JSpencer Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 26 minutes ago, matchmaker said: I don't have a 33, but I do have a 27 which I assume has the same chassis. It's a lousy runner compared to my Bachmann , Dapol and Hornby locos. It gives out a constant "thrumming" when running. I've greased all the gears but suspect the problem may be a slightly bent cardan shaft. Guess what - Heljan don't supply cardan shafts as a spare. I believe they are the same except all my nine 33s run better than my one 27. Not sure why that would be. They all hmm a little but fair quieter than the Lima growls we used to have. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold adb968008 Posted February 14, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 14, 2023 3 hours ago, Halvarras said: I know this would hardly be a solution for most here reading this, but it would be interesting to know if Hornby has the ex-Lima Class 33/1 tooling. The Railroad Class 73s prove they do have the MU pipework. D6537 in green has been the only Railroad 33 release to date, they haven't even bothered to do a bog standard blue 33/0, which makes one wonder whether retooling the Lima chassis parts to take the new motor bogie was really worth the effort for one version. Perhaps they've realised it was simply too far behind the times, after all I recall buying my first one in July 1977, over 45 years ago.....!😬 I couldnt imagine them not having it. They probably have the 26/27 too that sit on the same chassis. However until very recently Heljans bo-bo sulzers were sub £100, and some places can still be bought around the £100 mark… against that railroad is almost £100, so of the two which were you going to pick ? Now Heljans are over £200, railroad economics may have a place again for bo-bo sulzers… though stacked against them is lack of any contemporary action on the mainline which has been much the reflection seen in old tooling Lima railroad diesel releases. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Legend Posted February 14, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 14, 2023 (edited) 38 minutes ago, matchmaker said: I don't have a 33, but I do have a 27 which I assume has the same chassis. It's a lousy runner compared to my Bachmann , Dapol and Hornby locos. It gives out a constant "thrumming" when running. I've greased all the gears but suspect the problem may be a slightly bent cardan shaft. Guess what - Heljan don't supply cardan shafts as a spare. Strange that . I don't have a 33 but I do have a 26 and 27 which are very quiet and run well . On the other hand I have a Bachmann 158 that runs well but sounds like a cement mixer on speed. With a lot of these things I suspect its the luck of the draw and we are seeking a rational explanation by type when there really isn't one . In general QC needs improving though . I would be seriously tempted for a 33/1 and 4TC as I have happy memories watching them arrive in Weymouth in the hot summer of 76. The closest thing I could get then was Hornbys Hymek ! But unfortunately the price is too high for something that would see very occasional use Edited February 14, 2023 by Legend Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halvarras Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 2 hours ago, adb968008 said: I couldnt imagine them not having it. They probably have the 26/27 too that sit on the same chassis. However until very recently Heljans bo-bo sulzers were sub £100, and some places can still be bought around the £100 mark… against that railroad is almost £100, so of the two which were you going to pick ? Now Heljans are over £200, railroad economics may have a place again for bo-bo sulzers… though stacked against them is lack of any contemporary action on the mainline which has been much the reflection seen in old tooling Lima railroad diesel releases. For sure, pre-owned Railroad 33s are appearing at eye-watering prices these days, considering how basic it is - so old it pre-dated Lima's attempts at flush glazing (with moulded-on wipers) and Lima added those exaggerated 'handrails' at an early stage to enable these to be 'chrome-plated' clear of the body surface, a ham-fisted answer to Hornby's wire items on their Classes 47, 29 and others; then there's the inaccurate windscreen shape and undersized roof fan grille. It has to be worth scraping some extra sheckles together to seek out a far superior pre-owned Heljan model instead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torbay Express Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 5 hours ago, matchmaker said: I don't have a 33, but I do have a 27 which I assume has the same chassis. It's a lousy runner compared to my Bachmann , Dapol and Hornby locos. It gives out a constant "thrumming" when running. I've greased all the gears but suspect the problem may be a slightly bent cardan shaft. Guess what - Heljan don't supply cardan shafts as a spare. Getting any Heljan spares for what you actually need is rather difficult. Considering the amount of models produced with 'issues' , you would have thought a comprehensive suite of replacement parts essential. Sell it and run..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
50030 Posted May 3, 2023 Share Posted May 3, 2023 I’ve just noticed that the new OO 33/2’s coming into stock at retailers have the later 33xx product numbers, except for grey 33201 which has an early 3325 product number, has this one been done before? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
meatloaf Posted July 20, 2023 Share Posted July 20, 2023 Can anyone confirm if the new 21 pin 33s have tail lights? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernman46 Posted July 20, 2023 Share Posted July 20, 2023 On 14/02/2023 at 15:50, JSpencer said: I believe they are the same except all my nine 33s run better than my one 27. Not sure why that would be. They all hmm a little but fair quieter than the Lima growls we used to have. I had a Heljan Class 27 that ran appallingly - there was at the time (mid-late 2000's) a corrosion issue with the as-built wheels - changed the wheelsets for new from Howes and the issue disappeared - might be worth a check ........................................... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Albie the plumber Posted July 20, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 20, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, meatloaf said: Can anyone confirm if the new 21 pin 33s have tail lights? I am not an expert on 33's or indeed any loco ! However I don't think 33's had tail lights other than the central blind being set to show 2 red lines . They may have also have carried tail lamps . But as delivered , I dont think they had tail lights Happy to be corrected though Edited July 20, 2023 by Albie the plumber 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian J. Posted July 21, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 21, 2023 They did have small lights on the body just above the buffers that were hardly visible at night, let alone during the day. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmrspaul Posted July 21, 2023 Share Posted July 21, 2023 20 minutes ago, Ian J. said: They did have small lights on the body just above the buffers that were hardly visible at night, let alone during the day. Looking at my own photos they don't appear to have relied on them. So kept, and used, the lamp irons. https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brcwclass33/e347b9354 Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelu Chris Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 We have one to put a crew into, has anybody any advice for getting into the cab? We have taken the body shell off but struggling a little Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Kaput Posted August 1, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 1, 2023 IIRC the cab interiors just unclip once you break the glue. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSpencer Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 Rails are showing some - but not all - 33/2s as being "Sound ready". I know about the LED and 21 pin upgrades, but did the most recent batch also include a pre-fitted speaker? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
meatloaf Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 46 minutes ago, JSpencer said: Rails are showing some - but not all - 33/2s as being "Sound ready". I know about the LED and 21 pin upgrades, but did the most recent batch also include a pre-fitted speaker? I got the green full yellow end one last week from rails. Its 21 pin but no speaker fitted. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Kaput Posted February 17 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 17 The 33's are all "sound ready" in so much as theres space for one without modifications. The 21pin ones might come with the plug/socket on the board for a speaker. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 (edited) On 15/02/2023 at 02:50, JSpencer said: I believe they are the same except all my nine 33s run better than my one 27. Not sure why that would be. They all hmm a little but fair quieter than the Lima growls we used to have. I have eight of the Heljan 33s of various ages and variations (33/0, 33/1, 33/2), and only one has a slight gear whine, the rest are dead silent, so all that one hears (with sound off) is the clicking of the wheels on rail joints. Replacing the early brass wheels works wonders for the electrical pickup on those early releases. On DCC I found that Zimo decoders introduced their own hum/buzz, but that doesn't seem to be a problem with ESU or Lenz. Several have sound fitted, with various sound decoders - ESU v3.5, v4 and v5, and Zimo. I also have one class 26 (hiding in the middle of the 33s in the photo!), and the same comments apply to that. All of these run beautifully. Edited February 17 by SRman Photo added 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernman46 Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 (edited) There is a thread devoted to the Heljan brass wheels which were fitted to the early releases of the Classes 26 / 27 /33 / 35 / 47 & 52 https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/18693-Heljan-replacement-loco-wheels/#comment-180170 Edited February 18 by Southernman46 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carver Bridge TMD Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Forgive me if this has been covered in the previous 29 pages but does anyone have a problem with frequent derailing over pointwork? Is the detail fouling the bogey? Is there a well known workaround for this problem? Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSpencer Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 On 12/04/2024 at 11:06, Carver Bridge TMD said: Forgive me if this has been covered in the previous 29 pages but does anyone have a problem with frequent derailing over pointwork? Is the detail fouling the bogey? Is there a well known workaround for this problem? Thanks In general no. But sometimes when new, the screw link coupling can block a bogie from turning by fowling the NEM pocket. It can be folded up onto the hook or loosened up by moving it a bit so that it is no longer stiff. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halvarras Posted September 30 Share Posted September 30 I only recently noticed (apologies if I'm behind the times) that this version of the latest Heljan Class 33/2 combines BR blue livery with the original exhaust: AFAIK all 33s which emerged from works overhauls repainted into blue livery had had the exhaust arrangement amended to central (D6581-5 and at least D6553/66 entered works in green already amended). Or was D6590 an exception? Have to ask as such matters across the BR motive power fleet were littered with exceptions and this may be one I've missed! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold tractionman Posted September 30 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 30 10 minutes ago, Halvarras said: Or was D6590 an exception? there is a photo from 1969 here: 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halvarras Posted September 30 Share Posted September 30 51 minutes ago, tractionman said: there is a photo from 1969 here: Well there you go, an exception I've missed (until now) - thank you @tractionman, every day's a school day......even at my age! Nice to know Heljan got it right too, credit where it's due. This had me checking the green-to-blue livery notes in the Class 33 section of the 'derbysulzers' website (it can be found within 'Part 4') - according to this D6590 was the first 'Slim Jim' into blue in March 1968, followed that year by D6587 in August and D6589 in September - the next one was 6597 in March 1969. According to these notes the only Class 33s repainted into blue during 1966/7 were the 19 push-pull conversions - the first 33/0 repaint was D6506 also in March 1968. Since the 33/1s all received modified exhausts in 1966/7 it stands to reason that all those overhauls which followed would have included the modified exhaust, yet here is D6590 proving otherwise. The only logical explanation I can come up with - assuming that there wasn't a hitherto unknown (to me) degree of randomness resulting in a few unmodified blue 33/0s briefly roaming around in the late '60s - is that the 33/2's cramped interior required a bespoke solution which wasn't ready by the time D6590 went through works. If this was the case was this solution ready for D6587/9 by August - meaning D6590 was unique - or were these two further exceptions, with 6597* the first 'Slim' to receive the mod in March 1969? I have a memory of seeing D6589 in blue at Reading in July 1970 but back then had no idea about Class 33 exhaust arrangements so wouldn't have noticed! Perhaps time to revisit the Southern Region pictorial books on my bookshelves and hope that, even if I can find relevant photos, they weren't taken at ground level.......! *Apart from early withdrawals D6502/76, the highest-numbered 33 was the only one I never saw. I recall reading that it had been stored at Eastleigh but by then couldn't be bothered to make the journey in the hope of finding it. Much the same thing happened with 47307...... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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