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Heljan class 17


M. Jones
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Hi everyone, I have just finished my Cl 17 having read every word of this topic and noting the changes you guys made. My example was a chassis only lump from ebay and with the help of Howes spares and a lot of fiddling, I can't use one hand too well, it runs well and I managed to fit a decoder at the side of the cab area. I haven't worked out how to light up the headcodes yet, is there a special cover to fit over the window housing? All I can find is those on Howes web site which don't help me at all. Is it a box affair or LED housing before I try and make my own? Regards

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Unfortunately, this seller doesn't offer international postage. Pity, as I would like a kit of these for my own Heljan Clayton. Looks like I'll have to come up with my own solution.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Urgh, whoever designed these buffers is a masochist!

 

A buffer fell off and after several tries to put it back together the little black plug went flying. So I would like to ask if anyone else has suffered this and how they fixed it.

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Urgh, whoever designed these buffers is a masochist!

 

A buffer fell off and after several tries to put it back together the little black plug went flying. So I would like to ask if anyone else has suffered this and how they fixed it.

Having had to fix a number of these in a past life, our solution was to use the insulation off of a normal mains lead cut into short (very) pieces. Find a piece of mains flex and select one which would be a tight fit on the shaft of the buffer, just imagine how many could be produced from a six inch piece of wire! No worries about it flying into space!

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I managed the same and also lost a spring, used a Kadee spring covered the missing spring and a similar sized piece of plastic to replace the missing bit and drilled it to suit.

 

Regards

 

Roy

 

 

Urgh, whoever designed these buffers is a masochist!

 

A buffer fell off and after several tries to put it back together the little black plug went flying. So I would like to ask if anyone else has suffered this and how they fixed it.

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I managed the same and also lost a spring, used a Kadee spring covered the missing spring and a similar sized piece of plastic to replace the missing bit and drilled it to suit.

 

Regards

 

Roy

 

 

Already had to replace a spring and indeed I did find a Kadee coupler spring worked fine.

 

Problem I have now is I don't have a drill that size, so need to go get one.

 

Also thought about just gluing the buffer back in, that way I won't have to deal with this 'fun' at a later date.

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Not exclusively related to class 17 but any buffers which self-disassemble here for any reason and which then choose to lose their spring are simply glued in.  Sprung buffers are a nice-to-have but don't add functionality.  At least not in my case.  There's no shame in a dab of glue.

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Not exclusively related to class 17 but any buffers which self-disassemble here for any reason and which then choose to lose their spring are simply glued in.  Sprung buffers are a nice-to-have but don't add functionality.  At least not in my case.  There's no shame in a dab of glue.

Thats exactly what I was thinking. Its not really functional as when I couple up the couplers make contact before the buffers do.  The only time I can see the buffers spring back is when I am holding it, which isnt really why I purchased the models in the first place!

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I have just a few locomotives that only have couplings at one end. On DCC, I have run locomotives up to each other and buffered up, with the springs compressing. This is particularly impressive to viewers at exhibitions but otherwise, I agree with the previous posters' comments that for normal use, one would never notice whether buffers are sprung or not.

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As the subject cropped up I tried a little experiment today.  I coupled my two class 17s with a Bachmann closer-coupling bar (as supplied with carriages) rather than the standard loops.  They ran perfectly happily around the layout including through small-radius crossovers without the buffers actually touching never mind compressing.

 

There may be Kadee users out there who have even closer coupling but given that many of us are forced into accepting tramway-radius curves on our main lines I still don't see having unsprung buffers as a particular issue.

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As the subject cropped up I tried a little experiment today.  I coupled my two class 17s with a Bachmann closer-coupling bar (as supplied with carriages) rather than the standard loops.  They ran perfectly happily around the layout including through small-radius crossovers without the buffers actually touching never mind compressing.

 

There may be Kadee users out there who have even closer coupling but given that many of us are forced into accepting tramway-radius curves on our main lines I still don't see having unsprung buffers as a particular issue.

 

I agree with the sentiments about unsprung buffers........BUT, I do have a pair of 20's that I fitted with a screw link coupling....and without sprung buffers this would absolutely not work.  

 

Bob

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As the subject cropped up I tried a little experiment today.  I coupled my two class 17s with a Bachmann closer-coupling bar (as supplied with carriages) rather than the standard loops.  They ran perfectly happily around the layout including through small-radius crossovers without the buffers actually touching never mind compressing.

 

There may be Kadee users out there who have even closer coupling but given that many of us are forced into accepting tramway-radius curves on our main lines I still don't see having unsprung buffers as a particular issue.

 

I'm gradually working through my fleet, changing identities, tweaking, weathering and so forth.  As they will each be spending the majority of time 'diagrammed' in a pair, this suggestion is one that I will definitely try out.  Cheers!

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Can't remember the details, but you can cut a way part of the chassis so that you don't need to remove the buffers when removing the body.

 

Yes, I did the same for the same reason - a small square about 3mm x 3mm at each corner nipped off with snips and tidied up with a fine file.

 

Alasdair

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I also have done the mod to the chassis corners (with a milling tool in the Dremel), so I won't have to remove the buffers ever again!

One further note from our earlier discussion on sprung buffers and closer coupling: I ran a pair of Bachmann class 20s earlier today for the first time in quite a while. This pair are close coupled with Kadees and the sprung buffers do come into play on my tighter curves. The two can be separated fairly easily but are treated as a semi-permanent pair, since one has a sound decoder and smaller speaker fitted, while the other has had its motor removed and a large bass reflex speaker installed, with a two pin connector running between the two locos. Bryan of Howes created a twin start on the decoder when he did the sound for me.

The reason I have mentioned this is because many of you will probably want to run the Claytons in pairs, and using the Kadees could bring them close enough to utilise the sprung buffers. As a few traders have offered some Class 17s from the original batch with faulty motors or bearing assemblies cheaply, stripping them out and using them for sound boxes semi-permanently attached to a motorised Locomotive may be something to consider.

Edited by SRman
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Thanks for your help on this, Stewart, and thanks also to Jason.

 

I have now fitted the replacement headcode lighting. At this stage I still have the original headcodes but I may try to improve on these later.

 

HeljanClass17lights1_zps5e603d25.jpg

 

HeljanClass17lights2_zps6d437cd5.jpg

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  • 1 month later...
  • 5 weeks later...

Good Luck Andy...hope you find a good one.

 

It is a strange place to find a Clayton....I wonder how they found their way there..???

 

Bob

D8512 was moved to Longsight 6/71 from the RTC and I was fortunate enough to see (and cab it!) in August that year - she returned to Derby 6 Oct '71. D8598 was moved from Polmadie to Longsight March '72 en route to Derby Works for overhaul - transferred to departmental stock in April, but was back at Longsight by 3 July that year. She was moved around to several locations, including Willesden Sept-Nov '72, but returned to Longsight by 2 Feb '75. Source: Allocation history of BR Diesels & Electrics 2nd Edition (Roger Harris) HTH.

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  • 7 years later...

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