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

[WisTramwayMan]

17 hours ago, WisTramwayMan said:

I have yet to personally get my hands on a Rails/Dapol Terrier, but I have friends who have (and in one instance have seen the issues) and they range from out of line running plates / missing steps to broken detailing (lamp irons and smoke box darts - I haven't seen a wonky chimney). It's not acceptable for the simple reason that this was marketed as a premium product - and was priced as such - but it would appear that Dapol doesn't have the quality procedures to match. This on a product that can cost over 50% more than you can actually pick up the Hornby versions for.

 

I've no doubt a 100% correct one is a gem, but at their price point this should be the rule rather than the exception.

I was musing further on the issues with the Rails Terrier overnight, and comparing comments on this forum with my own personal experience of a previous retailer's issue.

I've got several of the P class tank engines produced under the Hattons brand. All were delivered intact, no bits fallen off, all run perfectly. About the worst I can say about them was that the plastic clamshell packaging used seemed a little cheap and nasty, BUT it got the locos to me in one piece undamaged.

On the Hornby new Terriers, I've got several of those. All were delivered intact, no bits fallen off, although on the first one holes had been cut in the clamshell around the guard irons, so potential problems had obviously been identified, on early versions, in this respect. But again, all OK, all ran OK.

Experiences with the above make the Dapol model even more frustrating, and I'm absolutely certain it has the POTENTIAL to be the best of the bunch, but poor build quality and appalling QA is scuppering that.

If I was Mr.Barber I'd be giving Dapol an absolute roasting over this.

If I was Dapol I'd be taking it extremely seriously. They've got further steam locos - including the D class - coming down the track in the not too far distant, and many, like me, who were considering placing orders will review the litany of apparent problems on the Terrier with dismay.

[JSpencer]

1 hour ago, WisTramwayMan said:

I was musing further on the issues with the Rails Terrier overnight, and comparing comments on this forum with my own personal experience of a previous retailer's issue.

I've got several of the P class tank engines produced under the Hattons brand. All were delivered intact, no bits fallen off, all run perfectly. About the worst I can say about them was that the plastic clamshell packaging used seemed a little cheap and nasty, BUT it got the locos to me in one piece undamaged.

On the Hornby new Terriers, I've got several of those. All were delivered intact, no bits fallen off, although on the first one holes had been cut in the clamshell around the guard irons, so potential problems had obviously been identified, on early versions, in this respect. But again, all OK, all ran OK.

Experiences with the above make the Dapol model even more frustrating, and I'm absolutely certain it has the POTENTIAL to be the best of the bunch, but poor build quality and appalling QA is scuppering that.

If I was Mr.Barber I'd be giving Dapol an absolute roasting over this.

If I was Dapol I'd be taking it extremely seriously. They've got further steam locos - including the D class - coming down the track in the not too far distant, and many, like me, who were considering placing orders will review the litany of apparent problems on the Terrier with dismay.

 

 

Yes but the Ps and Hornby Terriers were sent when the post office was more efficient and not dealing with lock down. Parcels are currently taking longer and therefore have more opportunities of being bounced around than they normally do.

 

On the P (I have 6), one arrived with a hand rail not in one of its knobs. A minor QC oversight easily fixed. One Hornby Terrier (I have 2) arrived with both front buffers popped off , I guess postage damage (this one arrived during the busy Xmas period) but easily fixed. The Ps and Hornby Terriers arrived between 1 and 2 weeks of being sent.

 

The rails terrier (currently one received) took over 3 weeks to arrive, the front screw holding the coupling and body had popped out. It must have had a fair amount of vibration and bouncing around for this to happen, but almost certainly happened during postage.  But the rest was perfectly intact.

 

The slightly warped running plate I posted before - now largely corrected - was the only QC issue I could find.  For that my guess is the speaker next to the motor makes final assembly such fun on a busy production line  which is causing such an issue (I super glued the back of the speaker onto the inside of the tank after Poly and araldite both failed to hold it, and I left it 24 hours to dry in all cases! Make sure the place is ventilated when using super glue to avoid the white ghosting smears. This is something they won't have time for on a production line).

Edited June 4, 2020 by JSpencer

[WisTramwayMan]

4 hours ago, JSpencer said:

 

 

Yes but the Ps and Hornby Terriers were sent when the post office was more efficient and not dealing with lock down. Parcels are currently taking longer and therefore have more opportunities of being bounced around than they normally do.

 

On the P (I have 6), one arrived with a hand rail not in one of its knobs. A minor QC oversight easily fixed. One Hornby Terrier (I have 2) arrived with both front buffers popped off , I guess postage damage (this one arrived during the busy Xmas period) but easily fixed. The Ps and Hornby Terriers arrived between 1 and 2 weeks of being sent.

 

The rails terrier (currently one received) took over 3 weeks to arrive, the front screw holding the coupling and body had popped out. It must have had a fair amount of vibration and bouncing around for this to happen, but almost certainly happened during postage.  But the rest was perfectly intact.

 

The slightly warped running plate I posted before - now largely corrected - was the only QC issue I could find.  For that my guess is the speaker next to the motor makes final assembly such fun on a busy production line  which is causing such an issue (I super glued the back of the speaker onto the inside of the tank after Poly and araldite both failed to hold it, and I left it 24 hours to dry in all cases! Make sure the place is ventilated when using super glue to avoid the white ghosting smears. This is something they won't have time for on a production line).

I confess I've had issues with Hornby buffers before, but nothing on the Terriers. Last issue I had with a Hornby item was one of their Peckett 0-6-0s arriving with the cab steps missing, both sides - I contacted the retailer and asked if they had component spares (they didn't), ditto Hornby, so a return and exchange it was. A shame, as the loco appeared otherwise perfect.

[JSpencer]

Bodiam vs a very small LMS loco

 

 

[Nile]

The 1F half-cab is smaller.

[Compound2632]

The LMS Standard 3F is derived from the Midland 2441 Class 0-6-0T, which was a very large 0-6-0T for 1899 - or indeed any date. Any 19th century 0-6-0T will look small along side it. 

[JSpencer]

Yep the photo was slightly tongue in cheek. I was surprised by how much the 3F dwarfs it.

Edited June 5, 2020 by JSpencer

[Edwardian]

I reflected that, around the time the LB&SC was busy scrapping and pensioning off its Terrier fleet, the GNR's Atlantic represented the Latest Thing.  A real contrast in scale for the early 1900s. Of course, then the Terriers gained a second wind on motor train services, not to mention the many years ahead of most of those sold out of service. 

 

 

Models to the same scale allow for comparisons not seen in reality; but often capture more than period photographs the sense of relative size.

 

If, as a modeller, I cannot resist such comparison shots, I take comfort from the fact that railway publicity departments couldn't either.  IIRC there is a picture of a Terrier posed with a new Baltic tank.  I look forward to receiving 643 and seeing it next to the Brighton Atlantic. 

[Nile]

22 hours ago, Nile said:

The 1F half-cab is smaller.

But still bigger than the Terrier.

[Edwardian]

18 minutes ago, Nile said:

But still bigger than the Terrier.

 

I do think 643 is likely to prove my favourite.  Is that a (very impressive) back-dating of the Bachmann single-cab to a round-top firebox and Salter valves? 

[Nile]

Yes.

 

[Andy Hayter]

Lovely work

[Roy Langridge]

Any news on the remaining models that were due end of May? Looking forward to using mine on my new micro layout that should be up and running in a week-or-so. 
 

Roy

[DavidH]

On 04/06/2020 at 11:18, JSpencer said:

Yes but the Ps and Hornby Terriers were sent when the post office was more efficient and not dealing with lock down. Parcels are currently taking longer and therefore have more opportunities of being bounced around than they normally do.

 

Interesting thought, but if tracking of the few parcels I've seen is to be believed, most of the time they were/are just sitting in warehouses waiting to be moved to the next step in the chain.

Edited June 8, 2020 by DavidH

[Andy Hayter]

Potentially being moved around from one location to another within the warehouse.  Being unloaded from a storage bin and loaded into another.  The problem with warehousing is that when things don't move with the normal frequency, spaces become tight and internal rationalisation of the spaces becomes necessary.

[The Stationmaster]

6 hours ago, Andy Hayter said:

Potentially being moved around from one location to another within the warehouse.  Being unloaded from a storage bin and loaded into another.  The problem with warehousing is that when things don't move with the normal frequency, spaces become tight and internal rationalisation of the spaces becomes necessary.

And I thought all these modern logistic firms were supposed to be better at this sort of thing that BR allegedly were     I well remember a lesson in terminals management years ago when told that goods sundries and parcels depots should have a very narrow deck in order to prevent build up of piles of traffic.  Alas that one was lost to whoever turned the old goods shed at  Pontypridd into a parcels depot that ended up with one of the biggest piles of unsorted & unsheeted (for delivery) traffic I have ever seen anywhere. 

[Edwardian]

No.643 arrived today. A very smart model indeed. 

 

I don't have a Baltic tank to pose with it, so an Atlantic (or two) will have to do!

 

 

 

[Fireline]

My replacement "Bodiam" arrived, after I returned the cosmetically damaged one. I checked this one and.... it's on it's way back again, with cosmetic damage.... 

[GreenGiraffe22]

3 hours ago, Edwardian said:

No.643 arrived today. A very smart model indeed. 

 

I don't have a Baltic tank to pose with it, so an Atlantic (or two) will have to do!

 

 

 

 

What a beautiful collection! 

[RodneyS]

My replacement Bodiam arrived in one piece.

The footplate is straight from the rear to the front of the tanks but then it slopes down by about 0.5mm.

Not too bad and I've had worse from other manufacturers.  However what is noticeable is a large vertical bend in one of the coupling rods just before the rear crank pin so that the rod is not parallel to the footplate.  Despite (or because of this?) it runs well.  I could possibly remove and straighten it.

The cab back is glued in too high so there is a step in the gutter at the back.  I will have to try to remove this and glue it in lower.  Then I can fill and paint the slot in the cab roof.

Disappointing.    Perhaps the other versions are better,

Rodney

[Kaput]

The number of reports that are pretty much "bad quality control" is kinda depressing

[Jack P]

4 hours ago, Fireline said:

My replacement "Bodiam" arrived, after I returned the cosmetically damaged one. I checked this one and.... it's on it's way back again, with cosmetic damage.... 

 

A friend of mine has also had 2, and both have gone back. Fingers crossed my BR one doesn't need to go back!

 

@Edwardian What a fantastic collection of LBSC liveried locos!

[Edwardian]

Well, I bought one of the old Dapol Terriers in Days of Yore, with the intention of carving a reasonable A1 out of it.  There are sometimes advantages to not getting around to things ...

 

Anyway, I excavated it last night with a view to seeing quite how far we've come. 

 

[truffy]

9 hours ago, Kaput said:

The number of reports that are pretty much "bad quality control" is kinda depressing

Especially for me, since I had mine sent to a UK address, and won’t get them until Bojo stops being a tit. 

[jonnyuk]

it does sounds like Dapol have QC issues, the fact replacements are going back as well though is worrying. You would of thought Rails would be checking replacements before sending out again, that's not good. i'm really wanting a mogul but with all these issues i'm thinking no now which is a shame.