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The Dapol Terrier

Focalplane

Entry posted by Focalplane

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I have been following an RMWeb thread on the recently available Dapol 0 gauge Terrier locomotive. This diminutive engine found its way into many an enthusiast's heart due to its long and varied life. So it is no surprise that this budget priced 0 gauge RTR has garnered a lot of interest:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/87122-Dapol-o-gauge-terrier/page-32

 

Now on page 32 at the time of posting, the enthusiasm for this model is infectious. I had even thought about buying one and modifying it into one of the two Terriers that found their way to Warwickshire and the Edge Hill Light Railway. The latter company was short lived but in their time the two engines were occasionally borrowed by the S&MJR with photos of them on shed at Stratford 21D:

 

http://warwickshirerailways.com/lms/smjsa73.htm

 

But, to be honest, i won't be buying one. This post is more about where Dapol may be taking 0 gauge and how it could affect the 0 gauge market. Ready To Run locos have not been the mainstay of 0 gauge for a long time, and those that are available can be very expensive (though beautifully made). So this entry does indicate that, with the right model, there is a market out there. This can only be good for the scale, which, if Scale 7 and Coarse scale are put to one side, has a remarkably cohesive range available to modellers.

 

Dapol's own wagons are a joy to behold. I have one 5 plank BR grey wagon and it is, in many ways, better value than an equivalent 00 scale wagon from the same company. The rivet detail is excellent, there are sprung buffers and three link couplers and a small bonus, the side doors open and fold down. At around £35 they are not inexpensive.

 

The Dapol Terrier thread also shows that many 0 gauge modellers are taking their chosen model and modifying it to match a particular prototype (individual engines were much modified throughout their long lives). This may, in some cases, lead to some RTR modellers starting to build brass/white metal kits, which again can only be good for the scale's future.

 

So what will Dapol do next? A GWR 14XX/48XX perhaps? With an Autocoach?

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Northroader
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There's an auto coach already out there, even if expensive, (to me, anyway). I think the Dapol engine is good in being at a competitive price for a RTR. I was surprised how many modellers were prepared to start chopping a highly detailed, finely painted loco to get just what they wanted. Does this mean that if Dapol had brought out a running chassis with a kit of parts superstructure (at a slightly lower price) they would do just as well? I'd like to think so, and there would be plenty of takers for branch line / industrial sized locos, rather than your mainline pAcifics at

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Focalplane

One of the remarks made by many new owners of the Terrier is the lack of coaches to pull, which is why I mentioned the 14XX AND an Autocoach.  In 00 gauge there is a lack of connection between the two, at least since the Airfix combo which is/are definitely long in the tooth though capable of upgrading.

 

Small passenger tank engines only ever pulled up to three (maybe four) coaches, meaning the modeller's budget doesn't have to be too constrained.  Put together a decent rake of Mk 1 Heljans and the Poor House beckons!

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Mikkel
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I've also been able to resist the Dapol Terrier so far, but it's been a tough fight!

 

I think these small branch/industrial locos are just the right approach if the manufacturers want to bring a 4mm modeller like me into the fold. And as you say Northroader, a chassis with a kit of parts would add an interesting extra dimension.

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