Cheapest donor chassis for 56 body?

[faa77]

Bought a Harworth Colliery body because I don't want to pay the premium for a sound DCC model. Just wondering what is the cheapest class 56 model I could use for a donor chassis? I only need the lights and fan (if there is one?) to work.

[JSpencer]

I've heard that the latest batches of 56s do not have working fans but previous batches did.

 

Be careful, there are two 56 models out there. The former Mainline one which was then produced and sold by Dapol before being handed over to Hornby and sold by them. They then replaced the tooling with the current all super detailed version around 10 years ago.

 

The former Mainline has working lights but no fan. These can be found anywhere often and cheap enough.

 

As for finding just the modern 56 chassis... that might be a challenge. A certain auction site is the first stop. Be careful that it is not the old Mainline one. Visually the old one is lump of plastic with a middle metal weight and only one bogie clearly powered. The new one has a big brick shaped metal chassis, carries a sophisticated big PCB board on top and has that famous fan.

Now there should be a belt between the motor flywheel and a brass pully wheel which turns a shaft that turns the fan. The very latest ones are missing that part.

 

You are more likely to come across another modern 56 which could donate the chassis (you then sell the body off). These are unlikely to be cheap unless the body happens to be really damaged or given the worst repaint or weathering since time began.

(admittedly I picked mine up new from Hattons for a mere £50 in their bargain bin a good few years back, but I doubt we will say that again!).

[Matt]

Seems like 56059 in EWS can often be found quite cheap. I could be wrong but the issue  ​may relate to the fact that I think Hornby released 56059 in EWS in both their old and superdetail versions which causes confusion on ebay and likes which version it is.  I have picked up 2 one at 50% off and one around £30 mark missing a buffer and fan (both easily fixed).  If you can be sure it is the superdetail version then you should be sorted.  Of course I'm after a cheap coal sector body for mine...