Accurascale Acquires Heljan – A New Era for a Legendary Name in Model Railways

[Warbonnet]

Accurascale Limited is proud to announce the acquisition of renowned model railway manufacturer Heljan, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter for one of the hobby’s most respected and innovative brands.

Under Accurascale ownership, Heljan UK will move to a direct-to-consumer sales model, with all UK sales taking place exclusively via the Heljan UK website. This new approach will allow Heljan to offer exceptional value and closer engagement with customers and lower prices for robust, reliable and durable models in a market demanding more affordability and value for money. This bold new strategy is to encourage new entrants into the hobby, both young and old, as well as offering seasoned modellers exceptional value as they add to their collections or change scales.

Heljan’s Danish range will continue to be available through retail networks in mainland Europe, and that range will see expansion in the coming years as well as all new models incorporating new levels of detail, features and fidelity that are in line with Accurascale’s approach.

As part of this launch:

• OO gauge locomotives will be priced from just £99.95, with selected lines at £49.95
• Most O gauge locomotives will be priced from just £299.95, with selected lines below this figure
• TT Powered Models Will be Priced from £124.94 and the range will receive further investment through new models
• New customer sign-ups will receive 10% off their first order

The Heljan website will offer the same customer benefits as Accurascale, including:

• 2% cashback in loyalty points when customers register an account
• Free UK shipping on orders over £100
• Bundle discounts on wagons and coaches where applicable
• Up to 5% cashback in loyalty points available through our famous tiered system

Modellers who have previously pre-ordered forthcoming Heljan models that are in development, such as the Class 42 Warship, Class 44, Class 86, in OO, Class 24 in O gauge and Class 55 and Class 122 ‘Bubble Cars’ in TT will now have to pre-order direct on the Heljan UK website, but with a much reduced, more attractive price point. This will be the case for all new Heljan British outline releases going forwards, and it will see a growth of excellently priced models in stock grow over the coming weeks and months.

Customers looking to pre-order the forthcoming Class 153 and 155 DMUs in OO gauge can now pre-order those on the Accurascale website only, as they will now join the Accurascale Exclusives Range! 

A Return to Innovation

Accurascale’s ambition for Heljan is to recapture the innovative spirit that made the brand famous in the British market, from the step-change impact of the first-generation Class 47 in OO gauge, the brave building of the Ready-To-Run O gauge market, to iconic products such as the functioning Container Crane, working traverser and 009 ranges. The robust nature and smooth-running characteristics of Heljan locomotives will be maintained and serve as the foundation for future models.

Looking forward, the plan includes:

• Exciting new and innovative products across multiple scales
• Enhanced value in established Heljan OO models, including upgrades in sound, digital and lighting functionality
• Upgrading selected Heljan OO models to full Accurascale specification over time
• Significantly improved value in Heljan O gauge, with reduced prices and additional features such as factory-fitted digital sound in future releases
• Continued exploration of the British TT:120 market with further models in development
• Establishing Heljan as the market leader in Danish-outline HO, with exciting new models and enhanced specifications already planned

Preserving and Building on a 70-Year Legacy

The Heljan name will continue, building on its 70-year heritage of serving the hobby market with innovative, robust, and reliable models.

Accurascale is also pleased to confirm that Kim Nannestad and Ben Jones will remain part of the Heljan family, ensuring continuity, experience, and passion remain at the heart of the brand as it moves forward.

Together, Accurascale and Heljan will focus on delivering:

• Robust, reliable, smooth-running models at highly attractive price points in OO, O, and TT gauge for the UK market
• Market-leading quality in the HO market, in line with Accurascale’s well-known standards

A Powerful Future Ahead

“This acquisition is about respecting Heljan’s incredible legacy while giving the brand the tools, technology, and direction to thrive in the modern market,” said Stephen McCarron, Managing Director, Accurascale. “We believe Heljan can once again be a byword for innovation, value, and excitement across multiple scales and markets.”

Kim Nannestad expressed his delight at joining forces with Accurascale: “The Heljan brand has been part of the Nannestad family for 70 years, and we are incredibly proud of it and what my Grandfather established, my father built and what we have achieved. We are now excited to build on that legacy with Accurascale and bring new energy and ideas to Heljan, preserve its future and become a market leader.”  

Check out www.heljan.com for the latest Heljan news updates and shop for your favourite models at unbeatable prices for the UK outline range, and www.heljan.dk for the Danish range.

The journey begins now.

Please note that the in stock items currently listed on the Heljan.com website are currently being processed in our new warehouse and will dispatch in early April. Thank you for your patience!

BROWSE THE HELJAN RANGE HERE!

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[ttc0169]

Congratulation on your acquisition - looking forward to the re release of the container crane

[Mol_PMB]

Wow!

Now I see where the discussion on Irish O gauge was leading...

[Galteemore]

Brian Boru would be so proud  

[airfixfan]

Wow

[DoctorPan]

TT and 009 stuff? You know TT gauge track is the prefect gauge for 3ft lines in 00..!

 

 

[DJ Dangerous]

So, without wanting to be too nosey, say somebody wanted some O Gauge Mk2’s…

Would they be better off flying @murphaph down here and locking him in the garage for a few weeks to respray some stunning NSE Mk2’s?

Or waiting a year or two for the next run, in case there happened to be an FK and TSO in IR / IE livery?

[Mol_PMB]

13 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

So, without wanting to be too nosey, say somebody wanted some O Gauge Mk2’s…

Would they be better off flying @murphaph down here and locking him in the garage for a few weeks to respray some stunning NSE Mk2’s?

Or waiting a year or two for the next run, in case there happened to be an FK and TSO in IR / IE livery?

Make sure you give Murphaph some breathing apparatus or decent air extraction, if you're going to lock him in a garage with a spray gun. Otherwise it could end badly.

Bearing in mind that Heljan have also produced an O gauge Hymek and Class 33, is it time to reproduce those 1980s 'Irish' train sets in a larger scale?

(no)

[irishmail]

3 hours ago, Warbonnet said:

Under Accurascale ownership, Heljan UK will move to a direct-to-consumer sales model

So much for supporting your 'local' model shop then!!!  

[Georgeconna]

O gauge Locos are pretty cheap, Good draw in,  then when you look at the rolling stock! That's another matter.

[DJ Dangerous]

2 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

Otherwise it could end badly.

Ending badly is the plan. Then, I don’t have to pay him.

 

41 minutes ago, Georgeconna said:

O gauge Locos are pretty cheap, Good draw in,  then when you look at the rolling stock! That's another matter.

Dapol do some decent modern image wagons that are good value for money, and A/S HUO hoppers were decent value, too.

Coaching stock, however, is a different kettle of fish!

[Flying Snail]

Very interesting news .. and very exciting plans.

Best of luck Accurascale and Heljan!

[irishmail]

Just received this email from Gaugemaster!   

An Important Update Regarding Heljan at Gaugemaster

As you might have already heard, Accurascale have today announced the acquisition of Heljan which was concluded last week.   As there has been no communication to us from Accurascale and given that they already have their own distribution structure, we are working on the basis that we are not part of their commercial strategy moving forward.    We have of course, requested some dialogue with them on the situation and if our assumption is incorrect then we will of course, communicate this to you in a timely way.

[DJ Dangerous]

I’ve been watching the stock levels on the new Heljan website.

I think that there were over a hundred O Gauge lines listed three days ago…

As of today, that’s down to only 13 lines left in stock.

That blue 45/1 looks mighty tempting…

[BosKonay]

Just now, DJ Dangerous said:

I’ve been watching the stock levels on the new Heljan website.

I think that there were over a hundred O Gauge lines listed three days ago…

As of today, that’s down to only 13 lines left in stock.

That blue 45/1 looks mighty tempting…

The response to the website has been tremendous and heartening that the right call was made for the customers benefit. 

[DJ Dangerous]

Just now, BosKonay said:

The response to the website has been tremendous and heartening that the right call was made for the customers benefit. 

The numbers speak for themselves. I don’t know the original quantities of each, but could see the “remaining in stock” levels crumble pretty fast. The cement wagons are a gift at that price.

[DJ Dangerous]

Down to only eleven lines in stock:

https://heljan.com/collections/in-stock-now?filter.p.m.custom.product_scale=7mm+(O)

Briefly went up to 16 or 17 lines today when more cement wagons went on sale, but they’re gone already.

Come on, @MOGUL, where are the oil tanks and Mk2 coaches???

[Warbonnet]

Next lot is due week after next folks, some seriously good items in there too! 
 

cheers!

Fran

[DJ Dangerous]

26 minutes ago, Warbonnet said:

Next lot is due week after next folks, some seriously good items in there too! 
 

cheers!

Fran

Credit card has rolled over, ready for some O Gauge splurging.

[DJ Dangerous]

Two Class 56’s in stock!!!

https://heljan.com/products/class-56-railfreight-unnumbered-o-scale?_pos=13&_fid=6749ef053&_ss=c

https://heljan.com/products/class-56-coal-sector-56101-o-scale-weathered?_pos=9&_fid=6749ef053&_ss=c

Aargh, the temptation!!!

Thank Heavens there’s no Hatton’s style trunk service or I’d be broke.

 

[DJ Dangerous]

Loads and loads of O Gauge listed today:

https://heljan.com/collections/in-stock-now?filter.p.m.custom.product_scale=7mm+(O)

WIGIG!!!

 

 

[DJ Dangerous]

Look at this NSE two-car Class 117:

https://heljan.com/products/class-117-nse-2-car-o-scale

 

 

[Mol_PMB]

7 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Look at this NSE two-car Class 117:

https://heljan.com/products/class-117-nse-2-car-o-scale

 

 

You had better get building some more shelves! 

My 48DS has been delivered already, less than 24 hours from placing the order. I hope the postie hid it well as I’m still in Dublin!

[DJ Dangerous]

O Gauge Class 37’s now in stock!!!!!

https://heljan.com/collections/class-37

Phwoahhh!

 

 

[Georgeconna]

I Missed the 33 and tanker pack, seems great deal,  but TBH I am waiting around for a green Class 33 with factory sound installed. Not much room in the loco I have to get it installed. 

 

On 27/4/2026 at 2:35 PM, DJ Dangerous said:

Loads and loads of O Gauge listed today:

https://heljan.com/collections/in-stock-now?filter.p.m.custom.product_scale=7mm+(O)

WIGIG!!!

 

 

Not

even gonna click on that...Simon from Heaton Lodge with be picking up a few I'd reckon!!

 

Edited Wednesday at 10:04 by Georgeconna

[DJ Dangerous]

1 hour ago, Georgeconna said:

I Missed the 33 and tanker pack, seems great deal,  but TBH I am waiting around for a green Class 33 with factory sound installed. Not much room in the loco I have to get it installed. 

 

Not

even gonna click on that...Simon from Heaton Lodge with be picking up a few I'd reckon!!

 

That HLJ is something else!

You know you’d have a lot more room inside the locos if you went for O Gauge…

Just saying!

[DJ Dangerous]

Class 37’s flying out the door! RailFreight and DRS variants both sold out. RailFreight model had five units in stock yesterday afternoon.

https://heljan.com/products/class-37-railfreight-37196-o-scale

https://heljan.com/products/class-37-drs-unnumbered-o-scale

Must have been @Georgeconna looking for locos with more room inside.

Still have a few in stock, so no need to panic just yet:

https://heljan.com/collections/class-37?filter.p.m.custom.availability=In+Stock

That West Coast livery is tasty!

[DJ Dangerous]

I wonder if Heljan will re-run their A4 at some stage?

Hatton’s sold them off for £300 or £350 in the end, amidst less than glowing reviews, and they flew out the door at that price.

Sadly, the only eBay examples tend to go for twice that lately:

https://www.ebay.es/itm/178160861058

 

 

[Mol_PMB]

11 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

I wonder if Heljan will re-run their A4 at some stage?

Hatton’s sold them off for £300 or £350 in the end, amidst less than glowing reviews, and they flew out the door at that price.

Sadly, the only eBay examples tend to go for twice that lately:

https://www.ebay.es/itm/178160861058

I can't imagine them being a priority. The market will have been filled with the Heljan ones, many of which will be shelf queens as few people have an O gauge layout big enough to suit an A4.

And there would be a lot of work needed to resolve the design and build quality issues, and overcome the poor reputation of the Heljan ones. 

Having said that, there's probably more money to be made with an O gauge A4 than with an O gauge 071 class...

[DJ Dangerous]

17 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

I can't imagine them being a priority. The market will have been filled with the Heljan ones, many of which will be shelf queens as few people have an O gauge layout big enough to suit an A4.

And there would be a lot of work needed to resolve the design and build quality issues, and overcome the poor reputation of the Heljan ones. 

Having said that, there's probably more money to be made with an O gauge A4 than with an O gauge 071 class...

What were the design issues and build quality issues?

I thought they just needed a bigger motor and better packaging?

I guess the feedback that Heljan receive at shows and online from potential buyers will determine what they run, and when.

Hopefully they feel that there is demand over the coming years.

Not in agreement over there being more money to make…

The Irish market often gets rubbished like that.

A €350 UK loco might be on par with a €500 Irish loco, depending on units run - they wouldn’t bother if it weren’t worth their while.

[Mol_PMB]

To be fair, I don't have personal experience of the Heljan A4, but I've read a lot of comments online about the inadequacy of the motor, and a lot of models needing repairs. Which seem to me like design and build quality issues. My point was more about overcoming the poor reputation they have gained.

I'm not trying to rubbish the Irish market, and I apologise if it came across that way. Irish O gauge is a small niche within a niche, and I think the price of an O gauge 071 is likely to be beyond what many people would buy on a whim for something outside their main interests. 

[DJ Dangerous]

6 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

To be fair, I don't have personal experience of the Heljan A4, but I've read a lot of comments online about the inadequacy of the motor, and a lot of models needing repairs. Which seem to me like design and build quality issues. My point was more about overcoming the poor reputation they have gained.

I'm not trying to rubbish the Irish market, and I apologise if it came across that way. Irish O gauge is a small niche within a niche, and I think the price of an O gauge 071 is likely to be beyond what many people would buy on a whim for something outside their main interests. 

I’ve read the same or similar, but it always seemed to boil down to the motor being underpowered and the packaging knocking parts loose in transit.

And, as with almost every fecking thing nowadays, there’s a very vocal minority who tend not to reflect the general concensus.

That said, the A4 in that eBay listing looked and sounded perfect, and my own has no issues.

Maybe “rubbishing” is a strong word, but when we already have A/S floating the concept and estimated price point, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched:

 

On 16/3/2026 at 7:19 PM, BosKonay said:

Thats the question I guess. From a numbers basis we could do something like the 121 or C class for maybe 399-450 Pounds / 450-500€

 

[BosKonay]

To be Fair the A3 and A4 were very much Hattons models, not Heljan. Manufactured by Heljan, yes, but entirely to a specification demanded by Hattons.

We do now own all the tooling, and they may reappear in the future with engineering upgrades. 

[DJ Dangerous]

13 minutes ago, BosKonay said:

To be Fair the A3 and A4 were very much Hattons models, not Heljan. Manufactured by Heljan, yes, but entirely to a specification demanded by Hattons.

We do now own all the tooling, and they may reappear in the future with engineering upgrades. 

That’ll do for me, thanks.

Hello, silver A4!

I thought that I had read somewhere that Hatton’s had been difficult on the A4 project, but couldn’t find where I’d read it.