Farish or dapol

[Bealman]

Whoha there everyone.

I think this thread is going off at a tangent. Truffles, my first reaction to your post was: electronics? resistors? pcbs?

This only applies to DCC. There is (are?) no electronics involved in locomotives running on DC, save, perhaps maybe a cap or something similar acting as a spark suppressor for TVs. So I would possibly suggest that anyone with an ounce of electronic know-how would maybe know that.

Agrippa offered yet another theory: perhaps everyone fell asleep.

Having said that, it's late here in Australia. I AM going to bed. 

All the best,

George.

[Truffles]

Dr Al, I did purposefully say 'circuitry' rather than type of motor although the Dapol 58 does not conform to the same spec as standard super creep.

Bealman.... you need the extra bits of 'electronics' not just for DCC running but to operate things such as the lights...maybe I should have said that I was referring specifically to Dapol diesels.

Red Death, if I was to purchase two of the lighting units, for both ends of a model, that would come to  £16.80 and I stand by my opinion that that is way overpriced for something that is very poorly made in the first place.

Dan

[Dr Al]

This only applies to DCC. There is (are?) no electronics involved in locomotives running on DC, save, perhaps maybe a cap or something similar acting as a spark suppressor for TVs.

Not true in terms of only DCC. The capacitors and suppression circuits in some Dapol are so bad they fail too. I've seen it on several locos, only run on DC.

Cheers,
Alan

[Dr Al]

Red Death, if I was to purchase two of the lighting units, for both ends of a model, that would come to  £16.80 and I stand by my opinion that that is way overpriced for something that is very poorly made in the first place.

Presumably the replacements are made to the same standard also....?

Cheers,
Alan

[GWR-Kris]

The thing I find most annoying, both compaines the same is the concentration on locomotives. There is so much rollling stock not avaiable, Farish are slowly working their way through retooling, which is excellent progress and stuff they release tends to always be in stock. But dapol coaches espically things like mk3 coaches in certain liveries, gwr collets etc never seem to be in stock due to the low build numbers.

Also they release liveries such as NSE but no rolling stock is for sale except the odd old farish stuff theat pops up. Im finding that I have more locos than rolling stock.

What i would love to see from manufacturers is kits of coaches, where only assembly is required and apply a running number. I just dont understand why it takes a company such as dapol for example to take over 12months to produce a mk3 coach where the tooling is already approved, paint spec and all thats needed is a different running number espically on popular liveries

[red_death]

The thing I find most annoying, both compaines the same is the concentration on locomotives.

Dave Jones is on record as saying that one reason for DJM (and presumably Dapol) for concentrating on locos is it is easier to get a swift return on investment.

Customers buy too many locos - I know I have, despite best attempts to be more disciplined!

I just dont understand why it takes a company such as dapol for example to take over 12months to produce a mk3 coach where the tooling is already approved, paint spec and all thats needed is a different running number espically on popular liveries

Because they don't own the factory, so they are competing for factory slots with lots of other manufacturers...

[GWR-Kris]

I just dont understand why it takes a company such as dapol for example to take over 12months to produce a mk3 coach where the tooling is already approved, paint spec and all thats needed is a different running number espically on popular liveries

Because they don't own the factory, so they are competing for factory slots with lots of other manufacturers...

Well that explains so much.

[mr bachmann]

returns under warranty ? , new 2-8-8-4 mallet from backy I had it 3 days they've had it nearly 2 months !
Barwell says working with in tollerances - but we have no wheels to fix it - and yet they wont exchange it for another loco .
Then cars made a mention ''you get what you pay for'' was in a couple of postings , My Mk D was bought in late 1950's and is still going well - good enough to earn MOT exemption , remember this was the cheapest manufactuer at the time -  so its back to trains if one company can do it why cant others ?


alan

[NinOz]

I'll readily go along with that. I was actively involved in a local N gauge club during the late 1980's and early 90's. Kato models were available then, owned by some members, and envied by the likes of me.
<SNIP>
However, even back then, I and other local N gauge people wondered why Kato got it right, whereas the English stuff was so much rubbish in comparison.

Same experience.  I bought US prototype to get reliable running for DCC.

What's on offer to British N scalers these days is streets ahead of what went before.

100% reliability has never been, and never will be, a possibility. I hope that the 57xx Pannier falls into the 90% window allocated. 

Yes, the level of detail is extremely good these days.
My older stock looks like a bad parody of the new stock.
What we need is mechanical reliability upgrade so that we don't read the stream of woes.   I expect 100% reliability but know that this is not economically reachable.  However 99% (approx 3 sigma) is and should be the norm.
I find it rather depressing to read how a modeller is already planning on how to return on failure before even running in or even before delivery. :'(

[Sprintex]

I just dont understand why it takes a company such as dapol for example to take over 12months to produce a mk3 coach where the tooling is already approved, paint spec and all thats needed is a different running number espically on popular liveries

Because they don't own the factory, so they are competing for factory slots with lots of other manufacturers...

Well that explains so much.

It's also been stated before by both Bachmann and Dapol that because there are so many companies using the same limited production facilities in China it's a case of "those that shout loudest with the biggest orders get manufacturing time first". So if a large car manufacturer wants 5,000,000 watchamacallits made pronto then tinpot model railway companies wanting 10,000 little toy trains made get pushed further and further back in the queue


Paul

[ParkeNd]

If the production facility has such a diverse range we don't have a chance.

[Bealman]

Yeah - 1:1 scale motor vehicles are gonna win every time!

[shandy]

Yes they all come out of the same factory!

[BobB]

I wonder what the true actual cost difference is manufacturing in Europe rather than the far east. For higher wages we can balance lower distribution costs and easier communications. However, would such a move (if reasonably economic) solve the quality issues ?

Can of worms open, debate between Dapol and Farish forgotten.

[Richey1977]

Not wishing to veer off-topic, but in response to BobB's question, Humbrol are in the process of repatriating their production, and I belive Airfix are considering the same.  Regardless of the costs of production (which theoretically should fall with 3D printing technology), nobody's going to make money from delivering nothing.

Back to the topic - I don't own any Dapol models.  My small collection of stock is all relatively new Bachmann Farish gear, as I find it generally very pleasing.  I have owned a couple of the Poole Farish engines - a Class 101 and a 'General Purpose Tank' in SR livery, and both were clunky and noisy.  The tank engine emitted a fair bit of smoke as well, which was a nice effect, but probably not good for the motor.