Are these good models ??

I have seen that Hattons have the Heljan Class 23 Baby Deltic for sale at a discounted price of £59.00 and £72.00 for a 'full yellow front' model. I have considered purchasing one, but I would like to know if any member owns one, and what do they think of the model ? I'm more or less asking about running qualities, overall appearance/detail and if they suffer any problems that may have occurred with the model since ownership.

http://www.hattons.co.uk/products/category-heljan-uk-oo-railway-models (scroll down a little)

Cheers, Gary.

I purchased a BR Blue one a few years back which I have since sold, I found running wise it stood up pretty well, and overall looked good and well detailed, But one thing I noticed was build quality, it seemed that most of the factory fitted detail was loose and required re-gluing and the 'battery box' between the bogies came away and fell apart and needed re-gluing together and to the loco, although this is the first batch of locos and weather theses problems were resoled for this second batch I cannot say

I purchased a helgan, had the same probs,plus they fit cheap plastic gears and drive shafts which stripped in no time,still trying to find a repairer,need Isay more?
:thumbs;-):cool:

[user=1698]Silver fox[/user] wrote:

I purchased a helgan, had the same probs,plus they fit cheap plastic gears and drive shafts which stripped in no time,still trying to find a repairer,need Isay more?
:thumbs;-):cool:

Makes me kind of glad I got rid of mine when it still worked

I have quite a few Heljans and so far most are ok. I have one which the gears are slipping, brand new out of the box. Looks like I'll need to send it back. The baby Heljans have been on Hattons books for a long time and there numbers never seem to lower. They don't appear to be a popular model.

Doesn't mean to say that there is anything wrong with them. At the price they may be worth a go if you have a purpose for them.

Let us know how you get on.

Cheers

Toto

Thanks for the replies so far. I have read some 'not so good' and some 'fair', but mostly mixed reports on these locos, for example the body/chassis problems (not going back together properly) and the slipping/stripping of the gears. There were a few other comments about other Heljan locos as well, which is not good. I think I'll give the Heljan Class 23 a miss for the time being.

Cheers, Gary.

 

Hi Gary,

You're probably making the right decision. The baby Deltics and their Deltics were getting punted at the Glasgow show cheap as well. They don't seem to be moving which makes me wonder.

It's a Deltic that I have issues with the slipping gears. I will have to try and send it back. That'll be interesting.

Unfortunately I have loads of Heljan and I am hoping this is not going to be a big problem for me. If it is…….. It's so long Heljan. My problem is that I bought some of these two years ago. The warranty will be up. If they start stripping quickly as I start to run them in, I could be left with a couple of dozen loco's with issues. Their plastic gearing surely must be reasonable as it would be a major problem for them. I'm hoping that the odd few are the exception rather than the rule.

Thing is, Bachmanns Deltics are fine and whilst not as cheap , are reasonably priced.

Cheers

Toto

I bought a DP2 from Hattons a few months ago (also discounted) and found only one end driving, so sent it back for replacement, which has, so far, been fine. Had the loco been secondhand, I might have been prepared to look deeper into the reason for the problem, but am not inclined to do this with a new loco. I see that Locomotion are releasing a further tranch of "Deltic" models shortly, including more of the original in pristine and weathered. If they have them in time for Warley, I may be tempted, as I well remember this beast from my early trainspotting days at Retford on the ECML back in the early 60's. Ah….memories!
                        Keith.

Wasn't even here the early 60's I'm afraid.

Still just an unplanned child at that stage. 66 was a good year I hear.

Cheers

Toto

I remember the blue 'Deltic' ripping through Grantham on the ECML as a kid as well!! Also 'Lion' and 'Kestrel' if I remember correctly!!

Cheers
Ron

I have a number of heljan locomotives, classes 33 35 and 52 which seem to be going well, only ever had issues with the class 23 detail wise though, but then again I do only have a small end to end layout with no big runs so the mileage on them is pretty low

Hi Aaron,

That's encouraging to hear. They are built like tanks but the plastic gear thing surprised me when I heard of it. You don't mind if it's just the odd one. It's when it turns out to be a latent defect that it's more of an issue. As I said, I have a number of them and to date, one with slipping gears, the rest are generally of my best performers.

Fingers crossed.

Cheers

Toto

 Tom , just a thought, your Heljans. Give em a run asap and take that dodgy one to Warley.  Even bought 2 years ago they would be able to see its as new and its harder for them to turn you down face to face + they won't want to upset customers in front of a buying audience, and if they try I'll just start growling at em….normally does the trick :thumbs

Save me the postage Matt.

They may come out with the " you'll need to take it up with our warranty dept " but it's worth a try I suppose.

Consider it done.

Cheers

Toto

Plenty of Heljan locos here.  No class 23 "Baby Deltics" but classes 17, 33, 35, 47, 52, 53 and 57 are represented as is the diesel parcel van.

I've had no issues whatsoever with the running other than the acknowledged high current draw of Heljan locos in general which can result in them being sluggish away from the mark and tricksy to stop in exactly the right spot.  Build quality hasn't often been an issue either but one or two bits have come adrift and the bogie side frames seem wont to self-remove from the class 57.

I have read of others having all manner of problems with class 17s which spontaneously combust after a sudden grinding halt.  Mine are from later batches which haven't had that issue.  

The class 23 Baby Deltics might have been over-produced.  Heljan released multiple versions of a type which had a limited geographical range over a fairly short life.  They never attracted the cult following that some of the prototypes such as Falcon (class 53) did. Even Falcon was probably over-produced after the initial releases sold out very fast; subsequent batches have been slow to clear and ended up in the bargain bin.

I suspect the story is the same with the cheap class 23s.  Sales have not matched hopes. The build quality itself is usually rather good from the Dutch.

I thought Heljan was Danish?

…and I thought a Danish was a pastry filled with fruit and custard…!

Cheers, Gary.

Danish, Dutch, what's a little geography between friends? :oops:;-)

[user=1775]g0ibi[/user] wrote:

I remember the blue 'Deltic' ripping through Grantham on the ECML as a kid as well!! Also 'Lion' and 'Kestrel' if I remember correctly!!

Cheers
Ron

We used to rush to the footbridge at York station during our lunch hour to watch her thunder through with, I presume, the "Flying Scotsman" Ron.  If it was on time, it was invariably one of my beloved A4 "Streaks", if it was late, it was usually "Deltic" - in blue with her gold "go faster" stripes ……….;-)

[user=1753]Gwiwer[/user] wrote:

Danish, Dutch, what's a little geography between friends? :oops:;-)

An easy way to remember Rick - the Danish produce either pastries (as described by Gary) or bacon.  The Dutch usually pay for themselves (as in "going Dutch") and produce soapy cheese ……………………  Also, rather strangely, because they don't have many forests, wear wooden shoes …………:cheers:cheers

p.s. I think they pay for themselves so they don't have to buy a whole round …………….:cool wink