Jump to content
 

Lynton & Barnstaple OO9 Loco from Heljan


Mike Bellamy
 Share

Recommended Posts

Track laying is dependant on many other things such as the wood or other material used for the baseboard. Everyone's method of track laying is different, I'd suggest that you look around the internet at the different ways of doing it (and constructing baseboards)  before making any decisions and buying tools you may not find you like using. Again I disagree with Paul as I use the Peco pins and prefer them to the alternatives!

 

Look around and talk to people at exhibitions before you spend any money...

 

Now back to the loco... ;)

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

I just said the Peco thin ones aren’t ideal while building confidence, small steps first ;) 

 

On a plus note one of my batch 2 locos has now winged it’s way to EDM for comparative fitting trials with Yeo from the first batch as the two Paul’s have just about finalised the sound project ;) Hopefully it won’t be long now before we can add sound to the fun.  

Link to post
Share on other sites

It's not difficult even for a beginner, Paul! And they look far batter than the rest if you decide to keep them when you've finished. i wasn't picking on your comments as such, just suggesting he looks around at the ways different people do things before going ahead and buying stuff based on the recommendation of one person, we all have our own ways which we find best, as I pointed out they are often different... It's a shame he has that particular loco, if it'd been a Bachmann or Minitrains loco he wouldn't be so restricted, one time where some prior research would have shown dividends. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't know how much model railway experience you have, Font, but if you are a complete beginner and want to model narrow gauge then I'd suggest that you put that loco on a back burner and buy one of the other two makes I mentioned and get into the hobby with them. It's a lovely looking loco but not at all suitable for a beginner. You could try to sell it, I know several people who have advertised them on here and the NGRM forum and sold them but you might have to take a financial hit, but if you could locate a secondhand Bachmann or Minitrains loco then it wouldn't hurt so much. I'd also suggest joining the OO9 Society who sell secondhand stock at very good prices when compared against shops, etc. The L&B isn't the only British NG line, there's lots to choose from and, of course, there's always freelance where you can use anything!

 

http://www.009society.com/

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yep all noted. I am a beginner, and was always planning on finding someone else to do the fixes for the loco.

However the flexi track issue is probably going to be one spanner in the works too far, and it’s all my own fault for not checking before hand the lack of set track points going beyond 9” radii.

Still pondering but I may return it to be honest.

Thanks for everyone’s help, don’t want to take over this thread with my own issues any longer, cheers.

  • Like 1
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

This threads for sorting out these locos so yours was very relevant  ;) 

For the layout start a thread with the plans and you’ll get help as you go. There’s no single solution but plenty of techniques that work :)

The Bachmann Baldwin would be an excellent swap for this and if you fancy SR livery then that’s due later this year 391-032 ‘Sid’. 

Like Hobby mentioned it’s worth looking up NRGM and signing up to that forum too for more 009 help than you can ever imagine :) 

Edited by PaulRhB
  • Like 1
  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes, I thought it was very cunning of Bachmann to bring out its Baldwin in L&B livery. The type didn’t run on the L&B but I suppose that Bachmann reckoned that a lot of people would be put off by the problems reported with the Heljan. Certainly, the Bachmann Baldwins tootle round 9" curves with no problems.

 

I took a different path. I wanted something to run 009 stuff on so I treated myself to an oval of Kato N gauge track pending something more serious. The original specification of the Heljan locos was for them to negotiate 9" curves, so I had to get a circle of 12" (approx.) track for the re-issued locos. They seem to work all right on that. Note to beginner: the appearance of the sleepers is completely wrong for 009 but if that doesn’t matter, it works!

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

For what it's worth, two of my three Manning Wardle locos are now running reasonably well. None will crawl quite like Roco engines but are ok for most purposes...

 

I have used flexitrack since I was 12. It's not as tricky as it first seems. I use Xuron track cutters and double sided carpet tape to stick the track down. The key is to make sure there are no kinks at the rail joints. Keep track at rail joints as straight as possible.

 

Roco and Tillig also do track of different types - officially its Hoe but it's really the same as 009. The track in Roco sets is particularly robust. They do a freight set for just £100 and the engine runs better than anything from Heljan. Its not British but doesnt look too out of place and can be modified. 

  • Like 1
  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
On ‎19‎/‎03‎/‎2019 at 19:45, No Decorum said:

. The original specification of the Heljan locos was for them to negotiate 9" curves, so I had to get a circle of 12" (approx.) track for the re-issued locos.

I think that's a myth created on forums, I can't find anything in the official original releases about minimum radii being 9". People were disappointed it needed 12 but with a relatively long loco it can't have the outside frames on the ponies if the trucks need to swing on a 9" radius, it barely fits with 12" radius as I had to ease mine out as the frame pushed them over. ;) 

Link to post
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, fezza said:

Roco and Tillig also do track of different types - officially its Hoe but it's really the same as 009. . 

 

The Roco and Tillig track is HOe, they don't do OO9 which is purely British! They also use code 83 rail, not 80. The Tillig track is the equivalent of Peco's Mainline and like the Mainline is made to represent Modern 750/760mm gauge prototype practice in HO scale which uses heavy rail which the code 80/83 rail matches very nicely, I measured the rail in Austria, Germany and Czech Republic and it's a good mach, as are the sleeper spacings..

 

Some of the Roco offerings are a little bit wayward, especially their flexi track with the odd "bent" sleepers but they do decent set-track with 10.5" curves which even Bemo ten coupled locos can get round. Several of the shops on eBay like the Manchester Model Shop have been selling the ovals of the Roco 10.5" track from the sets for about £20 recently. The Roco set-track looks better than Peco Crazytrack for OO9 but is harder to get hold of and has the same issue as the Peco track, the rail is too heavy. It's a shame that one of them hasn't done a range of code 60 which would suit OO9 (and some of the older HOe stuff) a lot better...

 

(Sorry for the drift...)

Edited by Hobby
Link to post
Share on other sites

The point I was making is that the mainline and tilling stuff is not OO9 in any way. It is based on modern Continental practice for heavily used NG. The rail is mainline sg size about 6.5ins deep.

 

Anyway we are way off topic so I'll leave it at that.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Yesterday I fitted a Zimo 6 pin decoder to TAW and gave it a run on Santa Barbara fiddleyard curves which are 11.5 and 12.5 inches. The loco negotiated both fine.

 

I had numerous people wanting me to run it on the scenic section during the show at Ally Pally but it wouldn't clear the platforms (they are modern mid height for USA style). So now I can build my new 009 layout confident that these locos will go round the planned curves in the fiddleyard for 'Blackmoor Gate'

Link to post
Share on other sites

On 19/03/2019 at 19:45, No Decorum said:

Yes, I thought it was very cunning of Bachmann to bring out its Baldwin in L&B livery. The type didn’t run on the L&B but I suppose that Bachmann reckoned that a lot of people would be put off by the problems reported with the Heljan. Certainly, the Bachmann Baldwins tootle round 9" curves with no problems.

 

I took a different path. I wanted something to run 009 stuff on so I treated myself to an oval of Kato N gauge track pending something more serious. The original specification of the Heljan locos was for them to negotiate 9" curves, so I had to get a circle of 12" (approx.) track for the re-issued locos. They seem to work all right on that. Note to beginner: the appearance of the sleepers is completely wrong for 009 but if that doesn’t matter, it works!

 

I think I’m going to go down the Kato route in the short term as I have a lot of it. Has anyone tried running the Manning Wardles through Kato points?

 

greg 

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I'm sure it's been asked before, but how does on solve the coupling height issue. The locos are a good couple of mm to high so much so that the loop on the trailing vehicle won't go over the pip on the locos coupling. 

 

Thanks

 

Matt 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I've used the Greenwich NEM couplings on my pair, which give a good amount of vertical adjustment, as they are made from brass. I've also bent a kink into the coupling shaft for the front end, enabling them to work with the cowcatchers in place, and the coupling loop. 

 

I've not had chance to test their auto uncoupling abilities yet, but this video will show that they can be double headed reliably enough.

 

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

J

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...