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Heljan Beyer garratt


Hugh Flynn
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another 'weathered' engine, our LMS 7983 starting a heavy train in cold weather... the warm cab and the good ride may have offered some recompense to crews of these engines.

 

Filler cap left off, again...

 

post-7929-0-85584600-1406958960.jpg

Edited by robmcg
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If discovered.... Why don't you express righteous indignation that you had cancelled the order and quite obviously Hattons have made a mistake and you will have to send it back .... but it does look a nice model... and it is quite different from my other engines... and it will be an investment .... and it would make me really happy to keep it..... and the killer blow .... If I kept it then it is only fair that you have the  ??????? that you were looking at.

You never know your luck.

Or perhaps you would get a wet head .

 

If discovered.... Why don't you express righteous indignation that you had cancelled the order and quite obviously Hattons have made a mistake and you will have to send it back .... but it does look a nice model... and it is quite different from my other engines... and it will be an investment .... and it would make me really happy to keep it..... and the killer blow .... If I kept it then it is only fair that you have the  ??????? that you were looking at.

You never know your luck.

Or perhaps you would get a wet head .

I just love that word     "investment"

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As you might suspect my edited pic a couple of pages ago is somewhat based on a Hattons' website pic., my pic being so heavily modified it may or may not be seen as a 'copy', I am not allowed for copyright reasons to upload the Hattons website pics showing the unmodified 'straight-from-the-box' condition. But they are there on Hattons' site.

 

Hattons don't mind my illustrations in general, they have complimented me upon them, but until I receive my two weathered engines, probably in 4-7 days,       <snip>

 

 

You can't say that now. Someone has already bet on you being the first to receive one.

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Just have some sympathy for the French contingent waiting to catch their parcel as it is lobbed over the fence !!

 

I didn't have to wait by the gate this morning as my parcel is having a weekend break ( not literally I hope )  in the International Hub before being sent abroad.

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Well mine has just arrived and it is superb. 47996 'heavily' weathered. Similiar small issues as already mentioned (filler cap, some bits out of alignment, front light not working, very high coupling) but this is one great model. I was worried when I looked at picture of the weathering on hattons website earlier this week but it looks great in the flesh. I am very happy.

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Hi all, postie dropped off at 10, so quick open up to check all is present ( it was) then off to the shed!

 

Must say, the 'Heavy' weathering is a let down...... BUT  the loco is superb, and sooo smoooth, well done Heljan and top marks to Hattons for taking this on.

 

well happy...... enjoy....

 

joe

 

 

bginfronofsb_zpseb587581.jpg

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Hi Joe,

 

thanks for posting.  I received the lightly weathered one a few weeks ago and other that a light dusting below the footplate, you can hardly tell there was any weathering at all.  I would call the heavily weathered version lightly weathered.

 

Mark in Oz

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Hi Mark in Oz, yes, I would agree, its a start, but far from 'Heavy'. But the loco itself ran faultlessly through my pointwork and baseboard joints, its incredibly smooth and quiet.

 

I'm hoping to send mine to a friend in Yorkshire, who does all my loco's, the next picture shows the BG near to what I call a 'weathered' loco, 4F 4382, a Buxton loco.

cheers

joe

 

bginfront4f_zpsf51e1e76.jpg

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Same here. At first I was disappointed with the 'heavy weathering'. As has been said it looks more like 'light weathering' and was contemplating returning it thinking that there had been an error.

 

After seeing the comments above, I'm really quite glad that it is like it is so that I can weather it to suit myself.

 

It really is a beauty. A pleasure to own. Received in perfect condition with nothing fallen off etc..

 

For those who might be interested the driving axle diameter is 2.5mm.

 

post-6728-0-05746700-1406982114_thumb.jpg

 

The motion painting is a bit patchy but no matter as it will all be coming off during conversion!

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The finishing on the other side is much the same.

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post-6728-0-69906500-1406982159_thumb.jpg 

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Whoo-Hoo ! 47981 Arrived this morning unannounced (no email from H) almost kissed the postman.

First impressions a stunning model, we'll worth the long wait, not very heavily weathered but fine for me.

Filler cap in bottom of packaging. Hope it runs as well as it looks.

Can't stop looking at it. Happy Bunny.

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Having tried it out, it runs beautifully in 'slug mode' and at speed and quietly with it.

 

Another happy bunny!

 

One of the best birthday presents to arrive on my actual birthday, even if it was from myself!

 

On a more serious note it does look like a P4 conversion will be possible without too much difficulty. It was thought that the driving axles were 2mm in diameter but they are 2.5mm so the 'Branchlines' 1/8th > 2mm bushes will have to be enlarged by 0.5mm which should be accomplished with careful reaming out. Also the clearance in the motion looks to be very good with sufficient room for the 22mm (outside) needed for P4 wheels. In fact the connecting rods are noticeably 'bent in' for the 00 wheelsets.  I have the Ultrascales for the job so we'll have to see how it goes!

 

post-6728-0-69268700-1406990376_thumb.jpg

 

post-6728-0-60326400-1406990408_thumb.jpg

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I'm pretty late reporting back on my Garratt, which I received about a month ago now, but thought i'd just say a few words to contribute to what others have written.

 

I ordered the BR Early Crest version, no weathering. The first loco to arrive kind of didn't - I got an annoying red card through the postbox as i'd just popped to the shops. Anyway, after collecting a couple of days later all was not well. Filler cap was loose (as noted elsewhere), but main issue with this model was a crack in the left upright of the cab (the associated glazing was rolling round in the box). I didn't run the model, and unfortunately the crack was too noticeable for me to be tempted to try to repair myself, so I contacted Hattons to request a replacement. They were perfectly happy to receive the loco back, and to send me a replacement out - this all happened very quickly.

 

Second loco to arrive actually did arrive this time. Unfortunately, this model was also damaged and again the major issue was the cab. This time, there was a hairline crack running along the back of the cab, meaning that it didnt actually sit down as it should and was floating around all over the place. One of the bogie brake blocks was also broken - same as before, I didnt run it and felt a repair would be noticeable. Got back on to Hattons, who once again suggested I return the model and sent me a replacement.

 

Third time lucky? Well, in my case i'm glad to report yes. The third model was in much better condition to the previous two, with no cracks or missing components - its a fantastic machine! I've run the model for about an hour or so, and its pretty good - perhaps a bit stiff in one direction, but nothing running in wont sort (any excuse to play trains!). I am very glad to have finally got a decent example of this model, and also thankful that I was able to deal with an excellent retailer in Hattons, who on both occasions were quick to help me. Having heard of the problems others faced with this model, I initially thought having received the second model that I would have to settle for a substandard loco, but would suggest to others to contact Hattons if your model has issues, as (in my case anyway) there were more than happy to help and am very glad now that I didnt stick with the original model.

Edited by 84A
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As has been said on here, congratulations to both Heljan and Hattons for successfully producing such a complex model. 

 

Also just to add, the current consumption is a mere 0.3 amp at crawl rising to 0.4 amp at speed.

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Agreed Hattons and Heljan should be warmly congratulated for producing an icon of our railway history.

Took mine out for a cursory inspection, no missing parts which was good! cab side handrails not attached at bottom! easily remedied! overall impression is that of a solidly built loco with lots of fine detail! three bags of bits to play with. As for the weathering it's cleaner than some of my locos gathering dust on my workbench, but as Ian points out in # 1269 we did not pay extra so no qualms about that, it will be fun to work on anyway.

Now the big question? Do I wait for club night on Tuesday to try it out or shall I slip down early and get it on the test track?

Thank you Hattons and Heljan you have done us proud..........18000 next... .. Quiet, be grateful.

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Mine suddenly became a dismal failure this afternoon.

 

After running perfectly for two or three hours in both directions yesterday and again this morning the front drive unit started to skid along the track randomly. Upon investigation I could see nothing loose or bent so I returned it to the track and carefully tried again. With no warning it  locked again only this time I was unable to free it.

 

So it is now on its way back to Hattons for a replacement.

 

Ah well! it was good while it lasted!

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Oh dear. Now I'm worried, hope yours is a one off JohnT. I wonder if the weathering on the rods is causing drag and therefore the seizing?

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This is the second time I have read a similar report, there was one several pages back. Seems I will have to organise somewhere to test run it before I start conversion. Currently I only have one yard of 00 track, it runs fine up and down that but I'm not going to find this sort of seizing up problem that way. Best send an order in for a Setrack oval.

Keith

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