bagpipes331

Peter Clark models (WWW.peterclarkkits.com) (enquiries@peterclarkkits.com) produce nice EMU kits with all the front cables and hoses, he may be able to suppy the parts including rubbing plates seperatley. Off subject slightly, but I noticed you are working on a Bachmann 121. Pete supplied the cab interior, lights and seats for mine. I run it on a 00 scale sound decoder by Howes. Sounds great! (I have a pic on the Heljan Western topic, parked next to my JLTRT Western) If interested I can send pics of my weathered 33 and 121 to your email address. Rich

I posted a request for 33/1 detailing parts, but there is not a great deal out there. The only issue I had with my 33 was a split gear, which Howes replaced within a couple of days FOC. (Not a very common problem on the 33s, but if needed, check the reply to my request for replacing the gear.) Once repaired, the 33 runs beautifully. If fitting the snow ploughs, you will need to cut back a couple of the hoses. If you are going for DCC, installing the XL decoder is a 15 minute job, but if you want to be able to turn off the rear lights while pulling a train, you have to programme this yourself. The speaker fits perfectly in to the fuel tank. (Maybe that is why they are slightly wide?) I did not bother with the fan in the end, as it was either too fast and loud, or would not run, you cant really see it anyway. I have a Howes decoder, and although it's ok, if I were buying another, I would check out the XL decoders that Legomanbiffo produces. (Strange name, but listen to his sound programmes on YouTube) Once the 31 arrives, I will be installing one of his. I have several of the Heljan diesels, and I think they are all excellent locos, not neccessarily 100% accurate, but they run well and can pull what ever you can afford to put behind them!! Hope you enjoy your 33, Rich

Hi David, I use Peco points including a couple of double slips. I also use, and highly recommend Tortoise point motors. Just remove the over centre springs from the points. Another bonus is that the Tortoise wil change the frog polarity and the aspect of a colur light signal if required. All my Heljan locos and coaches go through with out a problem. Regards, Rich

Hi Willy, I purchased my Loksound XL decoder from Howes. They sent me detailed instructions on the fitting of the decoder, which took between 15-20 mins. There are no resistors to add or wiring to replace. It would apear that Heljan have thoughtfuly made the wiring to fit the XL. Howes did advise extending the motor wires, but I found it un-neccesary. If you want to use all functions, your set will need to access 13 F settings, 15 if you wish to turn on/off the tail lights independantly. I chose to loose a couple of sound options, and managed (With help from Bryan Robertson, who programmes the decoder for Howes) to run the tail lights on F6 & F7, and fan on F11. On reflection, the fan was a waste of time, as it is too fast and too loud. Good luck, Rich

Hi Brian, This is my first post, so hope I have 'posted ' correctly!! I have seen the pics of your 33 in it's weathered condition, and wondered if you have a view of the roof from above? I am picking up a couple of cromptons at the weekend, in blue, but I will be numbering in the 65xx series. I am hoping to convert the second loco in to a 33/1. Would you know if there is anyone who supplies the neccessary parts to carry out the conversion? I built a RJH 33/1 several years ago, and managed to obtain a superb pair of coupling hooks with drop down buck eye couplings, but cannot remember who supplied them. Regards, Rich