Help needed on running qualities of various models

[dwgwr]

 
After finally deciding to base my layout on goodrington sands station (where I am on holiday ) I'm looking for information on the running qualitiesnof the following models
Graham garish A1 tornado in br green
Dapol manor
Dapol hall
Dapol 57xx pannier tank
Dapol 14xx
Any help much appreciated of members experience with these models

[silly moo]

I think you are going to get a lot of different opinions. I have two A1s that run really well and a pannier tank that runs well but is rather noisy. I think most of the locos you mention are generally good runners but you could be unlucky and get a real dud.

If you do a forum search for each loco individually you should get an idea of what they are like but bear in mind that most people are more likely to post on the forum if they have a problem.

[Karhedron]

Silly moo is spot on. All the locos you list can be good but bad luck might bring you a dud. If you can, buy from a retailer that makes it easy to return or replace a loco if the performance of a particular example is not satisfactory.

Most of the locos you list are fairly new and a good example of any of them should be good. The 1400 is a slight exception as it was Dapol's first N gauge loco and is showing its age mechanically. The main problems are the gearing is a bit high and the weight is a little low. This results in it requiring a gentle touch on the controller for low speed running. Also it will struggle with longer trains but should be fine with just an autocoach (the normal running load).

[Dr Al]

From my own experience:

Graham garish A1 tornado in br green

Tender drive model with 3 pole motor. I have a couple of A1s and they run very smoothly, though the ultra slow speed crawl performance isn't 100% perfect, it's still pretty good. Locos generally need the spare traction tyred wheelset fitted to the rearmost axles (so the rear 4 wheels are all tyred) for the best performance in terms of pulling power.

Dapol manor

I have 2 Ixion Manors (same loco, that Dapol bought the tooling for) and they run very smoothly with 5 pole skew wound motors, slightly noisy motors but I think this is mainly resonance in the tender body shell. Great slow speed and creep performance.

Dapol hall

Similar to the Manors these are pretty nice runners with same5 pole skew wound motor as in the Manor. Some are noisier than others (my Green one is silent, the Black one isn't!).

Dapol 57xx pannier tank

There has been a long thread elsewhere on the forum on these being poor runners, and the consensus seems to have fallen on poor pickup and loose wheel bearings (pickup being done through these bearings). They can run very well, but it's very hit and miss straight from the box. I know from my own that 2 out of 3 have required complete and total strip down to remedy this. Once done they again do run well, but will need to see in the long term if problems resurface.

Dapol 14xx

These are one of Dapol's very first N gauge models, so don't quite come up to the standard of recent releases - solid backed wheels etc. Running with a high revving 3 pole motor means that they have very high top speed and go like the clappers is not carefully controlled. Otherwise they don't run too badly, but haulage power is not high given their small size and weight - but they are generally ok with a prototypical load of an Autocoach and a few wagons.

HTH,
Alan