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Dapol 68 'OO' - Repairing/refixing sprung buffer?


davidprentice
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Hi all

 

I had a bit of a 'mare and ended up hitting the end of my Dapol Class 68 in OO and in the process managed to send one of the sprung buffers flying across the room. Amazingly, I managed to find both the buffer (stil intact) and the small spring that goes with it.

 

However, when I went to reattach it, the spring fits inside the buffer easily enough, but I can't fathom how the spring and buffer re-attach to the loco? When I slide the buffer with spring back on to the buffer mounting on the chassis, it isn't retained.

 

Anyone had any experience of this? I can't be the first to have done this! I assume either some magical tool is used in the factory, and/or there is some tiny piece of plastic i've managed to lose/destroy, or perhaps some glue is needed?

 

Worst case, I shall do without the sprung functionality and just cement the buffer in place... ...but would love to try to restore it to full order!

 

Thanks.

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If it's like other manufacturers it will have the spring on and push in to the housing. It might need the tail slightly bent to hold it in place or may have had something on the end of it.

Look at the others if you can to see. 

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Hi @lippy I've tried investigating the other buffers, but fear causing more damage. They do appear to be retained by something - whether a small plastic clip or glue or similar.

 

@Andrew liszka the buffer is at the No 2 end and on the RHS if you face it head on, as per below photo. I was only able to recover the spring and the buffer. I think the c-shaped clasp you mention, if plastic, disintegrated/broke - as evidenced, perhaps, by the small black plastic fragments that fell out of the buffer end when I gave it a tap... 

 

Any further reflections/observations, most welcome!

 

68no2end.jpg.bfed588688c89e83d20766b84091c911.jpg

 

68stuff.jpg.ebc140afe1a8a742ae30026309b7ce26.jpg

68stuff0.jpg

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Ive had the same happen to me, the buffer is available from DCC supplies.

 

https://www.dccsupplies.com/item-p-112188/class-68-oo-buffer-pair-buffer-spring-sleeve.htm
 

ive used them to fix Sudexpress Euro4000 also.

 

just pull out the old fitting and fit in the new.

 

You can buy the individual bits and try to fix it, but this is the lazy way, for the sake of a few quid.

Edited by adb968008
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  • 2 weeks later...

For info, successfully fixed my loco. The Dapol spares pack consists of:

 

2 x buffers (one LHS, one RHS)

2 x springs

2 x sleeves

 

My only observation is that if when refitting you experience a problem of it not seeming to want to slide home, try spinning the sleeve around so it faces the other way. I think they are very slightly narrower at one end than the other.

 

dapolspares.jpg.054065e56f93a045ba9e22cfc51b56ec.jpg

 

 

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1 hour ago, davidprentice said:

For info, successfully fixed my loco. The Dapol spares pack consists of:

 

2 x buffers (one LHS, one RHS)

2 x springs

2 x sleeves

 

My only observation is that if when refitting you experience a problem of it not seeming to want to slide home, try spinning the sleeve around so it faces the other way. I think they are very slightly narrower at one end than the other.

 

dapolspares.jpg.054065e56f93a045ba9e22cfc51b56ec.jpg

 

 

Glad you have sorted it they are superb locos .

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