I donated £100 to the Lawrie Rose crowdfund for the 12 inch to 1 foot scale Ruston 165 that we managed to save from the scrapyard. Better value for money than buying one of those OO scale Heljan 165's it seems.

@MrDeeej86

5 күн бұрын

It works and everything! I've seen it

@lmm

5 күн бұрын

Detail is better on 281266 as well! Thanks for the support!

@Trainsaregreat365

4 күн бұрын

So you watch lmm

@nigelcole1936

4 күн бұрын

The small amount I donated to Lawrie was far better value than this model I totally agree

@steamsearcher

3 күн бұрын

We did £50 to this and it is so much better value. We met Laurie 2 years ago on an open day at the MIDDY.

Intro clip told me all: "for God's sake"

@SamsTrains

5 күн бұрын

Yeah absolutely!! ;D

@3ftsteamrwy12

4 күн бұрын

OMG yes...I'm JUST watching it, and well that MUCH for a loco that Sam had to tweak in the intro???oh lord's truth!

How did Heljan reviews vanish from the channel for a year, then suddenly we are bombarded with one after another? I'm not complaining, Heljan reviews are always entertaining! 😆

@ethmister

5 күн бұрын

That's the year of recovery needed

@SamsTrains

5 күн бұрын

I'm not sure - I suppose I'm reviewing more now because their stuff from the past year has now been reduced? Thanks for watching, Sam :)

@TheHatMusic

Күн бұрын

Because there's only so long a person can take continual disappointment for before they need a break for a while I'm assuming. It's such a shame that Heljan's quality control is so hit and miss. They have so much potential to be a genuinely excellent manufacturer, but they keep missing the mark in such stupid ways.

@kenjimaurerfromdisneyland2001

4 сағат бұрын

@@SamsTrains 0:12 Shapes Music.

@kenjimaurerfromdisneyland2001

4 сағат бұрын

@@SamsTrains 0:40 Those shapes are rectangles, circles, and squares.

What? Sam's Heljan 1361 is evolving!!! (Evolves into the diesel) Congratulations! Your Heljan 1361 has evolved into a Heljan 165DE!!

@Razer_-fe9mo

5 күн бұрын

Nice reference!

@karlyoung3275

5 күн бұрын

Wonder which Sam considers worst.

@gamingwithlukeJToH

4 күн бұрын

@@karlyoung3275 1361 is definitely worse, the performance is around the same as the 1361, although this one is actually like, kind of almost half-decent quality.

@Alpha-oo8

4 күн бұрын

@@gamingwithlukeJToH on the other hand, at least the 1361 didn’t cost 200 quid, and actually had die cast and sprung buffers on it… neither work properly, so goodness knows which one Sam prefers

@gamingwithlukeJToH

9 сағат бұрын

@@Alpha-oo8 that's what it costed in 2020, putting inflation into account means the model would now cost around £196.84, which is nearly the same. not to mention the fact that basically all of the diecast on the model was horribly done.

Thats whats great about your reviews. The honesty. Magazine reviews very rarely now included negative comments. Whats that about? Even a faulty model gets a glowing review! I bet Kernow and Model Rail arn’t pleased they are involved in this model!

@nathanbowers6364

4 күн бұрын

Hornby Magazine like to cut and paste the "nothing of note" in their "cons" section of their reviews.

@Pleasant_Green

3 күн бұрын

I love Model Rail as a magazine, but their reviews are rarely critical, and I refuse to believe so many models are pefect. Definitely something I've noticed of late.

So, I talked with Dekas (danish manufactor) CEO a few days ago, where we discussed the way Dekas run compared to Heljan, and he mentioned that Heljan had no passion for the hobby and were easy to say a locomotive wouldn't be profitable for them if they didn't sell at least 1500 of them. Dekas on the other hand will according to themselves make a model if they might be profitable in the long run, i.e after 3 or 4 batches and they know how annoying bad quality is. I know I sound like a PR person for them, but I do really recommend their models, really some of the most detailed and quality locomotives that I own in my collection.

@Gatherleymodeller.

5 күн бұрын

Thank you for sharing that with us :D

@jdenm8

4 күн бұрын

I'd argue it's a healthier attitude for the hobby as well. It's an incentive to keep the product on the market; there's too many models that are one-run-and-done.

@nigelnicholson7439

4 күн бұрын

Do they do any British Profile models? Are they 00 or HO?

@albertthefarmer6023

Күн бұрын

@@nigelnicholson7439 Techincally, no as their models are made to represent Denmark (Granted, danish company) and Sweden, but if you would count rolling stock currently at the Nene Valley Railway, you could argue that their new coaches (Sat to arrive in a few months, got to see a prototype a few days ago) which the Nene Valley railway actually has, you could say that they could fit a heritage layout. Also they're HO as that's the standard scale used in Denmark.

I'm trying to imagine the conversation in the main dungeon of Heljan head office now. Hel: Hey, I've just seen how many Sam's Trains reviews there've been recently complaining about Hornby peddling overpriced shoddily made tat! Jan: What?! That's unacceptable; Hornby are muscling into our territory! They're Titfield-thunderbolting us! We'll show them... everybody likes Hornby's cute little Rustons, we shall make a Ruston of our own which exemplifies everything Heljan is known for! Now... what more could we do, to go the extra mile for a really stand-out review...? Hel: Well, Sam did review a diesel shunter from AliExpress not long ago, we could maybe *try* to aim for that kind of standard, I suppose? Or we *could* maybe attempt to make a good model for a change instead.... ? .... Heljan: Hahahahaha.... no.

I still like old Cyclops, the Triang Dockyard Shunter...

That intro threw me off for a second. Thought my internet stopped. Lol

@SamsTrains

5 күн бұрын

hahahaha!!

@padfoot7137

5 күн бұрын

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that

@hazmiscool

5 күн бұрын

@@SamsTrainshave you ever gave a 1 star for everything on a locomotive? sorry i just want to know how bad a loco can get lol

@Colt45hatchback

4 күн бұрын

Same 😂 i was just about to swear at the internet when i realised 🤣

*NO SPRUNG BUFFERS ON A £200+ MODEL???* even Hornby wouldn’t rip us off like THAT!

@matthewjohnson4800

5 күн бұрын

Yet

@railthefox1857

4 күн бұрын

Are you sure

@dtb2654

4 күн бұрын

🤣🤣🤣🤣 biggest rip of manufacturer out there!

@VauxhallRailfan

4 күн бұрын

@@railthefox1857 99% sure. Even hornby’s class 60 has sprung buffers. The price of that class 60 is still a ripoff tho

@VauxhallRailfan

4 күн бұрын

@@matthewjohnson4800 at present

I just love your reviews, even though I live in germany and am a Märklin h0 scale modeller. They're just so entertaining, especially the bad reviews. I just read the title and was like: I'm gonna love this one. So.. at least this model served one good purpose: To give me and many others a fun time while you reviewed it. Cheers!

@user-pm6pw1nk7f

5 күн бұрын

I german too, and like his reviews.

@SamsTrains

5 күн бұрын

Thank you so much - glad you like the reviews! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

Put loco back in box and send it back. If your not happy with it you have a right as I customer .

Saw the word "Warning" in the title and knew I was in for a treat!

@stevethompson9862

2 күн бұрын

Me too 🤣

When Sam shows in the intro that the loco stops, you will know it will be a bad runner 😂

Agree about Heljan. I have finally found a use for my Beyer garratt, that rarely worked, ripped the guts out, removed running gear, sprayed it rust, put it behind a Class 24 to tow it to scrap. Perfect.

When I saw the 1361? I was in the 9th grade, and now I'm watching this at work 😂🎉

@jeannedarcalterberserker8620

5 күн бұрын

Lol same here. I work a job now vs I was in school and yes, the intro was hilarious

I was having a rotten day and then your video showed up Sam. You turned my day around! GREAT WORK!!

Thanks for the barrels Sam! They turned up today. Very nice 👍🏻

Haha! The intro made me think I lost connection until I heard "For God's sake..." Great work once again Sam!

This loco will definitely be in the top 5 worst models for this year

Thanks for the heads up. I have just bought one.

Hey Sam, its a definite tribute to your presentation skills that I must have watched 50+ of your videos despite running AC gear (Marklin) on my own layout, so zero 'crossover' info really. I must say, it doesn't give me a lot of confidence in laying out high amounts of money (given it has to be shipped to Australia) to buy new models. I believe I've had less issues with 2nd hand 40 year old Lima AC models and even less issues with 40-50 year old Marklin/Fleischmann gear. Keep it up - the plethora of fans prove you're on the right track!

4 stars for mechanism where the motor is connected with plastic pipe? This is very generous!

Once again Sam, I owe you a massive thank you for your review as you have saved me a lot of heartache. My preservation group owns one of these (The real locomotive not the model) and has since being a small ambition of mine to get an example of our collection in model form. I was immediately excited when I heard Heljan were making a model of these as I didn't think anyone would ever consider making a model of these locomotives with them being a non "mainstream" Shunter which never had a lot of presence. However the original price immediately put me off and like you I decided to wait until a significant discount was applied before buying one... I was just about place an order when I saw your review. To be honest, even at £50 I just couldn't live with buying this disaster.

@RonCooper-nl4pn

4 күн бұрын

I am 79 and I have never bought a Heljan model ( not even secondhand ). I have sent Sam a comment and told him that he need not apologise for his review as most of us really appreciate his honesty in his comments. Regards from Ron

Great vid Sam! Shocking that Heljan still produce crap like this!! Sorry I've not been commenting of late I've just been very busy with college amongst other things!

Nice review sam

Thanks for the review, it makes me feel to find a new chassis for the trix train one

MORE bizzare Heljan pricing!!! Where do they dream it up from??😧😧 Always love your reviews Sam!! My only go-too on youtube.

Based on your recommendations I bought the Yellow one

Thanks for reviewing this Sam - I was thinking of getting one of these to complete my Ruston trio, I think the funds will be getting diverted onto other models now. Will you be reviewing one of the new Dapol Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST?

Heljan never fail to disappoint

Great video Sam, not a loco to start the hobby , I think. I've recently bought a railroad P2 locomotive and some pullman coaches to begin with it, but I think having another loco would be great. Do you think buying pre-owned locos at retailers would be a good idea? Thanks and, again, awesome video.

Awesome video Sam's trains 🚆 😊

@SamsTrains

5 күн бұрын

Thanks so much as always Brian, much appreciated! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

@briandesens144

5 күн бұрын

@@SamsTrains you're welcome Sam's trains

21:42 It must be poor quality if the diesel is "picking up steam!" 😂Another very entertaining Heljan review!

I love the intro Sam! Set the tone with humour! On a more serious level, I don’t like the flexible transparent plastic drive from the motor to the flywheel. It might work very quietly and cheaply for a little while, but I can imagine the hefty dousing of oil might soften it over time, and the loco transmission will fail. Whilst replacing it might not be technically difficult - getting hold of a fresh piece of tube of the correct size might be.

@johnbandow213

5 күн бұрын

Would be better to overhaul the whole dang thing if you absolutely have to own this item.

@sullivanrachael

5 күн бұрын

Well yes! Why use a cheap piece of tube? It’s the sort of thing people did when scratchbuilding models in the 1970s. Fulgarex brass did it too, and it fails. These days precision moulding has got better and cheaper - just make a neat little universal joint like the Hornby B12, the KR models GT3 to name 2 examples.

I am generally a fan of Heljan locos but this one takes the biscuit and I agree with your review. I am surprised that Kernow MRC wish to be associated with this model. I was considering buying one of these but no way, not even at the reduced prices on offer. I have several Heljan class 33s, 35s 47s and 52s which run really well. I have had to return class 17s, class 29s and GWR railcars as their motors were rubbish and failed within hours! I would be interested to see how well this loco runs with a Zimo decoder and stay-alive. I assume you will be returning this loco to the retailer?

Have to say i am bit gutted, that was top of my next purchase list. I need another small diesel shunter. Thanks for the review.

@reddturner6992

5 күн бұрын

The way prices are going, if you wait a bit you might be able to get a 1 to 1 scale shunting loco for the same amount !! :-)

@theshedtramways

4 күн бұрын

I'd sooner get the piko shunter if I was you, at least it works and you could get 5.

When I saw it stop moving in the intro I knew this would be one of those reviews on the plus side it certainly would be best buds with the 1361 class as they share a lot in common 😂

My 1361 is a great runner and has never given me any trouble but my 47xx Night Owl is an utter horror, does't run full stop and the body removal is the worst model railway experience Ive ever endured. No more Heljan nonsense for me. Good, very fair review, Sam.

Wow, Sam, that is a shocker! Will be avoiding that one…

i have quite a few of these both industrial and br ones all are fine no complaints think you got a duff one

Im beyond glad i saw this review as i was about to pick one up. Not anymore

Is the motor getting hot, have you check it with an Amp-meter? I'd also wonder if the gears are binding, after all it has a flywheel and stalls on points.

Hi Sam, I had the Model Rail Heljan LMS diesel and it was the same, broken steps, missing parts and poor running. They swapped it and that one was also dripping in oil but still so bad I had to fit a huge stay alive. I had similar problems with the garret and the Heljan turntable. There is a common theme....

I love how the previous video is a sam’s exlusive review of a newly built prototype model that has high detail and good motor. to THIS! A £160 model that barely works.

Hopefully the Heljan 1800 class review is better 😂, Good job on the Video Sam

Awesome video today Sam such a shame about the locomotive and the wagons got delivered today but I’m still in hospital

Looks to me that loco is shorting somewhere. Given the oil flooding, I wonder if you got stuck with a duff returned model?

Can we get the bodies from heljan as spares? Bung it on a baccy 03 chassis- hopefully they will turn up s/h as spares or repairs...

I can't believe all the oil when you turned it over. I think you were too generous with the grading points, but you are with the HellJam. Gret review, Jersey Bill

Hi Sam's trains I was always thinking the old brake wagons could you convert them into homes if so is that a good idea

Hi Sam, an honest opinion as always. I will, however, pick you up one one thing. The instructions state gears to centre axle, not direct drive as you have implied, not that it makes much difference but worth pointing out none the less. I very rarely buy new models, and if I do, I tend to buy from Accurascale. They appear to be passionate about the hobby and the models they produce, and as we are all well aware, offer a lifetime guarantee. I won't be buying one of these anyway because I model era 3, and I try to kit build, so if they are crap I've only myself to blame!! P.s. they usually are 😂😂😂 I look forward to the next one, cheers Lawrence.

I wish a major manufacturer would make the 0-4-0 version. Planet Industrials used to make one, but it was discontinued.

Can't thank you enough, I'm looking into this hobby, and if I got this as a first loco, I would probably quit right away. I'm going with accurascale I reckon. Cheers again. : )

Absolutely excellent review of the Ruston 165DE diesel shunter 👍 Now I can actually rant about the ridiculous price of this diesel model, I can’t believe this model cost about £200 while it SHOULD be £100 instead. The detail is ok, but the price is absolutely infuriating as most diesel shunters are cost much cheaper right around this price. It so shameless really with this model even it is slightly good, but the price is absolutely a joke especially the model is made of plastic.

@joelightrailway2362

5 күн бұрын

And also I’m absolutely disgusted horrified that this model keeps on and oh and ON stopping. Really unbelievable that this model is nothing but ripoff really and I will be sorry for everyone who bought this dumpster fire model that keeps on stopping.

@roberthill6216

5 күн бұрын

​@@joelightrailway2362I have just bought one off the back of this review. Can you send your sorryness in the post please?😊👍

Heljan are like the vauxhall of the model train world.. thats all I ever think whenever I see any reviews on their products. Great stuff as ever Sam

@SamsTrains

5 күн бұрын

hahaha what an analogy! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

@user-pm6pw1nk7f

5 күн бұрын

I am german, never have a Heljan Loco, but my dad had a vauxhall for two years when I was a child. I know what You mean.

@alangray9675

5 күн бұрын

Spot on 👍🏻👍🏻

@RustonProductions-AVRE

5 күн бұрын

Vauxhall compared to heljan, no way, Vauxhall made the Churchill, wait, what's that, they had numerous design faults, oh

@mattski8787

5 күн бұрын

I'd say more like Skoda

That reminds me, Rails of Sheffield recently discounted their stock of Heljan Class 33s, in the same manner as the Ruston 165. Dare I recommend reviewing a Crompton after this fiasco? As for the RRP of modern Heljan releases (not just this Ruston), I seriously question how they could possibly be so high.

Sam to Heljan: "I can't believe you've done this."

I have a Ozzie Powerline F3 Clone diesel with plastic/rubber drive shaft couplings from motor to bogie drives. About the cheapeast loco on the Aussie market at the time...has run well now for 7 years...use it as a test loco layouts as there is no detail parts to get damage...cheap and cheerful as they say, and has run well...often better than those costing 3-4x more?

Brutal. Just brutal. I’d love to see you try to fix the problem in a loco like this and figure out what the issue actually is. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s a returned unit that some moron just oiled like a maniac and sent back out. Did you clean the wheels at all?

23:17 Perhaps this model includes the pricey non-constant-radius wheels option?

My Heljan 05 dropped its buffer beam in front of punters at a show - "Hey Mr, is that supposed to fall off?" and has been in the showcase ever since. The 165DE is an ideal loco (as is the 07) but I'm not thinking of getting one....

Hi Sam great video i think you was a little too generous with the score for this locomotive but I bet it can be for a great Halloween video for this year

Thanks for the review, I think wasp stripes are painted upside down and should look the NCB shunter. Not bad for a novelty pizza cutter!

How are heljan still in business?

To carry on the heljan range, maybe the 47xx night owl next?

When you do the history of the loco, id love to see real pictures of real locos rather than black and white ones of the model

@SamsTrains

5 күн бұрын

Yeah I prefer doing it that way too - but I prefer to use my own material to be on the safe side in terms of copyright! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

@dwaynejohnson4892

4 күн бұрын

@@SamsTrainsfantastic point! Love your good character and integrity

I noticed the stripes on the "wasp stripes" on the back of the cab weren't painted straight either in the close-up at 13:06! It almost looks like whatever was applying either the black or the yellow stripes was slightly misaligned, which caused the two to slightly overlap when they shouldn't and green to show through where it shouldn't either. Just sloppy all around, I'm surprised it managed to avoid last place! I also feel like the rubber tube used as the drive-shaft of the motor, while it may be an interesting (if rather cheap) solution, I doubt it'll help the model's longevity in any way, especially since the rubber will inevitably harden over time. Though, given the 'quality' of the rest of the model, it might not last long enough to even make it that far!

@BellRingers2011

2 күн бұрын

i noticed this as well, while watching on a 7" mobile phone screen! was going to mention it too but you beat me to it.

At 17:41 the wipers are pointing in such a variety of directions that having one touch a wheel is a case of luck, especially given the amount of sideways movement that the chassis offers

Can you do more o gauge reviews as there is a lot of good models out there thankyou

It's a shunting diesel, and they were uncomfortably slow in the yards. But kinda sad this applied to a model loco

a Wild LMM appears.......... its super excited and comes with a large bag of cash! (those who know who he is knows he is the king of rustons)

you know a review is gonna go well when Sam has to push the locomotive to get it running in the intro 🤣

sam’s trains, heljan video ? say no more. 😁 seriously though heljan needs to get their act together.

@SamsTrains

5 күн бұрын

Yeah... if only I could say no more! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

Sam is aspect ratio of a litte?

0:12 Shapes music from Joe gets a clue.

The same with the Danish and German MAK lokomotives the started costing 2500dkk and now you can get them on heljans shop for 1000dkk mine came with a lot of broken parts

I'm damn glad I bought the Bachmann class 03 now. Never considered this Ruston but a few years into the future (now) I probably could well have. And my 03 still runs well after 4 years of being sat in a cold sometimes moist attic having never left the table. Very realibale runner

I do hope the Class 28 will fair better, granted it was originally released in 2011 but the mechanism was supposedly okay

You have to get a new updated one on Wednesday.

Heljan's Diesels were the one locomotive type they had going for them... Of course Heljan had to pull a Heljan and ruin that too

@SamsTrains

5 күн бұрын

It's odd - I've seen them make a great looking shunter before - and now this... very strange! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

@dakshanbalaramesh

5 күн бұрын

@@SamsTrains Yeah, their Class 07 is especially great

Even the horns on the cab roof look like they were FDM 3D printed. Should have gone SLA! 😂

Shame, because lil shunter diesels are my favs. Have a few Heljan locos and think I've just been lucky as never had any issues so far. Picked up the Class 17 recently and runs great. What I wanna know is what brakevan is attached at the back of the review-loco's train? I like the livery its got and not one I think I've seen before, but it wasnt on-camera enough to make it out.

@blackjockofmangertonpele

4 күн бұрын

Hornby R60088 OO Gauge LMS 20 Ton Brake Van S&T Blue Chester

Ah, I know why it’s so expensive, it’s the oil. It makes it a multi-purpose locomotive, it’s a 2 in 1! It can be used to flood your layout or as a block of grease

26:08 “oh for gods sake” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Hi Sam, your reviews are the best ever and you don’t have to apologise for this Heljan rubbish. I would get a refund if I was you purely for the missing wiper blade and poor running. PS I’m 79 and I have never purchased a Heljan model and I never will now after watching this review. All the best,please keep up the good work. Regards from Ron 🚂👍🚂😃🚂✔️🚂

Hi Sam, I have not seen that type of silicon tube transmission since early US outline brass locos. If there is any angle or offset in the alignment, the tube becomes a big drain on power being absorbed by the continuous rotational bending of the tube. I would not be surprised if a lot of the problems in running were due to that cheap transmission.

@theshedtramways

3 күн бұрын

It's used regularly on model trams with no issues.

The only thing I found you saying was okay was the number on the side of the cab, but to me it doesn't look straight

Have Heljan ever made a good loco?

Got mine last Friday. After nearly having a breakdown while trying to run it in I contacted the retailer. I intend to return this rubbish as quickly as possible.

Lima somehow made similar locos for much less and more reliable despite having a very simple mechanism, that German Wermacht 0-4-0 shunter comes to mind.

Hi Sam, up until you mentioned the amount of negativity on the forums. I was convinced that this must be a counterfeit model. With the poor manufacturing & especially the mistakes & contradictions in the paperwork it looked too ridiculous for any proper manufacturer (let alone Hejan) to think they could get away with releasing this model at such a ridiculous price. If (as you stated) this is a widespread problem with all their models, then something should be done to rectify these shoddy business practices. Thanks for having the committment to the railway modeling community for carrying through with this video. 👍

Can you try DCC on it to see if it will work better than on DC? I believe it takes a next 18.

@Jaherick

4 күн бұрын

With a stay alive as well…

Is the size of the wheel flanges causing the loco to loose power on the points and curves by riding up on the plastic chairs?

@SamsTrains

4 күн бұрын

It does seem to be clearing the chairs, but possibly not the point frogs! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

Good old "Hell"jan. Maintaining their standards with pride. 😂

I felt this wonderful feeling in my mind, body and soul when she said “I prefer kislux

Did you try to swap it by the retailer or by Heljan? But you did not see anything that could be considered as broken justifying a swap - the new one would "perform" equally bad.

12:03 there has been a shower head mounted at the rear end of the loco? You'll never stop learning with Hel(l)jan!

Heljan (if you have real Terry Pratchett's books on Tiffany Aching series of using Slug Glue) look at Heljan! my former class 14 in OO & class 25 in O gauge could not stop falling apart! I hope for OO modelers that Hornby produce the 165 in O-4-O, since moving to O gauge I am waiting for the 48DS Heljan 😵‍💫 and the Accurascale 88DS 🤔. Heljan need to vasty to improve! Plus are the roof mounted horns right for a industrial livery?

Was some of that oil on pickups or wheel backs? I'd suggest a stay-alive but it's probably not worth it. I recently bought a similar-looking, old split-chassis Bachman 04 - hardwired a decoder into it (complicated procedure) but for a total £60, it works far better than your new Ruston 165DE.

@jasonhickling1633

3 күн бұрын

I sent this dreadful loco away and was told a stay alive could not be fitted, more money thrown away!!. Without doubt the worst new loco l have ever bought in 40 years of modelling, with very little interest from Kernow or Heljan. Avoid it !!!.