Heljan Clayton Headcode fitting.

[westerngauntlet]

Can anyone assist me in fitting the provided headcode numbers to my Heljan clayton.

 

I cant find any mention of it in the Heljan provided documentation.

 

Does the clear plastic insert just unclip? Any special technique?

 

Having already lost the buffer springs and back buffer retainers while fitting a DCC, I am loathed to cause any more damage to the clayton. (I believe these are available from Howes (when they are in stock, at least).

 

Regards

 

Eddie

[Trains4U]

You need to prise out the headcode glazing using the point of a scalpel.

 

This needs to be done very carefully, but if you work on one end, it should pop out.

 

Regarding the buffers, springs and retainers, these are indeed available from Howes.

 

I hold a stock of these as they regularly ping off into the darkest recesses of the shop when I'm fitting chips for customers.

[westerngauntlet]

Thanks for that, Ill contact you by eMail regarding buffers.

[Gwiwer]

All Heljan headcode panels on any class are a tight fit and tricky to remove. The benefit if that is that once in the panel stays put reliably. The downside can be that - without considerable care being exercised - the glazing panel can be damaged and (if appropriate) the yellow paint on the end can be chipped.

 

The Class 17 doesn't dismount from its frames as readily as do some other classes so the method of popping the glazing out from the inside (I use a cotton-wool bud on "Westerns" and similar designs) cannot be employed.

 

The only way I found to remove the panel from a Clayton without complete loco disassembly was to prize it very carefully with the point of an already-used scalpel blade. When you do this you should take suitable precautions. If you have goggles then wear them; if you can do the job wearing leather-type gardening gloves then it may save a gash to your finger or worse. The tip of the blade can easily splinter off and fly anywhere.

 

Ease the glazed panel from one end then the other alternately until it comes away. Mine still gained a slight scratch in the process and one corner now looks (fortuitously) like it has been shattered by a piece of flying ballast. A tiny chip of yellow paint was repaired with an equally tiny patch of Humbrol acrylic paint, code RC407, and after a touch up with the mapping pen to resemble some dirt the whole front end doesn't look too bad.

 

Trim the headcode panel and insert carefully then ease the glazed panel back in making sure it has clipped all round and isn't sitting proud on one side or the other.

 

Next question - how do you eliminate the "single-beam" headlamp which Heljan has fitted to light the headcode but which makes it look like a modern-style high intensity headlamp?

 

The result of the process described above on one of my Claytons .....