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I have two and they both run quite slowly and smoothly at fairly low speed on D.C..
The terriers are quite heavy for a small loco which means they have pretty good pulling power.
Using PWM is not usually advised for N gauge motors.

I had one a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, it would stall at low-medium speeds on my Peco large radius electrofrog points going round the curved part. Since this was my main line, such stalling was unacceptable so I sold it on.

A pity, because it is a gorgeous looking little locomotive.

Webbo

I've often thought of acquiring one because of it's looks. As Webbo says, it's a lovely little locomotive.

I'd also have to agree with austinbob that PWM is not a good idea.

I have four Terriers because they are my favourite loco. Two of them are ok over points the other two stutter a bit, I suspect it's the wheel pick ups.

They are quite difficult to work on because of their small size, the body attaches to the chassis with plastic clips which can easily be broken. For that reason I haven't tried to adjust the pick ups.

If you can find a shop that has a decent test track with points you can test before buying.

I agree with the others about the importance of the correct controller for newer  N gauge motors.

We have a huge discussion on DCC on this forum, please use the search function.

I have quite a few Terriers, which I run on my Langston Bridge layout. I use the Bachmann/Farish DC controller that comes with their train sets, but is often sold quite cheaply on eBay by various people. I find this a most excellent controller, and it operates my Terriers right down to a crawl. The key to good Terrier running is very clean track and clean wheels. I've found I have to clean the track much less often after I applied a very sparing coat of Electrolube contact cleaner. Once in a while you get a poorly constructed Terrier, and there is nothing to be done other than to send it back for replacement.

I agree about the controller, I also use the basic Bachmann controller and have found it very good indeed. They are easy to find on eBay as people quite often split them from train sets.

I didn't realise the importance of controllers until a few years ago, I had an old Arnold controller which seemed fine for my older Farish locos but newer purchases were running jerkily, the change the Bachmann controller made was remarkable.

Hi

I improved the running and pulling power of my Terrier by the addition of some lead in a hole on underside of chassis and the addition of a small slice of lead in the cab and two metal crew members. I use a Vortrak DC controller and with the described set-up the Terrier can run over setrack and other points at slow speed while pulling 11 wagons.

Cheers

Mac

I have 2 terriers bought solely as the will run on my very tight curves, subject to not connecting certain long wheelbase vehicles to the bunker end.

The 1st ran perfectly straight out of the box and continues to do so subject to occasional cleaning and oiling. The second performs well buts has virtually no pickup from the rear axle causing stalling at times. Not unusual for modern locos to have pick-ups not working unfortunately.

Maximum haulage capacity around a Kato oval with 183mm curves is 2 Dapol Maunsell coaches and 5 wagons. Adequate for my needs.

Dodger

I, like Sillymoo, have 4 terriers. I love them and mine pull quite a bit more than two coaches. I will say that they need to be properly run in and oiled, as I tried doing a short run in and split a gear on the first real load with my newest one. -Philip

I've got one with wheels that go out of quarter on occasions, they can be carefully readjusted by hand.

I am amazed that Dapol have managed to make such a small loco. Another really 'cute' loco is the Minitrix Glaskasten.

How do the Terriers handle Peco ST-5 and ST-6 turnouts? I have very few running issues on my railway but those points sure do cause a few stalls for locos with short wheelbases. A terrier would be a nice addition to my Southern fleet I recently bought a M7 and am still tinkering to reduce the springiness of the pony truck, I am simply amazed by how good these Terriers sound at running!

Quote from: silly moo on January 31, 2017, 04:23:29 PM
I've got one with wheels that go out of quarter on occasions, they can be carefully readjusted by hand.

I am amazed that Dapol have managed to make such a small loco. Another really 'cute' loco is the Minitrix Glaskasten.

I've got one that has dodgy quartering. How do you readjust it?

The wheels move on their axles so if you are careful you can twist them into the right position. It is a fault on the Terrier model, later models have square ends on the axles that slot into a square opening at the centre of the wheel. This ensures they don't go out of alignment.

Some people have permanently attached the axles to the wheels with superglue but I didn't want to risk doing that. It could end in tears  :'(

You need to be careful when cleaning their wheels and must not push a stalled loco along the track.