Freightliner MJA twins & HIA hopper

[gary_lner]

1 hour ago, classy52 said:

 Oh sorry yes, thought you were talking about the HIA's.

No worries at all

doesn't help that the post I quoted doesn't include the quoted post about the MJA. So easy to think were talking about the HIA's

[cessna152towser]

Just had an eMail from Hattons today to say that the new batch of HIAs is now expected March/April 2021.

[JackB95]

New batch of MJA twins in GBRf and Freightliner announced (x4 running numbers each) for both N and 00 gauge.

 

Hattons suggests they'll be in stock June/July 2021.

[big jim]

I really should get a few of these wagons in GB livery, missed out last time as they were off my radar as I’d never worked them for real but now i do aggregate trains in work I wouldn’t mind a short rake of them 

[JackB95]

16 hours ago, big jim said:

I really should get a few of these wagons in GB livery, missed out last time as they were off my radar as I’d never worked them for real but now i do aggregate trains in work I wouldn’t mind a short rake of them 

 

I recently picked up 6 pairs off a mate in an as-new conidition. I highly recommend them mate.

 

[TomScrut]

5 hours ago, JackB95 said:

 

I recently picked up 6 pairs off a mate in an as-new conidition. I highly recommend them mate.

 

 

I am flirting with either buying more (now more have been announced) or selling, I have 3 pairs that haven't seen any action this year.

 

They are however great wagons and even at £59 a pair minus discount they are good value. Dapol are probably my favourite wagon manufacturer other than possibly AS. They make lots of stuff relevant to modern day, good quality at a reasonable price and they keep re running multiple numbers. Compared to others who'll release a one off every blue moon at a high price.

[newbryford]

I just wish they would shorten the bar between the pair.

 

(I have a cunning plan to make some of my own)

[Andy7]

8 hours ago, newbryford said:

I just wish they would shorten the bar between the pair.

 

(I have a cunning plan to make some of my own)

I did cut and shuts on my ones using wire to add the strength back in. Works a treat.

[newbryford]

3 hours ago, Andy7 said:

I did cut and shuts on my ones using wire to add the strength back in. Works a treat.

 

My plan is to 3D print them with a hollow core that I can add an internal reinforcement with wire.

[TomScrut]

11 hours ago, newbryford said:

I just wish they would shorten the bar between the pair.

 

(I have a cunning plan to make some of my own)

 

I have used Hunt couplers on mine to sort that as it's just a normal NEM at a different height.

 

Also way easier for getting them on and off the layout.

Edited April 11, 2021 by TomScrut

[njee20]

I agree they’re nice models. I’ve got 12 pairs (of N gauge ones) and aside from the brake gear fouling the axles unless it’s pushed right home they’re very good. I’ve used 3D printed couplings within the pairs, the problem then is that the gap is uneven, ideally you need to shorten the couplings between the sets too. 

[newbryford]

2 minutes ago, TomScrut said:

 

I have used Hunt couplers on mine to sort that as it's just a normal NEM at a different height.

 

Also way easier for getting them on and off the layout.

 

I use a suitably sized stock box for my MJA sets, so I can keep them coupled as pairs.

 

[reddragon]

Hattons have just received the new batch of HIAs

[reddragon]

I now have my new HIAs & MJAs

[TomScrut]

53 minutes ago, reddragon said:

I now have my new HIAs & MJAs

I have a new HIA too, just needed one more to make my rake suitably long.

 

Flirting with a pack or two of MJAs but might wait a bit. I have 3 pairs now and I think 4 or 5 would make a better train.

[dave56]

Just  received three pairs of MJA's in GBRF blue, to add to the ones I already have . They are excellent wagons.

Edited October 2, 2021 by dave56

[cessna152towser]

On 17/12/2020 at 14:36, cessna152towser said:

Just had an eMail from Hattons today to say that the new batch of HIAs is now expected March/April 2021.

A longer wait than I expected.

In the meantime I bought a green one second hand via this forum.     I wanted a pair to create a trip working and missed out yet again on Hattons who sold out almost immediately (as I type this their website shows only one version of the white ones remaining, only nine left).   However I managed to secure a second green HIA from Rails and it has just arrived today.

[TomScrut]

On 02/10/2021 at 12:55, dave56 said:

Just  received three pairs of MJA's in GBRF blue, to add to the ones I already have . They are excellent wagons.

 

I did see somebody trying to sell 3 old pairs for £200 the other day. I thought if they are worth that much I might sell them instead of buy more!

 

I do expect in fact that they were chancing it.

[newbryford]

Dapol have just announced a new run including "new tooling under review" to represent later builds.

Presumably these are the majority of the fleet that have two reinforcing gussets along the side instead of four.

 

https://www.Dapol.co.uk/New-OO-Gauge-HIA-Wagons-Announced

 

Edited November 24, 2021 by newbryford

[Phil Mc]

11 hours ago, newbryford said:

Dapol have just announced a new run including "new tooling under review" to represent later builds.

Presumably these are the majority of the fleet that have two reinforcing gussets along the side instead of four.

 

https://www.Dapol.co.uk/New-OO-Gauge-HIA-Wagons-Announced

 

That would have saved both of us some modelling time……

 

cheers,

Phil.

[newbryford]

4 minutes ago, Phil Mc said:

That would have saved both of us some modelling time……

 

cheers,

Phil.

 

Nothing wrong with a bit of the M word every now and then though...... 

I have more HIAs than I should have - there are plans to chop a few gussets off some more.

 

Chopping gussets is a very underestimated pastime..........

[scissors]

Great news on the new batch, coming just a few weeks after I received the last batch due to the delays. Looks like just five green ones this time which works for me as my current seven are all green. A total of twelve will do me fine.

 

Still well priced too. I'm surprised how heavy they are every time I pick one up.

[cjs11]

Good afternoon

I'm really taken with the Dapol HIAs and keep almost embarking on purchasing a rake... but then I stop...

 

Have I ever actually seen them on WCML in Cumbria? At Penrith? Working in/out of Hardendale/Shap?

 

The lime trains I recall around turn of the century were coming over the Hadrian's Wall line, from e.g. Lackenby, and dropping down the WCML to Shap. Normally behind a 60. But they pre-date these HIAs.

 

Can anyone help me, would a rake of Freightliner HIAs be a legitimate working through Penrith?

 

(Certainly the GBRf workings to Shap/Hardendale now originate from the south, e.g. Tunstead, and come up through Oxenholme.)

 

MTIA

Charlotte

[TomScrut]

14 minutes ago, cjs11 said:

Have I ever actually seen them on WCML in Cumbria? At Penrith? Working in/out of Hardendale/Shap?

 

Is this good enough? Details in link

 

 

 

 

[cjs11]

1 hour ago, TomScrut said:

 

Is this good enough? Details in link

 

 

 

Thank you Tom, that's brilliant! How did you find that? I did searches in Flickr for HIAs and Freightliner and Penrith and I didn't find anything. Maybe I should have left out Penrith and added Shap!

 

Thanks, really helpful (for my train research if not my wallet) *off she goes to buy HIAs*

 

Supplementary question - I see from this really useful HIA thread that Dapol have made tweaks with each successive batch, mirroring the upgrades in the real thing over time. Is it safe to mix old and new in rake, or do I need exclusively all "old" rake or all "new" rake? I note I can mix green and white which is a relief!

 

MTIA