Hi Everyone, I am looking for a class 26 for my birthday. Ive noticed a lot o heljan br green ones going on ebay? My preference is for blue but while these are available im interested. Any known issues with the model? Or maker? Cameron
Hi Cameron, I have several and had no issues. Heljan loco's are heavy weight brutes and in my experience, run very smoothly. When chipping them, I'd go for a decent decoder as they draw a bit more power than Bachmann and Hornby. More specifically, I was warned off Hornby Decoders as their current draw ability is lower than most. I'm sure others can offer a more technical explanation. With heljan ( 00 gauge ) I'd say you can buy with confidence. The only exception to that are their deltics. I have had issues with slipping gears straight out of the box. Enjoy your class 26. Toto
Toto, Thank you, i will inform my family CFO to,fire at will. Well see what the end of the month brings. Cameron
Hattons have several green variations of the class 26 in their bargains at around the £60 mark (plus or minus a few). No blue ones at those prices though. Mechanically they are all but identical to the Heljan class 33 (and 27 also) - I have quite a few 33s and all are excellent, powerful and silent runners (well, the ones with sound have to have that turned off to be silent!). I would recommend the HEljan locos, and like Toto, I would recommend NOT using Hornby decoders for DCC on them. Personally, I favour ESU LokSound and LokPilot decoders with my Heljan locos, but I have also fitted some with Lenz, Zimo and TCS decoders, all of which are perfectly able to cope with the current draw. If you buy a cheap green one and repaint it blue, the windows generally pop out fairly easily to make the job easier. The bodies are held on by four clip points - spread the body behind the cab doors and the chassis should drop out. For sound fitting, there is a reasonable amount of room inside, but the fuel and water tanks just clip off and are hollow, so are ideal for fitting speakers into.
I have used Hattons own decoders on them and they work fine too. They are reasonably priced as well. Can't remember if they are eight pin or twenty one pin versions though. Maybe SR man has a better memory than me though.
Hi All Thank you for the input. 26 class br green heljan oo scale diesel has been purchased It comes with an 8 pin socket. I have been informed the said item will be quarantined until my birthday in the event of an early arrival. Cameron
Beaten to it, but yes, they are 8-pin. I like that Heljan allow a blank space on the PCB to stick the decoder to as well.
My new shiny arrived today. I think it is brand new. Or not used very much. I suspect new. Everything was still in plastic bags. I was given permisson to test it. Wow. I have never owned one before. It was quiet and moved smoothly. A big contrast to my other two engines. Looking forward to my birthday when i can commision it on the railway Cameron
Great loco Cameron, smooth and quiet and will pull almost anything. Here's mine at Sheringbourne... Cheers Ron
They are solid loco's. As you say Ron they will pull anything and the running qualities are terrific. They really shine at slow speeds. Cheers Toto
I agree with Ron and Toto, really smooth runners, I used mine all weekend at the Dundee show and it never missed a beat. Good purchase, and happy birthday went it comes. Paul