Having returned to the hobby after a 25 year brake, I am looking to buy some new diesel engines for my new layout.
All my old stock is early Farrish, which I thought was the best at the time, however, I appreciate that things have moved on a little since then and I was wondering what other members experiences had been with different manufacturers.
The reason I ask is, that I was surprised to read on another forum, how many people had issues with various new units from day one.
Is it a case that they happened to purchase a bad one or is the problem more widespread and if so, what to steer clear of.
One chap had to return 4 engine until he found one with no problems, which sounds bad for a new item.
Prices don't seem hugely different between brands, all I'm looking for is reasonable detail and reliable running.
I would appreciate any advice other members might pass on.

Hi,

I have a number of new Dapol and Grafar locos and have never had any problems with any of them out of box (now grabbing the nearest piece of wood).  Different models have different running qualities but it does not appear to be related to the manufacturer. I have a niggle with the Dapol class 156 which use springs to transfer power from the wheel contacts to the motor, in that the springs readily deform, say after a derailment, and can loose contact, but they are easily replaced and it is otherwise a very good model. 

In my opinion however neither UK manufacturer comes close to the quality of models from Fleischmann. Its just a pity they do not make any UK based models

Robert.

Thanks for the reply Robert, is it spring loaded connectors in general do you think or just that particular model?

I agree in the main with Robert, I have had no real problems with any loco purchased from the 2 Main stream manufacturers, I think on the whole we get a fair deal some of the continental manufactures have a better quality record but their prices tend to reflect this.

After a 25 year break you will find that things have moved on *alot* !

In my experience most UK diesels are pretty reliably built these days. There's always a small percentage chance that you will get a sub standard runner - in which case just send it back to the retailer and ask for a replacement

Currently you're limited in the main to Farish and Dapol. I have many of each and find, despite lubrication of gears and worms, my Dapol diesels whine quite loudly whereas Farish ones don't make so much noise but are prone to suffering split gears. Dapol locos fitted with directional running lights seem to suffer loss of lighting. I do have some Farish diesels which are so quiet they whisper round the layout and I can only tell where they are by the sound of rolling stock clicking over points!

There have been significant issues with both manufacturers in the past. Farish have split gears, Dapol had very noisy motors, and while the 156 is a great model the pickups are a pain (this is AFAIK the only model to use springs on the bogies, rather than phosphor bronze wiper pickups)

However today things have improved a lot. Dapol's new quiet motors are really good. I have a  number of Cl86's and a newer 66 and the 56 and the motors are excellent.
The same is true for Farish. I have recently added 5 of their new 66's to my collection and all 5 have run perfectly out of the box. Also if you are interested in DCC, Farish have upgraded their 66 and 60 models to accept 6 pin plugs rather than having to solder stuff.

I would say buy with confidence, but try to avoid older models, especially second hand ones. Ask for advice on here for any particular loco that you are interested in.

Regards,

   John P

Don't forget Union Mills..... basic detailing, but sound runners.

Quote from: jpendle on September 26, 2016, 08:25:52 PM
I would say buy with confidence, but try to avoid older models, especially second hand ones. Ask for advice on here for any particular loco that you are interested in.

Regards,

   John P

Mash Can

By all means buy as the models nowadays look very nice and seem to run beautifully when they are running, but I would replace John's 'buy with confidence' to 'buy with some wariness'. There are many on this forum who consider that the number of Farish and Dapol loco failures is higher than what it should be or could be (Union Mills is excepted). It seems as if the manufacturing quality of particular loco models can be uneven. Certainly most loco purchases would appear to be fine, but you can be unlucky like me (2 duds out of 9 purchases). To minimise the impact of bad luck, I would make sure I had run in the loco well before the manufacturer's guarantee expires so the loco can be replaced if faulty.

Webbo

Hi Chaps,

Many thanks for your quick replies, some reassurances and sound advice given, I shall be looking at newer models and make sure they are run in properly before any guarantee expires.

Many thanks Brian

I had a Farish 57 which was dead out of the box, but that's the only one, out of 40 or so models. Farish sent me a replacement no questions asked, which has been faultless.

Agree that the most recent stuff from both is, in the main, very good indeed. I've had 2 Dapol 66s randomly stop working, a quick fettle hasn't revealed anything, but I'm sure they're recoverable.

The 153/156 spring pickups are a pain, but not common.

Just thought I would add some specific loco knowledge to this thread:

The early (original?) Farish Class 66 I have is EWS 66135 and it is at least as prone to split gears and my Poole built stuff. I wonder if this is because it was designed in Poole? Anyway, would avoid that model number and get newer chassis if possible.

Also, going the other way, my first batch release Farish Class 60 is Tripple Grey Petrolium "Charles Babbage" and it is a superb runner. It is silky smooth and near silent. I also ran a friends example of the same model this weekend and that was just the same. So even though this is not DCC plug and play (new Class 60 models are DCC ready as said above) it's a cracking chassis still.

Skyline2uk

Quote from: Mash Can on September 27, 2016, 09:38:03 AM
Many thanks for your quick replies, some reassurances and sound advice given, I shall be looking at newer models and make sure they are run in properly before any guarantee expires.

A good plan. Some model shops will even test run for you on request which will help weed out any obvious lemons. Out of a fleet of 20-ish models, I have had to return 3 shortly after purchase, 1 each from Farish, Dapol and Peco. The Farish loco was replaced by the shop while the Dapol and Peco locos were repaired under warranty by the manufacturer so in all cases there was no harm done.

Some people seem to be unlucky with one manufacturer or the other but that last time I asked Hattons, they informed me that the return rate for both Farish and Dapol was about the same at 5%.

My first loco didn't work at all which served me right for not having it tested at the shop before purchase. The replacement (a Farish class 47) has put in nearly 3 years of striling service now! Every other Farish loco has been perfect out of the box and of the two Dapol steamers I've had, the Terrier let me down and the Schools runs wonderfully.

So what does this tell you? Not a lot!

Everyone's got a different story and those with no-functioning/defective locos will usually say something whereas those with locos which are fine might never type a single thing about their lovely runners - they might not even bother to go onto the internet to find a friendly N gauge forum!

Buy new for the time being for that warranty/ability to send it back. As you grow in confidence, secondhand isn't at all bad and might give you the chance to buy something you are less precious about to open up and tinker with if you're so inclined.

Have fun in your new N gauge forays.

Quote from: newportnobby on September 26, 2016, 08:23:30 PM
I do have some Farish diesels which are so quiet they whisper round the layout and I can only tell where they are by the sound of rolling stock clicking over points!

Sounds a very good excuse to go to DCC and sound Mick.