Droopy Dapol NEM couplings - tips?

[SteveyDee68]

Advice sought...

 

eBay purchase of nice looking Dapol van wagon, the tension lock couplings "droop" and won't line up with anything else. Is this a known issue with Dapol couplings? Any suggestions if a fix?

 

Many thanks

 

Steve S

[spikey]

 ... Is this a known issue with Dapol couplings?

 

Well it's certainly known here - known to be the reason why I don't buy Dapol wagons.  Looking forward to finding out what the answer is - and perhaps why on earth the problem exists in the first place ...

[davetheroad]

have a look here at post #4

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/141768-hornbyairfix-12t-van-chassis/

Edited January 29, 2019 by davetheroad

[SteveyDee68]

On 1/29/2019 at 7:49 AM, davetheroad said:

have a look here at post #4

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/141768-hornbyairfix-12t-van-chassis/

Thanks for this davetheroad - it is most illuminating.  I wondered about replacing the coupling with a spare by Bachmann but it is the floppy mount that is the issue.  Being a bit dim for a moment, did you glue the mount to the 5mm packing piece to fix the coupling in place? If so, can the wagon so modified still make it around PECO medium radius point curves?

I just got a second Dapol wagon from the local model shop - that one doesn't suffer from coupling droop! Go figure!  However, I may avoid their wagons in future no matter how much of a bargain they may seem as - for the moment at least - tension locks are how i am proceeding and they need to work reliably.

Would it be possible to post a picture of your coupling height gauge?  As a returning novice, that would help me set up my own.

Regards

Steve

[The Johnster]

Dapol are a firm I avoid when it comes to RTR wagons; I have found problems with erectile dysfuntional couplings, poor quality wheelsets, and, as far as I can tell, all their wagons have moulded handbrake levers which I find unacceptable in this day and age.  I have only one of their RTR vehicles in service on my layout at the moment, a GW Fruit D which I think is genetically the old HD model with a slightly improved chassis (let's be honest, no chassis at all would be an improvement on the HD one!).  They are cheap for a reason!  

This is a pity because AFAIK they are the only firm offering RTR chassis which would be very useful to me to replace old Airfix and Mainline ones on wagons and vans with perfectly acceptable bodies, but there are too many issues to tempt me into buying any.  They also persist in knocking out steel mineral wagons on the wrong length chassis despite have the right length available, but so do Hornby.

I have no experience of any of their RTR locos and much of the above comment may not apply here; indeed, I have some hope that they will put their 0 gauge Diagram N auto trailer through the 4mm shrinking ray!

The Fruit D has had Bachmann wheels and NEM couplings fitted, but I had to glue the couplings in to their dovetails to get them to reliably stay there without falling out.  The whole thing smacks of poor quality control tbh, and the moulded handbrake is still there, so I am probably ultimately going to replace this van with a kit.