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Heljan 128


beast66606

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Spurred on by reivews of the 128 by Glebe Road Junction and Jenny Emily I decided to purchase one of Hattons' remaining Class 128s in RM Red over the weekend just gone. I can agree with all the reviews above that it is a stunning model but mine unfortunately has suffered with bits falling off in the box as well. The most notable of these is the buffer beam falling off on the end with the exhausts fitted. Because the exhausts are in the way I can't seem to find a way to reattach the buffer beam so I will be sending mine back for a replacement but Hattons have since run out of the 128 in RM livery which is unfortunate!

 

They say they are getting more so I am hoping they do and I can swap it for a replacement. It looks a stunning model and despite me only finding a single picture of it anywhere near where I wish to model I have decided that on "my" railway they were used more regularly in my region. 

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  • RMweb Gold

If you havent sent it back yet, you can refit the buffer beams by removing the bodyshell, as the exhausts are attached to the bodshell and the buffer beams to the chassis, i would strongly reccomend using shims to remove the body as its quite tricky to do without knocking more detail off the underframe.

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If you havent sent it back yet, you can refit the buffer beams by removing the bodyshell, as the exhausts are attached to the bodshell and the buffer beams to the chassis, i would strongly reccomend using shims to remove the body as its quite tricky to do without knocking more detail off the underframe.

 

Thanks for that - if more don't appear at Hattons then I'll definitely bear this in mind but for the time being I'd rather it was returned for a new model. 

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My little "ugly duckling" (per Michael Delamar's picture above) arrived today and I'm blown away. I was a little reticent over the price and my finger hovered over the "buy" button at Rails website for a while, but it really is quite a splendid model indeed. No buyers remorse here whatsoever! M55990 will receive some "sticky bits", letters in her headcode and light weathering and be ready to go!

 

I have a question though: I'm hoping to make use of the weathered blue version when I run later (1988- 89) period stock but I'm struggling to find any pics in blue livery post 1987. Did the remaining examples all receive post office red livery by that time? Any help much appreciated.

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Correct Ian

 

SP (as seen on many units in the blue era especially) meant "Shopping Proposal" and was the date expressed numerically as month / year when the vehicle / unit was expected into works for a heavy overhaul.  That usually coincided with a repaint, at the least a clean and varnish, but the letters never meant (despite what many spotters would have you believe) "Scheduled Paint".

 

The two events were more or less synonymous.  Anything going in for a classified overhaul on or around its SP date would come out looking almost like new.  While I can't comment on the regime for the parcel cars the average SR EMU would have an SP around every 3 - 4 years alternating between a heavy C1 overhaul and an intermediate C6.  The former involved a strip back to metal and full repaint, the latter only a clean and varnish.  The external appearance was much the same upon release.   Other overhauls classified C2 through to C7 also existed. IIRC C7 only occurred on the Waterloo & City Line stock though C3 was a common intermediate level.

SP is shopping proposal date, however as there are different levels of shopping ranging from C1 to C6, painting would only be done when required. I have worked on DMUs that have had a C1 and not been repainted, just patched were required.

 

Al Taylor

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I have a question though: I'm hoping to make use of the weathered blue version when I run later (1988- 89) period stock but I'm struggling to find any pics in blue livery post 1987. Did the remaining examples all receive post office red livery by that time? Any help much appreciated.

 

Assuming the quoted dates are correct, these are all 1988:

 

https://flic.kr/p/6SnuCR

 

https://flic.kr/p/ccQwRS

 

https://flic.kr/p/aTiTtV

 

http://80srail.zenfolio.com/p342814911/h2AD06364#h333d7e5f

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Thank you!

 

Looks like 55991 received red livery whilst at Donny works in Summer '88, as later pictures would attest to.

 

55995 seems like a great prototype to me...

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  • 1 month later...
  • RMweb Gold

Hi Bill

 

Many thanks for kind comments

 

Yes indeed both 20s are chipped  - with them both fitted you get the lovely (!) syncopation as they drift in and out of phase. We always disable the horns on the rear loco too otherwise they sound a bit OTT

 

And yup very pleased with the BD - worth the work to get the installation right and Bryan's sound file is excellent - got him to change the horn from the distinctive big deltic ones to class 20 as per advice from this fantastic resource.

 

Cheers

 

Phil

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Hi Bill

 

Many thanks for kind comments

 

Yes indeed both 20s are chipped  - with them both fitted you get the lovely (!) syncopation as they drift in and out of phase. We always disable the horns on the rear loco too otherwise they sound a bit OTT

 

And yup very pleased with the BD - worth the work to get the installation right and Bryan's sound file is excellent - got him to change the horn from the distinctive big deltic ones to class 20 as per advice from this fantastic resource.

 

Cheers

 

Phil

Originally thought that the BD with the prototype's  high reving engine would sound like a hooligan riding an unsilenced motor bike but in fact it comes over as excellently distinctive. I've enjoyed running my Heljan model but sound would really add a lot.  Also, the twin 20s sound a lot better together than other sound chipped 20s I've heard.

 

Re the 128, does that have a "generic dmu" sound chip?

 

Anyway this is an encouragement for me  to get down to it and find the time to fit my Bachmann 47 with its sound chip as next project....(that slow revving sulzer sound) :-)

 

Bill

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

Hi Bill

 

Sorry for not replying earlier

 

That's Howes Bubble car sound file - you might think the gear changes are more suited to a branch line trundle than the main line blast the 128 does on Abbotswood, but effhilective none the less

 

Cheers

 

P

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No photos yet though...

 

Pictures now on the Kernow website, Heljan codes 8920, 8921, 8922 and 8923.  I didn't realise Heljan were releasing this batch with gangway doors, which is what I was waiting for. 

 

Does anyone know of a prototype picture of the "Scooby Doo" marking on 8922? 

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Pictures now on the Kernow website, Heljan codes 8920, 8921, 8922 and 8923.  I didn't realise Heljan were releasing this batch with gangway doors, which is what I was waiting for. 

 

Does anyone know of a prototype picture of the "Scooby Doo" marking on 8922? 

Hi, I have just tried googling but at the moment I am coming up with a blank, I know it is definitely correct, and from what I can remember it looks spot on.

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Hi Bill

 

Sorry for not replying earlier

 

That's Howes Bubble car sound file - you might think the gear changes are more suited to a branch line trundle than the main line blast the 128 does on Abbotswood, but effhilective none the less

 

Cheers

 

P

Thanks for that, Phil, sounds good to me, sound chip for a dmu worth a try.

 

cheers,

Bill

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Hi, I have just tried googling but at the moment I am coming up with a blank, I know it is definitely correct, and from what I can remember it looks spot on.

Is there a picture of a 128 in a book standing in Reading station with "scooby" written in dirt on front. Tho the Heljan model is on both ends I think.

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