Heljan 47 Body removal

[loco]

Just having a mental block.

Can someone remind me how to remove the body from a class 47.

Any tips?

Cheers

[SRman]

It is held on by four clips roughly near the cab doors. Simply spread the body and let the chassis drop out. If it is a little tight you may have to pull down on the chassis while holding and spreading the body but don't pull on the central fuel tanks/battery boxes as they also are merely clipped in.

[eldavo]

It's just a clip on affair if I remember correctly. Slip a fingernail between body and chassis and insert a scrap of card. Usually two clips on each side towards the cab ends. Bloomin fiddly things.

 

Cheers

Dave

[loco]

Thanks for your suggestions.

Found the 4 clips/lugs near the cab door, and as you suggested inserted some thin card.

Tried everything and no movement, except for the fuel tanks coming away. They are being glued back on, as i type.

This is my only Heljan, and i remember when fitting the decoder and lights last year, having real problems seperating the body.

Meanwhile i will keep on trying, easing/rocking, and resist the temptation to try levering.

[dagrizz]

Hi loco,

 

You may want to look through the Heljan product section of this forum site as it could be that you have a faulty class 47 chassis. Some were made from contaminated castings that subsequently grew in size over time and made it difficult to remove the body and eventually cracked the plastic bodies.

 

If, after investigation, you suspect you have a faulty chassis then Howes are really helpful regarding replacements - I got one replaced last week, no trouble at all.

 

Regards

 

Graham

[Tay Bridge]

Hi

 

Sure you have but remember to take the buffers off (lets bufferbeam fall off) before trying to get body off or it will not move

 

Chris

[loco]

Thanks all for your continuing help/suggestions.

Spent most of the afternoon trying, and still wont budge.

Just removed the buffer beam assembly, and will have another go this evening.

I have followed the "chassis issue" over the last year, but mine looks fine. Fingers crossed.

I need it off as the lights on one end have stopped working, otherwise i would leave well alone.

Thanks all.

[SRman]

There should not be any need to remove the buffers or buffer beams on a Heljan 47 as they don't impinge on or impede the body / chassis connections at all.

 

 

[forest2807]

Some of mine are a damn tight fit, and they don't have the chassis expansion issues either. My body removal technique is as follows (don't laugh!): Locate lugs on inside of body and insert plasticard slivers to lift lugs clear of whatever it is that they sit in. Lie on sofa, hold loco above my chest by the body and gently with thumbs/nails prise body further away from the chassis while giving the loco a series of downwards 'shakes'. I find the chassis slowly and reluctantly comes away from the body and falls onto my chest!

Good luck!

[loco]

SUCCESS its OFF.

 

What a frustrating/wasted day yesterday.

Never mind, thanks for all your help and tips, we got there in the end. Fingers sore with all the shaking and pulling, not to mention a broken nail

The good news, no body damage, and better still, chassis perfect.

I think on reflection, i had added to the tightness when i fitted a Express lighting kit. The lighting boards for the leds reduced the space.

In addition found a soldered joint had come apart, causing the marker lights to fail.

All is back together,and im enjoying a "play" and cappachinno.

Thanks again.

[JZ]

The body on mine has always been tight. I rubbed very fine, 2500 grade, emery inside the body and something a bit more course on the chassis, to remove any imperfection. Then I rubbed graphite from a 2H pencil on the chassis and inside of the body. It has made it a little easier to remove.

[loco]

Hi Julian............a good idea.

I will do likewise next time i remove the body.

Cheers

Alan

[D1056WesternSultan]

I have read this thread with great interest and have tried everything, including the 'sofa method' to release the chassis from my 47 508 SS Great Britain.

 

What else should I try?

 

I could of course send it off to have a chip fitted but that would just be giving in to an inanimate object.

[D1056WesternSultan]

I just thought...

 

To remove stubborn jar lids nor wine bottle corks you run it under a hot tap...

 

What if i were to gently warm the body using a hair drier?  Would it soften the paint and or the body?

 

I could of course just stick to running Wizzos

[steveb860]

If you cant get the body off,  it may suggest the mazak chassis is swelling. Check for signs of cracking on body shell. remove battery box, it pulls off, and check underneath for signs of bulges in the metal.

See this thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/15006-Heljan-47-chassis-issues/

[deltic79]

SS Great Britain is a very recent model so I would hope that being from a recent batch it wouldn't be suffering from mazak rot.

 

Unless of course you bought it second hand and it's had a chassis swap by a previous owner and is now fitted with an old chassis that's starting to swell - 47508 was being sold off cheap by Hattons and would make an easy donor for someone who could recoup most of the outlay by selling on 508 again.

[D1056WesternSultan]

I did indeed buy 47 508 as a Hattons' sale item and it was brand spanking new.  That is where the disappointment lies.

[D1056WesternSultan]

I emailed Hattons' this evening and received a reply just before 8pm.  They have offered to free the body or replace the complete loco depending on what they find.

 

Their customer service is second to none.

[D1056WesternSultan]

Sorted!  4 credit cards and a finger nail between buffer beam and the bottom of the cab front.

 

Thanks all for the advice.

[rob D2]

What a pain ! I wish the manufacturers would make body removal as easy as possible. It's hardly a rare thing with dcc

[D1056WesternSultan]

I agree, rob D2. What would be better is a small compartment under the chassis that can be accessed without the need to remove the body at all.

[Xerces Fobe2]

It took me 3 hours to remove a Class 47 body - a Heljan  -hell of a job!

 

I was near throwing it across the room in the end!

 

XF

[Stuartthegrant]

 

Reading this thread has at least got rid of the "what am I doing wrong" thoughts I am not alone in this.

I am going to have another go this afternoon.

Although am very surprised to read of so many other owners with the same problem .

Stuart

[Colin]

Removing a HJ body can be a horrid wrestling match - one of mine was so tight I was scared I was going to break the body as I pulled and levered away! I did take a file to any roughness/unwanted projections on the chassis once the body was finally off - next time I might follow JZ's advice and add some graphite!

 

On the dodgy chassis front, one of my earlier locos started to go banana-shaped without damaging the body, I only noticed when the fuel tanks started to hit the rails on a couple of uneven sections!

[Petbal]

As a kettle enthusiast I naively thought removing the body on a diesel should be easy, clearly it is not. My favourite dcc installation is on the Kernow O2 (steam) where you simply take off the smoke box door which is held on by magnets. Surely to be Dcc ready a manufacturer might reasonably be expected to ensure there is an easy means of accessing the Dcc socket. On a related topic it is often difficult to gain access to insert a locomotive crew and many of us much prefer to see our locos complete n this respect The magazines could help by making the ease or difficulty of gaining access a routine element of their reviews.