New & Improved Class 33

[rembrow]

I did the same a week or so ago. The GSYP should be the most popular livery for the model yet a limited run of 500 models has not only been around for quite a while but is reduced to shift it.

 

Had an offer from swmbo today, whose buying it for me for Valentine's and our anniversary. I'm afraid I have waited for some time to see if this one would be reduced, having previously purchased the general release GSYP version. Maybe Model Rail's was too similar to the general release model, which is also still available from some outlets.

[stovepipe]

I did the same a week or so ago. The GSYP should be the most popular livery for the model yet a limited run of 500 models has not only been around for quite a while but is reduced to shift it.

It's lack of popularity might be because BR(S) didn't put yellow panels on until pretty late in the day (c1965), and then started transitioning to BFYE not very many months later.

[47137]

D6530 (the catalogue-issue green SYP with the prototype rounded corners) has arrived.

 

I have placed it alongside the earlier green FYE D6563 for colour comparison and find that the two are a very close match for green, a good match for off-white trim and a near enough match for the accident with the custard bowl on the ends.  In fairness the earlier one has also been weathered and so will the new arrival be in due course but suffice to say I am happy with the livery representation though not completely with the roof and side grilles.  In my opinion the older iteration looked better in those areas.  I'm not an expert to know whether one is right and the other wrong.

 

Now to set about removing those awful white borders to the headcode panels.

 

Images compare the brand-new D6530 with the previous release of D6563 which carries my own weathering.  D6530 has had both couplers fitted (though is shown here with one end "out-of-the-box") and will in due course also gain suitable weathering.

 

 

 

<cut several pics>

 

 

Rick thank you so much, this is possibly the only photograph of a class 33 original exhaust port online.

 

I am currently doing a narrowing exercise on a 1970s Lima model (H0), and I wonder does anyone know whether Heljan have modelled the original exhaust in the correct location, i.e. tight against the corner of the access panel? Lima put it rather further from the corner:

 

Now would be a good time for me to move it to its correct location, if it's wrong.

 

Many thanks.

 

- Richard.

Edited March 9, 2017 by 47137

[stovepipe]

This photo has the best view I've seen - still not very good though.

https://digest.Dapol.co.uk/filedata/fetch?id=3072&d=1476305824

 

Taken from this thread which discusses the exhaust ports

https://digest.Dapol.co.uk/forum/n-gauge-models/class-33/2939-class-33-production-discussion

 

 

Edit:

 

This photo from the tragic accident involving D6502 in March 1964 provides the best view yet.

http://thebrightonbranchofaslef.yolasite.com/dead-men-tell-no-tales.php

 

This ones is ok too

http://railphotoprints.uk/p735303296/h1294ec3d#h2e301ad

Edited March 11, 2017 by stovepipe

[47137]

These are sobering accounts, but many thanks for the links. The photograph of 6502 on its side does show the exhaust post, and it confirms the Heljan moulding is correct.

 

On my model, the area of the exhaust assembly came out quite well from the narrowing exercise -so I'll preserve the this and drill a hole for a new exhaust port.

 

- Richard.

[Guest]

Apologies (or not) for bumping a dormant thread but I have a question about Heljan's 33047 "Spitfire", Heljan code 3436.

I already own two of the latest tooling Cromptons and didn't honestly need a third, but the Dutch livery is nice and a certain Sheffield retailer is offering a very good price at the moment.

In the picture (below), can someone tell me what the short lead is for, taped next to the parts bag? A very small white 2-pin plug and a short red and black wire tail. There is no mention of it in the paperwork. Thanks, Pete.

 

Edit: Unless I'm having spectacular memory failure, my last two Cromptons didn't include this part?

 

Edited October 5, 2017 by Pete 75C

[tractor_37260]

Apologies (or not) for bumping a dormant thread but I have a question about Heljan's 33047 "Spitfire", Heljan code 3436.

I already own two of the latest tooling Cromptons and didn't honestly need a third, but the Dutch livery is nice and a certain Sheffield retailer is offering a very good price at the moment.

In the picture (below), can someone tell me what the short lead is for, taped next to the parts bag? A very small white 2-pin plug and a short red and black wire tail. There is no mention of it in the paperwork. Thanks, Pete.

 

Edit: Unless I'm having spectacular memory failure, my last two Cromptons didn't include this part?

 

heljan_33.jpg

 

Possibly a spare motor connection lead ? 

[Kelly]

Apologies (or not) for bumping a dormant thread but I have a question about Heljan's 33047 "Spitfire", Heljan code 3436.

I already own two of the latest tooling Cromptons and didn't honestly need a third, but the Dutch livery is nice and a certain Sheffield retailer is offering a very good price at the moment.

In the picture (below), can someone tell me what the short lead is for, taped next to the parts bag? A very small white 2-pin plug and a short red and black wire tail. There is no mention of it in the paperwork. Thanks, Pete.

 

Edit: Unless I'm having spectacular memory failure, my last two Cromptons didn't include this part?

 

heljan_33.jpg

 

It is a spare PCB connector lead, theres iirc 4 sockets at each end, with again iirc, only two used each end.

[Guest]

It is a spare PCB connector lead, theres iirc 4 sockets at each end, with again iirc, only two used each end.

 

Thanks, I haven't had the body off yet as it's still running in on DC, but I'll take a look. I was worried there had been a mod that I wasn't aware of.

[Kelly]

Thanks, I haven't had the body off yet as it's still running in on DC, but I'll take a look. I was worried there had been a mod that I wasn't aware of.

 

I am of course assuming a bit, I just recall there being unused sockets on the PCB, the 47 PCB is the same. Having P4d and DCCd both I've had them apart multiple times.

 

I need to find a spare Heljan body for the second 33 chassis I have spare atm (it currently has a Lima 33 body on it).

[Mooresby]

I don't know if anyone can help me but I'm completely stumped with how to fit the reporting numbers in the front window of my 33.

I have the EWS version 33030 and having got the body off it seems impossible to add the numbers without removing the cabin, which I'm reluctant to do in case I break anything.

Any guidance on this would be hugely appreciated and apologies if this has been tackled earlier on the thread.

[Gwiwer]

IIRC (and it has been a while since I did one) there is a tiny hole through which one inserts the open end of a paper clip.  You then pop out the headcode glazing - carefully - and insert your code of choice before press-fitting the glazing back into place.  Failing that you might need to pop the cab module out; how easy that is seems to depend upon who used how much glue.

[Mooresby]

IIRC (and it has been a while since I did one) there is a tiny hole through which one inserts the open end of a paper clip.  You then pop out the headcode glazing - carefully - and insert your code of choice before press-fitting the glazing back into place.  Failing that you might need to pop the cab module out; how easy that is seems to depend upon who used how much glue.

 

Gwiwer - you're an absolute legend - many thanks, worked perfectly!

[Ian J.]

Over 10 years later, digging up this old thread out of the cemetary...

 

I finally have (secondhand) a standard blue version of the retooled 33/0. I suppose it was OK at the time, but in doing research it certainly has too many errors and compromises, even compared to the original tooling.

 

It really makes me hope that SLW (or one of the other smaller newer producers like Accurascale, Rapido or Cavalex) will finally revisit the class (all variants) and get it right. Yes, the Heljan /1 and /2 are OK, and the ones of those I have I wouldn't replace, and I won't replace the single revised /0 I now have, but I'm not likely to get any more of these for my /0 fleet. This prototype needs the up-to-date treatment like the 25s, Deltics, 37s, 56s from said manufacturers.

[Kris]

Several months ago my class 33 developed a fault. It would run in one direction for a few cm before cutting out and then jerking forward slowly. The motor ran fine on its own so I discounted that as a fault. This narrowed the problem down to the PCB. After a long time of searching I managed to find a replacement PCB. So in this was popped this morning. The same fault still showed  so more fault finding was done. Then when putting the loco in a dark area of the layout I noticed that there was a bulb blown. The replacement PCB came with new bulbs so I swapped on, and blow me down with a feather, the loco now works fine. Obviously the fault was totally down to the bulb. An interesting bit of design to create a potential fault like this! 

 

Hopefully if this occurs to anyone else then they can be saved the money of replacing the complete PCB and just buy a bulb instead. 

[adb968008]

Dunno i’m a big fan of Heljans 33.

Sure anything can be improved but theyve produced some real cracking examples.

 

ive more than 10 x 33’s at this point, so changing isnt on my radar, least not forgetting new toolings are heading over £200 a piece.

[railroadbill]

28 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

Dunno i’m a big fan of Heljans 33.

Sure anything can be improved but theyve produced some real cracking examples.

 

ive more than 10 x 33’s at this point, so changing isnt on my radar, least not forgetting new toolings are heading over £200 a piece.

Agree, they are good runners as well. The way the bogies pivot is well engineered, decent motors. My 33/2 cost £41 some years ago, being sold off when rrp was £70 plus. It was in an obscure livery so got resprayed in green.  Other Heljan Bo-Bos with a similar mechanism (hymek, 26 etc) also good models.

[Graham108]

Just taken delivery of my very first Heljan model - and a fine looking item it is. 33029 in DRS livery. But I have a question - am I right in saying you can only get red tail lights on if you run DCC? Instructions aren't all that clear (or at least to me!).

[Kaput]

Unless they changed it in the last batch none of Heljan's 33's actually have red lights fitted.

[Graham108]

Instructions say "DCC can also be configured to give constant brightness of the headcode panel and tail lights".  Which prompted my question about the tail lights working without DCC but without constant brightness. 

[Global]

I don’t think 33s had red tail lights? The blinds were set to red instead.

 

I’m not completely sure, but don’t think some even had white marker lights either - just the blinds! 

[woodenhead]

1 hour ago, Global said:

I don’t think 33s had red tail lights? The blinds were set to red instead.

 

I’m not completely sure, but don’t think some even had white marker lights either - just the blinds! 

They do, and bizarrely they appear to be operated by sliding a lens into place - I watched a secondman do it on the West Somerset cam last summer.  Whilst it might have been appropriate using the blinds on the Southern, I imagine once onto a different region the loco would need to be operated under normal conditions i.e. a tail light.

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, woodenhead said:

They do, and bizarrely they appear to be operated by sliding a lens into place - I watched a secondman do it on the West Somerset cam last summer.  Whilst it might have been appropriate using the blinds on the Southern, I imagine once onto a different region the loco would need to be operated under normal conditions i.e. a tail light.

All SR stock which used red blinds as an end-of-train marker whilst on that region had to be able to indicate the end of a train by another means for operation off-region.

 

With a few exceptions non-SR staff be they drivers, guards, signalmen, station staff or whoever, were not trained to recognise a double red blank as an EOT marker and would query it if nothing else was displayed.  

 

In most cases a red lamp was attached to the bracket provided but in the case of some locomotives it was indeed possible to display red lights as described in the quoted post.  

[Graham108]

So in this instance 'headcode panel' & 'tail lights' are the same thing? Does anybody know if using DCC enables setting the lights to red?

[Gwiwer]

38 minutes ago, Graham108 said:

'headcode panel' & 'tail lights' are the same thing?

Yes and no. 
 

Only SR staff would recognise the headcode panel instead of marker lights.  Elsewhere both would be required. As indeed they were on the SR in cases where a battery was either not fitted to power the lights over time, was not in a fit state to do so or if the loco / unit in question was likely to be parked for some time. 
 

A class 33 had no way to pick up third-rail power and relied upon batteries to illuminate the headcode panels. As such if it was berthed out of use and unlikely to move  for any extended time then a red lamp had to be attached. 
 

Third-rail units which are stored out of service but still “on the juice” also require a red lamp. Traction current may be isolated at any time. The same is true today when red lights are used - a lamp must also be fitted to any loco or unit which is not intended to move for an extended time.