philiprporter

To anyone who has bought the updated Deltic, would you say that the overall shape is significantly changed from the original? It's hard to tell from photos, but I read that Heljan had made the nose look less bulbous, but it still looks to be rather too curved? I've got 4 of the originals and have upgraded them in various ways to improve the appearance, but the nose always looks too bulbous to me (unlike the Accurascale OO version which looks spot on) and I didn't want to buy an upgraded Deltic only to find that its essentially the same body shell, just with sand filler hatches removed and cab quarterlights infilled. Many thanks for any info any owners out there can provide. Best wishes, Phil

After some years in safe storage, I have refurbished the layout and am offering it for sale again. Repairs have been made so that scenically the layout is back to 100%. This layout featured in Model Rail in 2019 and a short video can be found here (https://youtu.be/xDUn0Ku9REs). I am asking £400 which is obviously a lot less then it cost to build, but I would like it to be used-which I am no longer able to do. Note the important point below re. wiring. The layout is finished to a very high standard which I hope is evident from the photos (I can supply a PDF of the magazine article if helpful). The layout has a full lighting pelmet and fascia and black drapes to front and both sides. The canal overflow is watertight and can be operated if desired, but a small tank will need to be suspended under the layout to use as a water source-I used an ice cream tub on a small coffee table! Legs are detachable and height adjustable. Drape is secured with Velcro. There are 6 storage roads to the rear and fiddle yard points are manually operated and are part Peco streamline and part Peco set track. The point on the scenic side has a point motor fitted. I will supply with spare trees ready painted with foliage applied (for running repairs), spare ballast should it ever be needed, all screws and bolts for setting up, spare scenic items (such as the sheep I never installed!), spare backscene (never needed but had 2 done), road vehicles (1980s and modern), pump and power supply for water feature. Overall size is approx 102cm x 180cm. Left hand board (viewed from front) is approx 77 x 102cm, right hand board is 103 x 102cm. Construction is a mix of foam board and Styrofoam faced with ply. Very light but very strong. NOTE: the layout track wiring would need to be completed to get the layout fully operational. Inter board multiple connectors and droppers are present, but wiring to a control panel would be needed for exhibition use and the layout has been priced accordingly. Would need to be collected from Shefford in Bedfordshire. The only condition of sale is that if exhibited or published in magazines, I would respectfully ask that the original builder is mentioned (which I believe is the norm for exhibition layout sales).

Looks good - did the 45s have different size marker lights between locos? On first glance these look a tad too small on the model, but then doing some browsing, I have come across pictures that seem to confirm Heljan have got it right, but others that make me wonder if they are a teeny bit small. Maybe it's just angles or light perhaps?

I suspect it will be like the class 40 centre headcode version; same model essentially, but with some features updated such as plated cab quarterlights and sand filler hatches. Having said that, if the photo mock up isn't the final body shape to be used, then it may be all new, but the photo that's been posted in various places looks identical to the existing body shape in terms of major 'shape'.

In O gauge a sealed beam class 45 would seem a quick win to make the most of one of their better O gauge models. Updated Deltic perhaps? Had Dapol not announced it I would have also said TTA.

There have been issues with the new 47s arriving with snapped buffer shanks, despite the all foam packaging for these. It is a tricky one and I do feel for Heljan - these locos weigh a lot and have a lot of fine detail to protect and its hard to know what to suggest by way of a solution, as foam and plinth both seem to have drawbacks. An end-on drop (which it looks like the 60 above may have had) is going to stress even the best packaging though.

One of the things I love about Heljan O gauge locos is the fact that we don't have to mess around adding the fine detail (probably more to do with my eyesight than anything!) - to my mind its just the mounting/packing that's at issue. With the exception of the ill-fated re-released class 31s, I've never had any issues with any Heljan O gauge loco on MDF or solid wood board (although, having said that, I'm not having locos shipped from China to Europe and then back again to Australia).

Thanks Peter. It's a cracking model and just fitted Coastal DCC sound project and wow crank it up, sit back and enjoy! Courage to have a go at weathering now needs plucking up!!

Thanks guys that's really helpful - I may try them in series and see how that sounds. Many thanks. Best wishes, Phil.

I've just installed sound into a new Heljan class 47 using a Zimo chip (MX699KV) from another loco and frustratingly have 1 x 4 ohm speaker and 1 x 8 ohm speakers spare which I had intended fitting (as I like to fit two speakers to all my O gauge locos). However, the manual says that for this chip, I should either use 2 x 8 ohm speakers wired in parallel or 1 x 4 ohm. If I was to wire the 8 and 4 ohm speakers in parallel I would get 2.6 ohms impedance (approx) - I'm assuming this will risk damaging the chip, but I can't find a definitive answer as to whether it would or wouldn't and wondered if anyone knew the answer and whether wiring these two speakers up in parallel would land me in an expensive puff of smoke? Thanks, Phil.

I got a very early (and very, very generous) Christmas present - BR blue original version with alpha-numeric headcodes - missing bogie spring and snapped buffer shank (and no sign of buffer spring in box) and a few other plastic bits floating about. Anyway if it helps, the lighting wires are as follows: Cab lights: red = negative, blue = positive Red tail lights: green = negative, orange = positive Headcode lights: red = negative, black = positive (yes really!) The same colour wires are used at both ends which makes life a bit easier, but you need to work out which of the two red wires at each end is cab light and which is head code light - I used a 9v battery and no risk of damage the LEDs as the resistors are on the lighting PCBs, as they have been for all Heljan O gauge locos since the very early releases. As mentioned above, the wiring diagram in the manual isn't for a 47 - goodness only knows what loco it is for? I got rid of the switch unit and its 4 wires completely, so all the lights go direct to the decoder. Cheers, Phil.

That's really helpful Paul thanks so much. Best wishes, Phil.

Resurrecting a relatively old thread, but does anyone know if Motorail car flats (i.e. the ones that Oxford Rail and Darstead have modelled) were ever seen at Kings Cross? I have found plenty of images of the covered Motorail car carriers, but can't find any of the open car flats, so I'm assuming they may have only occasionally visited Kings Cross - if at all? Thanks, Phil.

Apologies that this is a bit off topic, but I seem the term 'prismatic' (with reference to glazing) a lot on here and in magazines, but I have no idea what it means? Is is that the windows look overly thick, like the thick glass of a prism? Thanks, Phil.

Ah sorry my mistake - if its the photo I used then it is 55 (as I had the TOPS 55007 numbers). Will check later when I get home.