Maker record
Heljan
Heljan is a Danish maker of model railway scenery, kits, accessories and rolling stock. Founded in 1957, it began with model trees and cardboard buildings before moving to plastic kits and later locomotives and wagons. The company developed products in HO and N scales and expanded into ready-to-run HO models in the 1990s, followed by British outline OO, O and narrow gauge ranges. Its products have also been supplied under the names of international railway model firms, including Märklin and Walthers.
- Founded
- 1957
- Locations
- Denmark · 1957
- Founders
- Niels Christian Nannestad
The story of Heljan
Heljan began in 1957, when Niels Christian Nannestad and his son Jan made scenery for their model railway. Toy and hobby retailers encouraged production of model trees, sold under the name Heljan, followed by cardboard kits for Danish buildings. The family added plastic components and, from 1963, made its kits in plastic. In 1964 production moved to purpose-built premises in Næsby near Odense. The company expanded exports and developed HO and N scale buildings; by 1967, it reported that exports accounted for 85 percent of production.
Heljan moved to Søndersø in 1988. Jan Nannestad became managing director in the late 1980s, and the company began developing a wider range of rolling stock and locomotives. Its first DSB model, the IC3 train, appeared in 1991, followed by further Danish models. The company entered the British market with OO gauge models announced in 2000. It later developed ranges in OO, O and narrow gauge, alongside its Danish and other European models. In 2026, Heljan was acquired by Accurascale; the brand and production continued under the new ownership.
