Rails of Sheffield/Dapol/NRM Announce OO gauge Stroudley A1/A1X

[Roy Langridge]

23 minutes ago, JSpencer said:

 

I have the same loco (SECR plain DCC fitted) and yes it comes with the blanking plate and speaker left in the box. TBH, I went with their version as I still wanted the firebox glow to work properly under plain DCC (and it does, which would not be the case had I fitted a plain DCC chip myself).

 

Unless you intend to upgrade to sound (I have one terrier ordered as such and still waiting for her), I would not bother refitting the speaker (and only do so when the sound conversion is made).

 

But people should be aware that the pads for the speaker connection are tiny, those without steady hands and/or experience of soldering may struggle.

 

Quite frankly I am fed up with this. Having ordered a model with a pre-fitted speaker, waiting bloody ages for it to be released and then be told that the speaker was taken out was not on. The Rails website still claims that the DCC Fitted models have sound pre-fitted, which they do not - this is false representation.

 

I would have hope Oliver Rails would have come on here to explain this was happening before they were despatched.

 

Tomorrow is decision day as I have until then to decide whether to keep it or return it.

 

Rant over.

Roy

[No Decorum]

4 hours ago, mvrnut said:

Just received my SECR Terrier. And noticed this thing loose in the plastic bubble. Could somebody please tell me what it is. 

Good grief! That is terrible!

[BWsTrains]

This reminds me of the classic cartoon on requirements, design and implementation woes. A link because of Copyright:

 

I'd say they've reached #5 now

 

https://tinyurl.com/Designwoes001

 

 

[Jenny Emily]

I had six Terriers on loan including a sound fitted Boxhill. 

[Legend]

12 hours ago, wainwright1 said:

See the review from Sam's Trains of the latest issue from Rails 'Boxhill'.

 

 

Despite being highlighted in previous posts it would appear that the issues that were noted, in particular the distorted footplate have not been addressed and there are also problems with the back to backs. Where many of the body parts are attached to the footplate there are gaps which tend to spoil the overall impression. But watch it for yourself.

 

RB

 

Yes I saw that .  Looks a great model , potentially . The livery application looks superb . I do like the flickering firebox, although does that work on D.C. ?  However there are just too many issues with it . The bent footplate , which seems not to be unqiue , is very noticeable .  People scoff at Sams trains for running his models on track on carpet , but the uneven nature of that probably does represent the track on a lot of layouts , certainly mine , where the track is not perfect,  so what he was able to demonstrate is that this model derailed on the same curve every time , whereas all his other models stayed on the track . I thought that was a very effective illustration of an issue with this loco , which possibly was the back to back measurement or maybe the sprung centre axle , he wasn’t sure .  But overall what it showed was , a bit like the Hattons 66, there are just too many issues with this loco to take the risk of purchasing . 

[Jenny Emily]

I had six Terriers running on my layout (seven if you include the one I bought from the first batch) and suffered no derailments. You can actually watch them going round for over two hours on my livestream. I have double slips, points, up and down grades, tight corners, etc and had no problems. 
 

Sam seems to have lots of bad luck with the models he reviews. So many reviews he finds a problem that isn’t representative of what others are finding. 

[Legend]

With respect Jenny , having watched the excellent Monday Club , I think its fair to say your layout is leagues ahead of Sams . I'm sure your track is brilliantly laid .  What Sam has is probably more representative of my layout , which has substantial sections of setrack , the normal Hornby points , Express Points  and certainly some second radius curves , its been built up over years and has varying standards . The boards are uneven (after near on 30 years in place)and are not easy to correct without major surgery.  That said I don't have issues with derailments , the biggest issue is phantom uncouplings!

 

I don't disregard your review , in fact it was Monday nights club , that made me look at Brighton as a possible purchase . It looked gorgeous .  It was the shiny shiny moment . I want one even though its not at all representative of what I run!  But i do think that one of the benefits of Sams trains is exactly the ruggedness and uneveness of his track which exposes models that may be a bit "fragile" and not be as tolerant as others .  The section where he was able to show it consistently derailed on the same curve every time , while all his other models didn't was what did it for me .   That said , I'm not entirely certain his loco wasn't a dud . Faced with the build issues , the back to backs and the constant derailments I think I would have sent it back.  But it was enough to make me pause , I really dont need the hassle of sorting potential issues out. It may yet be a purchase , but the jurys out .

Edited October 23, 2020 by Legend

[Ian Hargrave]

You have seen the Terrier run on Sam’s carpet track and Jenny’s layout.In both cases with trailing load.Sam has many followers and on the basis of what we see is unafraid of making judgement calls.He is,in the virtual reality world of YouTube,known as I believe an “influencer” and the model rail retail  world is happy to indulge both him and indeed Jenny when they consider it suits.

 

    Jenny is a member of this forum.Sam is not. There is a place for both . Judge for yourself.

 

 

 

[PaulRhB]

1 hour ago, Jenny Emily said:

Sam seems to have lots of bad luck with the models he reviews. So many reviews he finds a problem that isn’t representative of what others are finding. 

To be fair Jenny you can say that about the six you have supplied by Rails for review

My first BR one ran badly and to be fair to Rails Oliver made suggestions on a fix and when these didn’t work they swapped it at no cost. 
Terrier 1

 

The replacement also ran badly with the same sticky patches, note the firebox glow remains on so it has power, but was noisier in forwards. 

 

This one also had a rather wobbly footplate that was obviously deformed before printing

 

I’ll admit I was rather irritated a replacement for a faulty one hadn’t been checked with reference to the first ones fault but gave them another chance which again was dealt with efficiently at no cost to me. 
 

In the meantime no9 in SR livery arrived without any problems and was closely followed by the third BR version which also was acceptable although still a bit noisier than ideal in forwards but ran and looked good so as I didn’t intend adding sound doesn’t worry me. 

[NHY 581]

These models are very attractive, the latest examples in improved engine green are sublime..

 

But....

 

There are a lot of reported issues in terms of build quality and running which do not offer encouragement. What we see posted here are probably a small percentage of affected models but it's enough to make me question a purchase. Models supplied for review with obvious assembly faults, customers being supplied with models with distorted foot plates and other assembly issues, replacements sent, seemingly without being checked as well as poor running. 

 

I cannot help but draw comparison with the Hattons 14xx. I ignored the reported issues and purchased two of these, despite the negativity. Looked fabulous but the running was appalling. I ended up sending them back, repeatedly and eventually gave up. 

 

Quite simply having been bitten once, I'm not willing to run the risk of similar issues arising from a purchase or two of these and am grateful for those who have highlighted the issues. 

 

For the record I do consider Rails Terriers to have the edge over the Hornby examples. They really do look splendid but for me they fall into the 'nice to have' rather than a 'must get' category. 

 

 

Rob. 

Edited October 23, 2020 by NHY 581

[PaulRhB]

It’s also important to note that my comparison on running quality was with another Dapol product, the B4, I have three of those and all run perfectly and to be honest quieter too. I did have to send one of those back because it was completely dead on unpacking but again replaced fast by Rails as it happens. Rails have been good and that’s the main reason I have the BR one a third chance as they suggested a fix and as I’d already tried it sent out a return label. Communication was polite and helpful plus apologetic so at least their customer service has been exemplary amidst these problems  

[greatcoleswoodhalt]

33 minutes ago, Ian Hargrave said:

He is,in the virtual reality world of YouTube,known as I believe an “influencer” and the model rail retail  world is happy to indulge both him and indeed Jenny when they consider it suits.

 

Indeed, an example being Hattons sharing their Project Genesis carriages with both recently; free exposure to very varied audiences.

[NHY 581]

1 hour ago, PaulRhB said:

It’s also important to note that my comparison on running quality was with another Dapol product, the B4, I have three of those and all run perfectly and to be honest quieter too. I did have to send one of those back because it was completely dead on unpacking but again replaced fast by Rails as it happens. Rails have been good and that’s the main reason I have the BR one a third chance as they suggested a fix and as I’d already tried it sent out a return label. Communication was polite and helpful plus apologetic so at least their customer service has been exemplary amidst these problems  

 

 

The B4 is quite simply my benchmark in terms of both the quality and noise associated with running. I also have three and they have been superb from day 1. 

 

It sort of begs the question why the Terriers seemingly haven't maintained this. 

 

Rob.

[GreenGiraffe22]

4 hours ago, Legend said:

  so what he was able to demonstrate is that this model derailed on the same curve every time , whereas all his other models stayed on the track . 

 

There are a couple of curves on my layout where the Rails Terrier derails exclusively, which is disappointing. You'd have thought an 0-6-0 would be pretty reliable in that respect, meanwhile Bachmann's H2 manages to tackle pretty much any track thrown at it which was pleasantly surprising!

[mvrnut]

16 hours ago, mvrnut said:

So it looks like the speaker is stuck to the blanking plug then ? Sorry I'm a bit of a numpty when it comes to DCC things. Would I be correct in saying that the decoder is fitted to the loco. And will it run without the speaker installed ?

   I'm not sure if I missed it in previous posts but can somebody give detailed instructions as to how the speaker should be fitted please ?

Cheers,

    Chris

So an update after a reply from Rails. This is in fact a DCC fitted version. Not a sound fitted. It was my mistake thinking it was supposed to be sound fitted. Rails removed the speaker to allow more room for the decoder.

Cheers,

Chris

[Roy Langridge]

16 minutes ago, mvrnut said:

So an update after a reply from Rails. This is in fact a DCC fitted version. Not a sound fitted. It was my mistake thinking it was supposed to be sound fitted. Rails removed the speaker to allow more room for the decoder.

Cheers,

Chris

Different excuse to that which I was given and, given that the decoder and speaker are on different sides of the loco, not very plausible. 
 

I was told Dapol removed them

when fitting DCC as they were causing interference and falling out. I think the latter is probably the true reason and they didn’t want to spend time fixing them. 
 

Roy

[RodneyS]

6 hours ago, Jenny Emily said:

Sam seems to have lots of bad luck with the models he reviews. So many reviews he finds a problem that isn’t representative of what others are finding. 

I have 3 Rails Terriers and have put my experiences  on this thread.

 

Briefly, Bodiam was returned because of many broken and missing fittings.  The replacement has a bent footplate and coupling rod.  Despite this it runs quite well so I kept it.

 

My first 32650 arrived and has a bent footplate which rises up in the centre by just over 1mm.  It runs well so I risked another one to alter to 32662.  This arrived with a loose chimney, a broken vac pipe and the cab back leaning out backwards.

 

So that's 3 out of 3 bought at different times and none are what I would call satisfactory.

 

By comparison I have purchased 4 Hornby Terriers this year ( 3 Isle of Wight and Brighton Works).

They are all perfect. the finish is superb and they run quieter and more smoothly than the Rails ones.  In fact 'Brighton Works' is the nicest model loco I have bought for many a year.

Rodney

 

[Ian Hargrave]

Tested BR Hayling Island/IOW .Looks good bit stiff out of box but exhibits none of the symptoms or gremlins Sam’s Terrier did .
Stalled at low speed over one crossover so had to increase current. Suspect this will,gradually improve with more running but plague of flies in the loft forced me to spray & then bring proceeding toward close until the exterminating angel has done its work.Not however until I gave Hornby’s Brighton Works Collectors model

a run. It has a far superior out of the box performance and wasn’t fazed in any way. It is of course heavier which explains why this atm is the case. We shall see.Neither model is cosmetically flawed . The firebox glow works well on dc.only btw.

 

Both examples please me.

[wainwright1]

I think that the general consensus is that this model is very well designed and detailed and the finish is to a high standard with apparent good quality control. Unfortunately, the manufacture of some components, in particular the cast footplate, is most definitely not done satisfactorily and I am surprised that they have not had difficulty fitting some of the other parts to it when looking at the various distortions which are apparent. Bearing in mind that these problems have been identified from the earliest releases, you would have thought that the defective components would have been rejected at the assembly stage or the problem dealt with at the production stage. The new possible issue with the back to backs or sprung axle just adds to the problems.

I have  a few of the new Hornby terriers, five of the Hatton's P class, four of Dapol's B4s and one of Hatton's Andrew Barclays, not to mention several Pecketts. All of these have performed well straight out the box with no issues apparent, albeit, they have not been run in extensively on a layout, so I cannot vouch for them running through pointwork etc. None of them exhibit the substandard components or assembly problems visible on these models. It would appear that selected models have been submitted to Jenny for review with no problems apparent, whereas plenty of RMWeb members have found problems across the whole range of models.

So to use the old phrase, 'If you get a good one, you get a good one' , but there seem to be plenty that aren't good ones.

I hope that they can sort this out for future releases as there is still plenty of potential left in this prototype.

 

I have two Wainwright D Class locos on order, a somewhat larger loco, which if suffering from these type of problems would turn out to be a disaster. So Rails and Dapol and whoever is manufacturing them, please get your act together.

 

RB

[LBSC123]

Last week so finally got round to ordering W9 Fishbourne. It arrived today and is a superb model superficially, in my opinion, it looks to be slightly finer than the Hornby offering, although both are excellent models 
 

Unfortunately the running plate on mine is bent at the rear leaving a gap between the bunker and running plate, so back to Rails it goes.... oh well! 

[wainwright1]

Most annoying as that is one that I would like to acquire.

 

RB

54 minutes ago, LBSC123 said:

Last week so finally got round to ordering W9 Fishbourne. It arrived today and is a superb model superficially, in my opinion, it looks to be slightly finer than the Hornby offering, although both are excellent models 
 

Unfortunately the running plate on mine is bent at the rear leaving a gap between the bunker and running plate, so back to Rails it goes.... oh well! 

Most annoying, as that is one I would particularly like to acquire.

 

Has anyone dismantled theirs to try and straighten it out ?

RB

[Karl]

I don't often comment on the forum but have read this thread with great interest. On the Terriers I had three from the first release and all three were sent back with curved running plates and one had other build issues such as detached brake shoes, these were replaced by Rails and sadly the three replacements were all returned with bent running plates. These models covered BR, LBSC and KESR guises. This week I received my 'Boxhill' but this model had a very loose buffer and a bent running plate. So that is 7 models that I have returned. 

 

The reason I wanted to comment really is to just say that in all of this Rails have been courteous, understanding and nothing but helpful and I thought in all of the comments on the models it was worth just praising the retailer in what must be a frustrating period for them with what appears to be a number of models being returned for refunds.

[Yankee]

On 30/05/2020 at 10:21, JSpencer said:

 

 

Difficult to describe but a lot of it was figuring out where it deformed from  (it was more curved on one side than the other).  Generally it was from just below the front of the tanks (or the middle of the boiler). 

You need a hard smooth surface and my work bench has a thick sheet (approx. 1cm thick) of glass covering it.

 

Step 1 - place the bottom edge of the front buffer beam on the edge of the glass being careful not to have the buffers touching it (one buffer fell off doing this but easy to put back on with a spot of glue suitable to hold brass).

Step 2 - hold the rear of the loco, push down really hard (say 5-6kgs of force - until the plastic boiler creaks basically but no more) in the middle of the boiler for a few seconds, check result, repeat until at least one edge straightens.

Step 3 - to straight the other side, focus the force between the of the boiler and the corner of the bottom of the buffer beam (on the same side. Again until the plastic creaks but no more. Check result and repeat.

It will get you close enough.

 

Ideally to fully straighten it, would require removing all the super structure (held in by screws and glued tabs. But that is a lot of work.

Has anyone dismantled theirs to try and straighten it out ?

RB

[Ian Hargrave]

1 hour ago, LBSC123 said:

Last week so finally got round to ordering W9 Fishbourne. It arrived today and is a superb model superficially, in my opinion, it looks to be slightly finer than the Hornby offering, although both are excellent models 
 

Unfortunately the running plate on mine is bent at the rear leaving a gap between the bunker and running plate, so back to Rails it goes.... oh well! 

Just had another close look at my BR black version. Looked closely for banana running plate.No sign.I must be lucky then.

[Ian Hargrave]

9 minutes ago, Yankee said:

Has anyone dismantled theirs to try and straighten it out ?

RB

 
Would strongly recommend not to try.Easier just to return it or live with it.