Heljan Class 14s for Hattons

[Pete Piszczek]

Just received Hattons notice, cards been charged! It won't be long now!

[Baby Deltic]

Just received Hattons notice, cards been charged! It won't be long now!

 

Likewise. Got an email last night saying they were in.

[Pete Piszczek]

Likewise. Got an email last night saying they were in.

 

We're getting dangerously close to the "postie's just put the mag through the letterbox" kind of update. Shush! Better tone it down before we attract a moderator.

[Baby Deltic]

We're getting dangerously close to the "postie's just put the mag through the letterbox" kind of update. Shush! Better tone it down before we attract a moderator.

 

Mind you, the class 14's weren't all that fast, so they may take a while to reach us - especially if you live across the pond.

[Baby Deltic]

Yippee!! I've just had an email notifying me that the loco is packed and ready for dispatch on Monday 8th.

[JZ]

Mine has just arrived in the post.

 

 

Unfortunately I won't have time to play until tomorrow

[RedgateModels]

you lucky, lucky boy, my email doesn't even confirm mine are packed yet!

['CHARD]

That really does look very tasty indeed. Shame the number typeface is entirely fictitious, but I'm sure between us all we'll arrive at a solution to that minor niggle. Wondering now if I should stay in just in case the postmiss knocks....

[JZ]

OK, niggles time. No instructions as to where to fit the extra detailing, the trailing set of wheels are free to go up and down for uneven track, more important if modelling colliery layout I suppose, but the movement is such that the pickups come out from behind the wheels when lifted. The cab steps on one side of mine are broken, no big deal really, but at ??115 for what is basically a glorified shunting loco, I would have expected a little more attenion to quality.

 

As a matter of interest, included in the headcodes sheet is one for a class 2 service. Is there any evidence that they did This is one case where I will not except that CK has proof that they did on the S&D

 

Had a little time to examine a bit more. The excessive movement in the trailing axle was caused by a poorly fitted keeper plate. Sorted. The two pieces at the front and rear of the cab were only held in place by the cab, they promptly fell on the floor when it was removed. BEWARE. One handrail at the long bonnet end was missing, but later found in the box. And, as someone said, the typeface is wrong for this class, it should be 'Grotesque', which, correct me if I am wrong, was only seen on this loco.

 

On the plus side.

Overall the detailing is superb. A nice touch is the mesh behind the cab steps. A couple of people hoped that spare bufferbeams would be included, this is not the case, but it wouldn't be beyond the average modeller to fill the hole to fit the NEM pocket. Like the Clayton, and all other Heljan diesels, the cab is shallow, but this is obviously to get as much weight as possible for haulage. Like I said, not a lot for GBP 115, but I knew that before I decided to purchase one and can't complain. A comparable Roco loco would be the same price.

[Pixie]

Mines just dropped through the front door at home.... whilst I'm 150 miles away at my Uni digs. Sad face.

 

If someone gets a moment could they run the calipers over the axle diameter? Hopefully they're 2mm and a get of Gibsons should just drop in for the finer scales.

 

Pix

[S.A.C Martin]

 

 

 

Surely that rear wheel pickup is going to foul on the wheels quite badly?!

 

Not seen that before on a Heljan diesel, I must admit. After three falcons and a kestrel, all excellent runners, with the pickups well hidden, the way in which those pickups stand out alarms me slightly.

[JZ]

Surely that rear wheel pickup is going to foul on the wheels quite badly?!

 

Not seen that before on a Heljan diesel, I must admit. After three falcons and a kestrel, all excellent runners, with the pickups well hidden, the way in which those pickups stand out alarms me slightly.

I photographed it straight out of the box. Now the keeper plate is correct, I have popped it back in. They will need a touch of paint though.

[Hammer]

Mine has just arrived in the post.

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/163/sdc11974e.jpg[/img]

 

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/3563/sdc11973v.jpg[/img]

 

Unfortunately I won't have time to play until tomorrow

 

Damned nice piece of work. I'm sorely tempted by them despite the price and the fact that only one that ever ran near my areas of interest is a preserved loco.

[The Stationmaster]

 

As a matter of interest, included in the headcodes sheet is one for a class 2 service. Is there any evidence that they did

 

They had a regular turn on a 'paper/parcels train from Paddington at one time and I'm fairly sure that it ran as a Class 2 (and not Class 1 ) as it also conveyed a passenger vehicle. So for those in the know it was at one time possible to get a ride behind them while they were in BR service.

 

I don't know of any other Class 2 work for them but they also definitely worked a regular turn on a Class 3 train on the London Division.

 

incidentally they were officially regarded as 'Main Line Locomotives' (i.e. they were not 'shunting' locomotives) and were authorised to haul up to 525 tons in an emergency on a passenger train if the gradient was no steeper than 1 in 260 (this reduced down to 85 tons on a 1 in 36 gradient).

[cctransuk]

...as someone said, the typeface is wrong for this class, it should be 'Grotesque', which, correct me if I am wrong, was only seen on this loco.

 

According to Brian Haresnape in "British Rail Fleet Survey - 2 - Western Region Diesel-Hydraulics", the numbering style was "a painted version of the D1000 style numerals".

 

I have a font - BritishRailDarkNormal - which seems to be an exact match. I'm not sure where I got it from - it may have been http://homepages.enterprise.net/iainlogan/commercial/index.html .

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Pixie]

I have a font - BritishRailDarkNormal - which seems to be an exact match.

 

Any chance of a transfer sheet for them John?

 

Pix

[cctransuk]

According to Brian Haresnape in "British Rail Fleet Survey - 2 - Western Region Diesel-Hydraulics", the numbering style was "a painted version of the D1000 style numerals".

 

I have a font - BritishRailDarkNormal - which seems to be an exact match. I'm not sure where I got it from - it may have been http://homepages.enterprise.net/iainlogan/commercial/index.html .

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

 

In response to a request from a member of this group :-

 

 

Now available from Cambridge Custom Transfers, waterslide transfer Sheet BL90 - Numbering for BR Type 1 Diesel Hydraulic D95xx locomotives. Numbers for all fifty-six members of the class; six transfers of each number are provided to allow for application errors.

 

See http://www.cctrans.freeserve.co.uk/products.htm for ordering details.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood,

Cambridge Custom Transfers.

[Pixie]

Now available from Cambridge Custom Transfers, waterslide transfer Sheet BL90 - Numbering for BR Type 1 Diesel Hydraulic D95xx locomotives. Numbers for all fifty-six members of the class; six transfers of each number are provided to allow for application errors.

 

Impressive - 4 minutes from suggestion to being able to order! Beat that Hornby/Bachmann/Heljan...

 

Pix

[Brian Kirby]

Overall the body looks neat, but i'm afraid along with the already mentioned numbers, the pick-ups look hideous and will have to go. Thus they haven't modelled the leaf springs that should have been there instead. But something still doesn't look right. Bad news chaps, there's a body cock-up, either the side windows are mounted too high or the rainstrip is too low, or both. It is spot-on on my Dave Alexander kit version, so what went wrong here ? Time to dig out those prototype pictures !

I was sorely tempted, but now i'm going off the idea, i'm sticking to my all-British built version (Japanese motor mind you).

Cheers, Brian.

[Brian Kirby]

And another thing . . . .

Why does the footplate stick out quite so far at each end of the BR green one ? Is this an addition from private industrial days ? Looks a bit like a pair of bookshelves.

Cheers, Brian.

[Bricky89]

Looking at the model there are two things which have stood out to me as being notably off, one being the bright copper pickups, the other being the colour of the cab, for a as built loco. they have notably taken the colour from the real loco as preserved which is the wrong cab colour anyway! http://alexgroverail.fotopic.net/p20318564.html the picture here is the colour the loco should be! I know the owners of those locos and aware that they in depth checked the BR spec before painting there engines. And the cab colour has 3 different specs with the suppliers all slightly different shades.

[Guest Max Stafford]

Admittedly the pickups are a bit intrusive, but some blackening agent may be of assistance here. A decent weathering job will minimise the jarring impact of the green if it's a issue for anyone.

 

Dave.

[brian daniels]

That's very useful, thanks.

 

Does anyone know of a UK supplier of Floquil acrylics?

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

 

I have just had a word with the staff in Howes and he said the yellow is matched to Railmatch 304 early warning panel yellow. At least that's what the Chinese were told to match it to!

[Gilbert]

I'd be interested to hear about performance - the review in the new Hornby mag says very smooth - I've got mine running in atm as it is decidely hesitant and feels as if something is catching.

I'm also keen to hear suggestions for removing the D9500 numberrs?

Chris

[The Stationmaster]

Looking at the model there are two things which have stood out to me as being notably off, one being the bright copper pickups, the other being the colour of the cab, for a as built loco. they have notably taken the colour from the real loco as preserved which is the wrong cab colour anyway! http://alexgroverail.fotopic.net/p20318564.html the picture here is the colour the loco should be! I know the owners of those locos and aware that they in depth checked the BR spec before painting there engines. And the cab colour has 3 different specs with the suppliers all slightly different shades.

 

 

Either there is something wrong with the colour reproduction of that picture or it's an example of the colour that has been copied incorrectly because it bears no resemblance at all to the original colour on the cabs! Now as far as I can remember - having watched the protracted building of these locos over the course of several visits to Swindon works and watching (from the lineside) them come into traffic and weather I can only ever recall the one colour being

used on the cabs in BR days (unless they had a coat of paint while up at Hull). And checking in a recently published colour album my recollection of the colour tallies exactly with what appears on theese locos between its covers and I will be able to quickly judge if Heljan have got it right (or wrong).

 

But I will reserve judgement on the model colour until I see it (hopefully on Monday or Tuesday if the delivery promise holds true) 'in the plastic' as I know colour can be rendered a bit perculiarly at times in pics, including digital pics.

 

Some of the other comments made so far are also puzzling me. Yes, I think the rainstrips are perhaps a little too low but again I will reserve that judgement until I have the loco in my hands. The cab windows 'look right' comparing pics of models with pics of the real thing but again I shall wait & see before leaping out of my pram. But as for the 'overhang' at the ends it looks to match the original more or less exactly - because the footplate ends did overhang, with those little bits of infill angle beneath it as is clearly visible in photos.