In my 8 x 11ft railway room it's either R2, or go down a scale, or go into 0-16.5 NG. The loco runs satisfactorily through the curves and points on my layout. This is not so surprising since Richard Webster's 43xx 2-6-0 GW mogul, with the same 5ft8in drivers and same fixed wheelbase, has proved to be quite at home on R2s, though Lionheart use clever engineering such as cam-guided pony trucks, and variable tender drawbar arrangements. (Digression, - I do not know why some dismiss the Peco radius, it is equivalent to 2ft or '4th radius' in OO which accepts virtually all OO stock. Like RTR locos, it makes 7mm modelling more accessible, which must surely be a good thing?)

The Heljan pony trucks are simple pivot, and you fit them yourself, this is straightforward since the front is the smaller 3ft 2in diameter and the rear 3ft8in. The pony wheel axles do not run in separate bearings or bushes, the driving wheel axles look thinner than usual for O gauge, and the drivers have a fair degree of side and vertical play. I did not care to dismantle the mechanism, but I suspect the motor/gearbox floats.

The normal components of RTR detailing are present below and above the footplate, in the capacious but gloomy cab, pipes and dials can be seen with the aid of a powerful torch. However the coal-load is a real let down, think early Tri-ang levels of realism. Once my 61xx completes its year of warranty, major surgery will be called for on this component. Operationally, at 1.6kg the 61xx well outweighs Dapol or Minerva RTR locos, but then the prototype weighs 80 tons. The model comes screwed to a polished hardwood plinth and protected by shaped hard foam, in fact the packaging without the loco weighs 900grams.

Mike Barcy at my Tolworth club had his analogue version of 5184 hauling a rake of five Darstaed mark ones plus four brass Maunsells, on six foot radius curves, a tail load of at least eight kilos. My R2 curves tend to induce some friction drag, so my loco managed six Dapol Colletts, about five kilos, but this rake would be twice what my layout can manage. The mechanism is acceptably quiet and smooth. Unlike the other RTR manufacturers, Heljan does not do DCC or sound fitting, though this model comes DCC ready to fit an ESU Loksound L4.0 decoder. The decoder guide tells me F3 controls a 'flickering firebox' feature which would be of use in illuminating my crew in that gloomy cab, however this is on F4 in my Tower Models DCC installation. Since 6106, the only class survivor is at Didcot but not running, the sound file is 'generic'. Tower have done a good job setting up the chuff synchronicity, but oddly while I have been able to tweak CVs 3 and 4 (acceleration and slowing) the loco strongly resists being addressed '5184,’ but I have been able to shift it from '03' to '51' which is okay for me. No 'Realdrive' option is available on this chip.

Overall, apart from the coal, this is a great model with impressive haulage powers, far beyond my present needs, in other words it displays all the typical Heljan qualities.