tale of two locos

kenbury · July 30, 2016, 07:54:10 PM

today i bought two new locos one farish 64xx and one dapol schools s r livery . the farish 64xx ran well straight from the box, the dapol loco would not run without derailing on curves on both tracks which are 2nd and 3rd radius peco set track , the loco jams and bends motion which means i can only run it on my test track.the net result of this means is the last dapol loco i will buy

austinbob · July 30, 2016, 08:15:33 PM

As I understand it the thing that causes the bogie wheels to jam with the valve gear is the derailment.
Running on curves less than Radius 2 will likely cause a derailment which is why Radius 2 is specified by Dapol as the minimum radius.
There are, however, other things that may cause the loco to derail such as, track not flat, track joints uneven, curved track sections not properly lined up causing an uneven curve.
Some locos are very tolerant of such faults and others aren't. Worth checking track laying I would think.
In any event, if the Schools loco has failed whilst sticking to all the recommendations then send it back for warranty replacement.
If you look on other threads here such as http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=6606.0 you will find there are far more happy rather than unhappy customers for this loco.

kenbury · July 30, 2016, 09:38:49 PM

hi i have 100 plus locos which all run on my track, any loco that self destructive on a simple derailment is poor design planning

Pengi · July 30, 2016, 09:51:50 PM

you are having problems with your Schools. I would suggest that you return it to Dapol for replacement.

Dorsetmike · July 30, 2016, 09:52:35 PM

Have you removed the small piece of plastic which is loose between the loco and tender, if not that will cause derailment on just about any curve, don't know what its purpose is.

I hardly think comparing a Farish pannier - simple 0-6-0 tank - no valve gear with the Dapol Schools is really fair.

There is quite a long thread discussing the Schools, the more recent posts cover problems and cures.

http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=6606.msg395633

Newportnobby · July 30, 2016, 10:11:24 PM

Quote from: Dorsetmike on July 30, 2016, 09:52:35 PM
Have you removed the small piece of plastic which is loose between the loco and tender, if not that will cause derailment on just about any curve, don't know what its purpose is.

Given the radii curves you have I would say this is the most simple explanation. This sliver of plastic is, I believe, to keep loco and tender in line during transit

austinbob · July 30, 2016, 10:32:05 PM

Quote from: newportnobby on July 30, 2016, 10:11:24 PM
Quote from: Dorsetmike on July 30, 2016, 09:52:35 PM
Have you removed the small piece of plastic which is loose between the loco and tender, if not that will cause derailment on just about any curve, don't know what its purpose is.

Given the radii curves you have I would say this is the most simple explanation. This sliver of plastic is, I believe, to keep loco and tender in line during transit

Good thought NN. Although I would have thought if the user had read the instructions they would have known the packing piece has to be removed.
I'm not entirely sure but I think the packing piece is there to reduce the possibility of the tender dropping down from the loco body whilst unpacking the loco. This would cause the cardan shaft to disconnect.

kenbury · July 31, 2016, 08:57:27 PM

hi i read instructions and removed packing piece from loco /tender before running my schools loco, my real concern is the self destructive property to the valve gear from a simple derailment

austinbob · July 31, 2016, 09:04:34 PM

Quote from: kenbury on July 31, 2016, 08:57:27 PM
hi i read instructions and removed packing piece from loco /tender before running my schools loco, my real concern is the self destructive property to the valve gear from a simple derailment

As suggested before, if your loco is as bad as you indicate then send it back under warranty. My two Schools are great if you follow Dapol recommendations.
Best Dapol locos I have.

austinbob · July 31, 2016, 10:26:59 PM

Quote from: Crooked Spire on July 31, 2016, 09:51:22 PM
@kenbury

Check this post on the Dapol Digest. It seems a few other people are having the same issue.

https://digest.dapol.co.uk/forum/schools/project-managers-blog-ad/463-n-schools-opening-post?p=1797#post1797

Emphasis on 'a few people'. Dapol have clearly stated in the thread indicated in this quote that they will replace locos that have the problem. So why not just send the loco back?

Byegad · August 01, 2016, 02:08:58 PM

I know how you feel kenbury. I have bought 3 9Fs over the years.
The first one derailed the pony truck, the tender or the driving wheels at random on anything but a straight track and went back.
The second, fitted with the 'new improved' pony truck constantly derailed the pony truck, so I fiddled a fix involving it looking like a 2-10-0 but running as a 0-10-0 by lifting the pony truck wheels clear of the track and removing the centre axle on the tender. It now runs very well.
The third one bought with the expectations of a similar fiddle/fudge ran pretty well straight from the box, but suffered intermittent pony truck derailments. This I cured by re-setting the pitifully narrow back to back on the pony truck with a back to back gauge. It now tackles my layout faultlessly.
A Britannia bought a few weeks ago went straight back as it too derailed at random.

I have 85 locos from a half dozen manufacturers and they all run on my layout faultlessly, this includes a couple of Minitrix 9Fs, a German class 50 2-10-0 tender locomotive, a German 0-10-0 tank locomotive, a German 2-10-2 tank locomotive. and a new to me Minitrix Britannia bought off eBay when I returned the Dapol Britannia.

I have a Dapol Valanced A4 on pre-order and give it a no more than 25% chance of being a keeper. Simply put this is unacceptable and the only reason I keep trying with Dapol is the 30 day distance selling returns policy.