steve fay Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 MMP will have a detailing kit out for the 31 in the future. I got a 31 in for a mate of mine and we had a good look at it yesterday and I'm very impressed by it. Green small yellow ends although he's having full yellow ends sprayed on soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Mine arrives at home tomorrow. I dont get home until Friday and then away for the weekend Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltic17 Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Just thought I'd update a picture of 31278 TE & now 31288 GD with dominoes fitted in the headcode box. 278 deliberately carries the wider dominoes it carried in the late 70's/early 80's. I do like these 31's - still loads to do to detail them further etc.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 How did you get the headcode glazing out in the end? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltic17 Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Brian, I should have updated you - thanks for the photos you provided in this respect by the way - upon inspection of my models the headcode glass wasn't fastened in too tight so I did just get a sharp blade underneath it and it popped out no problem. 1A92 just peels off and was consigned to the bin! One other thing I like about the 31 is the representation of the polished metal top on the side droplight windows. Deltic17 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I emailed Replica Railways about their 7mm dry-rub transfers... no joy as far as re-doing them goes ... Thank you for your email, Jordan. You have been informed correctly, that is that we used to produce them. The American company who printed our artwork decided without warning or explanantion to hike up the price of printing by three times and to then print on an inferior quality of backing sheet - this was not acceptable to us so it essentially ended the 'production' of our rub-on transfers. You will have seen that we still produce waterslide transfers, however as Fox Transfers, Precision Labels, Nairnshire Modelling Supplies produce decent quality waterslide numbers already, it makes little sense for us to invest and compete. REPLICA RAILWAYS Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold uk_pm Posted February 17, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 17, 2013 Here's my attempt to personalise this excellent model. All I need now is a layout to run it on. It has some nice touches - the cab bulkheads are correctly modelled (and so different at each end) and I will be interested to see the illuminated driver's gauges, and working cooling fan, in action. I have seen criticism of the flat front, but a straight edge held above the winsdcreen/below the headcode box confirms that it tapers back above the two side windscreens. All in all, I think it captures the proportype beautifuly (and certainly better than anything my ham-fists could produce in kit form!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Got to look inside mine this evening to see what needs doing to install an ESU V4XL and the Visaton 70 x 40 mm speaker + 40mm round speaker I normally use in my Heljan locos. Its a bit different to before. This will take a little longer to do than the 1 hour jobby it normally takes. Also I took a butchers hook in the fuel tank and there are some ribs which prevent a 40mm round being fitted in there with a little bit of work. Also the tank securing screws will foul the speaker. I think Heljan with this one could have made things a little easier if it taken time to research what there is out there speaker wise that will go in the fuel tank. If the four tank securing screws were moved by only 0.75 mm outwards the speaker and housing would have fitted. But its not the end of the world. It can be done. Now where is my hammer and scalpel. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Hal Nail Posted February 23, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 23, 2013 Here's my attempt to personalise this excellent model. I have seen criticism of the flat front, but a straight edge held above the winsdcreen/below the headcode box confirms that it tapers back above the two side windscreens. All in all, I think it captures the proportype beautifuly Very nice! Any chance you could put up a few more photos? I'm suddenly tempted. Certainly the black window frames makes a huge difference - I think it helps that the glazing is looking see through from that angle and not reflecting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Finally got mine today - I freely admit that I've wanted this loco ever since it was announced. Here, what will be the first TOPS-numbered loco to ever work on my layout is captured at Withyn Reach... Well pleased! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 My green small yellow panel Brush 2 joins its bigger brothers on my layout. I like it, I really do. I have never really looked at the Brush 2 with any great fondness before but owning one now it is growing on me fast even to the point I think another one will be on my shopping list again soon. The sound installation is a bit more of a challenge due to the way that Heljan have changed the cavity in the metal chassis that would normally take the speaker I like to use and also the Heljan circuit board is mounted in the cavity and not on the mounting lugs that held it above it as before. So I had to take a small rotary cutting disk and file to the chassis to fit the speaker and make up supports for the ESU V4 XL Loksound decoder. But with a 23mm speaker mounted in the fuel tank, 40mm would fit with a little surgery, the end sound result is very good in tone. Once I have the sound profile sorted out I will post a video. The cruise function really does add a very useful function to it and able to go from any power setting, sound wise, to idle on a function key without any speed change. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagpipes331 Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 My green small yellow panel Brush 2 joins its bigger brothers on my layout. I like it, I really do. I have never really looked at the Brush 2 with any great fondness before but owning one now it is growing on me fast even to the point I think another one will be on my shopping list again soon. The sound installation is a bit more of a challenge due to the way that Heljan have changed the cavity in the metal chassis that would normally take the speaker I like to use and also the Heljan circuit board is mounted in the cavity and not on the mounting lugs that held it above it as before. So I had to take a small rotary cutting disk and file to the chassis to fit the speaker and make up supports for the ESU V4 XL Loksound decoder. But with a 23mm speaker mounted in the fuel tank, 40mm would fit with a little surgery, the end sound result is very good in tone. Once I have the sound profile sorted out I will post a video. The cruise function really does add a very useful function to it and able to go from any power setting, sound wise, to idle on a function key without any speed change. Hi Two Tone, Having seen yor pics, I am sooooooo glad I chose the loco in green. (Purely based on the first train set I had was the Triang Hornby Freightmaster, with D5572!!) The chap who installed my decoder and speakers has installed them facing down above the bogies. (Will not be picking up until the Alexandra Palace show so have not seen the install) He says the sound is great, so will let you know. Rich Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Hi Rich, Interesting. What speakers did he use? There is not a lot of room between the centre box / cavity and the motor fly wheels. Initially I tried two bass reflex speakers to try to avoid surgery on the metal work that is the chassis but they don't give anywhere near the bass end that the ESU Visaton 70 x 40 mm speaker does when its mounted in the cavity. With the 23 mm in the fuel tank which does point down the frequency range to me is very good. I want to substitute the 23mm for a 40mm but the 8ohm 40mm speakers are not available just yet. Soon, very soon I am told. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railroadbill Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Your cab interior shots look really great. Cracking loco. As an aside, your workbench location has given me an idea of where something similar would fit in my loft layout, so thanks ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Thanks. My work bench is an old office PC work station that used to have an upright set of shelves and small cupboard to it. The top lifted off and is now screwed to the wall. The track work is the four road fiddle yard for my layout but also serves as a test bed for locos as they get various work done on them. Its wired for blocks and is fully track circuited for use with RR&Co Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
legomanbiffo Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Richard has asked me to elaborate on how I fitted sound to his loco for the benefit of the group, which I'm happy to do. As two-tone observed, Heljan seem to have paid no regard to how purchasers will fit a suitable chip or speaker. The underframe moulding is physically large enough to accept a big speaker but they have put four fixing screws right through the middle and rendered it virtually useless unless you want to glue instead of screw it back on. I quickly discounted this as a suitable place. There is not really anywhere suitable for a large speaker inside, except where the chip needs to go, and nowhere (suitable) to put bass reflex speakers either. As metalwork wasn't really an option for me I reluctantly settled on two 20x40 ESU speakers placed either side of the centre compartment in the casting, firing down through the gaps in the bogies. The speakers were made fully airtight (no mean feat due to the design triumph that is the ESU speaker enclosure, which leaks air like a seive). This was done using a thin bead of glue and small pieces of black-tac. Whilst the sound is good, the volume is around 60% of what it could be if Heljan had designed things properly and allowed us to use a 'proper' speaker. The best (non-surgical) option would be two separate speakers in sealed enclosures of 45-50mm square and 20-30mm deep. I'm still searching for something which fits the bill. If you don't mind the metalwork, fit the chip near one end of the loco, make the central compartment into one big, sealed chamber and fit a Visaton 40x70mm or 50mm round speaker firing down. Cut out the centre of the battery box moulding to allow the sound to escape. This would probably necessitate a complete strip down but the difference would be worth it. Fitting the chip is not exactly straightforward. There isn't anywhere obviously intended to mount it and half of the wires have to be extended to reach the correct pins of the XL chip. When you put the roof back on you can see the chip, wires and brass flywheels, so I had to obscure them with thin black paper behind the windows. If you operate the lights conventionally and set the headcode lights to an appropriate brightness, the tail lights are far too bright, and visa-versa. Fortunately Richard wanted switchable tail lights which enabled me to set the two levels independently and get them both just right. The fan can be made to operate by retaining its circuit board and operating it from one of the auxiliary outputs. If you turn down the control on the fan's circuit board right down you can even make the mechanism quiet enough for the sampled sound of the real fan to be heard above it! I would give Heljan 2 out of 10 for their design efforts in the sound department. As for the model itself, it captures the character of the prototype well. The detailed and renumbered banger blue ones on here look great. Overall though, I can't help feeling that the price is too high considering the work you have to do to bring the sound up to scratch. If top-notch sound is a big factor for you (deep bass, high fidelity and more volume), I think the JLTRT locos are the way to go. They have vast amounts of usable space for chip and speaker(s). Bif Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Hi Bif, I extended the gap that is in the cross members of the centre box by 2.5 mm either side . This allows the Visaton speaker to sit down on its magnet on the inside of the box and is then the top sealed using blue tack. I find this stuff great to use as it is easily moulded and pushed into gaps crevices etc. The second speaker is a 28mm ESU speaker in its enclosure nicely sealed. Fits well in the fuel tank between the webs in there and points down. I made up two L shaped brackets out of 2mm plastic card that are super glued to the end walls of the centre box so that the top of the L's point in over the speaker and whose underside is about 10mm above the top of the speaker. The edges of the XL decoder sit on the edges of the L shaped brackets and is held in place with two sided tape. I found that the XL decoder if orientated in the right direction very few wires needed extending. Heljan had already made a lot of them long as some of them are all grouped into one big bunch and soldered together to form a common connection point to go into their circuit board. Once this was separated the wires are quite long and some had to be shortened to make a neat job of the wiring. If I remember well, the motor end of the decoder went at the fan end and the Aux output end at the other. As there is U+ connection at both ends the +ve wires of the LED's don't all need taking to one point on the decoder as on the OO version. So the wires that were short I found went into the U+ connections at the motor end of the decoder. The -VE wires for the LED's are of course the switch part of the supply and go to the Aux outputs and again I found that the wires all reached by rerouting the wiring from that Heljan had done. The motor wiring was easy and and only the choice of series or parallel motor has to be thought about. I have found Heljan 7mm locos work well with both. The fan circuit board does need to be moved otherwise it will hit the top of the decoder but there is plenty of room for it and easily connected to the decoder via an Aux output. I think that it took me an extra 30 minutes on top of the what it normally does to do the main speaker installation. I have found that Heljan locos are very easily stripped down into the basic components. The biggest job to date is milling out the huge chunk of metal in the middle of the Hymek to create the centre box section that became standard from the 47. If you are looking for good speakers other than those supplied by ESU, look at laptop speakers. They do sound nice ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railroadbill Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Thanks. My work bench is an old office PC work station that used to have an upright set of shelves and small cupboard to it. The top lifted off and is now screwed to the wall. The track work is the four road fiddle yard for my layout but also serves as a test bed for locos as they get various work done on them. Its wired for blocks and is fully track circuited for use with RR&Co Thanks, two tone green. Looks a very workable set up. I've got some small IKEA glass fronted shelf units on wall along with an Argos glass shelf unit, plus various old chest of drawer units under baseboards, but wasn't sure how to fit a work surface without it sticking too far out and making access to tracks difficult. Since some computer units have a keyboard surface that slides out, that could be just the job. I shall investigate... Sorry if this is a bit off topic but very useful for me! Also, the coupling and pipework on the front view of the 31 looks V good to me. Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Thanks. My work bench is an old office PC work station that used to have an upright set of shelves and small cupboard to it. The top lifted off and is now screwed to the wall. The track work is the four road fiddle yard for my layout but also serves as a test bed for locos as they get various work done on them. Its wired for blocks and is fully track circuited for use with RR&Co Nice workbench, lots of nice toys too! I gave away an old Computer station wish that kept it as a workbench though! I must admit I like the Cl31 in Green, yet they only ran in these here parts in Blue LOL!! ATVB CME. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I do like my big 16th scale radio controlled Tiger Tank. Shoots BB shot. Flipping well hurts. Sorry, must stay on topic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomstaf Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Hi,The HJ 31 arrived today. I've been going over it with a ruler and am coming to the conclusion that it looks a lot better in the flesh than in pictures. However, looking at the cab face, I don't think the corners of the windows are rounded enough. I tend to think altering them and making the handrail corners more curved will change its look for the better quite a bit. Anyway, away from its looks to the mechanical problem.One bogie makes a thudding noise once it gets above a small crawl in both directions. It doesn't affect its movement but is distracting and very obvious. I've had a look at the gear chain and couldn't find anything broken or not engaging properly. The motor is also fixed firmly. So I've no idea what's causing it. Anyone got any suggestions other than sending it back?CheersTom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Is the motor in the offending bogie at the right height. It may be pushed down too far. In fact it could be too high as well. Slack off the clamp screw and adjust to see if it makes any difference. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomstaf Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Is the motor in the offending bogie at the right height. It may be pushed down too far. In fact it could be too high as well. Slack off the clamp screw and adjust to see if it makes any difference. OK two tone. Will try adjusting the height.... I've noticed the flywheels are different. One has a bevelled top, the other is flush :s Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Did not notice on mine about the fly wheels. Clearance may be with the fan. The body will only fit one way around on the loco. The body securing screws are staggered at one end, fan end if I remember rightly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomstaf Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Did not notice on mine about the fly wheels. Clearance may be with the fan. The body will only fit one way around on the loco. The body securing screws are staggered at one end, fan end if I remember rightly. The motors were both at the same height. But I think I may have found the culprit. One of the bearings is too large for the axle. The others are all good fits, so I tend to think it wobbles around and causes the noise. Annoyingly looks like I'll have to send it back. Thanks for your ideas. Will bear in mind for the next one. Cheers Tom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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