OO gauge GWR Mogul and Prairie

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

It says 

 

The $64,000 question is of course 'if they are good models' ...

 They have of course one recent OO steam model release all their own work available for assessment: the A4. Decent rather than class leading I would suggest.

 

...Well done Dapol; perhaps you can redeem yourselves for the appalling rubbish in the form of an ex Hornby Dublo BR steel open wagon you sold me last year and which ended up in the bin...

Then again this peccadillo isn't exclusive, both Bachmann and Hornby have some similarly ancient clunkers among their wagon toolings which are still released on an unsuspecting populace, and Oxford clearly didn't want to be left out, so tooled a couple of all-new clunkers!

 

But! Swift to the bin and retrieve that wagon body! Appalling it may be as supplied, but razor sawed horizontally just above floor level and cut down to scale bodyside height and then reassembled with a bulb moulding on the lower bodysides over the cut line, with crude welded on body retaining plates here and there, and the projecting floor plank ends scribed in along the bottom edge, it makes a good representation of BR's likewise appalling 1/047 Highfit 'design'.

[Edwardian]

And in most cases, "modified ex-" to boot.

 

Indeed, necessarily ex.

[Edwardian]

On a slightly serious note here, may I suggest the following rules apply?

 

Naturally, we all want the best possible model, with the least amount of fuss.

 

Now, Dapol aren't saints. They will get some little bits out of place here & there.

 

We're all a fairly knowledgeable & friendly  bunch of people, so I respectfully suggest this:-

 

If there is a  boo-boo, a polite post here, backed up with documentary evidence will carry far more weight than using a megaphone. Either that, or a polite e-mail. Dapol will, I'm sure, read through our posts.

 

The term "a more accurate solution" is far preferable to "you've got it wrong". Or, "they've got it wrong".

 

If I've got a choice of honey or vinegar, I'll choose honey, unless it's chips.

 

Hmmmm. Saturday.... Chips.....

 

Have a good weekend, folks.

 

Ian.

 

They will be perfect in every conceivable way, and I will have either nothing but praise for them, or, If I am wrong in my assumption, nothing at all to say about them!

[Butler Henderson]

Given the multitude of GW greens on preserved locos it will be interesting to see what shade of green they choose- still could not be worse than the strange blue/green used by Hornby. Not sure about the DJ like smokebox mounting of the decoder as its all too easy to damage details if they are moulded in a pretty brittle plastic Find it odd no manufacturer has gone for a removeable coal load with the decoder mount hidden underneath.

[Tim Dubya]

The Hornby M7 in 2 of its various livery variants, err, that's it; everything else is "ex"

 

Was thinking in terms of coaching stock TBH, as you know I'm still waiting for Ironclads to be announced (about a week or two after I start my kits )  and of course the LSWR Corridor / Non -Corridor stock (again, these are ripe for a RTR announcement as I have a cupboard stuffed full of Roxey kits!).

[coachmann]

Given the multitude of GW greens on preserved locos it will be interesting to see what shade of green they choose- still could not be worse than the strange blue/green used by Hornby. Not sure about the DJ like smokebox mounting of the decoder as its all too easy to damage details if they are moulded in a pretty brittle plastic Find it odd no manufacturer has gone for a removeable coal load with the decoder mount hidden underneath.

Indeed. The idea of being told where to put DCC equipment does not appeal to me after the DJM 14XX.  Still, vee haff veys.  Dapol produces some very neat wagons and coaches in 0 gauge, but i have little reason to trust their 00 gauge offerings to date.

Edited December 16, 2017 by coachmann

[MikeParkin65]

 Dapol produces some very neat wagons and coaches in 0 gauge, but i have little reason to trust their 00 gauge offerings to date.

They have done some absolutely superb 4mm diesel models (Western and 67) and there is no reason they won't do the same with steam. With a keen eye on detail and livery they should easily be able to meet (Hornby and Bachmann) or exceed (Heljan and Oxford) current RTR standards.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

... Not sure about the DJ like smokebox mounting of the decoder as its all too easy to damage details if they are moulded in a pretty brittle plastic Find it odd no manufacturer has gone for a removeable coal load with the decoder mount hidden underneath.

 Especially when at least three manufacturers have conveniently parked the decoder socket under the bunker, but then have solid mouldings intervening between the socket and the airspace above, thus preventing access! Why not a lift out bunker interior moulding to access the socket? It seems to take a while for such novel ideas to win acceptance...

 

Bachmann did a superb job on their 08, which has the front pair of bonnet cover panels as a clip in component, so close fitting you would never see it unless of the rip it apart persuasion. Having taken it apart and reduced the clip in action ferocity, it made a perfect sized access to take a full size HO decoder while freeing the interior for lead to be packed in. The moulding fit quality is fully up to allowing for such simple access.

[JSpencer]

For the Mogul, I think DCC here is advancing in the right direction. Chip in the loco, base speaker possible in the tender. This then allows firebox glow, fitting of working headlamps and so on.

 

Currently you have to either use extra wires between loco and tender or fit a second functional chip to operate extras in the loco itself.

My Bachmann C class had 4 wires when new, then 6 after I added firebox glow and I stuck the lamp on the back of the tender as it was the most convienent place (the front got a disc).

 

Adding working firebox glow is also a step forwards, let's hope they leave channels to fit easily working lamps.

[GWR8700]

I'm excited about the firebox glow.  Prices are rising to meet continental standards but with that we are seeing a move towards higher quality locomotives that they also have in Europe with additional features such as firebox glow, working lights and space for sound.

 

Do you reckon Dapol have tooled it do the earlier 43xx version?  I hope that one is done as well sometime

Edited December 16, 2017 by GWR8700

[Metr0Land]

Adding working firebox glow is also a step forwards

 

Yes but they haven't added Magnadhesion

[The Johnster]

Not a DCC man myself, but I applaud the advances and appreciate the option of buying the model at a lower price without all the DCC gubbins.  I am hoping that some of the obvious omissions on the CAD drawing, the bunker handrails and sliding shutters, will be addressed.  In the probably vain hope that Dapol reads this stuff, might I make a plea for sliding shutters that slide, or are at least perhaps additional detail that can be fixed in a desired position by the modeller, likewise the cab roof shutter (I model South Wales, where the climate often meant that the shutters were shut).  And might it be possible to have a removable cab roof to enable crew and other details to be added to the cab, a useful feature on tank engines (and diesels, electrics, and multiple units for that matter) that would be fairly easy and cheap to include but would be a step change in RTR standards IMHO, and as the pricing is pegged towards the upper end of what the market will bear, justified.

 

I hope it doesn't run too much better than my Bachmanns, or I will be dissatisfied with them...

 

Shame about the Magnadesion ™, though!

[gwrrob]

Yes but they haven't added Magnadhesion

 

Haulage capacity is much more preferred to a glowing firebox on my train set.

[tomparryharry]

I understand that diesels produced by Dapol will have working windscreen wipers, but the year after next.

 

It's called 2020 vision.

 

Hat, coat,  TAXI!

 

S.C. Rooge.

[Ian Hargrave]

Haulage capacity is much more preferred to a glowing firebox on my train set.

 

Agreed Robin.As long as it has a smooth,reliable and responsive power train with good haulage capacity,that'll do nicely in terms of performance. And talking of haulage btw the 61XX worked Paddington suburban services for many years,so where's the stock to run with it ?  The kit bashers among us will no doubt supply the answer to that .Several posts on this forum have already drawn attention to there being no rtr to fit the bill currently available..I think Stationmaster Mike has also highlighted this earlier today on this thread.These handsome engines require something more than B sets.

[Ian Hargrave]

Not a DCC man myself, but I applaud the advances and appreciate the option of buying the model at a lower price without all the DCC gubbins.  I am hoping that some of the obvious omissions on the CAD drawing, the bunker handrails and sliding shutters, will be addressed.  In the probably vain hope that Dapol reads this stuff, might I make a plea for sliding shutters that slide, or are at least perhaps additional detail that can be fixed in a desired position by the modeller, likewise the cab roof shutter (I model South Wales, where the climate often meant that the shutters were shut).  And might it be possible to have a removable cab roof to enable crew and other details to be added to the cab, a useful feature on tank engines (and diesels, electrics, and multiple units for that matter) that would be fairly easy and cheap to include but would be a step change in RTR standards IMHO, and as the pricing is pegged towards the upper end of what the market will bear, justified.

 

I hope it doesn't run too much better than my Bachmanns, or I will be dissatisfied with them...

 

Shame about the Magnadesion ™, though!

 

Treherbert (88F)....that wild territory where citizens of Kaydiff .....sorry,Cardiff fear to tread   had an allocation of 41XX which IIRC it used on Rhondda Valley services in the 50's until the coming of the Standard 82XXX tanks.

[tomparryharry]

Agreed Robin.As long as it has a smooth,reliable and responsive power train with good haulage capacity,that'll do nicely in terms of performance. And talking of haulage btw the 61XX worked Paddington suburban services for many years,so where's the stock to run with it ?  The kit bashers among us will no doubt supply the answer to that .Several posts on this forum have already drawn attention to there being no rtr to fit the bill currently available..I think Stationmaster Mike has also highlighted this earlier today on this thread.These handsome engines require something more than B sets.

 

Fully agree with you Ian. However, it seems everyone was surprised by this little bombshell, me included. If Dapol want to 'cash in'  on this, they don't have to look too far.

 

I reckon there will be a mad scramble to deliver quality suburban stock to market. We'll likely be spoilt for choice. One producer going one way, the other going a different route (pun not intended).

 

Ian.

[sp1]

It really wouldn’t surprise me if Hornby announce one of these in a few weeks time- in which case they are probably far ahead of Dapol in development....

[Horsetan]

It really wouldn’t surprise me if Hornby announce one of these in a few weeks time- in which case they are probably far ahead of Dapol in development....

 

Should we update the Mazak problem list, in that case?

[coachmann]

It really wouldn’t surprise me if Hornby announce one of these in a few weeks time- in which case they are probably far ahead of Dapol in development....

I wonder what makes people mention Hornby but not Bachmann or Heljan or Oxford. This is not the first mention of Hornby.

Edited December 16, 2017 by coachmann

[tomparryharry]

Should we update the Mazak problem list, in that case?

 

Mazak rot is, or should be, a Quality control problem. You would normally only require an e-mail, and a rigorous QC system, to sort that out.

 

Ian.

[Horsetan]

....You would normally only require an e-mail, and a rigorous QC system, to sort that out.

 

Yes, but are these "normal" times?

[Ian Hargrave]

Fully agree with you Ian. However, it seems everyone was surprised by this little bombshell, me included. If Dapol want to 'cash in'  on this, they don't have to look too far.

 

I reckon there will be a mad scramble to deliver quality suburban stock to market. We'll likely be spoilt for choice. One producer going one way, the other going a different route (pun not intended).

 

Ian.

I hope you are correct. But I am not optimistic. Seeing the whole package viz. a "set " is something only Hornby for all its faults seems to grasp...I mean how's this for starters..." Paddington Suburban " comprising 61XX and 3 appropriate coaches.....?. With 3 other Collett/Hawksworth non corridor coaches sold separately there you have it,your complete commuter Reading stopper.Add Bowler Hats,then shake,stir and serve.Now do Dapol have the resources and expertise to replicate this and bring it to point of sale ? If so then a sure fire winner.

[tomparryharry]

Your quite right definition of 'normal' times is down to the relationship with you, as a buyer, and your subcontract supplier.

 

If your reputation is affected, then you will move blessed fast in this day & age to restore reputation. Quality is everything here. If you want to play fast & loose with quality, then that goes first, quickly followed by reputation, and repeat orders. Getting out of the tailspin is hard work, as course correction is mostly trialled by cutting corners.

 

It takes a brave man to say "stop!", especially when targets are to be met.

 

Of course, if you don't care a fig about quality, then that's another problem!

 

Ian.

[tomparryharry]

I hope you are correct. But I am not optimistic. Seeing the whole package viz. a "set " is something only Hornby for all its faults seems to grasp...I mean how's this for starters..." Paddington Suburban " comprising 61XX and 3 appropriate coaches.....?. With 3 other Collett/Hawksworth non corridor coaches sold separately there you have it,your complete commuter Reading stopper.Add Bowler Hats,then shake,stir and serve.Now do Dapol have the resources and expertise to replicate this and bring it to point of sale ? If so then a sure fire winner.

May I politely refer you to post #118, where we covered this very subject. It is the prerogative of any producer to make product, such that we will want to buy it. I've always stated that if a product is very good, then it will sell, and should sell well. The name of 'whom' might be the producer is anyone's guess. My only view here is that we ultimately get what we would like. Of course, joined-up thinking would be good, but I'm not above using the best coaches, with the best locomotives.

 

Example; Bachmann have sold us the old Airfix/Mainline toad van for years. Hornby entered with a newer, better product. Which one will you buy?

 

We have asked for a decent large prairie for years. Dapol have entered the marketplace. It's a bit unfair if your next comment is like "Aaah, but you're not making any coaches".... They didn't make an announcement until 48 hours ago!

 

Patience folks. I'm fairly excited as well.

 

Ian.