Cargowaggon Flat - Cargowaggon - 33 80 4734 320-5 - OO Scale - Weathered

I bought one of these Cargowaggon Flats earlier and was so impressed with it that I bought several more. The overall detail is very good, especially the side stanchions and retaining straps holding the timber load, which give it a convincing working-wagon look. They slide up and down for a with and without load pose. The timber load could benefit from a little extra weathering to make it look more realistic, but for the price this is still incredible value. I gave my previous one five stars, but this particular wagon the wheels were a little squeaky and needed a small amount of oil, which is why I am giving this one four stars. Overall, it is still a great wagon and excellent value for money.

A combination of the bogies being very stiff, the couplings not functioning properly and the wheels not running freely means that out of the box these will not manage any points without derailing and there is a major drag even on 3rd radius curves. Should all be able to be sorted - but these should be much better straight out of the box. At the original price I would have returned these - however @ £29.99 I'm happy to fix. I haven't scored based on the wood load - but to be honest that is not very convincing. (The pipe load option is a lot better in my opinion)

Excellent wagon with a brilliant stanchion design I have bought a number of Heljan wagons recently and they have all been excellent, and this weathered Cargowaggon Flat is no exception. In fact, I liked it so much that I bought three of them, despite them carrying the same running number. The supplied load is perhaps a little plasticky, but nothing that a little weathering wouldn't improve. The standout feature is the eight metal load-retaining stanchions. In the photo, I have lowered one slightly on the right-hand side to demonstrate how they work. They rotate up and down smoothly and hold firmly in place, making loading and unloading far easier than wagons with loose plug-in stanchions. It is an excellent piece of design that I have not seen implemented as well by other manufacturers. The stanchions are secure, practical and robust, and for me that feature alone makes this a five-star wagon. A superb model and outstanding value.