DAPOL - YOUR THOUGHTS ?

[johnlambert]

If you want a low cost Dapol loco the best bet is to get along to a show where Dapol has a stand.  I picked up a LNER B1 and Network South East class 121 at TINGS last year at relatively low cost (£45 each from memory); at Warley I bought an Ixon Manor for about the same; this year's TINGS saw another good selection of bargains (even if you had to brave assault by rucksack to get them).

On the whole I've been impressed with the Dapol models I've bought.  Some items are showing their age (the Collett coaches would benefit from a re-design to incorporate close coupling and flush glazing).  I've been lucky (perhaps) to only have one poorly performing Dapol loco; doing a rough count that's one out of nine Dapol locos, which is about the same as the ratio of duff Bachman Farish locos I've had.

I also admire how open Dapol has been with the development of its new models.  It will be interesting to see if the sharing of CAD models for review on certain web forums will continue now Dave Jones has moved on.  As far as I'm aware no other manufacturer has given such an insight into the progress of its new models and done its best to use the feedback to make the models more accurate.

[PLD]

My first thought on Dapol is that their entry to the N Gauge market was the best thing to happen to the scale in the last 20 years, not necessarily for the models they produced but in that it gave Farish some competition - having two (or more) major players in the market stops a sole manufacturer becoming complacent and keeps up the pace of development.

On Dapol's performance, I think they've had some major successes - B17, Class 26, HSTs, but there have been a few issues - some of the early locos  e.g .Prairie, Ivatt were eratic performers and the B1 didn't quite match the Farish version in appearance.
They have also been responsible for some inovations such as the auto-couplings and signals (OK they're not a match for a scratchbuilt finescale model but are the first ready to use motorised examples)
They have however let themselves down a little at times with daft things such as the variability of colours on the mk3s and the pale grey wheels on some steam locos.

Their communication is 'different' to other manufacturers. At times I've been impressed by the openness but at others i've thought "did he really just say that" when I've read comments by their spokesman...

Overall peoples impressions of the company is 'Marmite': There are very vocal comentators for whom they can do nothing right whereas others believe they can do no wrong and it seems in some circles you have to be either 'For' or 'Against' which I find strange...

Paul

[The Cuckoo]

Class 142 Pacer units due mid 2014 now.Ollie spoke to Joel from Dapol on saturday at TINGS.He told him the CAD's had been approved and were waiting for a slot to make the engineering prototypes which then have to be approved followed by decorated samples then to full production.

Pete

It seems like we have been waiting an eternity for the 142! I really do hope its worth the wait. I could be mistaken but haven't some retailers been taking deposits on this item for a while now.

[Elvinley]

After owning many Dapol and Farish locos I think I have a pretty balanced view of both manufacturers products. I have found that there are generally less failures from new with Farish locos but there are still some quality control issues. New release Dapol and Farish diesels are pretty much on a par but steam is a different area.

Here are some Dapol steam observations:

Dapol valve gear is extremely delicate and is made from very thin metal, therefore any issues with any part of the valve gear can cause everything to get damaged.

Dapol A4s and A3s have moulded buffers rather than separately fitted ones which are very prone to damage if not treated extremely carefully. These buffers, especially on the A3s are very crude in appearance as are the banjo domes. Compare a Dapol A3 with a Farish A1 and the difference is pretty huge.

Dapol liveries are often an incorrect shade.

Details such as whistles are plastic rather than turned metal.

Dapol motors always run warm / hot from new but this tends to settle down. Dapol steam locos generally need hours of running in.

Dapol 2884s, A4s and A3s are generally very noisy from new but do settle down and are improved by adding weight etc.

I have owned 6 A4s. Half have been faulty, the others are very good models. The faults were: Out of gauge driving wheels, screeching and valve gear falling apart. One of the good ones did have an issue with the speedo cable coming adrift and was fixed by DCC Supplies.

I found the new Q1 to have pickup problems and got through quite a few before I found a good one and this was only after DCC Supplies looked at it. There was resistance in the loco pickups so the loco would slow down over points.

Over the years I have had issues with Dapol and Farish so I am not against Dapol and I think some of their models are excellent. So far the new A3 I bought from TINGS in BR blue is a great runner and was quiet and smooth straight away.

I am also a member of the Nthusiast club.

Cheers,
Ian.

[silly moo]

My replacement MBU Terrier has just arrived by post, excellent service and help from DCC Supplies. Unfortunately I won't be able to test it until I'm back home in Africa so fingers crossed.

I know you all moan about Royal Mail but I still can't get used to how efficient their service is compared to ours.

Regards

Veronica.

[Zunnan]

My thoughts on Dapol? Try before you buy.

I've had my fare share of duds, but in the same breath, when I've bought from my local shop instead of online and sifted through their stock for the good ones, they are generally quite good. I'm not so much a fan of the matt finish, the over light shade of Railfreight Grey or the green 'BR Blue' they have used in the past. The frailty of their steamers (electrically and mechanically) has meant that I have not bought any since the 9F and the only one I have left is a heavily modified Ivatt, but the diesels have been good when I apply the 'try before you buy' mantra.

So I'd be interested to hear your, or anyone else, suggestions and ideas of how we can get encourage constructional modelling, although, of course, there is nothing wrong with 'tried it, didn't like it' (so long as it wasn't just the once many years ago) or finding fulfilment, satisfaction and fun with a limited involvement in the hobby.

This subject is certainly worthy of a thread in itself, maybe worth splitting this off into its own topic.

I gave up trying, I got bored of being branded a rivet counter/elitest/whatever the latest in vogue derogatory term is for someone who even hints that there are better results to be found when you don't just open a parcel and tip its contents out. My latest one was this past weekend when I was approached to build a bridge for someone who didn't appreciate the quote for 20 hours worth of work plus materials and seemed most offended that I suggested they could achieve what they wanted for far less by modifying a Scalescenes kit themself, something along the lines of 'I'm not paying to print out that stuff as well as for the kit'. I hate to say it but some people just want it all done for them, and there are a number of people who have no time for those who actually do go to the effort, seemingly happier berating you for your efforts or opinion than having a go at doing something themselves. Having said that, nothing pleases me more than seeing the fruits of someone who has gone to the effort of making something for themselves, glue and paint overspill, warts n' all. And if I can encourage them to try something else and begin to hone some skill then all the better. Sadly in this day and age, even constructive criticism is all too often taken poorly or out of context, and the safest way is to say nothing at all...and for some, that lack of acknowledgment is as good as saying something negative.

[MikeDunn]

I can't imagine why you would want to use an RSU in N gauge in the first place.

Not having any suitable kits in this scale for an RSU, all I can offer is that surely it's the same reason as for other scales - sometimes it's a damn sight quicker & easier with an RSU than an ordinary iron ...

They each have their good points; I've just been doing some electronic repairs, and my old plain iron was my choice; but for lots of brass kit work, the RSU gets turned on.

[Pengi]

There was an extremely interesting discussion about encouraging constructional modelling/kit-bashing etc. as part of this thread

So that the discussion does not get lost amongst this topic on Dapol and also to make it easier for members considering kitbashing etc to find information on the forum whilst searching, I have split off the relevant posts into a new topic called Encouraging constructional modelling/kitbashing etc. This title might not be ideal but it is the best I could come up with at the time

[Elvinley]

Pretty fed up this morning as my second A4 from TINGS is now winging its way to DCC Supplies. Both black Modelbahn Union locos. One limped along from first run until it broke its lubricator arm linkage and the other ran fro a few hours before its valve gear fell apart. £240 worth of locos. Both oiled with Dapoil as instructed.

[gc4946]

My experiences in owning and running these locos have been mixed:

Steamers - I owned two M7s, two Terriers and a Q1 (early version), all now sold.
The Q1 was the best runner by far.
However the M7s were light on their feet and persistently derailed on Fleischmann points.
Both Terriers had wheels that slipped on their axles, losing their quartering, both were promptly replaced but having waited years for a working N scale version, I gave up owning any more in frustration.

Diesels - at various times I owned two 73s, 4 early 66s, 2 later "supercreep" 66s, two 153s and a Virgin class 220 Voyager.
I still own the Voyager, both the class 66 supercreep versions (66181 and 66709 Sorrento) and the 153s, they've been OK. The inter-unit magnetic couplers on the Voyager are much better than Farish's version because all I have to do is to make sure they're correctly orientated on the track.
The InterCity Exec 73 was a very good runner but the blue 73 derailed on Fleischmann points, the early 66s were OK except for one of the GBRF versions which had a very tight mechanism.

I'm waiting to see how their revised Manor due later this year works out as it's a "must have" loco type (two were shedded at Tyseley when my mother lived in the area in the early 1960s)

[EtchedPixels]

The derailing on Fleischmann points is usually the back to back. They are NEM (ie European) standard trackwork and fairly coarse while Dapol uses NMRA (US type) wheels but not the full US back to back. End result is things fall into them - 3 ways are the worst by far.

The M7 bogie is a pain - too light and if you spring it too much the loco then can't haul anything but the 73 back to back is easy to fix and it'll then be happy on Fleischmann track. I've had to fix a few Farish models to handle the 3 ways as well. Again back to back way off.

Alan

[MinZaPint]

I find Dapols catalogue a bit like a politicians promises "all hot air and no action", Maunsell coaches have apparently been on the cards for 6 years or more, along with these I would like to see the BOB/WC and desperately want the SCHOOLS, I have the GWR pannier and the SR liveried Terrier 2659 (named CHEAM, where I lived for my first 21 years) on pre order. I think my best bet is to add a codicil to my will for my executors to auction these on the forum if they ever turn up! I do think they should only advertise models that they intend to produce within the next 12 months.

[silly moo]

I was interested to hear about the Fleischmann points, that explains why the Dapol locos tested on a friend's layout needed help to get through the points.

[johnlambert]

I find Dapols catalogue a bit like a politicians promises "all hot air and no action",
<snip>
I do think they should only advertise models that they intend to produce within the next 12 months.

Dapol isn't the only one to do that.  The lead time on Graham Farish's new items is similarly prone to setbacks.  To be fair, the models are worth waiting for (on the whole) so I don't think we should complain too much.

[H]

Maunsell coaches have apparently been on the cards for 6 years or more,

I don't think they were 'officially' announced that long ago and that the Farish Ivatt held the record for the longest gestation period from appearing in a brochure, although I'd have thought that the Dapol class 142 railcar/class 92 electric loco will push that record by the time they are available. 

H.