Heljan Class 14 today, the 2018 bach.

[gppsoftware]

An update: Heljan tell me that I have to wait for the new run of class 14's in early 2022 to be able to get a replacement gear as this is when new gears will be made.

None of the regular suppliers of spares, including those authorised past and present have any of the gear I need.

Meantime, the loco sits dismantled in a tray...

[Bigmet]

And another 'meantime'.

This may be no indicator whatsoever, but in the latest episode of Hornby's 'televisual treat' series currently showing in the UK, a class 14 was getting the attention of the sound recording team. As we all know well, teams go out and measure all sorts of railway items with the data 'banked' against the future, and this may well by now also apply to taking sound recordings when locos are available to run, and accessible for the recording crew.

[D605Eagle]

An update: Heljan tell me that I have to wait for the new run of class 14's in early 2022 to be able to get a replacement gear as this is when new gears will be made.

None of the regular suppliers of spares, including those authorised past and present have any of the gear I need.

Meantime, the loco sits dismantled in a tray...

If you can measure the overall diameter,number of teeth, plus the diameter of the hole, I'm sure you can buy a bag of them from china for next to nothing. I tried replacing all the gears in the drive train of Lima locos to alter the gearing to make them work better with CD motors, and I could buy all the sizes I wanted. These gears look like they are probably sourced by Heljan from the same sort of sources that these suppliers get them from.

[gppsoftware]

An update: Heljan tell me that I have to wait for the new run of class 14's in early 2022 to be able to get a replacement gear as this is when new gears will be made.

None of the regular suppliers of spares, including those authorised past and present have any of the gear I need.

Meantime, the loco sits dismantled in a tray...

If you can measure the overall diameter,number of teeth, plus the diameter of the hole, I'm sure you can buy a bag of them from china for next to nothing. I tried replacing all the gears in the drive train of Lima locos to alter the gearing to make them work better with CD motors, and I could buy all the sizes I wanted. These gears look like they are probably sourced by Heljan from the same sort of sources that these suppliers get them from.

Thanks D605, yes that is a possibility.
I think the challenge will be that that the gear is actually two gears of different sizes in a back-to-back arrangement. Getting the right combination might be a challenge.
Quite why they even have gear sizes unique to a model is beyond me. One would have thought that the gears would be shared with at least one other loco in their range ? On the other hand, maybe this is 'made in China' where every model is different because it comes from different suppliers.

[Mountain]

............................................... it waggles all over the place (not a normal simple side to side) and clicks like the jack shaft is catching the con rods. It probably is because there is SO much end float in the middle axles.

Looks nice, runs bad.
Game over.

I seem to recall this was one of the issues with the original release, but fixable but then why should we have to? When are manufacturers going to stop corrupting scale models by making them run on R2 curves? They destroy the enthusiast model market for the sake of trainset followers. R1 and R2 should have been shown the door when Margate production closed down.

The real question is "Why are the manufacturers still producing 4mm scale models on 16.5mm gauge width rails with tension lock couplings sticking out either end and calling them "Accurate scale models?""

[Mountain]

An update: Heljan tell me that I have to wait for the new run of class 14's in early 2022 to be able to get a replacement gear as this is when new gears will be made.

None of the regular suppliers of spares, including those authorised past and present have any of the gear I need.

Meantime, the loco sits dismantled in a tray...

That is sad.

The one thing our hobby really needs right now is a small manufacturer concentrating on producing a whole range or replacement gears for models.

[gppsoftware]

Latest news from Heljan is that the factory in China who was going to be making the new batch of class 14's and a number of other models closed permanently at the beginning of the year. Apparently, a new factory will be found by the end of this year.

I therefore wouldn't expect the new batch of class 14's and the spares to be around much before Christmas 2022, if not, just after.

Looks like my £110 pile of Heljan class 14 junk is going to be sitting in a tray on the work bench for most of this year...

[Bigmet]

... When are manufacturers going to stop corrupting scale models by making them run on R2 curves? They destroy the enthusiast model market for the sake of trainset followers. R1 and R2 should have been shown the door when Margate production closed down.

The real question is "Why are the manufacturers still producing 4mm scale models on 16.5mm gauge width rails ... and calling them "Accurate scale models?""

The technical answers to all this are very simple, as anyone that has experience of P4 and P87 can confirm. Make an accurate model to a true scale/gauge ratio, and inevitably the same geometry that defines minimum curve radius of the prototype requires the scale equivalent of those radii on the layout. For 4mm, the minimum curve radius to definitely enable any UK prototype to run is 1.6m / 5.25 feet, equivalent 6 chains on the prototype. (That's about R19 in UK set track terms!)

Bear in mind this minimum radius is the type found in cramped city terminals which steam locos inched around 'dead slow' with much grunting and flange squeal; and in UK practise, any curve of 10 chains or under used to operate passenger services must have a check rail, so really you want 2.6m radius curves as the minimum for plain track without a check rail. (These radius figures may be reduced by 12.5% for P87.)

And just in case: while HO offers a true scale/ratio, larger UK steam models end up distorted in the width dimension, which usually ends up scaling at 1:76, and are visibly inaccurate as a result. The better compromise of gauge narrowing was well chosen, best part of a century ago. (Had the UK been all D&E twin bogie traction at that time, HO would have been practical with few compromises, mainly undersize diameter wheels; and with modern mechanism parts and wheel standards, practically dead scale would now be achievable.

The commercial answer in respect of OO is 'that's where the money is in the UK'.

Latest news from Heljan is that the factory in China who was going to be making the new batch of class 14's and a number of other models closed permanently at the beginning of the year. Apparently, a new factory will be found by the end of this year...

Delivery of goods within 2 years of commencing the search for a new supplier would be good going IMO