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Lynton & Barnstaple OO9 Loco from Heljan


Mike Bellamy
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Reading other threads, Hatton's decoders have a poor reputation.

 

Personally  I  have  had  no  problems  with  any  Hattons  decoders,  However  as  suggested  above  it  is  necessary  to  test  the  loco  with the  decoder  removed  and  the  analogue blanking  plug inserted.

 

I had  to  return a  MW  loco recently  which had  similar running  problems as you describe,  but  this  had  not been with me  long  enough to even  fit  a  decoder!  The loco had  valve  gear  failure  after  about 10 mins  running!,  This  was  most  likely in  this  case  to be  the cause of the poor running

 

I do urge  you to   get in touch  with  Hattons,  request  a  free  return label  and  get  a  refund  or  replacement  ( They do have  plenty  of  stock  still!)

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So is there a way of distinguishing between the modified second batch and the original release, either by examining the model or by a different product code ?

I'm thinking of risking a purchase in the belief that problems encountered get publicised  but happy owners don't post.

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If you can examine the model then the simplest way to tell is to look at the underside. The pony trucks on the second batch have self centring springs, the original ones don't.

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Cheers Neil,

Popped into Janes Trains in Tooting this afternoon. Had a look at 759 Yeo in Southern livery. Second batch for sure, and Jane ran it up and down the test track for good measure. Smooth and quiet straight out of the box.

Very happy with my purchase. 

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On 1/28/2019 at 8:35 PM, swsjames said:

Has anyone else had my problem? I took delivery of 9955 “Exe” today, chipped by Hattons, and tried to run it. Terrible! At first it wouldn’t run at all, then with some jiggling, it jerked forward a few centimetres then stalled again. I have spent an afternoon coaxing it up and down a test siding with little improvement. It runs slightly better bunker-first, but still not satisfactorily. I can’t programme a long address for it either, possibly because the electrical pick up is sporadic.

 

I think it needs to go back to Hattons unless anyone can tell me i’m doing something really silly!

 

Incidentally, no such problem with my 9950 “Yeo” from Kernow models on the same track.

If it was like mine then the factory was a bit too enthusiastic with the oil on the wheels and pick-ups. The wheels also needed a good clean, like the ones on their diesels from years ago.

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I have two and one was clearly over oiled at the factory. 

 

I am very happy with mine but it's worth getting the retailer to test first as there are some duds. Mine run okay on 2nd radius now but you really need a larger radius if possible as these are much larger than the WD Baldwin, Glyn Valley tram etc

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There  have  been  many  comments  regarding  the   problems  you have  experienced,  I  have  now  owned  4  of  these  locos  from  1st & 2nd  production  all failed  with   valve  gear  problems  and  have been retuned to retailers,  however  before  the  problems occurred  my  fix on  the derailing  problems  was  to  remove  the  pony truck  power collection  strips  and  on the  2nd  version disable  the  brass centreing  springs as well,  thus  allowing  the  ponies  to  move  more freely.

The  locos  run  perfectly well  from  the  power collection  pojnt  of  view  with power collection  from  the  drivers  only,  but  they  do  require more  gentle  curves  than  sometimes  found  on 009 layouts  the minimum radius  on my layouts  is  around 13".

 Attached pic  of  one  of  my  failures!

There  is  also  a  lot  of  info on the NGRM forum  in the  trade matters  section

CIMG2923.JPG

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WELL!  I  gave  in  to  temptation  and  my  Fifth MW arrived today ( New  readers  please  note   the  first  4  were all returned  as  faulty)

Its  a  Southern  transition livery  EXE  which  I quite  like  short  lived, but  not  quite  as  'in your  face'  as  the  later  SOUTHERN livery.

 

I tested  the  loco on  the  layout  under  construction today ( the  layout is  a   U shaped oval in an 8x6 shed, this  format  allows entry  without a 'duck under' the  continuous run incorporates 8 points mostly PECO  18" radius  but  there  are  a couple of 12" also)

 After  the first  5  minutes  of  running I was  all for  packing  up the  loco  and  returning  it!  But  I  took  a  deep breath and decided  to examine  the  problems and  try  to apply a cure, Initially  the  loco  was derailing  on every point in  forward  direction and  around 75% in  reverse.

 

I carried  out  just  one  modification so  far  I disabled  the  centreing  springs on the  front  pony only,  this  resulted  in  perfect  running in  both  directions ,I am  unsure  why  it  cured  the  reverse running, possibly the inhibited pre modified front pony had  an effect on reverse running.

Although  the  layout  has  minimum curves  of  around 14" I found that   there  is  a slight  tendency for the loco to  slow at  certain parts of some  curves where these are on a gradient  I need  to  check the track there may be  a little  re fettling  to do:angry:

In addition  to continuous run I have a   yard  under  construction which  uses  Peco 12"  & Y points  the  loco ran through these fine 

 

I would add also  that  I checked  the pins on  the  motion  to ensure  they  were  secure and this  is  something  I will continue to do from time  to time:mellow:

 

I still have  to  fit  the  couplings  and  decoder,  but  will not  rush to do  this  until  I have  given the  loco some  further  test  runs.

 

I hope  that  this  is  of value  and  will perhaps  encourage  those  who  have  held  off buying

 

PS take a look at  RAILS  prices ( only valid for a short  time  I think)

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Edited by Stevelewis
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1 hour ago, Stevelewis said:

WELL!  I  gave  in  to  temptation  and  my  Fifth MW arrived today ( New  readers  please  note   the  first  4  were all returned  as  faulty)

Its  a  Southern  transition livery  EXE  which  I quite  like  short  lived, but  not  quite  as  'in your  face'  as  the  later  SOUTHERN livery.

 

I tested  the  loco on  the  layout  under  construction today ( the  layout is  a   U shaped oval in an 8x6 shed, this  format  allows entry  without a 'duck under' the  continuous run incorporates 8 points mostly PECO  18" radius  but  there  are  a couple of 12" also)

 After  the first  5  minutes  of  running I was  all for  packing  up the  loco  and  returning  it!  But  I  took  a  deep breath and decided  to examine  the  problems and  try  to apply a cure, Initially  the  loco  was derailing  on every point in  forward  direction and  around 75% in  reverse.

 

I carried  out  just  one  modification so  far  I disabled  the  centreing  springs on the  front  pony only,  this  resulted  in  perfect  running in  both  directions ,I am  unsure  why  it  cured  the  reverse running, possibly the inhibited pre modified front pony had  an effect on reverse running.

Although  the  layout  has  minimum curves  of  around 14" I found that   there  is  a slight  tendency for the loco to  slow at  certain parts of some  curves where these are on a gradient  I need  to  check the track there may be  a little  re fettling  to do:angry:

In addition  to continuous run I have a   yard  under  construction which  uses  Peco 12"  & Y points  the  loco ran through these fine 

 

I would add also  that  I checked  the pins on  the  motion  to ensure  they  were  secure and this  is  something  I will continue to do from time  to time:mellow:

 

I still have  to  fit  the  couplings  and  decoder,  but  will not  rush to do  this  until  I have  given the  loco some  further  test  runs.

 

I hope  that  this  is  of value  and  will perhaps  encourage  those  who  have  held  off buying

 

PS take a look at  RAILS  prices ( only valid for a short  time  I think)

CIMG3080.JPG

CIMG3081.JPG

Glad your 5th one is working well.

I have used the Greenwich and district etched couples minus the lifting bar and the lugs cut off the coupler. This has then been bent ot the desired angle and glued into the NEM box using canopy glue. This does allow the cow catchers to remian in place.

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1 hour ago, roundhouse said:

Glad your 5th one is working well.

I have used the Greenwich and district etched couples minus the lifting bar and the lugs cut off the coupler. This has then been bent ot the desired angle and glued into the NEM box using canopy glue. This does allow the cow catchers to remian in place.

I never  had  any  problems  with  my  first  3 using  the  Peco couplers  and  the   cow  catchers in  place apart from heating  up the   couplers  and  bending them a  bit,  never  got  to  try   them  on  No.4  it  went  back to retailer  too quickly!!

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On 05/02/2019 at 11:03, HeliMike said:

Just got an Exe, latest batch and have the same derailing issues as many have. Has anyone managed to fix this and if so how, please? 

 

My solution can be found here:

 

Other fixes are available.

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Further  testing  of  EXE  today,  I  have  disabled  the  rear  pony  centreing  springs  (front ones were  disabled  yesterday), fitted  couplings  without  any modification,  which seem to be   OK relative to PECO rolling  stock, Temporarily removed  front cow  catcher, may remove tip  bar  of  it.

 

Have  run the  loco extensively  hauling 3  coaches  and  a  couple of  4  wheel wagons,  up hill and  down dale  on  the layout ( my excuse for a layout  that is!)

I have  had  to  adjust  a couple of  sections of track  which were not  quite level,  to eliminate 'dips'  which caused the loco to slow with drivers   spinning.

 

I will attempt to upload  a  short  poor  quality video!

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FURTHER  UPDATE.    Decoder  now  fitted,  in the  process  of  doing  this  I  removed  completely  the  centering  springs and also flattened  the  brass  power collection strips against  the  underside of the chassis so that  they do not contact the pony wheels,  the  pony trucks are therefore totally free  to move.               I would  point out  that  prior to fitting  the  decoder ,  whilst  the  pony trucks were  removed    I tested  the  running  qualities of the chassis to make  sure  that  power collection  from  the  6 drivers   was sufficient,  it  was and  it  ran  exceptionally smoothly.

 

After  reassembly  I tested  the  loco  again   hauling  rolling  stock  it  ran  for  long  periods  without  any  problems, ( the  layout is continuous run  which  has 8 Peco 18" &12" radius points in the  circuit which also includes 2  gradients  on approx.  14" radius curves)

 

So I may  buy  another, not  immediately  just  waiting to see how  the market goes,   I note  that  there  are  already  some  reduced  prices appearing!

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Neither of mine will run through Peco 009 points reliably as the pony truck spacers foul the crossing. It's a stupid design error that should have been picked up much earlier - especially as this is the second batch. 

 

They do run through large radius N gauge points so I've maybe got some tracklaying to do. The real thing had the same problem when Lynn arrived last year... 

Edited by fezza
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I was  round  at  a  friends today  who has  a  couple  of  the MWs one  has  been  modified as  per  my loco  as  above  and  runs  fine  now,  Surprisingly  the  other  which had  not  been  modified  was  running  and  that  was  running  fine!

Strange  I  thought  he  has managed  to do  it  himself,HOWEVER when   I asked  he  told  me what  he  had  done  he  answered ' I took  the  pony  wheels  off!!!!'

 

He  had  simply removed  the  wheelsets by  unclipping  them,  and  there  it  was  pulling  a  train successfully, as  the  layout  is fairly low  around 1metre high  the  lack of  wheels  was  just  not apparent!  May be  not  a fix  for  every one  but  interesting

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rMy mark 2 Yeo, a replacement for the mark 1 whose valve gear came apart, has just failed after not much running. A pin fastening the coupling rod to the crank of the rear drive has dropped out - same problem as Stevelewis reported on Feb 5th. I can't find the pin and anyway, I doubt I could re-attach it properly if I did.

 

Very, very disappointing.r

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24 minutes ago, swsjames said:

rMy mark 2 Yeo, a replacement for the mark 1 whose valve gear came apart, has just failed after not much running. A pin fastening the coupling rod to the crank of the rear drive has dropped out - same problem as Stevelewis reported on Feb 5th. I can't find the pin and anyway, I doubt I could re-attach it properly if I did.

 

Very, very disappointing.r

Its  very  annoying,  my latest  one EXE  is  running  digitally  and performs  OK,  ( Modified ponies  removed  the  centreing  springs  and  flattened  the  brass power  pickups against  the underside of the  chassis so they  do not  touch the  pony wheel rims)

Haulage power is  good  3  coaches, 3 bogie goods wagons & 1 4whl van up a 1 in 25 no problem.

One  thing  I am  doing on  a regular  basis  is  checking  the pins  are  tight  and  not gradually unscrewing, but  it   would be  quite  a  feat to actually replace  one!

CIMG3095.JPG

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Well, I've finally been able to give my two MkII MWs a run, albeit on a makeshift shunting layout, but 12' of forwards and reverse and a couple of points is better than sitting in a box!

 

1894413529_IMAG56492.jpg.aa156a9e5be22be8055820ac9402f321.jpg

 

They were both, thankfully smooth straight from the box but the bogies (as expected) struggled with the points, which are brand new Peco mainline ones. Centring springs removed and pickups tweaked and everything was fine!

 

Well, it seemed fine! TAW had developed a worrying limp which after various issues with other peoples immediately set alarm bells ringing! Anyhow, a bit of investigation showed that it wasn't a valve gear issue (phew!) and that it occurred at the same point of every wheel revolution. So the chaos came out and the drive gears examined closely. It turned out that a minute piece of plastic swarf or maybe a fleck of paint/glue from the centering  spring had got into one of the teeth. Once that was removed and it all reassembled I tentatively applied power, and off she went, happy as can be! 

 

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So my issue was one of my own doing, but enough to cause erratic running. Hopefully I'll be able to get them run in properly now! 

 

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Cheers

 

J

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19 hours ago, Stevelewis said:

Its  very  annoying,  my latest  one EXE  is  running  digitally  and performs  OK,  ( Modified ponies  removed  the  centreing  springs  and  flattened  the  brass power  pickups against  the underside of the  chassis so they  do not  touch the  pony wheel rims)

Haulage power is  good  3  coaches, 3 bogie goods wagons & 1 4whl van up a 1 in 25 no problem.

One  thing  I am  doing on  a regular  basis  is  checking  the pins  are  tight  and  not gradually unscrewing, but  it   would be  quite  a  feat to actually replace  one!

CIMG3095.JPG

CIMG3096.JPG

 

Kernow have said they can send me a replacement pin. Do these screw in, or are they a push fit with a dab of glue? From what you say, it sounds as if they screw  in - or out, as the case may be! If I can’t do it myself, I’m hoping a mate at the model railway club might be able to help.

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That's good customer service from Kernow. 

 

I have now freed up the front and rear pony trucks so they move completely freely. That's cured the waddle and both run through old  Peco crazy track points. So I got there in the end - after quite a bit of swearing. 

 

Heljan couldn't have tested these before release or they would have picked up this simple problem. Sadly quality assurance seems non existant for some model railway products today. 

Edited by fezza
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  RE  Pin Dropout...…….It may be  worth  visiting  a  local  optician!!!!

 

Seriously  opticians  usually carry many  sizes  of small screws  etc  to repair  glasses,  and  they  also  have  the facilities  to  actually see  what  they  are  doing.

 

They may be  willing  to  help for a small fee  or  the  promise  of   an order for specs in the  future

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Answering Swsjames  query above...…...screw in  fit  VERY  tiny,  I keep  small tweezers  handy so I can  frequently  check the  pins,  and  that  needs  a  bright  light  and  magnifier.

Edited by Stevelewis
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