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Heljan Park Royal Railbus


Riccarton Junction
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Got myself a used (but mint i.e. never out of the box) Park Royal - it's the one with the Kilmarnock/Dalmellington destination plates. It looks fantastic but I am extremely nervous about getting the body off to plug in the chip. The actual plugging in off the 21 pin decoder looks easy, it's getting the body off which is bringing me out in a cold sweat - the unit looks so delicate. The instructions in the box say I have to remove the handrails on the door as these connect to the body - that's fine. Problem is the instructions give no clue whatsoever as to how you actually get the body apart - one picture they are showing you removing the handrails, the next the body is off!

 

I can't see any screws anywhere so I'm assuming it's either just held on by gravity or there are small clips. Either way could someone perhaps explain to me (an absolute novice i.e. never taken a train apart before) how, in idiot proof steps, I get the body off?

 

Cheers,

 

PaulC.

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Might help but the steps and gubbins had already been removed so the first part of your question remains unanswered for now!  I found this when I was looking at what I will need to do when I get round to chipping my Park Royal.  Looks a bit of a faff to be honest.

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Why do people try to make helpful videos - as this undoubtedly is - while holding the camera, which is presumably a phone, in the other hand? 

 

Use of a camera on a small tripod - and there are adapters that mean you can mount a phone securely on a tripod - would enable use of both hands and a much more dextrous performance of these delicate tasks. 

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Removed the blanking chip and am now waiting for its 21 pin chip to arrive. In the meantime I think I may have pulled out something I shouldn't have. Can someone take a look at the attached image. Watching the above video I'm assuming that the thing circled in blue has popped out of one of the 2 empty sockets i.e. the one with the yellow circle or the one with the blue circle. Can someone advise where it should go?

rbussocket.jpg

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13 minutes ago, Riccarton Junction said:

Removed the blanking chip and am now waiting for its 21 pin chip to arrive. In the meantime I think I may have pulled out something I shouldn't have. Can someone take a look at the attached image. Watching the above video I'm assuming that the thing circled in blue has popped out of one of the 2 empty sockets i.e. the one with the yellow circle or the one with the blue circle. Can someone advise where it should go?

rbussocket.jpg

 

Assuming the PCB is common to all the Heljan Railbuses ( I can't see any reason why not) then the yellow CH1 will be the connection.

 

Izzy

 

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15 hours ago, Riccarton Junction said:

 

Cheers, @Izzy That would have been my guess but didn't want to guess in case it risked frying the chip.

 

I hope so too. My advice was based around the experience with my W&M railbus.

 

Here is a shot of the PCB sans any decoder. looking at the posted video from what I can make out it is the same. You might logically expect that the railbus basic designs would be the same.

2059109410_RMwebWM08.jpg.d2c39b79faa71bc5e3ca1d57d8a3b316.jpg

 

As such it should be easy, should you wish, to hike off the top and tart up the interior, add driver/s, passengers etc. The wiring isn't touched doing this, it all funnels down one side.

 

 

 

2081134967_RMwebWM04.jpg.ee6d4c369b7d798a0fd859765e4b7f59.jpg

 

It does get a bit more complicated if you strip down any further - I had mine completely to bits to make other alterations. A re-wire so lights only work depending on direction ( not the interior ones) and just one tail light is lit. I like playing around....

 

This is how a Zimo MX644D with leads for speaker and stay-alive fits.

 

72909177_RMwebWM09.jpg.06de64d8a5d958fb8dfc972746812db7.jpg

 

Izzy

 

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22 hours ago, Riccarton Junction said:

Got myself a used (but mint i.e. never out of the box) Park Royal - it's the one with the Kilmarnock/Dalmellington destination plates. It looks fantastic but I am extremely nervous about getting the body off to plug in the chip. The actual plugging in off the 21 pin decoder looks easy, it's getting the body off which is bringing me out in a cold sweat - the unit looks so delicate. The instructions in the box say I have to remove the handrails on the door as these connect to the body - that's fine. Problem is the instructions give no clue whatsoever as to how you actually get the body apart - one picture they are showing you removing the handrails, the next the body is off!

 

I can't see any screws anywhere so I'm assuming it's either just held on by gravity or there are small clips. Either way could someone perhaps explain to me (an absolute novice i.e. never taken a train apart before) how, in idiot proof steps, I get the body off?

 

Cheers,

 

PaulC.

 

Glad the wee bus arrived safely, Paul ;)

 

And given your user name aboard the good ship RMWeb, it seems you could be a Waverley route acolyte too!

 

Good luck chipping the bus.

 

Cheers

'Chard

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21 minutes ago, 'CHARD said:

And given your user name aboard the good ship RMWeb, it seems you could be a Waverley route acolyte too!

 

Aye, Riccarton Junction has always been a fascination of mine. A totally isolated community (down a forest track) where the only way in or out was by train (other than a hike along the track) i.e. somewhere which existed only to serve the railway, specifically the junction between the Waverly and the Borders Counties. I live about an hour north and was down at Whitrope Siddings a few weeks ago - closed, but I had a look around anyway. Modelling Riccarton would be a long term ambition. One step at a time.

 

...and yes, the Railbus did arrive and is now chipped and working a treat (lights are superb) - wasn't actually too hard getting the lid off. Extra special to have the Killie-Dalmellington plates which is of course where the old Park Royal used to work before ending up rusting in Strathspey.

 

BTW thanks @Izzyfor the tip about the 21 pin Zimo, MX638D - did the job perfectly.

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50 minutes ago, Izzy said:

As such it should be easy, should you wish, to hike off the top and tart up the interior, add driver/s, passengers etc. The wiring isn't touched doing this, it all funnels down one side.

 

Aye, sent off for a bag of 20 seated figures and so will keep the lid off until they arrive and fit a few in. 

 

Not sure if I should paint the seats. Haven't yet seen a colour image of the interior - will need to seek one out.

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So glad to have found this thread.     The Heljan Park Royal Railbus SC79974 with the Kilmarnock and Dalmellington destinations was on my must have list since it was first announced, as my mother was from Kilmarnock and we often saw the real railbus while it was in service,   but I hadn't been aware that Heljan had eventually got around to releasing this version.  Olivia's Trains had three left in stock and one of those is now on its way to Hawick where it will be very much at home on my small fiddle yard to branch terminus layout.

I've done some "meet and greet" volunteering at Whitrope Sidings in past years and hope to get involved again next summer if the Covid subsides.

Edited by cessna152towser
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2 hours ago, cessna152towser said:

 The Heljan Park Royal Railbus SC79974 with the Kilmarnock and Dalmellington destinations was on my must have list since it was first announced, as my mother was from Kilmarnock and we often saw the real railbus while it was in service

 

Looking on Google, the line could easily be restored to Dalmellington. Track still in place all the way to Waterside, and only the last couple of miles down to Dalmellington is bare trackbed. Unlikely, but you never know. 

Edited by Riccarton Junction
typo
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7 hours ago, Riccarton Junction said:

 

Aye, sent off for a bag of 20 seated figures and so will keep the lid off until they arrive and fit a few in. 

 

Not sure if I should paint the seats. Haven't yet seen a colour image of the interior - will need to seek one out.

 

Visit railcar.co.uk for details of all first gen DMU's/railbuses etc. Plently of interior views as well as colour info.

 

Izzy

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On 29/10/2020 at 18:54, Riccarton Junction said:

 

Looking on Google, the line could easily be restored to Dalmellington. Track still in place all the way to Waterside, and only the last couple of miles down to Dalmellington is bare trackbed. Unlikely, but you never know. 

The line to Waterside was still open until a few years ago for open cast coal traffic.     I never travelled to Dalmellington while the regular passenger service was still in operation but I've travelled that line as far as Waterside  on railtours four times.  Three times on DMUs and the most recent was early in the new millenium on the Riviera Trains Mark 1 stock with class 37s top and tail.

 

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