Hi all, I need to benefit from others experience.

I got a DCC fitted Dapol loco for Christmas (won't say which one at the mo, but its a diesel). It has been running in for about 4hrs ,in each direction, but is showing no signs of settling down. It surges and stutters on straight track, yet goes like a good un' around the curves, it refuses to crawl and will randomly stop anywhere if going slowly, also I noticed the wheels spark when going over points.

This is the first Dapol loco I've owned and have never had any of the above problems with my Farish locos. So I just wondered if, in others experience, Dapols take a bit more running in?  I hope this is the case because it is a superb model in all other aspects.

Cheers Ian

In my opinion this is a simple case of sending it back to the shop it was bought from, even if that means going through whoever bought it as a present for you.

Manufacturers should not expect us to accept items that do not work well straight out of the box, and we need to exercise our consumer rights in such situations as this to ensure that manufacturers are aware of all faults in their creations. If we do not the shoddy and the badly built will continue to appear in the marketplace.

Some running in is always necessary of course, but would you allow the same leeway to the manufacturer if it was your new car?

If it hasn't sorted itself out after 4 hours of running-in then it's not going to do so. The sparking is a particular concern. I'd return it.

Quote from: daffy on January 07, 2017, 11:01:15 AM

Manufacturers should not expect us to accept items that do not work well straight out of the box, and we need to exercise our consumer rights in such situations as this to ensure that manufacturers are aware of all faults in their creations. If we do not the shoddy and the badly built will continue to appear in the marketplace.

Absolutely. I was beginning to think I was the only miserable so and so who thought this way.
If its not right send it back.

Yup, send it back.

Sounds like it's either drawing too much current, or not picking up on all the wheels it should pick up on meaning sparking when the one or two wheels that are delivering power lose contact momentarily.

Cheers,
Alan

Thanks for the replies guys.

This now on its way back to Liverpool after ringing them up. Very efficiently dealt with, many thanks to them.

I gave it one last chance this morning after posting and realised it was also getting quite hot after not much running. So I'm suspecting something out of true in the motor which would explain stalling, low speed stuttering and heat.

Hope the replacement is a good un

Just to clear up. I received my replacement loco 5 days after posting the old one back, and this one is a whole lot better, nice and quiet and good low speed too.

Many thanks to Hattons for a fantastic turn around, very helpful and no quibbles.

If any one was wondering it was a class 33 DCC fitted

I reckon Hattons must be sending out a fair few replacement 33s, I've just sent mine back.

Without investigating the cost of an oval of Kato track you may find a rolling road is OK for running in locos. The only drawback for me is that I like to run new locos through points so unless you put a point or two into the oval.............

http://www.directtrainspares-burnley.co.uk/page23.html

Quote from: Herzel on January 21, 2017, 02:50:41 PM

Thank you for that hint! The pictures don't give an idea of how the units are wired to a controller but presumably that won't be difficult. I'd need two at least.

They're not wired at all. You sit the cradles on a piece of straight track that is wired to the controller.


Paul

On the other hand, running in on track which has curves will give you a better idea of whether the loco has problems with curves, it's not unknown. And like NN says, points too. Basically imagine you're doing the manufacturer's quality control testing.

"Imagine" ??


Paul

I thought that's what we all ways do.
Then the second release have all the faults we point out put right BUT even more faults to find .
I think we should be paid as the development team.
One day we WILL get a model from the big boys, that's a good runner straight out of the box, well I can dream can't I.
So far I think the only British outline models that do run out of the box and don't even NEED running in are Union Mills Models which are from a one man cottage industry on the Isle of Man so he has total control of the design ,build and testing of every model,unfortunately that's something the big boys can't do.
Bob