Napier Roar! Listen to Our Deltic Digital Sounds and Update!
Fran Burke
After almost four months of waiting due to lockdown, we have finally been able to hear our first draft of our Deltic DCC sound project! There are some tweaks required, but just listen to that Napier roar!
We also present an update on the model and tooling enhancements currently being carried out in China. Make sure you like and subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Facebook page, Twitter feed, email newsletter and follow our website and RMWeb for further updates!
Watch our video below.
As well as our video, we can bring you a full list of functions for the Deltic, so you can see just how impressive the DCC functionality is on these beasts!
Key
Function
F0
Headlights Front/Rear
F1
Sound on/off
F2
Air Horn (high)
F3
Air Horn (low)
F4
Radiator Fans
F5
Heavy Load
F6
Acceleration/brake time, Shunting Mode/Shunting speed
F7
Flange Squeal
F8
Brake Function 1 / Independent Brake
F9
Compressed Air let Off
F10
Guard Whistle
F11
Red Marker lights
F12
Cab Light
F13
Brake Set/Release Automatic
F14
Station-Announcements (female)
F15
Station-Announcements (male)
F16
Open / Close Cab Door
F17
Brake Function 2 / Automatic Brake Emergency
F18
Steam Heating System
F19
Sound Fader
F20
Disable Brake Squeal Sound
F21
Air Spitter Valve
F22
Headlight/Night
F23
Depot Light
F24
Compressor
F25
Engine Room Light
F26
Manual Notching Up
F27
Manual Notching Down
F28
Manual Notching Logic
F29
Apply/Release Hand Brake
F30
Coupler Clank
Station Announcement Female
(F14)
CV168=0
10am Flying Scotsman
CV168=1
11am KX - Glasgow Queen Street
CV168=2
4pm Talisman
CV168=3
5pm Tees-Tyne Pullman
CV168=4
7.55am KX - Newcastle
CV168=5
12pm KX - Aberdeen
CV168=6
7.45am KX - Waverley
CV168=7
3.55pm Leeds Executive
CV168=8
1.05pm Lime St - York
Station Announcement Male
(F15)
CV169=0
8am Talisman
CV169=1
9am Tees-Tyne Pullman
CV169=2
10.15am Newcastle - KX
CV169=3
10am Flying Scotsman
CV169=4
4pm Waverley - KX
CV169=5
7.25am Newcastle Executive
CV169=6
8.50am York - Lime St
Brake Squeal
CV165=0
Brake Squeal#1
CV165=1
Brake Squeal#2
CV165=2
Brake Squeal#3
CV165=3
Brake Squeal#4
Does our latest video tickle your fancy? Tempted to add one of these beasts to your locomotive stud? Pre-order with a deposit of just £30 here today!
When we launched our Powering Britain range, the aim was simple: tell the story of Britain's rail freight revolution through the iconic wagons that powered the nation. From merry-go-round hoppers to the birth of the railways, every wagon has played its part.
Today we're delighted to reveal the next chapter in that story with the announcement of one of the most requested British freight wagons of recent years...
The BR 32.5t HBA/HEA Domestic Coal Hopper!
For over three decades these rugged wagons were a familiar sight across every corner of the British Rail network. Whether working lengthy domestic coal block trains, Speedlink services or mixed freight formations, the HEA became the standard wagon for Britain's domestic coal traffic.
Yet despite a fleet approaching 2,000 wagons and a career stretching from the mid-1970s right through to the 2010s, the HEA has never truly received the high-fidelity ready-to-run treatment it deserves in OO gauge.
Until now.
A New Standard for Domestic Coal
By the mid-1970s British Rail recognised the need to replace its ageing fleet of unfitted mineral wagons inherited from the steam era.
While the HAA merry-go-round hopper had transformed power station coal traffic, it wasn't suited to the wider domestic coal network. Its automatic discharge equipment made it expensive to build and maintain, and many coal merchants simply didn't require such sophistication.
Instead, BR developed a simpler, more versatile design.
The prototype HBA, numbered 360000, emerged from Shildon Works in 1975. Its all-steel construction, manually operated hopper doors and air-braked running gear proved an immediate success, leading to the construction of 1,998 production wagons between 1976 and 1979.
Initially finished in traditional BR Bauxite, many later received the striking Railfreight red and grey livery introduced in 1979, although weathered bauxite examples remained a common sight for decades afterwards.
A Wagon That Evolved
Like many successful BR wagon designs, the HEA continually evolved throughout its career.
The earliest wagons featured centrally-mounted end ladders, leaf spring suspension and twin air pipes. As production continued, offset ladders became standard while improved Bruninghaus suspension increased the maximum speed from 45mph to 60mph, prompting the TOPS recoding from HBA to HEA.
Safety modifications saw ladders disappear altogether during the EWS era, while underframe details evolved with changing braking and suspension equipment.
These subtle - but highly visible - differences are exactly the sort of variations we love reproducing at Accurascale.
More Than Just Coal
As domestic coal traffic declined during the 1980s, the versatile HEA chassis found new life in an astonishing variety of roles.
Some carried rock salt. Others found second careers within collieries.
Hundreds became the familiar MEA box wagons, while others evolved into the MFA ballast spoil wagons that survived until as recently as 2024.
Covered CEA wagons carried everything from china clay to lime and even seaweed.
Perhaps most distinctive of all were the cut-down RNA nuclear flask barrier wagons, created from redundant HEAs for use on Sellafield traffic - a fascinating chapter in the wagon's long working life.
The humble HEA proved remarkably adaptable, becoming one of the most influential freight wagon chassis designs of the late BR era.
A Missing Link Finally Arrives
Our HEA family represents one of the biggest upgrades in the modern RTR wagon scene.
The new tooling finally fills that gap by faithfully recreating these workhorses with the attention to detail that you expect from us.
Better still, we've gone far beyond a single version.
For the first time in ready-to-run OO gauge we're producing:
As-built HBA wagons with leaf spring suspension
Early central ladder variants
Offset ladder HEAs
Later no-ladder EWS-era examples
Multiple axlebox styles
Single and twin air pipe variations
Wagons with and without AVI transponders
Correct suspension variations throughout production
Every version has been researched to accurately represent the prototype during its intended era.
Specification Worthy of a Workhorse
As with every Accurascale freight wagon, we've focused on both appearance and operation.
Every model features:
Diecast metal chassis for excellent weight
Brass pinpoint bearings for exceptionally smooth running
Flexible NEM coupling pockets
Sprung metal buffers
Scale coupling pack included
Etched stainless steel brake discs
Finely reproduced underframe and brake equipment
Prototype-specific suspension, axleboxes and pipework
Era-correct tooling and decoration variations
Every livery has been carefully researched to match the prototype, and our colourful first run depicts the early years of the original BR Bauxite, striking Railfreight colours and later Trainload Distribution schemes.
Just the Beginning...
The HEA is much more than a single wagon.
It forms the foundation of an extensive family that served Britain's railways for almost fifty years.
With this entirely new tooling we've created a platform capable of reproducing many members of that remarkable family - and this is only the beginning.
Expect many more developments from this versatile chassis in the future.
Powering Britain Rolls On
From coal merchants and Speedlink trains to nuclear flask workings and engineering duties, the HEA family became one of the defining freight wagons of the late BR era.
Nearly 2,000 were built, yet today only eight survive.
We're proud to preserve their legacy in miniature with what we believe is the definitive OO gauge model of this classic British freight wagon.
The BR HEA joins our ever-growing Powering Britain collection, bringing another essential piece of Britain's freight railway story to life.
It's time to fill one of the biggest gaps in the modern freight fleet.
Pre-order your models today, exclusively from Accurascale.
Prices start at just £79.98 per triple-pack - and you'll get 10% Rake Builder discount when buying two packs or more. That works out from as little as £23.99 a wagon!
By making these available for sale directly, we're able to pass the savings straight back to you, the modeller, helping put more money back in your pocket, and allowing you to buy longer trains!
Pre-order yours with no deposit down, and a projected release date of Q2 2027.
PRE-ORDER YOUR MODELS TODAY
In the beginning, we created the coaches for your pre-grouping locos.
Now they're on their way...
Check out the factory finished production samples of our Genesis coaches!
