New run of the Dapol 9F announced

[LASteve]

Does anyone know if there's room in the tender for a speaker along with the decoder? I've not had a gander inside a Dapol tender before.

[Capri_sam]

Does anyone know if there's room in the tender for a speaker along with the decoder? I've not had a gander inside a Dapol tender before.

It's been done!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AJ1XK8S7u8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5iP2to2DJQ

[LASteve]

Thanks! I wonder if it was relatively easy or if Paul had to do some grinding and cutting? I have a sound-fitted CL33 which I bought from him, he does a great job.

[Southerngooner]

The spec says "heavy diecast chassis" - is this what the old model had?

Dave

[Chris Morris]

It does need more weight over the driving wheels if possible.

92079 is an interesting choice as this loco became the Lickey Banker when it was a few months old. She spent a large part of her life carrying Big Bertha's lamp on her smoke box. She also had a section of the near side tender side top cut out to help coaling at Bromsgrove. I wonder if someone will be offering a 3D printed lamp for this loco. It would make for an interesting version.

[Chris Morris]

I would have the Maunsell coaches in BR green would have been more suitable for the Somerset & Dorset as the Southern Region provided a lot of the coaches used on the S&D. From the photos I have the Pines Express seemed to be mostly Stanier coaches which of course is no good for Dapol. Greeley coaches were seen on some workings.

Nevertheless it's good to see Dapol proposing a train pack as these are good for new starters. Farish seem to have stopped doing sets completely at the moment.

[Bigmac]

i think--in the youtube review of several versions--the reviewer said the earlier versions were heavier than the later ones.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNxfOYIB51M

[N_GaugeModeller]

Does anyone know if there's room in the tender for a speaker along with the decoder? I've not had a gander inside a Dapol tender before.

It quite an easy conversion, have a gander at the guide over on YouChoos website, basically the speaker sits were the decoder now sits, removing the plastic slope and the new decoder sits on top of the motor.  A nice quick conversion as conversions go.

NGM

[Dr Al]

Evening Star's been done twice before - once as a Collectors Club exclusive and again as a general release model in weathered condition.

There was a general release in the second batch of 9Fs (with finer wheels than the first batch, sprung front bogie, though with the same original style motor) as catalogue number ND-090, which wasn't a club edition (I have one bought new, never been a club member).

The weathered release was much later, with super creep style motor, and seems surprisingly uncommon - either it was very popular, or they didn't make too many.

Cheers,
Alan

[Steven B]

I thought ND-090 was the Club model. The 2008 catalogue lists 9Fs starting with catalogue number ND-090a. There's no mention of Evening Star.

2S-013-003 was the weathered Evening Star which appeared in the 2014/15 catalogue.

Steven B.

[Dr Al]

Definitely available as a general release - I recall it, and I bought one, as I also bought 92233 at the same time (as the 2nd releases were so much better than the first batch with their steamroller wheels and missing pickups)!

Hattons has some good pics from their original listing at the time, including of box with catalogue number:
https://www.hattons.co.uk/stocklistdatabase/23446/dapol_nd090_class_9f_evening_star_2_10_0_92220_br_green_with_late_crest_br1g_tender_double_/stockdetail.aspx

The black painted valve gear is also unique to the first/second batch models - anything later had gunmetal painted gear - this will be a good way to telling them apart from the forthcoming release on the secondhand market going forward.

Cheers,
Alan

[ntpntpntp]

Yep, got my ND-090 sitting in its box right in front of me, bought brand new from a trader at TINGS for £89

[Roy L S]

The spec says "heavy diecast chassis" - is this what the old model had?

Dave

I am pretty sure the chassis was plastic and often went banana shaped, but I also recall that in a Dapol catalogue it erroneously referred to them having metal chassis sometime later and I wonder if it is just a lift and drop of the spec that was there.

I guess the best person to ask is @Dr Al of this parish who has doubtless has his hands on examples from each production run.

Roy

[LASteve]

It quite an easy conversion, have a gander at the guide over on YouChoos website ...

Thanks, I should have looked there first! John Gymer's the font of all knowledge for sound fitting as far as I'm concerned!

[Dr Al]

I am pretty sure the chassis was plastic and often went banana shaped, but I also recall that in a Dapol catalogue it erroneously referred to them having metal chassis sometime later and I wonder if it is just a lift and drop of the spec that was there.

Yes, correct.

The batches were as follows:

Batch 1 - wide deep flanged wheels, no spring bogie, missing front pickups (also promised in the pre-release adverts), Tomix style motor, black rods.
Batch 2 - finer profile wheels, sprung front bogie, front driver pickups, Tomix style motor, black rods
Batch 3 onwards - finer profile wheels, sprung front bogie, front driver pickups, super creep motor, gunmetal rods.

All had plastic chassis, and the later batch 3+ models are more variable, I've seen a number with badly bowed chassis so that they see-saw on central drivers. Can be corrected, but shows that either the tooling had wear or those batches weren't well moulded. One to watch out for on new runs.

I've seen no evidence of any weight difference between batches, though haven't honestly been looking for it.

Cheers,
Alan