling bars with
• Detachable snowploughs
• Fully detailed interior with separately fitted seats, tables and partitions
• Detailed standard and ‘micro cab’ interiors
• Optional NRN radio roof pods
• Authentic variations to underfloor radiator grille mesh
• Smooth, reliable and discreet power bogie

All models will be offered DCC Ready with an easy-to-access 21-pin decoder interface or with factory fitted DCC and sound. Decoration will be the icing on the cake for these superb models, featuring a wealth of detail based on original livery diagrams sourced from train operators and detailed research of the prototype.