Heljan Class 14s for Hattons

[Gilbert]

Dave

Thanks - I used a TCS MC2 P-1 and lights would not function with chip fitted both ways BUT- the lights worked on DC before and after the chip was installed and subsequently removed AND the chip lighting functions performed when tested on my Decode tester - so chip was OK and no wires were broken. Bizarre.

Due to a number of "issues" the loco has been changed - with no problem at all from Hattons - and I've now run it in on DC and put the wheelset the right way up - I aim to try a chip over the weekend.

Chris

[Tractor37516]

I dont know whether any one else is experiencing the same problem but the forward facing lights flicker quite considerably even with plenty of power. Anyone had this with their model? Any solutions?

[Gilbert]

I think earlier in this thread there was quite a bit about trapped wires - maybe you've got a break that causes an intermittent fault

[neal]

I've had this with older models where current collection is poor.

 

Check track and wheel cleanliness including wheel backs and springing of pickups on wheels. I guess this is unlikely on a new model unels you have racked up some miles already!

 

Otherwise it could be a wiring/capacitor fault like the early 58's. I don't think anyone else has highlighted this one yet.

 

N

[Cheshire001]

I dont know whether any one else is experiencing the same problem but the forward facing lights flicker quite considerably even with plenty of power. Anyone had this with their model? Any solutions?

Yes, very noticeable at low speeds. Like a light flashing 5-10 times per sec until you drive it quite quickly. It's so regular I'd guess it's electronic: pulse controller or poor smoothing of light supply?? It seems too regular to be loose wires or pickup problems. Don't really know though. Actually it's akin to my Hornby 50 - that was much improved when I got rid of the big circuit board and hard wired a decoder.

 

The rear light also does it, but only at much lower speeds, the flicker goes much sooner as you speed up.

 

Since my last post I've noticed mine clunks a bit as you build up speed or go round a tight curve. :-(

[Pennine MC]

 

 

Since my last post I've noticed mine clunks a bit as you build up speed or go round a tight curve. :-(

 

This observation isnt based on anything empirical (our locos havent passed 'acceptance trials' yet), but that might well be the jackshaft slopping about, as mentioned earlier in the thread

[Tractor37516]

Thanks everyone for replies so far, problem sorted, was not the 14 but a faulty controller, tried one of my gaugemasters on it and works great now, just got to sort out the excessive side play on the jackshaft that makes a rather loud clanking when under load, but currently sorting that so all good.

[Miss Prism]

In the gushing Hornby magazine review, there was a peculiar phrase concerning the rear axle (whatever the reviewer thought that one was), and described it as "appeared to float in this sample". Can anyone translate this into something meaningful?

[cctransuk]

A word of warning to those who are proposing to renumber D9500 using the traditional method of rubbing off the old number with isopropyl alcohol and a wooden cocktail stick.

 

It would appear that Heljan's body paint is more suscepible to the alcohol than their lettering paint.

 

I found that the paint around the numbers disappeared before the numbers - much cursing ensued! ........

 

 

 

 

Well, the cosmetics are completed - apart from weathering.

 

I found that Humbrol matt yellow is an exact match for the bufferbeams, and my matching of the cab grey / green appears correct to my eyes.

 

New markings all round make a huge difference, as does black paint over all of the headcode glazing except the front and back of the actual code. (According to my copy of the ABC "British Railways Headcodes", 3B87 is a Class 3 train from Evercreech Junction to Highbridge and Burnham-on-Sea)!

 

I looked at swapping the red and white marker lights, as well as shifting the bufferbeam back, but came to the conclusion that these were 'no go' areas, for me anyway!

 

Hope you like the photos.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Pennine MC]

New markings all round make a huge difference,

 

They do, it's quite startling. Thanks John.

[bubbles2]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned before in this thread but there looks to be a gap on the short bonnet end between the lower part of the buffer beam and the steps, which is strange as it's filled in correctly on the other end. A small square of black plasticard should put the error right.

[cctransuk]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned before in this thread but there looks to be a gap on the short bonnet end between the lower part of the buffer beam and the steps, which is strange as it's filled in correctly on the other end. A small square of black plasticard should put the error right.

 

You're right - and I've been studying no end of photos and not noticed that !!

 

That explains why it is so evident that the back of the bufferbeams are painted yellow.

 

Ah well - out with the plasticard!

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[cctransuk]

...there looks to be a gap on the short bonnet end between the lower part of the buffer beam and the steps, which is strange as it's filled in correctly on the other end. A small square of black plasticard should put the error right.

 

Ah well - out with the plasticard!

 

Gap now filled with plasticard - 5.3 x 5.0 mm. seems about right. Painted matt black the model looks much better.

 

I also took the opportunity to limit the sideplay of the outer driving wheel axles and the fly-crank axle.

 

I cut slices from some biro ink tube with an ID of around 2 mm. The slices were around 1 mm. thick, but you can adjust this to suit your track radii.

 

I cut a small sector out of each ring - just enough to allow me to spring them over the axle between the wheel / fly-crank and the frame.

 

The result is most gratifying - 'hunting' or 'waddle' is virtually eliminated and the tendency to 'knock' or hesitate slightly on each wheel revolution has also pretty much gone.

 

As I suspected, there is just too much 'slop' in the mechanism as supplied. I can think of no further running improvements, short of sleeving the crankpins to eliminate excess clearance.

 

All in all, an easy, cheap and successful bit of work.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Downendian]

I fitted a Hornby one.

 

Thanks - It now says on the Hattons website that no Bachmann decoders fit this loco.

I have tried Bachmann, a Hornby sapphire and a Lenz gold of which are roughly the same size and shape but with no luck

Hattons recommend a Hornby R8249, got a couple on order

[Gilbert]

TCS MC2P worked well on mine - and it comes "wrapped" so no short or insulation issues and the wires are quite short so there is not a bundle of wiring to deal with under the hood -it does cost a bit more than the Hornby though.

Chris

[Phil Bullock]

THe B&R DVD will not disappoint.

regards

Chris

 

Agreed - if its the one I am thinking of the shots are fantastic - but dont be tempted to lift any sound files from it! unless I am very much mistaken that 22 sounds very much like it has an MD870 in it - and the 37 shunting at Parkend has a Sulzer 6LDB!

[Pete Piszczek]

In the gushing Hornby magazine review, there was a peculiar phrase concerning the rear axle (whatever the reviewer thought that one was), and described it as "appeared to float in this sample". Can anyone translate this into something meaningful?

 

Polite way of saying there's a lot of slop?

 

There doesn't appear to be anything different about the slots the axles drop into at the rear. Quite frankly the reviewers should pull the damn thing apart before they start gushing...

 

I've broken three wires now, the last connected the board to the LEDs on the buffer. The solder connection didn't have enough heat and was brittle to begin with, I didn't have any trouble fatiguing the connection to failure. To resolder you have to pull the board, which means taking the buffer beam off. I had to use a etched micro saw to separate the yellow part from the chassis. The fact that they got the red and white lights backwards is rather annoying because there is not an easy fix, unless Hattons wants to supply new sets of lamp assemblies.

 

The cab side mod (photo below) will be sanded down and fixed (again). This is a "what not to do" photo, but amply demonstrates what the model looks like with a repositioned rain strip on the cab side. This is 0.5 mm styrene rod, the thinnest I had in inventory, glued too high up the roof line. I may use a thinner diameter brass wire next time I work on it and halve the distance between the rain strip and window. I'd have already fixed my Teddy, and chipped it, but I made the mistake of going spelunking under my home, and I keep finding things to fix...

 

[class29returns]

5 more class 14,s on the Hattons website

Class 14 "Teddy Bear" Weathered BR Green as per BR use

Class 14 "Teddy Bear" BR Green as per BR use

Class 14 "Teddy Bear" Blue Circle Cement Yellow (Weathered)

Class 14 "Teddy Bear" British Steel Blue (Weathered

Class 14 "Teddy Bear" Loadhaul Livery. Limited Edition of 200 with certificate

[WR Tim]

I just sent Hattons a message asking if the hole next to the exhaust port was going to be fixed on the second batch and got the following message in reply. Does anyone have any photographic evidence of one of the locos with this hole?

 

The question you asked was:

Hi,

 

Will the second batch of class 14s have fixed the moulding problem where the area

around the exhaust port hasn't filled with plastic properly?

 

Is there any plan for a fix for the first batch? This is my only disappointment

with an otherwise fantastic loco.

 

Thanks,

 

Tim

 

Our team have responded to your question, their answer is as follows:

Hi Tim

 

This hole is meant to be there, it is present on the loco we measured up on and on

others in the fleet to aid maintenance on the exhaust so it will not be fixed for

the releases sorry.

 

Regards

Dave Mylett

Modelling Advisor

Hattons Model Railways

 

We hope this answers your question, if not, please let us know!

 

Regards

 

The Ehattons Team

[Dan Griffin]

has anyone else noticed that the next batch from hattons include a loadhaul version

[Steve K]

I spotted the oddest thing today, though not so odd that it's worth a new thread in "prototype"...

 

Passing Bardon quarry, near Coalville, Leics, I glanced to the left as I crossing the railway tracks leading in to the works. There, about 200yds away, was what I could swear was a class 14 in BR blue! Was I seeing things, or was my fleeting identification correct? Funnily enough, if you zoom in on Google Maps, a very similar-looking loco is visible, but appears to be painted white.

 

For the curious, the loco (in its whilte guise, at least) can be seen here:

 

Google Maps link

[WR Tim]

I spotted the oddest thing today, though not so odd that it's worth a new thread in "prototype"...

 

Passing Bardon quarry, near Coalville, Leics, I glanced to the left as I crossing the railway tracks leading in to the works. There, about 200yds away, was what I could swear was a class 14 in BR blue! Was I seeing things, or was my fleeting identification correct? Funnily enough, if you zoom in on Google Maps, a very similar-looking loco is visible, but appears to be painted white.

 

For the curious, the loco (in its whilte guise, at least) can be seen here:

 

Google Maps link

 

The white loco definitely isn't a class 14. The 14 has a much more offset cab. See this photo of the class 14 and this link about the white shunter.

[Steve K]

The white loco definitely isn't a class 14. The 14 has a much more offset cab. See this photo of the class 14 and this link about the white shunter.

Ah, well spotted! I don't think that was what I saw, in that case, although the blue thing I saw was in just about the same place. Knew I should have taken a photo, even from the distance of the road...

[Bernie564]

The blue loco you saw IS a class 14. One of the Hattons models is based on it. It's 14029 and the model was reviewed in Rail Express here

 

Hope that answers your question. I'd like to go and have a look at that myself. Is it easy to see from the road then?

[Steve K]

Ah! Thank you for your help, Bernie.

 

I'd like to go and have a look at that myself. Is it easy to see from the road then?

If I can spot it while trying to concentrate on driving, then yes, it would be very easy to see if you were looking for it. A decent telephoto lens would be a good idea, though, as I doubt the quarry authorities would want you wandering about!