Dapol HIA hoppers

[njee20]

Agree it's a shame they seem to have stopped supplying dummy knuckles (I'd say it's probably everything until the MJA, rather than everything except the MJA!) as they're a really good alternative to rapidos, and very useful for closing up rakes. Interesting about the new coupler arrangement, probably needed, with the bad press on the IOA/MJA/JNA and their propensity to uncouple.

I'm still sitting on the fence and will look out for some at the big exhibitions or until I see some in a shop and relent unwittingly!

[RailGooner]

Omission of the dummy knuckle couplers will in a small way help keep prices down. They are still available as a separate part - NEMCOUP.

IMO the majority of folk will stick with the Rapido couplers, so omitting the dummy knuckles is the right move ecologically.

[njee20]

Yes there must be thousands of them languishing in boxes unused and unloved! I use one long and one short one generally, so you get double the number too!

[Bealman]

Those rapido couplers are a historical thing we have to live with, unfortunately. I agree with the post that most people will stick with them. I'm one.

But good luck! 

[njee20]

Who needs good luck with what? 

[Vonzack]

Yes there must be thousands of them languishing in boxes unused and unloved! I use one long and one short one generally, so you get double the number too!

I will give them a loving home ;-)

[njee20]

Indeed, I'd consider we'd be doing a service! I vaguely recall someone on one of the FB groups giving away a couple of hundred of them! I'm not surprised Dapol have stopped including them, but hey ho.

What ratio of green:white did you go for? They seem to overwhelmingly be green, with a couple of token white ones, which slightly offends my sensibilities!

[Vonzack]

@njee20 7:1, there are a couple of longer rakes on YouTube with 6 or more mixed in.

[Spanners70]

Mine have just arrived, I went for 2 whites and 8 greens.

[Vonzack]

Hi,

This might be helpful for anybody wanting to know how the HIA wagons are put together.





The bogies just pop out, the sides can be removed by carefully pulling them apart from the top and releasing the clips underneath. The Couplings mechanisms are housed in metal weights which are screwed to the chassis. Be careful to look out for the two little bars which locate into each of the body sides and sit in channels between the discharge doors, these don't seem to be glued in and when the sides are removed just fall out. They are also little swines to put back in, fair play to the people who assembled these.

Cheers, Mark.