Dapol N Gauge Hymek Circular Vent Placement - Prototypical or Factory Error?

[BrakeCoach]

Hello,

 

I recently got the N gauge Dapol Hymek (D7071 BR Green SYP) that got in stock around mid-2022, and I just realized that the circular ventilator grill on the roof seems to be a bit off center.

 

Pic provided:

 

Is this just prototypical to be off-center (which I doubt), or a manufacturing error at Dapol's part? Does anyone have this issue as well? And is it possible to solve this issue?

[PMP]

I have the same issue on all my Heljan 35’s. The best way to solve the problem is by leaving it alone…

Edited February 6, 2023 by PMP
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[Gareth Collier]

It's supposed to be like that, offset,  perfectly correct.

[BrakeCoach]

Ah so it is indeed prototypical--I almost got worried that I got a factory error bodyshell 🤣

[Gareth Collier]

 

[Fat Controller]

2 hours ago, BrakeCoach said:

Hello,

 

I recently got the N gauge Dapol Hymek (D7071 BR Green SYP) that got in stock around mid-2022, and I just realized that the circular ventilator grill on the roof seems to be a bit off center.

 

Pic provided:

 

Is this just prototypical to be off-center (which I doubt), or a manufacturing error at Dapol's part? Does anyone have this issue as well? And is it possible to solve this issue?

 

2 hours ago, Gareth Collier said:

It's supposed to be like that, offset,  perfectly correct.

Wasn't it to give a bit more space on one side for personnel to walk through. I believe that Westerns and Warships had a similar asymmetrical arrangement.

[The Johnster]

Yes, it was, there was a corridor alongside the fan compartment.  On the other hydraulics the fans were centrally positioned, but asymmetrical longitudinally on the twin-engined Warships and Westerns with short dead-end passageways on the other side of the loco to the main through passageway, which came off the driver’s side of the cab (Warship) or vestibule (Western) and crossed the loco in the space between the engines, mirror imaged end to end.  ISTR there were even duplicate urinals*, at the junction of the main and dead-end fan compartment passageways.  There were further dead-ends to access the other sides of the engines. The engine room passageways were very narrow on these locos, and in fact the cab doors were not particularly amenable to ‘broad gauge’ drivers either!

 

 

*All except single cab locos had them, flushing and with header tanks that I cannot recall ever working.  Nobody ever used them; I will draw a discreet veil over what we actually did…

[Fat Controller]

5 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

Yes, it was, there was a corridor alongside the fan compartment.  On the other hydraulics the fans were centrally positioned, but asymmetrical longitudinally on the twin-engined Warships and Westerns with short dead-end passageways on the other side of the loco to the main through passageway, which came off the driver’s side of the cab (Warship) or vestibule (Western) and crossed the loco in the space between the engines, mirror imaged end to end.  ISTR there were even duplicate urinals*, at the junction of the main and dead-end fan compartment passageways.  There were further dead-ends to access the other sides of the engines. The engine room passageways were very narrow on these locos, and in fact the cab doors were not particularly amenable to ‘broad gauge’ drivers either!

 

 

*All except single cab locos had them, flushing and with header tanks that I cannot recall ever working.  Nobody ever used them; I will draw a discreet veil over what we actually did…

Just as long as you didn't pull the cab door shut behind you.. I still remember a radio call from a driver, asking me to tell the signaller not to set a route for him, as he'd done just that, and was waiting for someone to bring him a spare key.

[franciswilliamwebb]

1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

ISTR there were even duplicate urinals*

 

So a loco has two number one ends 😄

[The Johnster]

Warships and Westerns did, I think (not 100% on this so don’t quote me).  Two number one ends one at the number one end and one at the number two end, but not even one number two end at the number one end or the number two end.   Not sure if the number one end on locos with only one number one end was a number one end at the number one end or a number one end at the number two end not the number one end.  On Hymeks it was A and B ends anyway. 

[doctor quinn]

On 06/02/2023 at 15:26, Gareth Collier said:

It's supposed to be like that, offset,  perfectly correct.

I seem to remember that Triang and later Hornby got this wrong on their OO model 

[Halvarras]

Westerns, Hymeks, the D600 Warships and NBL Type 2s had off-centre roof fan grilles - both types of D800 Warships had them centrally in-line. The Tri-ang -Hornby Hymek, Hornby Western and Lima Western were incorrect in having central fan grilles, but I'll be kind and put this this down to 1960s/70s tooling limitations rather than poor research........

 

The WR was unique (fancy that?!) in having A & B ends on its diesels instead of Nos 1 & 2 ends. Also on single-engined diesel-electrics the No 1 end was invariably the main radiator/cooler group end..........guess which end the WR chose as the A end on Hymeks and NBL Type 2s? Did they really have a policy of being deliberately awkward.....?!🤔

 

On 06/02/2023 at 15:31, Gareth Collier said:

 

Well that's enlightening - I think the mystery of why Heljan attached the warning horns the wrong way round on their Hymek has just been solved! (If you have a copy of Hugh Dady's colour album 'The WR Diesel Hydraulics' check out page 22, a view across the cab roof of D7047 in March 1965, there's no arguing with that!) And Dapol have done the same. Since D7076 is the only preserved Hymek with headboard brackets this would also explain both manufacturers including this feature, which wasn't applicable to D7000-33 and a couple of collision damage repairs beyond those. Yet another case of 'beware using preserved vehicles for reference purposes'!!