OO gauge GWR Mogul and Prairie

[Guest]

On 09/12/2021 at 11:18, Harlequin said:

Live frogs will reduce the locations where stalling is likely, and my Prairies ran fine over my live frog turnouts, but any small length of non-conducting track would show the basic problem,

2. The middle sprung axle doesn't have enough freedom to move below the outer driving axles - so if either end is lifted the middle axle can't drop down to make contact with the track and so can't compensate for problem 1.

 

See @outatime's modifications above to solve these problems.

 

And there we have it.  My Baccy 94xx, Baccy N class, Hornby R/built WC 'Plymouth' (tender off, loco only)  will turn on whichever outer wheel is left in contact, when  lifted at either end.  And my Baccy. 8750 class with sprung/compensated centre wheel will turn with bit of A4 paper at under each outer wheel.  This suggests the Dapol does not have enough downward force on the centre compensated driver.

This also suggests the Dapol does not have efficient contacts at either outside wheels. There's no way I will start faffing.

Edited December 10, 2021 by Guest
to make it clearer

[97xx]

7 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

I presume 97xx meant yours was a review Model sent direct from Dapol rather than a shop bought model by yourself?

Correct.

 

So was it provided direct from Dapol?

[Jenny Emily]

11 hours ago, 97xx said:

Correct.

 

So was it provided direct from Dapol?

If you watch the video it makes clear the circumstances of how I got the model as per Youtube’s rules.  

[Legend]

21 minutes ago, Jenny Emily said:

If you watch the video it makes clear the circumstances of how I got the model as per Youtube’s rules.  

 

Lol , you could be in politics Jenny . You werent at a cheese and wine party last Christmas were you ?

 

Thoroughly enjoyed your review . It does look a nice model . It looks solid , great application of livery . From memory you said Dapol sent model too you .  Looking at your review and others on YouTube could it be that the model runs ok on DCC and perhaps on DC layouts with electrofrogs  but not on DC layouts with Insulfrogs .Thats the picture I'm forming , but need more evidence . I dont think you could test DC running other than on your rolling road so the fault may not be obvious (if there is one !)   Meanwhile I will postpone any purchase until any problems resolved.  Its a nice to have , so it can wait for the time being . 

[Hal Nail]

I presume what people were alluding to is that a sample sent by a manufacturer is probably a good one.

 

Which is fine because in the current world of easy returns and replacement if there is anything wrong, we want a benchmark of the standards we should be expecting.

 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by Hal Nail

[melmerby]

3 hours ago, Legend said:

 

Lol , you could be in politics Jenny . You werent at a cheese and wine party last Christmas were you ?

 

 

It wasn't a party

It was a business meeting where they just happened to have wine & nibbles and played games afterwards.

[Jenny Emily]

A response from Dapol confirming that there was no special treatment to the model I was loaned other than to test run it; not unlike what a buyer would have done in a shop when they buy one:

 

“Just to confirm your sample was removed from the packaging. put on the track, ran forwards and backwards a hand full of times and put back into its packaging and posted out to you.”

 

 

[Harlequin]

8 minutes ago, Jenny Emily said:

A response from Dapol confirming that there was no special treatment to the model I was loaned other than to test run it; not unlike what a buyer would have done in a shop when they buy one:

 

“Just to confirm your sample was removed from the packaging. put on the track, ran forwards and backwards a hand full of times and put back into its packaging and posted out to you.”

 

 

 

Hmmm, It has to be said that that answer does leave open the possibility that they removed several other models from their packaging and tested them before they found one suitable to send out for review.

 

You might think that's a rather cynical response (I do, to be honest) but it's what any manufacturer would do, isn't it?

 

A random sample of the retail items, as we've already posted here in this thread, arguably gives the best overall picture of the quality of the product.

 

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, melmerby said:

It wasn't a party

It was a business meeting where they just happened to have wine & nibbles refreshments and played games had team building exercises afterwards.

I was misinformed and this is the corrected version.

Sorry

[boxbrownie]

2 hours ago, Harlequin said:

 

Hmmm, It has to be said that that answer does leave open the possibility that they removed several other models from their packaging and tested them before they found one suitable to send out for review.

 

You might think that's a rather cynical response (I do, to be honest) but it's what any manufacturer would do, isn't it?

 

A random sample of the retail items, as we've already posted here in this thread, arguably gives the best overall picture of the quality of the product.

 

There are plenty enough responses within this thread to indicate it’s more than just the “odd few” that have issues.

TBH online and magazine reviews are nice to see a new model but the threads within forums are far more valuable for finding problems and researching solutions to far too many inherent faults that occur nowadays with all* manufacturers models.

 

*there are just a few smaller manufacturers that so far seem to be pretty bulletproof in this regard.

[1466]

1 hour ago, melmerby said:

I was misinformed and this is the corrected version.

Sorry

According to today’s Times , it was a “gathering “.

[Jenks465]

My replacement prairie arrived today and it's better but is still stalling on some points. I decided to try removing the rear pony to test the hypothesis someone previously suggested and it's running absolutely perfectly through everything now. Frustrating that this wasn't picked up during testing.

[boxbrownie]

54 minutes ago, Jenks465 said:

My replacement prairie arrived today and it's better but is still stalling on some points. I decided to try removing the rear pony to test the hypothesis someone previously suggested and it's running absolutely perfectly through everything now. Frustrating that this wasn't picked up during testing.

Presently I am trying to decide whether it’s worth putting sound DCC in a Hornby Wainwright, a Hattons 14XX and a Hornby Adams Radial (the less said the better) each one has issues in running qualities some worse than others, I am really happy my main interest is in diesels and later BR days, if I had to use steam I would probably go back to 7mm scale.

The Prairie isn’t alone, that’s for sure.

[Jenks465]

2 hours ago, Jenks465 said:

My replacement prairie arrived today and it's better but is still stalling on some points. I decided to try removing the rear pony to test the hypothesis someone previously suggested and it's running absolutely perfectly through everything now. Frustrating that this wasn't picked up during testing.

 

So, I've had a bit of a tinker and I think I've got it sorted. When I replaced the rear pony I left the keeper plate screws loose and tightened them bit by bit until it started to stall then backed them off by half a turn and now it's crawling through the point it was stalling on previously. Can't believe it was as simple as that.

[boxbrownie]

14 hours ago, Jenks465 said:

 

So, I've had a bit of a tinker and I think I've got it sorted. When I replaced the rear pony I left the keeper plate screws loose and tightened them bit by bit until it started to stall then backed them off by half a turn and now it's crawling through the point it was stalling on previously. Can't believe it was as simple as that.

It works, but TBH that’s not what I’d call crawling, I’d be really upset if that was as slow as it would reliably work.

[Oldddudders]

17 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

It works, but TBH that’s not what I’d call crawling, I’d be really upset if that was as slow as it would reliably work.

As modellers we have a fascination with crawling. On the real railway, real railwaymen don't want to crawl, they want to get the job done. The video showed a loco moving at less speed than it might, frankly. 

[Ian Hargrave]

4 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

As modellers we have a fascination with crawling. On the real railway, real railwaymen don't want to crawl, they want to get the job done. The video showed a loco moving at less speed than it might, frankly. 

 
I’d be more than happy with that tbh.There was no sign of stuttering or stalling.

[boxbrownie]

10 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

As modellers we have a fascination with crawling. On the real railway, real railwaymen don't want to crawl, they want to get the job done. The video showed a loco moving at less speed than it might, frankly. 

But when buffering up it certainly wouldn’t be going that fast, sure if going from one end of the yard to t’other get a move on, but I am more interested in the part between half way along the platform and coming to a halt, that’s when the crawl comes into reality.

 

It also comes more into play when pulling away with a load, then a crawl really is needed, I hate seeing Locos suddenly jump from zero to well above walking pace at start up, completely unrealistic.

 

I wasn’t criticising a modeller for getting his Loco working properly, just I would still not be happy if that was as slow as it would reliably go, it may go slower and it hasn’t been filmed…..?

[boxbrownie]

16 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

On the real railway, real railwaymen don't want to crawl, they want to get the job done. The video showed a loco moving at less speed than it might, frankly. 

Have you seen a merry go round train loading? 

[Oldddudders]

15 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

Have you seen a merry go round train loading? 

Not pulled bya steam loco, no. 

[Jenks465]

5 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

It works, but TBH that’s not what I’d call crawling, I’d be really upset if that was as slow as it would reliably work.

It goes a lot slower through than that, was just a quick vid to show it works now.

[Harlequin]

Very slow running simply indicates a smooth mechanism and multiple working pickups. Not necessarily anything to do with the prototype.

 

 

[gwrrob]

A heads up and a shout for the excellent, no fuss service received from DCC supplies in getting spares for the prairie. Wanting to change the smoke box door for a plain , no number plate version I perused the manual, found the part number and put it in the website search box. Reasonable postage too.

 

https://www.dccsupplies.com/shop/43xx-mogul-oo-smokebox-door/

[john dew]

Hi Robin

 

I do agree with you about the service from DCC supplies. They were equally efficient when I ordered a plain door for myDapol Mogul.

 

Your large prairie looks great in that transition livery………I am seriously tempted…. but how many large prairies can one buy before it looks like an obsession?

 

I have to ask the reason for a plain door….I understood the smokebox numberplates were installed  at the sametime asthe paint job……is it to match a photo you have seen?

 

Best wishes

[gwrrob]

Thanks John, it’s being backdated to 1945 condition when still in wartime black.