Heljan Beyer garratt

[Rail-Online]

many  thanks  to  Rail-Online  for  taking  the  trouble  to provide  the  information & photos,  Whilst  the  motion ( valve  gear etc) damage  is  serious   for a new model , what  puts me  off a bit  and  lessens  my  desire  to purchase a BR version is the  other issues, such as  mould lines and poor assembly. I hope   though  this  is perhaps a one  off ( perhaps it  was getting  close  to home-time  when it was assembled)

 

 

   I do  hope though  that  Heljan  examine  the  finish quality  of  the  forthcoming  02/2 2-8-0  and  the  L&B 00-9  L&B 2-6-2  before  releasing them!

 

I appreciate  of  course  that  Steam Locos are not  new to Heljan H0 so hopefully all will be OK

To be honest it is the finish and assembly issues that I find disappointing too. The main reason I posted the photos was to see if I was the only one with a 'British Leyland Friday afternoon' model - but as yet we have seen no other responses.

 

Tony

[7013]

On-line your model is really bad luck but we will have to see others to find out if it is just one bad one or there are serious QC issues. Yours should go back immediately because it is not fit for purpose, I would not even attempt to correct all the faults. However in fairness some of your observations are more disappointments than faults.

As for the Australian AD60 I contacted Eureka to ask if the sound chip was available to buy, unfortunately they do not sell them separately.

[stewartingram]

Just to stir things up a bit?

 

Don't forget they actually reached as far east as Whittlesey so as not to clog up the yards in Peterborough....during wartime I believe.

 

Stewart

[robmcg]

To be honest it is the finish and assembly issues that I find disappointing too. The main reason I posted the photos was to see if I was the only one with a 'British Leyland Friday afternoon' model - but as yet we have seen no other responses.

 

Tony

Mine has been despatched to NZ ... yesterday, but typically it will be 1 week before I see it. I am not surprised by the brakes and footrests being awry, but the valve gear is a worry. The black plastic and mould lines do not worry me over much as I enjoy photographing models and am no stranger to editing, as well as judicious weathering.

 

Needless to say there will be photos of my version in due course. I am glad the coal canvas detaches, and I will bend-into-place the pony truck brakes as best I can. I notice some lightly weathered revolving bunker models are due this month too, that is, March, which it is already here in NZ!

 

Many many thanks for your excellent photos.

 

 

 

Rob

Edited February 28, 2014 by robmcg

[Dan Hamblin]

I think all off us that have Garratts on order are hoping this is a 'Friday afternoon job' that slipped through the QC net. You have my sympathies R-O, as the model is clearly high in potential but let down by the defects. Hopefully Hattons and Heljan can resolve it soon for you.

 

Regards,

 

Dan

[steve45]

Have Heljan had QC issues with any other models?

[edcayton]

Have Heljan had QC issues with any other models?

 

I had to "re-sit" the cab on my class 15 (following a thread on here of course!) as it was a little too high.

 

Ed

 

I still reckon that it's the best-running loco i've got though.

Edited March 1, 2014 by edcayton

[Ian Hargrave]

I had to "re-sit" the cab on my class 15 (following a thread on here of course!) as it was a little too high.

 

Ed

 

I still reckon that it's the best-running loco i've got though.

To which I will add that Heljan are the consistently best runners taken all-round.

[MarkC]

Have Heljan had QC issues with any other models?

 

Early Class 17s (the Claytons) had motor issues.

 

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Have Heljan had QC issues with any other models?

Over what is now a dozen year in the UK market, problems I can quickly recall:  with materials quality in the form of mazak rot in some class 47 chassis, driveline assembly and motors in the first release of the class 17, something amiss with the bufferbeams on the Kestrel model, the cab unit position not quite right on the class 15 which was an assembly issue, as already mentioned .

 

However, where the defects have required replacements, they have stood behind the product and provided them. Not perfect, but I would have confidence that they will make good for the customer based on that track record.

[Ian Hargrave]

The Garrett e - bay vulture seems to have had his wings clipped.."no longer available".Good for Hattons!

[Stevelewis]

Yes  a  simple  message  on  Hattons  'Can we  Help'  on  their webpages yesterday,  seems  to  have  done  the  trick!

Edited March 1, 2014 by Stevelewis

[250BOB]

To which I will add that Heljan are the consistently best runners taken all-round.

 

What did you think of the Clayton, if you bought one.....????  I gave up with the fitted motor, after being sent a replacement to fit by Howes and that failing too, I bought a Mashima motor, fitted it myself, and continues to run perfectly.

 

Otherwise my Heljan locos too, are also pretty good runners....the lights are not reliable on occasions.

 

But then again............diesels seem to be more reliable generally, than steam locos, so I think that is fair to say that Heljan had less to go wrong perhaps....but of course Heljan have yet to prove themselves in the UK steam area.....however thats all about to change with the Beyer Garrett of course....lets watch this space.

[Ian Hargrave]

Yes,I did and it was woeful! Must get round to re motoring....sometime.

You've prompted me into doing something about it now. Could you tell me which Mashima and where you sourced it ? Would be grateful.

[Ian Hargrave]

Yes  a  simple  message  on  Hattons  'Can we  Help'  on  their webpages yesterday,  seems  to  have  done  the  trick!

You beat me to it,then,Steve...well done !

[250BOB]

Yes,I did and it was woeful! Must get round to re motoring....sometime.

You've prompted me into doing something about it now. Could you tell me which Mashima and where you sourced it ? Would be grateful.

 

 

 

I'll get the info out later Ian.......my wife just demanded my attention for the shopping trip.......perhaps better I PM you, rather than hi jacking this thread.

Bob.

[gordon s]

I'd like to know as well, Bob…:-)

[Vistisen]

Early Class 17s (the Claytons) had motor issues.

 

That's just prototypical, attention to detail

[Oldddudders]

Have Heljan had QC issues with any other models?

There seems to be a good deal of recent angst und sturm in the Heljan 128 thread, about models arriving in unfit condition, with substantial numbers of details detached and floating about, or in one case with the wrong exhaust pipes supplied. I know other major manufacturers make a great effort to design perfect and cosseting packaging to protect the model in transit - you would assume Heljan must do the same.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/25745-Heljan-128/page-23&do=findComment&comment=1365192

[brittannia]

There seems to be a good deal of recent angst und sturm in the Heljan 128 thread, about models arriving in unfit condition, with substantial numbers of details detached and floating about, or in one case with the wrong exhaust pipes supplied. I know other major manufacturers make a great effort to design perfect and cosseting packaging to protect the model in transit - you would assume Heljan must do the same.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/25745-Heljan-128/page-23&do=findComment&comment=1365192

I purchased a Royal Mail 128, two sanding equipment were loose in the pack easy to fix, if anything the packing of the loco is very good, I feel that the reason for my loose parts was lack of glue to keep the parts fixed to the bogies, also the loco was quite tightly fitted in the packaging and maybe the cause was the in putting the loco into the packaging.

[Accurascale Fran]

There seems to be a good deal of recent angst und sturm in the Heljan 128 thread, about models arriving in unfit condition, with substantial numbers of details detached and floating about, or in one case with the wrong exhaust pipes supplied. I know other major manufacturers make a great effort to design perfect and cosseting packaging to protect the model in transit - you would assume Heljan must do the same.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/25745-Heljan-128/page-23&do=findComment&comment=1365192

Interesting that they changed their packaging recently. For the worse it seems....

[7013]

Would it be possible to stay on the Beyer Garratt rather than go off at tangents about Heljan in general.

[steve45]

We're not talking about 'Heljan in general' we're discussing Heljan's history of quality issues which on the face of it so far, may be affecting the Garrett.

[Brian Hawkins]

My Beyer Garratt has just arrived, 266201 4970 LMS (Pristine) first impressions are that it is an absolutely superb model, had a quick once over and no missing or damaged parts were to be found although I will have a closer inspection later, running her in at the moment, we have all waited a long time for its arrival and its certainly, in my eyes its been a very worthwhile wait, congratulations to Heljan/Hattons.

Edited March 1, 2014 by Brian Hawkins

[neal]

My model arrived today courtesy of Yodel.

 

First things first, the outer box it was shipped in had a couple of dings, and I feared the worse, however the Heljan carton inside was bubble wrapped and this was unscathed. Nonetheless, I am sure that the parcel had been handled pretty robustly.

 

Inside, the model was intact, and the only damage was a sanding pipe which had the last 2mm or so missing. Indeed, It was probably packed like that.

 

As a model, the sheer scale of it is stunning. I sat the model on my coffee table and smiled like a Cheshire Cat for at least 10 minutes before digging out a decoder to fit.

 

The decoder fits in a plastic moulding set below the running plate below the firebox. This is fixed with 2 screws, and when off reveals connectors for the two running 'bogies'. The decoder socket is underneath a mass of wires. These are quite fine, so you need to be very careful when taking the socket out and replacing. There is a reasonable amount of room for a decoder, however as this goes into a Mazak chassis, make sure the decoder is sheathed fully.

 

When re-attaching the cover, ensure that the wires running to the two driven chassis do not get trapped. There are cut-outs that they must be fed through.

 

I used a Bachmann 553. I was not sure how the BEMF would work with two motors, but the running is superb with default CV's. Slow speeds were improved by setting CV 2 to 1, and CV 5 to 25.

 

Test running the haulage power is incredible. As mentioned, the bogies see the inner two axles set in a block which can rock by about 2mm, effectively providing some compensation. This gives enormous traction, and it easily pulled 50 wagons, including around 3rd radius curves. The articulation is simple, with pegs on the bogies fitting into recesses under the running plate. It is a shame that the cab is encroached by the box which accommodates the wiring and decoder. My example is incredibly smooth and almost silent.

 

The lamps are subtle, and near scale. These light white in the direction of travel, but do not double as tail lamps.

 

Details to add include some pretty crude fire irons, and additional sanding pipes. These are fiddly, and difficult to get in line with the wheels. Indeed, when running in, one of the factory fitted ones fouled the track and snapped. I hope Hattons can do some spares as I am sure I won't be alone in this.

 

In terms of finish, I am not sure whether this is self coloured plastic. There is a sheen, and some haze which gives the impression of plastic, put the boiler has a patina which looks like sprayed paint. I do not think the colour and finish detracts from the model. As with DP2 there is a little 'rippling' of some of the plain areas of plastic, but this is not significant. I went for the Pristine version, so cannot comment on the weathered model. Moulded detail is good, although the roof vents (permanently open) are poorly defined. Separately fitted details to the chassis were all intact, although some factory gluing was a little messy. There is some nice back-head detail.

 

I must say that it is not as well put together as current Bachmann offerings, there is the occasional blemish to the (paint) finish, and some of the running gear and brake linkage has a little 'flash'.

 

Printing is o.k. if a tiny bit wobbly. With the stylised LMS characters this is not really noticeable.

 

 

Whilst there may be some issues with quality, once you get this brute running it really is an awesome machine. I think £200 is a fair price to pay for what is a unique model, with a really well engineered mechanism.

 

 

I really like it.

 

 

 

Neal

Edited March 1, 2014 by neal