Dapol Announce New OO Gauge Functioning Water Tower

[Neal Ball]

Ignore the sound / operational one. The static one looks to be a lot finer than anything that has been offered before. Which has to be a good thing.

[JSpencer]

Although not of the fine reputation of those modellers, I hereby confess to have owned not only the exploding box car (remember the lever to make the cap go off? … can you even buy caps now in today's nanny state?) but also the rocket launcher to make it explode. And they were great fun, too. 

 

But one matures…. whilst I would never contemplate an operating water tower today, I agree with your comment on attracting the young, a theme frequently discussed in these pages.

 

Mike.

 

Indeed my daughter loves the sound of the flushing toilet in here Barbie camper van!

This item - of course - is too expensive and fragile for a young person but will of course attract young people at an exhibition, especially shunting plank small layouts.

 

If someone does a battery powered toy version for a £10, then it can be one minor thing to excite the young (followed by a crane and other useful items).

[Stevelewis]

I may be  a  bit pessimistic   here  but  thinking  about  it,  is  this  really  the  right  sort  of  thing  to  be trying  to  sell  if  the  intention  is  to  create  revenue,  I doubt  that  water  towers/ cranes  etc  will   actually  create  volume  sales,  how  many  would  a  layout  need   1  perhaps  2  for the  average  layout,  not  like  signals   which could  create multiple  sales.

 

Supposing one  of  these  was  installed  and  it  worked OK,  how  often  would  it  be  used,   and  would  the  novelty  soon  wear  off?

 

I reckon  a  good  quality  ready to install  set  of  level  crossing  gates  and  perhaps also crossing   lifting  barriers  would  create  more potential

Edited October 10, 2016 by Stevelewis

[ndg910]

A lot of people rejected dcc sound when it appeared and now look. This might be a winner for Dapol but I fear it won't be. A working turntable, an operational slip coach that slips when directed, hump shunting retarders (ok maybe not) or an operating train washing machine might be different......

[Stevelewis]

A lot of people rejected dcc sound when it appeared and now look. This might be a winner for Dapol but I fear it won't be. A working turntable, an operational slip coach that slips when directed, hump shunting retarders (ok maybe not) or an operating train washing machine might be different......

 

Actually  a  working  Slip Coach  would  be  quite  easy  to  produce, digital  uncoupling  has  been available  for  some  time  although not  widely publicised,  could  even  be fitted  with  a  sound  decoder to replicate  the warning  device  ffitted to  slip coaches which I think  was  a   gong?

 

 A train washer   would  perhaps  be  quite  simple to  produce  motorised   rotating  brushes  ( very soft  bristles though  so  as  not  to derail the  stock  and  I think the  water  foam  wwould  perhaps  be  best  omitted)

 

How  about  coaches  with  digitally controlled  opening  doors   either  hinged  or  sliding ,  Opening  doors  were once  proposed  by  Tri-ang  using  some  sort  of  fixed between the  rails  ramp system but  that  idea  never  saw the  light of  day!!

[big jim]

wow! thats really tacky

[Huw Griffiths]

Actually  a  working  Slip Coach  would  be  quite  easy  to  produce, digital  uncoupling  has  been available  for  some  time  although not  widely publicised,  could  even  be fitted  with  a  sound  decoder to replicate  the warning  device  ffitted to  slip coaches which I think  was  a   gong?

 

 A train washer   would  perhaps  be  quite  simple to  produce  motorised   rotating  brushes  ( very soft  bristles though  so  as  not  to derail the  stock  and  I think the  water  foam  wwould  perhaps  be  best  omitted)

 

How  about  coaches  with  digitally controlled  opening  doors   either  hinged  or  sliding ,  Opening  doors  were once  proposed  by  Tri-ang  using  some  sort  of  fixed between the  rails  ramp system but  that  idea  never  saw the  light of  day!!

 

Interesting ideas - I might not be about to try any of these for myself, but I still find them fascinating. (No surprises there - after all, I am an engineer ... .)

 

I can't remember where I read this, but I seem to recall seeing some stuff about a DIY digital uncoupling setup using memory wire to release some sort of lightweight sprung latch. I could also imagine some people using a servo to achieve a similar aim.

 

A train washer would also be straightforward to produce / build - although it might be advantageous to have the rotating brushes arranged so they don't actually touch model rolling stock (well you don't want to remove any transfers or paint, do you?).

 

 

As for digitally controlled opening doors, this has already been offered RTR - by Roco, in HO.

 

I suspect that Ben Jones might remember this one - back in 2008(?), there was a DCC day at what was then OnTracks (in Pontrilas - on the Wales / England border, between Hereford and Abergavenny). At the time, Ben had recently been promoted to Editor of ModelRail magazine, which he was representing there. I'm sure he would also have had a look at the goodies various firms were presenting there - and a chat with the people representing these firms.

 

I was also there - and I remember Roco's motorised door equipped model train causing a bit of a "buzz" amongst visitors. I'm not sure that many of us would have been able to afford this model (I certainly couldn't then - and I can't now). However, I wonder whether models like this are really about how many they can sell - or making a statement about what they're capable of doing (and how amazing the result is).

 

 

Huw.

[No Decorum]

Opening doors. If I recall, part of the reason Hornby abandoned them was that they were a mechanical device operated by a ramp and the coach doors opened whether or not the train stopped. Perhaps that’s why the yellow line on platforms was introduced on the real thing.

 

Cheap solution. Model Adlestrop.

[roythebus]

It needs realistic moving people to make it convincing. I think they are some way off!

 

Already done on a 2mm scale layout back in the 1960's where a shunter moved sideways with his shunting stick as though to uncouple the wagons. I remember seeing it at the Central Hall.

[Stevelewis]

Already done on a 2mm scale layout back in the 1960's where a shunter moved sideways with his shunting stick as though to uncouple the wagons. I remember seeing it at the Central Hall.

 

Animated  figures  in  G  scale   were listed  a  few  years  ago,  They appeared  in  Glendale  Junction's  website  listings,  they  were simply  moving  arms,  heads  etc,   I am not  sure  if  they  were  ever  actually produced, as  I regarded  them  as  more  of  an expensive  gimmick

[Stevelewis]

Opening doors. If I recall, part of the reason Hornby abandoned them was that they were a mechanical device operated by a ramp and the coach doors opened whether or not the train stopped. Perhaps that’s why the yellow line on platforms was introduced on the real thing.

 

Cheap solution. Model Adlestrop.

 

Yes  the   Opening  door proposal  worked  on  the  same  principal  as  the  working  Mail  Coach,  which  in  its  time  was  quite  successful,  although  sometimes  the  Mailbags which  were  ejected  got  lost  if  the  train  was travelling  too fast  and  the  bag  flew out  so  quickly it  missed  the  collecting  bin!  For  a  while  separate   packs  of  mailbags  were  sold!

 

I  think the proposal  with  the  opening  doors  was  to   site  the  Ramp fitted  track on a  loop by the  station  platform  so  only  stopping  trains would use it, other  non stop trains passing  through on the main line, but of  course  this  would  have  required  more  space  which  many  did not  have available

 

I think  that  around  this  time  they  were  also  proposing  a  rack  railway!

[BG John]

Already done on a 2mm scale layout back in the 1960's where a shunter moved sideways with his shunting stick as though to uncouple the wagons. I remember seeing it at the Central Hall.

But was it realistic? There would be a lot of movements needed for someone to climb up onto the tank or tender, get the water into the tank, then climb back down again.

[russ p]

Indeed my daughter loves the sound of the flushing toilet in here Barbie camper van!

 

I suspect most people would love the sound of a flushing toilet in a camper van rather than the wheezing sound of a foot pedal squeezing a pathetic stream of foul smelling coloured liquid round what looks like a small plastic bucket with a seat!

[Diesel Dayz]

After listening to the sound of the water I was in need of the loo!   

[Stevelewis]

After listening to the sound of the water I was in need of the loo!   

 

My  sound   equipped  0n30 locos (Bachmann Spectrum)  have  a water  filling  sequence,.....  clang of the  tank lid being  opened  then a very  realistic  water  filling  sequence  followed by lid  closing,  Quite  a  good  set up on the  decoder as  well  as  the  feature  will not  work  whilst  the loco is  moving,  but   it  can be  selected whilst moving,  then  bring the loco to  the  water  tank, stop it  and  the  sequence  runs,

[Ozexpatriate]

Will that amoos you?

I think it will be kind of annoying - but fun for layout visitors.

[Ozexpatriate]

I may be  a  bit pessimistic   here  but  thinking  about  it,  is  this  really  the  right  sort  of  thing  to  be trying  to  sell  if  the  intention  is  to  create  revenue,  I doubt  that  water  towers/ cranes  etc  will not  actually  create  volume  sales,  how  many  would  a  layout  need   1  perhaps  2  for the  average  layout,  not  like  signals   which could  create multiple  sales.

 

Supposing one  of  these  was  installed  and  it  worked OK,  how  often  would  it  be  used,   and  would  the  novelty  soon  wear  off?

 

I reckon  a  good  quality  ready to install  set  of  level  crossing  gates  and  perhaps also crossing   lifting  barriers  would  create  more potential

Working level crossing gates topped the wishlist poll for a couple of years. Lineside items will be removed from the 2016 poll.

 

A lot of people rejected dcc sound when it appeared and now look. This might be a winner for Dapol but I fear it won't be. A working turntable, an operational slip coach that slips when directed, hump shunting retarders (ok maybe not) or an operating train washing machine might be different......

I'd love to see more options for working turntables and a slip coach. Slip coaches don't however poll well. I would certainly want a couple of them.

 

Actually  a  working  Slip Coach  would  be  quite  easy  to  produce, digital  uncoupling  has  been available  for  some  time  although not  widely publicised,  could  even  be fitted  with  a  sound  decoder to replicate  the warning  device  ffitted to  slip coaches which I think  was  a   gong?

 

 A train washer   would  perhaps  be  quite  simple to  produce  motorised   rotating  brushes  ( very soft  bristles though  so  as  not  to derail the  stock  and  I think the  water  foam  wwould  perhaps  be  best  omitted)

 

How  about  coaches  with  digitally controlled  opening  doors   either  hinged  or  sliding ,  Opening  doors  were once  proposed  by  Tri-ang  using  some  sort  of  fixed between the  rails  ramp system but  that  idea  never  saw the  light of  day!!

The biggest problem with working passenger doors is the lack of passengers moving through me. Part of me is surprised that we haven't seen more opening doors, but given the incremental costs required, and the price general sensitivity of the British outline market, we won't see them often.

 

I like your slip-coach ideas.

 

EDIT: You could move your post below here if you like.

Edited October 7, 2016 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

In case it is useful to anyone, I did find this press release link on the Dapol website regarding the water tower.

 

It's a different location from the OP.

[brianusa]

Working accessories are the province of O gauge, especially Lionel who made many quite successful action accessories, some copied into smaller scales.  I have them on my layout but most are not even wired up but they add to the effect.  After a while all that loading, watering and craning, it ceases to be as interesting as the actual train running so they lie idle.  The ones that are train operated, crossing gates, signals, etc., are connected and work effectively.

 

Brian.

[Stevelewis]

Noted  on  the  website  of  nscaleamercantrains.co.uk   manufacturer  Broadway Limited  US style   working  water tower  DC  or digital,  with  sound   £80,  so  it  looks  like it  has  already been  done!!

Edited October 11, 2016 by Stevelewis

[Ozexpatriate]

Noted  on  the  website  of  nscaleamercantrains.co.uk   manufacturer  Broadway Limited  US style   working  water tower  DC  or digital,  with  sound   £80,  so  it  looks  like it  has  already been  done!!

Yes.

 

The BLI US version was probably a bit more 'realistic' in that the crane rotates in a vertical plane and there's no long hose.

[Stevelewis]

Yes.

 

Still don't think   I will be  rushing  to  buy  one  though!!

[Stevelewis]

I came  across  this  one  recently  not  sure if  it  has been  mentioned in connection  with this thread'

 

 

Fleischmann  N Gauge 830681  a  pair  of  goods vans  with   digiitaly  controlled sliding  doors  and  lights  ( £80.00)

[rue_d_etropal]

I am amazed it has taken Dapol so long to do this.David Boyle once said that one big problem with the hobby in Britain was the lack of fun operational items . There are far too many layouts now getting applauded on exhibition circuit, dead scale and if you are lucky you might actually see a train! Bring on the fun stuff.you always get a bigger crowd round old HD or Hornby tinplate layouts than some finescale ones.

Maybe another idea would be an remotely operated operational yard crane.

[JSpencer]

I am amazed it has taken Dapol so long to do this.David Boyle once said that one big problem with the hobby in Britain was the lack of fun operational items . There are far too many layouts now getting applauded on exhibition circuit, dead scale and if you are lucky you might actually see a train! Bring on the fun stuff.you always get a bigger crowd round old HD or Hornby tinplate layouts than some finescale ones.

Maybe another idea would be an remotely operated operational yard crane.

 

Activity is important at exhibition. Something needs to be happening all the time (especially as soon as someone approaches it).

 

99% of people are not going to shows to see how fine your details are on a giant almost static diorama.