Dogfish

[BromsMods]

Just a note of warning, especially for those using DCC systems (although it also applies to those using DC!)- I have just put a dogfish wagon on a piece of test track and it shorts out the system. It looks as though they have used non-insulated wheelsets! I have emailed Heljan and await their reply tomorrow.

Regards

John R
Bromsgrove Models

[Quentin]

John,

Which model number dogfish are you using? I've got three Heljan 4090 Dogfish DB993634 Engineers Olive Green on my DCC layout, and aside from having to fit new couplings as the original ones were way too low and sat completely underneith all of the hornby / bachmann style couplings on any of my other rolling stock, they run fine and don't cause me any problems. Fitting the new couplings wasn't too tricky either as the wagons do have NEM pockets.

BTW, for anyone interested, while trying to find the model number (since I couldn't find it on the bottom of the wagon), I came across an interesting thread in another forum talking about these wagons and their liveries and years they were used etc: http://www.modelgeeks.com/Uwe/Forum.asp ... an-Dogfish

Regards

Quentin.

[Mike Parkes]

The problem is with the recent sets not the earlier individual wagons
4095 Pack of 4 Dogfish ballast wagons 'Dutch' Engineers grey
4096 Pack of 4 Dogfish ballast wagons Engineers olive green

[Ironduke]

that is odd, though. Where do you even get non insulated wheel sets? They'd be of almost no use to anyone wouldn't they?

[Mike Parkes]

that is odd, though. Where do you even get non insulated wheel sets? They'd be of almost no use to anyone wouldn't they?

Apparently the factory that makes them also does Marklin 3-rail products which use uninsulated wheel sets. The latest Heljan dogfishs had them fitted by mistake.

[chris101]

When was the gulf red livery used, was this used to indicate anything in particular, or was it just another colour scheme?
Thanks,

Chris

[Bigmet]

It was applied between 1960 and 1962 to engineering department stock. It faded badly to strange oranges and pinks which is probably why it was so rapidly discontinued. From 48 - 60 the standard colour was black which faded to grey, after 62 olive drab. Sometime or other later on other colours were used. In the middle sixties vehicles in all three liveries could be seen, and where drop doors or sides were a feature of a wagon, even different colours on the same vehicle. All typically covered in a ton of filth, rust and chalk scrawls.

[chris101]

Many thanks, thats cleared that up! When was the grey with yellow stripe engineers livery first applied, 1984?