My old Airfix kit version on a Lima chassis has suddenly regained favour! Well done on the repair - your patience with these overcomplicated locos is admirable
Your day job isn't a Surgeon by any chance! Your delicate touch on these modern and complicated locos is on another level altogether and makes amazing viewing. For me it becomes a reference point on how to tackle a repair and therefore a goldmine of information. Thank you for sharing and a brilliant well done
Wow you really must have the patience of a saint, to tackle one of them railcars, is I said in my comment about the tiny wires that Heljan use are just nuts. Well done, always amazing how good you are at fixing model locos. Oh that's really nice of him...
Jings! we used to catch one of those from Stirling to Alloa (Swimming baths). It replaced the steamer and non corridor carriages with leather strap windows for a wee while, probably 1963/64 ? Was space age for us and you could see out the front..!! Rode a lot like a pacer..!! Went from the dead end platform at the north end of the station. Thought they were German built.?
Wow, that was a fiddly job, almost surgical. Great to watch you magic it into shape and glad the wires responded to your stern talking to. It's an interesting and good looking model and even handles the sharp curves well with the long wheelbase. Hope it features in further videos. ✔
Another brilliant repair Bill, well done and I’m sure that will be well at home on your layout. A suggestion if I may, when replacing the flywheels you could make up a shim with a slot in it from varying thicknesses of plasticard to 2.5mm (or whatever) and then squeeze up to it, voila! TonyS
Excellent job done there. When I was boy I travelled from Kilmarnock to Troon on one of these contraptions. It had comfy seats but was so noisy you could hardly hear anyone's voice above the din.
The magic of your fingers does it again. I've a few Heljans in my collection that don't get run enough so when the sunshine of summer is out in full I will have to run them on my garden railway. Another good video to watch :0)
Four of the five types of Railbuses ended up in Scotland, AC Cars (5), Bristol / Eastern Coach Works (2), Park Royal (5), Waggon und Maschinenbau (5) (East Anglia only) & Wickham (5). I must admit it looked a bit of a nightmare with the taking part and refixing /rerouting of the wires in this model
Good Lord, what a performance! You're definitely into a class of servicing beyond what I'll attempt. And this certainly doesn't motivate me to consider buying a Heljan model, given that it seems the motors are very prone to burning out, and replacing them is a horrendous business. Though the only current Heljan model I'd consider would be the Beyer-Garratt, and I haven't seen any complaints about those failing, so far. I can well imagine that they might be hard to fix if they did fail.
@@beeble2003 operator error is something we rarely see mentioned on youtube. Most people would sooner erect the gallows for a manufacturer and convene the kangaroo court than dare admit they may be at fault for anything. You can see this most acutely with sam, strings up multiple manufacturers and models for issues likely born of his habit of running on the carpet, despite the instructions saying do not run this on the carpet it will mess it up.
Another fabulous display of unending patience and ingenuity. I just don't know how you do it Bill. These Heljan models certainly look nice but the way they are engineered is ridiculous, don't think I'll be investing in any.
Very very patient. I don't think I've the dexterity, never mind the skill, to tackle one of those! I like DMUs, and I know that's an accurate scale model, but I always think they look like they'll tip over if you brake too quick. Nice job.
Interesting work! Must admit this has got anything made by Heljan to the bottom of my wishlist! Models that aren’t that old and yet seem prone to problems and a nightmare to work on!
Oh no ive got 6 Heljan railbuses! One is still in bits(AC) with new motor courtesy Lendons of Cardiff who also fitted the flywheels off my old burnt out motor. Mine just stopped suddenly on DCC snd smoked. The decoder and motor were fried . Im having trouble getting it seated back in the chassis properly. Some wires are broken off the PCB and getting a wiring diagram is impossible. I was thinking about doing away with the poor lights and PCB anyway and hardwiring a decoder in. The nylon axle gear wheels have a tendency to split rendering the drive useless. Spares from Gaugemaster for these weren’t available last time i checked. I even emailed Heljan about that and their response was its an old model and they dont keep spares for it! Ive also got loads of other heljans at least 35 probably all with the underpowered motors and very heavy chassis block. If you muck about with this railbus and improve it let me know as only their W&M rail buses are nice runners Cheers
Hi bill, really enjoy your repairs on locos you’ve got a lot of patience for fiddly jobs quick question where do you get your WD -40 fast drying contact cleaner from I bought some from tool station it turn up not fast drying so I ordered some on Amazon two for one deal it turned up the same not fast drying when I question the seller they said it was the same as fast drying in a different labelled can so sent it back cheers Al
I bought some, identical to Bill's, from an ebay seller. Looks like here are now two types of cans available: it is possible that they have revamped the one Bill uses to have the house colours of blue and yellow, which is a very bad move as you might get the contact cleaner and oil mixed up!
warm up the flywheels before refitting. The expansion will increase the size of the hole helping it to slip on. also gently warm the flywheel just enough for it to expand but not heat the motorshaft and it will pull off easier. Another cracking good repair Bill. With the flywheels fitted but needing to be removed, try dipping the flywheel into a cup of boiling water just long enough to get the brass warming through. Seconds maybe. It should be enough to release the grip on the shaft. Similarly dip the flywheels in boiling water until they are as hot as the water, the push them on the shaft. It should work. Same principle used in basic engineering. Bearing housings where normally put on electric stoves to heat up so the bearings would drop in. Also bearing could be warmed enough to drop on shafts.
Actually I did do just that but it didn't make much difference. These were really really tight. I was loath to apply any serious heat because of the little shaft for the bearings but maybe should have especially for getting them pushed on to the new motor. Tricky design.
I work on models like that all the time. If you want fiddly try a Heljan BR/LNER 02 Tango. Tiniest wires ever on model and it uses a plug and socket connection between loco and tender and it's so easy to break the wires. Ayrshire is where I'm from, well Prestwick exactly. Emigrated to Oz in 1974.
could it be the motors are coreless and being blown with use of an older feedback controller, i blew 2 n gauge modern farish loco motors before realising it was my controller, now switched to gaugemaster controllers with no problems
How close are these New Models to being beyond economic repair. I prefer something that is straightforward to maintain and enjoy servicing them myself. The amount of motors that burnout is astonishing. Dragon Junction had one go in 10 seconds !
Whoever designed the railbus clearly wasn't bothered about anyone needing to do routine maintenance or fault finding. That was a ridiculously difficult job to swap the motor.
Modern models seem horribly complicated. Back in the day, Triang’s policy was deliberate : one screw got the body off and gave you access to everything…
To be honest.... if they had a better quality motor and thought out their fly wheel gear configuration better they'd be brilliant. But they haven't so..er...um....
My old Airfix kit version on a Lima chassis has suddenly regained favour! Well done on the repair - your patience with these overcomplicated locos is admirable
Your day job isn't a Surgeon by any chance! Your delicate touch on these modern and complicated locos is on another level altogether and makes amazing viewing. For me it becomes a reference point on how to tackle a repair and therefore a goldmine of information. Thank you for sharing and a brilliant well done
Surgeon? With my shakey hands?
'To Heljan and Back!' Like it! Another tricky repair handled well. Thanks Bill. Ran around Ayrshire but I don't remember it from when I was young!
Well done a very challenging repair. To Helljan and back is very apt!
Wow you really must have the patience of a saint, to tackle one of them railcars, is I said in my comment about the tiny wires that Heljan use are just nuts. Well done, always amazing how good you are at fixing model locos. Oh that's really nice of him...
Jings! we used to catch one of those from Stirling to Alloa (Swimming baths). It replaced the steamer and non corridor carriages with leather strap windows for a wee while, probably 1963/64 ? Was space age for us and you could see out the front..!! Rode a lot like a pacer..!! Went from the dead end platform at the north end of the station. Thought they were German built.?
David, you're thinking of the Waggon & Maschinenbau Railbus which was German Built, The one Bill just repaired was a similar Park Royal Railbus.
Wow, that was a fiddly job, almost surgical. Great to watch you magic it into shape and glad the wires responded to your stern talking to. It's an interesting and good looking model and even handles the sharp curves well with the long wheelbase. Hope it features in further videos. ✔
Good video hope you have lots of fun with the rail bus. You earned it with such a fiddly repair. Thanks for showing. Regards Paul.
Another brilliant repair Bill, well done and I’m sure that will be well at home on your layout. A suggestion if I may, when replacing the flywheels you could make up a shim with a slot in it from varying thicknesses of plasticard to 2.5mm (or whatever) and then squeeze up to it, voila!
TonyS
Very well done, yet again, Bill, you intrepid explorer!
Excellent job done there. When I was boy I travelled from Kilmarnock to Troon on one of these contraptions. It had comfy seats but was so noisy you could hardly hear anyone's voice above the din.
The magic of your fingers does it again. I've a few Heljans in my collection that don't get run enough so when the sunshine of summer is out in full I will have to run them on my garden railway. Another good video to watch :0)
Four of the five types of Railbuses ended up in Scotland, AC Cars (5), Bristol / Eastern Coach Works (2), Park Royal (5), Waggon und Maschinenbau (5) (East Anglia only) & Wickham (5). I must admit it looked a bit of a nightmare with the taking part and refixing /rerouting of the wires in this model
Another great video bill
Love watching your videos, and that was a real challenge, but you did it! What a nuts design! Well done!
Good Lord, what a performance! You're definitely into a class of servicing beyond what I'll attempt. And this certainly doesn't motivate me to consider buying a Heljan model, given that it seems the motors are very prone to burning out, and replacing them is a horrendous business. Though the only current Heljan model I'd consider would be the Beyer-Garratt, and I haven't seen any complaints about those failing, so far. I can well imagine that they might be hard to fix if they did fail.
Is it that Heljan motors are prone to burning out, or that the guy who sent them in is prone to burning out motors?
@@beeble2003 operator error is something we rarely see mentioned on youtube. Most people would sooner erect the gallows for a manufacturer and convene the kangaroo court than dare admit they may be at fault for anything.
You can see this most acutely with sam, strings up multiple manufacturers and models for issues likely born of his habit of running on the carpet, despite the instructions saying do not run this on the carpet it will mess it up.
Another fabulous display of unending patience and ingenuity. I just don't know how you do it Bill. These Heljan models certainly look nice but the way they are engineered is ridiculous, don't think I'll be investing in any.
Totally agree with you ,you would of thought for the price of this make they would be better, I wonder if Bill has thought of a jpb in bomb disposal
It's the Mainline saga all over again -- beautiful models, horrible mechanisms and inevitable failures.
Well done 👍. Fiddly in the extreme
Fantastic! Great looking loco on your layout.
I think you have earned it
Brutal Bill, well done, I've a piko and a liliput ho locomotive to service, I've been putting them off. One needs valve rods 😁
Very very patient. I don't think I've the dexterity, never mind the skill, to tackle one of those! I like DMUs, and I know that's an accurate scale model, but I always think they look like they'll tip over if you brake too quick. Nice job.
To,Hell yan back . Like it . Believe me if you can cope with that you can cope with anything !
Great video. You have the patience of a saint 🤪. Your skill is amazing and just keep calm.
Interesting work! Must admit this has got anything made by Heljan to the bottom of my wishlist! Models that aren’t that old and yet seem prone to problems and a nightmare to work on!
Oh no ive got 6 Heljan railbuses! One is still in bits(AC) with new motor courtesy Lendons of Cardiff who also fitted the flywheels off my old burnt out motor. Mine just stopped suddenly on DCC snd smoked. The decoder and motor were fried . Im having trouble getting it seated back in the chassis properly. Some wires are broken off the PCB and getting a wiring diagram is impossible. I was thinking about doing away with the poor lights and PCB anyway and hardwiring a decoder in. The nylon axle gear wheels have a tendency to split rendering the drive useless. Spares from Gaugemaster for these weren’t available last time i checked. I even emailed Heljan about that and their response was its an old model and they dont keep spares for it! Ive also got loads of other heljans at least 35 probably all with the underpowered motors and very heavy chassis block. If you muck about with this railbus and improve it let me know as only their W&M rail buses are nice runners
Cheers
Fantastic job mate.
Amazing Bill, my god you have some patience
Hi bill, really enjoy your repairs on locos you’ve got a lot of patience for fiddly jobs quick question where do you get your WD -40 fast drying contact cleaner from I bought some from tool station it turn up not fast drying so I ordered some on Amazon two for one deal it turned up the same not fast drying when I question the seller they said it was the same as fast drying in a different labelled can so sent it back cheers Al
I bought some, identical to Bill's, from an ebay seller. Looks like here are now two types of cans available: it is possible that they have revamped the one Bill uses to have the house colours of blue and yellow, which is a very bad move as you might get the contact cleaner and oil mixed up!
As long as it says "Contact Cleaner" on the tin it's the right stuff don't worry. WD are just playing product silly buggers.
@@oobill thanks bill 👍
warm up the flywheels before refitting. The expansion will increase the size of the hole helping it to slip on. also gently warm the flywheel just enough for it to expand but not heat the motorshaft and it will pull off easier. Another cracking good repair Bill. With the flywheels fitted but needing to be removed, try dipping the flywheel into a cup of boiling water just long enough to get the brass warming through. Seconds maybe. It should be enough to release the grip on the shaft. Similarly dip the flywheels in boiling water until they are as hot as the water, the push them on the shaft. It should work. Same principle used in basic engineering. Bearing housings where normally put on electric stoves to heat up so the bearings would drop in. Also bearing could be warmed enough to drop on shafts.
Actually I did do just that but it didn't make much difference. These were really really tight. I was loath to apply any serious heat because of the little shaft for the bearings but maybe should have especially for getting them pushed on to the new motor. Tricky design.
I work on models like that all the time. If you want fiddly try a Heljan BR/LNER 02 Tango. Tiniest wires ever on model and it uses a plug and socket connection between loco and tender and it's so easy to break the wires. Ayrshire is where I'm from, well Prestwick exactly. Emigrated to Oz in 1974.
Genius bill your a brave man 👏
could it be the motors are coreless and being blown with use of an older feedback controller, i blew 2 n gauge modern farish loco motors before realising it was my controller, now switched to gaugemaster controllers with no problems
Could be actually. But I have read that Heljans do have high current draw so I'd always treat them with restraint.
How close are these New Models to being beyond economic repair. I prefer something that is straightforward to maintain and enjoy servicing them myself. The amount of motors that burnout is astonishing. Dragon Junction had one go in 10 seconds !
nightmare repair Bill!
The man is a genius
great job just a shame you missed to put on the black wire protecter on the rebuild it ran up the side
Actually....the body was on and off a few times. It got put back on don't worry. Not everything makes the edit...
Possibly next time, a tall socket for cars. Rest it on the brass flywheel, then clamp/press the socket
.
Whoever designed the railbus clearly wasn't bothered about anyone needing to do routine maintenance or fault finding. That was a ridiculously difficult job to swap the motor.
had a heljan 47. got rid of it hated it
i`ve got the DRS Class 47 it must be 12/14 years old and its runs a treat ...strange how some are good and some are sods...
@@1tonyboat Some are obviously built on a Friday!
Just like the real thing. They were mechanical disasters and didn't last long in service. But we'll done for fixing it!
you need to shunt them back into the shed! get work and enjoying your channel thanks.
I don't think there is a model with the traction required!
Modern models seem horribly complicated. Back in the day, Triang’s policy was deliberate : one screw got the body off and gave you access to everything…
12:47. See if this actually works...😂😂😂😂😂
this should not burn out,these are 100 pounds plus loco,s,i find the quality to some of these loco,s not up to scratch.jpj
So glad that I only own one Heljan loco! What absolute crap!
To be honest.... if they had a better quality motor and thought out their fly wheel gear configuration better they'd be brilliant. But they haven't so..er...um....
There is no 'i' in Heljan. It's pronounced as it as spelt.
@ Paul Palmer :-The word Heljan is Danish . Their pronunciation of “Jan” is said as “yan” …….so technically it is said as Helyan !
Why bother with this overpriced rubbish. Thow it in the bin. Lifes too short.