Heljan Western

[campaigner]

Very Psychedelic !

 

If you really want one looking like this, send it to Laira for a while, they were good out turning them out like this

[Matabiau]

I have just received my maroon Heljan Western only to discover that the body doesn't fit properly onto the chassis. On one side the two clips on the base of the body don't fit onto the two recesses leaving a gap between the body and chassis. Has anyone else experienced this? The chassis appears to be fouled inside the roof preventing the it from sliding cimpletely into the body. This was the case before fitting a DCC chip so that is not the cause (as with other Heljan locos).

[D605Eagle]

I have just received my maroon Heljan Western only to discover that the body doesn't fit properly onto the chassis. On one side the two clips on the base of the body don't fit onto the two recesses leaving a gap between the body and chassis. Has anyone else experienced this? The chassis appears to be fouled inside the roof preventing the it from sliding cimpletely into the body. This was the case before fitting a DCC chip so that is not the cause (as with other Heljan locos).

Try turning it round. Mine was on the wrong way round when I got it.

[Matabiau]

Thanks for the advice but I have tried that, it seems that the indentations in the roof foul the rubber pieces on the chassis that hold the prined circuit board.

[southernelectric]

Anyone here got the 5220 BR Blue D1073 "Western Bulwark" model with full yellow ends?

If so what do you think of it? I recently ordered a Hymek from Kernow so would like to add one of these for my BR "Western Region Blue Era" fix.

[D1030western musketeer]

Modelling the BR era D1073 is a fine choice.

I have one but changed to D1013 and as Heljan go with all the detail faults is still a western although the Dapol version is much awaited.

I have also heard and seen for myself certain problems with the latest batch ie bodys not fitting and noisy motors rattleing around camshafts.

 

richard.

[southernelectric]

Modelling the BR era D1073 is a fine choice.

I have one but changed to D1013 and as Heljan go with all the detail faults is still a western although the Dapol version is much awaited.

I have also heard and seen for myself certain problems with the latest batch ie bodys not fitting and noisy motors rattleing around camshafts.

 

richard.

 

Well I took the plunge and ordered one from Kernow anyway. They are still waiting for their shipment of these to arrive. If mine has the problems you mention then I will send back and wait for the Dapol one if need be.

[D605Eagle]

I have also heard and seen for myself certain problems with the latest batch ie bodys not fitting and noisy motors rattleing around camshafts.

 

richard.

From what I can tell, its the worm drives being very loose in the bogie towers that are thrashing around, and this gives the impression that the driveshafts are distorted. If you read the thread I stared about 6 axled Heljan locos I posted on there how I cured it.

[D605Eagle]

I've just bought a model of D1015 Western Champion in baby pooh brown, but the front part of the valance where the foot steps are is painted black. I've looked on ebay history and it seems some are black, some are body coloured. Which is correct?

[TheEngineShed]

I've just bought a model of D1015 Western Champion in baby pooh brown, but the front part of the valance where the foot steps are is painted black. I've looked on ebay history and it seems some are black, some are body coloured. Which is correct?

 

There was a shipment a few years back where the factory glued black valences onto the models, an error they caught before delivery. More than one livery in the shipment had this issue. The correctly coloured parts that matched the body were included in the box, but you had to remove the black valences yourself, since the factory left these glued in place.

 

Are the black valences already glued to the model? Check under the foam in the box, hopefully you have just overlooked the body coloured spares...

[TheEngineShed]

This is a Heljan #5205 WESTERN LORD. The body colored valences were in a baggy with body colored buffer beams...

 

Edited May 20, 2012 by TheEngineShed

[D605Eagle]

There was a shipment a few years back where the factory glued black valences onto the models, an error they caught before delivery. More than one livery in the shipment had this issue. The correctly coloured parts that matched the body were included in the box, but you had to remove the black valences yourself, since the factory left these glued in place.

 

Are the black valences already glued to the model? Check under the foam in the box, hopefully you have just overlooked the body coloured spares...

I'll take a look later. I'm sure they will be as the model has never been run and all the detail bits are still bagged. You've cheered me up no end!

[D605Eagle]

The coloured parts were in the bag. I've decided to try and give the loco a gloss coat to match my other Heljan westerns which are all in gloss. Will Humbrol acrilic gloss varnish do the job do you think?

[D605Eagle]

Well that was a disaster...It seems when the gloss varnish is applied it lifts the matting compound out of the paint and dries matt. Even after 4 coats its not getting better. Perhaps Johnsons Kleer might do the trick?

[southernelectric]

I bought one of these "latest batch" Heljan Class 52 locos, D1073 Western Bulwark in BR blue. My initial impression when I got it out of the box was that it looks very nice, but I don't think the construction is as good as some of the Bachmann and Hornby locos I own. Then again, it didn't cost me £146 like the NRM super-detailed Flying Scotsman did!

 

I have just been running it in this evening on a little test oval I have set up in the garage. I have some questions I'm hoping can be answered here.

 

1. How do I know which is the front of the loco and which is the back? I've looked at the model repeatedly and unless I'm missing something obvious I simply cannot tell. Both ends look identical, aside from the headcode numbers. There's no obvious way (well not for me anyway) to tell which end is which. Please someone put me out of my misery! Sorry if that's a dumb question but I'm new to all this.

 

2. Are Heljan locos a little noisier than Bachmann and Hornby locos at first? I have been running the loco around a small oval for a couple of hours now, at moderate speed, and it does sound a little noisy to my ears. Perhaps some lube will do the trick? Admittedly the little test oval I have set up in the garage is spread over two wooden boards so it's not perfectly level, especially on the curves. But it seems noisier than I recall my other locos from Bachmann and Hornby being when I first ran them.

 

3. The lights. I've noticed that the lights are not particularly bright on this model, certainly when I compare them, for example, to my CL37LG Bachmann Class 37 model. I've just been watching the loco going around in the dark by switching off the light in the garage and they still don't seem that bright at all. The cab facing the direction of travel has the headcode numbers lit up. So far so good. But looking at the trailing cab, the two little red tail lights look very dim - hardly visible even in the dark - and there is a little spot of yellow light coming through the headcode area, off to the right hand side. It has the same behaviour in both directions the loco is run. Is this normal? Is it prototypical?

 

4. The detailing parts. The instruction leaflet makes clear which parts to fit to the loco if you only want to put the it on show. That all makes sense. But as I plan to run it when I have a layout, which of the other detailing parts supplied should I fit? The instructions mention that some of the detailing parts might interfere with the tension couplers. I'm worried that if I fit all the detail parts (aside from the 'on show' ones), and then the couplers, I'm going to have a problem. If someone on here who is familiar with these models could point me in the right direction, that would be greatly appreciated.

 

5. Can I fit Hornby R8219 NEM close couplings to this loco?

 

Any answers to any of the above would be greatly appreciated!

[SRman]

I think there is a small port that is off-centre somewhere that differentiates one end from the other. Having said that I cannot tell at normal viewing distance except for the fact I have no coupling and full valance details at the front of my one and only Heljan Western.

 

The lights are dim - prototypically so. The tail light should only be visible in the dark.

 

Most of my Heljan locos are very, very quiet (until I turn on the sound I have fitted to some of them!). One class 33 has a little more rumble and whine than the rest but could hardly be deemed 'noisy'. Maybe something is not quite aligned correctly on your Western, or maybe the gears need the horrible grease cleared out and re-oiling, plus the usual running-in turns around your layout or on a rolling road.

 

The detailing hoses/pipes will certainly interfere with the coupling swing unless you crop them off where necessary. The Hornby close couplers should plug straight in to the NEM pockets but I cannot vouch that they will work well on this particular model; you'll just have to plug them in and try them - some, but not all, Heljan models suffer from coupling droop.

Edited September 20, 2012 by SRman

[Gwiwer]

I'm in broad agreement with Jeff here. It's hard to tell the No.1 and No.2 ends of a Western from a quick glance. I run several Heljan Westerns none of which makes any excessive noise but all of which are slightly louder in operation than a typical Bachmann loco. They also draw more current so I suspect there is something in the construction of the motor unit and not a fault which makes them a little louder.

 

The headcodes did leak light around the edges on the real thing at times and the illumination was very dim - only a couple of incandescent bulbs at best and that's if they were working at all. The red marker lights would only be dim pin-pricks of light even in a dark yard at night. That said the illumination on the Heljan models is (prototypically) dim and cannot be seen in normal daylight or room illumination which makes me wonder why it is fitted at all.

 

Compare the latest iteration of the Bachmann Warship which has brilliant white lights for markers and headcodes, and powerful red rear markers visible in all lighting conditions, and which looks seriously wrong.

[Gwiwer]

Added to which the detail pack looks superb when fitted but the brake rigging cannot be applied if the loco is to be run around typical layout curves - it prevents bogie swing unless you are using extremely generous curve radii including points. The front valence and pipework can be fitted if a coupler is not required at one end or alternatively most of the pipes but not the valence (unless it is significantly modified) can be fitted where a coupler is in use. I find the lamp irons appear overscale and have not fitted them.

[southernelectric]

Thanks all for the replies everyone, most helpful. After running in the Western for a while (will do some more tomorrow), I decided to then give my Heljan Hymek earlier today. I have to say, with regards to the Heljan Hymek, I am not impressed

 

To begin with, for no apparent reason it just keeps stopping. It gets going again if I give it quite a push.

 

It's also noisy as hell. The build quality seems somewhat shoddy, the plastic parts on the bottom of the body weren't clipped in place properly and the cab roof at one end looks like the paint is wearing off already. Not good.

 

The Heljan Class 52 Western I bought at the same time as the Hymek doesn't exhibit any of these issues. It's certainly noisy compared to the Bachmann and Hornby locos I own (and as others have pointed out above), but not anywhere as noisy as the Hymek and it doesn't just stop for no reason either! So far the Hymek has been a big disappointment. My nephew's Hornby Thomas range Hymek model is better than this!

 

I've emailed Kernow about the Hymek, hopefully I can get a replacement sorted. But the Western model, from what I've seen of it so far, is really good.

Edited September 20, 2012 by southernelectric

[southernelectric]

Most of my Heljan locos are very, very quiet (until I turn on the sound I have fitted to some of them!). One class 33 has a little more rumble and whine than the rest but could hardly be deemed 'noisy'. Maybe something is not quite aligned correctly on your Western, or maybe the gears need the horrible grease cleared out and re-oiling, plus the usual running-in turns around your layout or on a rolling road.

 

I wonder if it's noisy (to my ears at least) because the little test oval layout I have set up at present is on MDF board and no ballast/underlay beneath the track? You mention running-in turns - by that do you mean the curves?

 

I have Hornby R2 curves on the layout, and it's definitely noisier when it goes round the curves than when it's on the straight secions. It's certainly noisier than the Bachmann and Hornby locos, but I'm going from memory.

 

Next step will be to run a different non-Heljan loco and then run the Western straight afterwards to see what the differences are.

 

When you say something might not be aligned properly what does that mean?

 

Is the body on the wrong way round perhaps - as per an earlier post in this thread? (sorry for the dumb questions again!)

 

When spending nearly £100 on a loco I expect everything to be in order without having to put stuff right!

[SRman]

One other thing I forgot to mention: just about every Heljan loco I have bought needed a few tweaks to the electrical pickups in the bogies - the usual out-of-the-box experience is that only four or five out of eight possible wheels are in contact with the pickup strips. they are easy to adjust as the bogie sideframes just pull off easily.

 

This could be a possible cause of the Hymek's hesitations.

[D1030western musketeer]

Can i ask is your hymek the latest batch or the oldest as the differance will be the old or new type wheelsets stopping her running if not the contacts.

 

As for the Heljan western.The latest batch on testing a few are noisy compared to last years releases for an exception of a few.

As stated elsewhere the lights are next to useless on dc operation but i believe the Bachmann warships to be to bright.

As for me my Heljan westerns are on borrowed time with the release on dapols version although saying that the Heljan one with a bit of work can be a real looking beast and can or should pull a ton.

Do thou check the wheelsets on the hymek as if the older either replace or give a good clean.

B end on a western i believe was identified on one body side only by a bodyside latch under the engine room window.

 

richard.

[campaigner]

Also identifying A&B ends on the Western is something to do with the exhaust outlet for the engine pre-heater and maybe also some little flap/door on the bodyside towards one end :-/

[southernelectric]

Can i ask is your hymek the latest batch or the oldest as the differance will be the old or new type wheelsets stopping her running if not the contacts.

 

As for the Heljan western.The latest batch on testing a few are noisy compared to last years releases for an exception of a few.

As stated elsewhere the lights are next to useless on dc operation but i believe the Bachmann warships to be to bright.

As for me my Heljan westerns are on borrowed time with the release on dapols version although saying that the Heljan one with a bit of work can be a real looking beast and can or should pull a ton.

Do thou check the wheelsets on the hymek as if the older either replace or give a good clean.

B end on a western i believe was identified on one body side only by a bodyside latch under the engine room window.

 

richard.

 

The Hymek model is Heljan catalogue number 3512, loco number is D7061. I don't know if this is an 'old' Hymek or a newer batch one? So I don't know whether or not the wheels need replacing.

 

I've been running in a Bachmann Class 47 loco this morning and it's quiet as a mouse in comparison to the Heljan Western and Hymek.

 

Are the lights better on the Heljan Western when converted to DCC? I must admit the pictures I've seen of the Dapol Western that's just been released look awesome. I am tempted to get a BR blue one when it comes and put the Heljan on eBay.

 

These models should work properly out of the box without having to take things apart or mess about with stuff. That for me has been the big disappointment with these Heljan models. The paintwork coming off the cab of the Hymek and the loose-fitting box under the loco (electric heater?) smacks of shoddy construction.

 

Also, I've noticed bogies slightly clip that block under-body box located in the middle of the loco. That doesn't seem right.

 

My nephew's Thomas Range Hornby Hymek is better constructed than the Heljan one! I'll try cleaning the wheels on it and looking at the pickup strips as SRman has suggested.

 

But my point is that, when spending the best part of £100 on a model loco, it should all be in order and not require user intervention to work properly!

[southernelectric]

One other thing I forgot to mention: just about every Heljan loco I have bought needed a few tweaks to the electrical pickups in the bogies - the usual out-of-the-box experience is that only four or five out of eight possible wheels are in contact with the pickup strips. they are easy to adjust as the bogie sideframes just pull off easily.

 

This could be a possible cause of the Hymek's hesitations.

 

Thanks, I'll take a look. I wonder if the noisy Heljan Western has the same problem with the pickups It squeals when going round curves. But this is shoddy QC on Heljan's part if this stuff has to be tampered with before working as advertised.