Dapol or farish 66?

bbdave · January 27, 2012, 08:10:27 PM

I know this may upset the apple cart but is there a better one or are they equal?

Dave

edwin_m · January 27, 2012, 08:25:56 PM

A rather tricky question as the Dapol is at least two different models but the Farish are mechanically all the same.

The Farish was better than the original Dapol releases in several ways - more accurate chassis and usually better runners, and while the Farish is not easy to fit with a decoder (need to solder to the PCB) the early Dapols were well nigh impossible if you wanted the lights to work on DCC. The Dapol probably had a better bodyshell though, with etched grilles, though the very early Dapols were disfigured by a very oversized lamp iron.

As I hinted above, Dapol have followed their policy of continuous improvement and their latest versions have a much better chassis (mechanically and visually) and a DCC socket. The Farish is exactly the same, somewhat prone to split gears, but probably still wins on haulage capacity as it has more metal inside. So if you plan to get a Dapol, ask on here or elsewhere to find out whether it is original or later production.

OwL · January 27, 2012, 08:29:12 PM

Thanks Edwin_m, im looking at buying a 66 in DRS livery (Dapol) 66413 (ND069A), could you advise on if this is old or new?

Thanks

michael · January 27, 2012, 08:40:58 PM

not sure you'll get a deffinate answer, its like city v united! For whats its worth, Im usually a Dapol man but I really like the farish 66 I have a Freightliner one of each and the farish shade of green is far better.

edwin_m · January 27, 2012, 11:07:11 PM

Sorry I can't answer for the details of the Dapol ones but no doubt somebody else can.

Bikeracer · January 28, 2012, 12:00:28 AM

Having just bought a Dapol Class 26 and needing a new plastic baseplate because I knocked a buffer off,I enquired about a replacement and was informed that no spares are available for the Class 26 and there won't be any for many many months.

So it might be an idea to enquire about spares before deciding which one to buy.

Allan

findus · January 28, 2012, 02:11:36 AM

I have a few of each and both have had ther ups and downs with either electrics or gears giving up the ghost.
for load as said above GF for me wins and for looks the dapol. its such a hard question to answer and i went through this when i started.
I was lucky enough to come across a kato class 66, if you know kato you will know what im about to say... the best running trains in my opinion ever! they have the looks the load capacity and they just work from the moment you open the pack..

Just added another possible to your challenge. keep in mind the uk base for kato is not great so it might be a home paint job.

good luck

Mustermark · January 28, 2012, 02:32:07 AM

I am very happy with my small handful of Dapol 66s. But now I am about to search for a Kato one.

bbdave · January 28, 2012, 07:07:46 AM

I had heard about the gear splitting problem on the farish which concerns me a little, is it an easy fix or a complete pain to repair?.
It's colas livery i'm looking for is this old or new?, not yet DCC but sometime this year i think.

The Kato is 1-160 will that look vastly different against the 1-148 stock/locos?

Dave

kirky · January 28, 2012, 07:40:38 AM

I agree with findus, Dapol best for looks, Farish best for power.
I've had a couople of problems with each in my 21 strong 66 fleet. The Dapols has had a wires come loose, easy fix if you're ok with a soldering iron. The Farish one has had a couple of bogie towers (the gears) sieze up. Whether this is split gears or not I don't know. The gears have to be replaced by buying a new bogie, according to BR Lines. Last time I looked they were 20 quid a pop. I ended up buying a second hand 66 for spares.

Kirky

bbdave · January 28, 2012, 08:09:52 AM

Dapols are winning so far as the gear thing seems to be a manufacturing fault that'll cost to keep putting right (but still they sell them)? reminds me of BMWs alloy head saga.

Does any one know if the Dapol 66 is the new version? i've tried looking on there site but they don't list any 66s.

Dave

Chris · January 28, 2012, 08:45:38 AM

Both 66413 and Colas 66841 are Dapol's later DCC chassis. I have the Colas version and apart from one of the lighting wires breaking when transferring the lighting unit into one of my EWS 66 bodies this has been a nice runner. It will pull a full length intermodal with no problem, up to 16 wagons I've tried. Personally I prefer the Dapol version on looks, and my one experience of a Farish 66 was not a great one, but may have been an unlucky one-off. The older Dapol chassis are prone to pick-up problems, not helped by the chunky wheels.

Mustermark · January 28, 2012, 01:39:05 PM

Quote from: bbdave on January 28, 2012, 07:07:46 AM

The Kato is 1-160 will that look vastly different against the 1-148 stock/locos?

Thanks for that, i hadnt realized, that would rule them out. And i found out they are $200!!! Another good reason to stick with Dapol when you also consider the price of respaying it in EWS!

EtchedPixels · January 28, 2012, 09:59:46 PM

I would say Dapol, except the first batch non DCC ready ones

- better roof detail (most visible bit in N)
- socketed DCC not PCB soldering exam
- better price
- gears don't split (at least not yet.... fingers crossed!)

most of the Dapol ones also have the updated bogies which are almost as good as the Farish (its one are Farish wins).

Alan

Greybeema · January 29, 2012, 12:21:58 PM

I have two Farish and one (old chassis) Dapol. To be honest I prefer the running qualities of the Dapol. I dont know if it is geared lower but it hauls better at low speed. Trouble is I have just found out the price for convering to DCC... Think I might be buying to replace... Dapol rather than Farish...