Dapol B set coaches - changing wheels question.

[carlwooduk]

A head of my layouts appearance at TINGS I want to run my  B set coaches into my platform; uncouple, get The loco to run round  so it can take the B set back up the branch. A simple plan but.............
The Dapol original wheels are somewhat small my estimate is 5mm. I have fitted Dapol NEM pockets to my b set coaches  to fit the uncoupling sets  and the pin is way too low and cannot be fitted to the bogie any higher; so the solution appears to be bigger wheel sets.
The New Bachman Farish 7mm coach wheels are on axles that are markedly longer than Dapol axles.
So I have a choice and wonder what route anyone else has taken?

1. File down farish axles on their 7mm coach wheel sets?
2. Get Parkside dundas 7mm wheel sets. Are the axles as long as farish?
3. Any other ideas?
Cheers
Carl

[CliveH]

Carl,

I've just fitted EP / Ultima Commonwealth bogies to some of my GF Mk1s and initially tried to re-use the original wheels as suggested. I don't know about the axle length of the earlier GF coaches for which the bogie was designed, but the axles of the current wheels were just that smidge too long, so I used EP/Ultima 7mm wheels instead, and they're perfect, as you'd expect. I did measure the axles at the time, and the GF ones are 0.2mm longer. Just measured some Dapol coach wheels to compare.

Dapol - axle 15.2 - wheel 6.6
GF - 15.3 - 7.4
EP - 15.1 - 7.2

I'd try the EP or PD wheels long before putting a file to the GF ones.

Cheers

Clive

[Izzy]

I don't know about the Dapol B set, but other Dapol GWR coaches I have had - some Colletts - had the standard undersized small 6mm wheels, (as have most N gauge coaches until the more recent Bachmann/Farish offerings to allow for the oversized wheel flanges), and it usually isn't possible to fit larger diameter wheels. I did try it with the Colletts but they then sat far too high, and the wheels rubbed on the underside of the underframe. Dapol coaches seem to have deeper underframes to disguise the undersized wheels

The latest Farish coaches with correct sized 7mm wheels - most modern BR stock passed the original BR MK1 coaches have smaller diameter wheels anyway - have the underframe moulded to give clearance for the wheel rims.

Izzy

[johnlambert]

I used Dapol's NEM conversion kit and fitted magnetic couplings.  Looking at them I appear to have converted the two outer bogies slightly differently.

On one the vertical face of the old coupling spring mounting remains and I had to trim a little plastic from the NEM pocket to clear the buffer beam.

On the other the pocket is set further back to clear the buffer beam.

I thought I had some photos but I can't find them at the moment.

[Karhedron]

Hi Carl,

I think the trip pin on the Dapol couplers is just an interference fit so you may be able to raise it with a pair of pliers and a strong grip. I know I have adjusted the angle on mine so it might be worth trying to see if you can adjust the height too.