7mm Heljan Class 50

[Ressaldar]

I have just received my large logo Class 50 - it will be 50 047 Swiftsure in the fullness of time, it will also be fitted with a Zimo MX699KS sound decoder and therein lies the rub, the apology for an instruction sheet says that the wiring is to NMRA colour coding to the two rows of nine screw terminals (I have not had the body off yet, so I assume that each motor is wired to one side of the pub) and further information on installing DCC can be found on the Heljan website - except of course, there is no entry on the website for the Class 50 as yet............... I wonder how long it will be before the information appears, bearing in mind that the model has only been two years in the making!

Thank goodness that there is a slight diversion to proceedings this week to occupy the little grey cells.

Merry Christmas and a happy modelling New Year to one and all.

Mike

 

[richard carr]

Hi Mike

My original NSE livery version has just arrived too, I'm sure the DCC installation will be upto the usual totally Cr*p Heljan standard where you are left guessing just what wire does what as it is on the 37/4s I just been doing.

I was planning on using a Zimo MX696 is that significantly different to the 699 ?

Merry Christmas.

Richard

 

[Scale7JB]

Hi Mike

My original NSE livery version has just arrived too,

Is it good? I'd like one of those..

JB.

 

[richard carr]

I think it's excellent, here a few photos from my phone.

The factory finish onthe livery is superb.

 

[Scale7JB]

Very nice indeed..

Just need a rake of Colgate coaches now.

JB.

 

[Ressaldar]

Hi Mike

My original NSE livery version has just arrived too, I'm sure the DCC installation will be upto the usual totally Cr*p Heljan standard where you are left guessing just what wire does what as it is on the 37/4s I just been doing.

I was planning on using a Zimo MX696 is that significantly different to the 699 ?

Merry Christmas.

Richard

Hi Richard,

sorry about the delay in replying, just returned from an experience going round the M&S foodhall in Heswall!!

I will probably label up all of the wires having identified their function with a test lamp and just remove the Heljan pcb, then probably have to rig up some form of carrying platform for the Zimo MX699 and wire directly into that. Retaining the Heljan pcb with its duplicated row of connections only muddies the waters.

I am going for the MX699 as it has a good on-board stay alive and does not have the adaptor plate that the MX696 has supplied with it.

see here YouChoos

good luck with your installation.

My name plates arrived while we were shopping, so I will at least get those and the numbers on this afternoon - photos later, hopefully!

regards

Mike

 

[iain_r]

Hi Mike

My original NSE livery version has just arrived too, I'm sure the DCC installation will be upto the usual totally Cr*p Heljan standard where you are left guessing just what wire does what as it is on the 37/4s I just been doing.

I was planning on using a Zimo MX696 is that significantly different to the 699 ?

Merry Christmas.

Richard

I have a good idea why these installs are not so easy.
This is my 2nd Heljan loco. I already have a 37 plus some Dapol 0-6-0s.
All I have so far is a small test track & rolling road, with a budget Beatties controller I acquired some time ago. It looks like it is from a set but the controls looks like Gaugemaster made it as a budget (& therefore low current) controller for a set.
I have plenty of other control stuff on my OO layout but am making a start in 7mm.

My Dapol locos run fine on my test track. I believe these have 8 pin decoder sockets & I have seen it mentioned that OO decoders will be sufficient for these.
Heljan OO locos are known to be current-hungry & overload some decoders.

My O gauge Heljan 37 will run about 5mm before overloading the controller so I can't run it for any length of time to run it in. I am sure it simply draws way too much current.

The NMRA standard DCC sockets are designed for decoders suitable for N & OO. A Heljan bogie loco would overload one instantly, so the answer is to not fit a socket. O Gauge is not as fiddly as OO, which make its easier to hard-wire.
The wiring inside a OO loco & on a standard DCC decoder is noticeably thinner than the more common 7/0.2, which is rated for 1.4A. So how much continuous current can the thinner 'DCC Decoder wire' cope with? 0.5A? A Heljan loco would overload that easily.
The 2 options available are to create another standard (would NMRA adopt it) or encourage the user to hard-wire it.

I have not taken my 50 apart yet (or the 37 for that matter) but I did notice what appears to be a speaker grille in its fuel tanks. Has anyone measured to see what speaker can fit?
I am hoping it will be a nice large one. I want to take advantage of the larger scale to get a deeper sound than from my OO models.

 

[Ressaldar]

well the transfers and nameplates went on well



so when the transfers are dry they will get a couple of coats of Johnson's Klear, the eagle eyed will have seen the 'overspill' around the number of the base coats of 'Klear' this will disappear when the weathering is applied. Then comes the decoder installation - something to look forward to after the Christmas dinner

regards

Mike

 

[richard carr]

Mike

That one looks good too, I'm hoping for a decoder for Christmas, but I'll let you have the first go at installing it.

Have you thought about how you will separate the brake chains from the body, it didn't go well on my 37/4s.


Richard

 

[Ressaldar]

Mike

Have you thought about how you will separate the brake chains from the body, it didn't go well on my 37/4s.


Richard

Hi Richard,

I have been in touch with John Gymer of YouChoos and by chance he has a Class 50 coming into him later today to fit a decoder and he is letting me know his findings when he is done.

Regarding the brake chains, it looks as if the upper fitting is part of the chassis and therefore hopefully, the separation question should not arise. The only warning that Heljan give regarding body/chassis separation is to disconnect the ETH cable at each end - watch this space.

kind regards

Mike

 

[Mr Grumpy]

I use the MX699s on my 1:20.3 locos. They carry on running with sound for about 30-45 seconds when power is turned off. As I use battery R/C
I don't need the stay alive, but will undoubtably be very useful on track fed locos.

 

[uk_pm]

Fantastic model. I have fitted an ESU Loksound 5. The motor and pickups are easy, but the wiring for the lights is unfathomable. To assist, the headlight wires are yellow (+)/blue, the head code lights and cab lights are the same LED and are white (+)/blue and the red marker light is green (+)/purple. Resistors are not necessary. Space in the body for two large speakers. Terrific.

 

[AJC]

Very impressive. I remember these well from my childhood trips to London from Yeovil. The dominance of the sealed beam headlight is spot on: exactly as I remember it from watching them emerge from fog up the bank from Sutton Bingham towards Yeovil Junction. Unlike most models - particularly the sodium yellow/blue white combo of the Hornby 4mm version - the colour of the lighting is also as I remember it. I’m sure they’ll be quibbles, but the presence of the real thing is there. Who does the accompanying dirty and rather draughty non aircon mk 2s you need for the full Waterloo-Exeter effect?

Adam

 

[Jordan]

I must admit, I've not been convinced about the windscreens before, on most photos & even when I saw the actual models for myself at Guildex, but uk_pm's photos there are the best I've seen and do show the rake of the windscreens to good effect, even if it's still not 100%, it's close enough to not spoil things completely. The black surrounds on the Large Logo livery version also help, too.

 

[D6356]

The windscreens seem quite an emotive subject but having crawled and climbed with a tape over the same 50 Heljan scanned for the model both the Dapol and Heljan models have come out well enough, the variation being a result of there not yet being a scan to tool making programme, a lot of CAD working in between and the scan really a checking tool, giving rise to the variations.
Despite this some variation was also caused with repairs of the real thing and the refurb at Doncaster was taking 50 engines and converting them rather than one plan and following to the fraction of the inch, head lamps, gutters and handrails do vary just a bit and make for some discussion. But as not many - but you are on here would make from scratch I am very glad that that these are RTR - having tried - but not yet failed to make a 3mm brass one and have had several of all the N/2mm versions on layouts I can say all look the part at the time and each one gets nearer. The 2mm Ambrico kit was a brave start and via the Farish and CJM the Dapol one gives a bigger market a model. The O heljan while not fully off the left side of the pitch as I was aware of the scan it certainly fills a void in the RTR market, and fills a void on my mates mantlepiece- 50049 in GBRF for helping the project !
Happy 50 modelling - I wonder who will make all the class in all the colours and versions possible.
Robert

 

[Brian Daniels]

Here is a late NSE livery one I have playing with. Unfortunately the white line over the nose/ledge went around the front on the model so I repainted it over the top and then repainted the yellow end to cover the old white line and I did not like the factory applied yellow very much. Added the radio roof pod and phone stand in the cab and added the ploughs but unfortunately there are no screws supplied for this. Luckily they are the same as the 25 so had a spare set from one of those. It will get weathered shortly!

 

[43179]

Out of interest, how thick is the very bottom edge of the bodyshell on these? - something that , to me , jarrs is the very bottom of the cabsides - there should be a very distinct crease where the bodywork tucks under towards the ETH fittings - not really defined enough on the model , but a few careful passes with a good sharp file would do the trick - if there's enough material there to work with!

Jon

 

[Cliff Williams]

You will be needing to tweak the ploughs Brian! Not the regulation 6 inch clearance from rail head to base of plough.
Lovely models though.

 

[Ressaldar]

I have now installed the Zimo MX699KS decoder and two Ice Cube speakers and am very pleased with the results.





It was a welcome 'find' in the manner that Heljan had wired up their pcb - taking the wires from the right hand side to the screw terminals on the left hand side and vice versa, meant that the wires as fitted were long enough to be fitted on to the MX699KS without having to lengthen some as was the usual case in the past. In the photos above, I had not installed any resistors into the lighting circuits and all was well when I applied power to the decoder, in hindsight, I have now inserted resistors to be on the safe side. Is this an 'overkill' because Heljan have resistors in the circuit off of their pcb?



regards



Mike

 

[richard carr]

Mike

Yes Heljan have been including the resistors for some time now but it is nice to see them using wiring that isn't just red an d black.

Richard