Dapol 'Western'

[westerner]

I  have 3 Heljan Westerns and I am more than happy with them. I can live with the slight flaws and to be honest until they were pointed out I hadn't noticed. To me they have always looked like the westerns that I travelled behind in the 70's.

[D1056WesternSultan]

I also have a fleet of super detailed Lima Westerns, see my avatar, but these are not run at the moment.  And they look just as good.  At the end of the day railway modelling is meant to be fun.

[Chris Higgs]

You can't blame TMC for the build quality.

 

Yet legally they remain responsible to you the customer, and that should include the costs you incur in getting the goods back to them when they are not of a merchantable quality.

 

The retailers could always decide not to do business with manufacturers that don't deliver a concsistent quality...

 

Chris

[D1030western musketeer]

I to as mentioned have kept faith in the Heljan model due to the amount of running issues with the Dapol one.

Heljan need to upgrade there moulding version but as a performer excellant and then we will see.

 

Richard

[D1047]

I have 7 Dapol westerns running on Shenston converted to em using the original wheels but flange thickness turned down ,

apart from  having to exchange a couple of wobbly wheels they all run perfectly and as good as the Heljan ones they replaced.

 

 

Greg  

[brushman47544]

Just bought a Nobleman, named as Ambassador - so will have to save up now. BTW, I used the Precision Labels L41 3.6mm self-adhesive headcodes stuck on the outside and they look spot-on to me. The 4mm ones would IMHO be too big.

 

Finally took a couple of photos to show how the Precision Labels L41 3.6mm look stuck on the outside, if anyone's interested:

 

EDIT to try adding larger photos

Edited March 26, 2014 by brushman47544

[steveb860]

Cheltenham model center has a picture of D1015 pre production model.

The model is in their display case in the shop for all to see, and looks very nice.

[Phil Bullock]

It certainly does!!!! Cant wait to get my mitts on that beauty

 

Phil

[47137]

Here is a photo of my D1011 'Western Thunderer. The plates are by Shawplan, and the track is C&L '00'.

 

Could someone tell me whether this is the A or the B end, and why?

 

- Richard.

 

Edited March 30, 2014 by 47137

[buffalo]

Looks like the A end. There are A/B letters below the bottom of the outer cab door handrails. Whether Dapol got it right is another question...

 

Nick

[Geoff Endacott]

B.

 

Westerns have an access flap for the compressor brushes on one side only. This is the small rectangular panel in the bodyside beneath the centre grille of the right-hand group of three. This flap is towards the B end of the locomotive.

 

If you are looking side-on at the "flapped" side of a Western, the A end is to the left and the B end to the right.

 

I can't see the flap in this photo, so if this is the side without it, the B end must be on the left and the A end on the right.

 

Geoff Endacott

[47137]

Looks like the A end. There are A/B letters below the bottom of the outer cab door handrails. Whether Dapol got it right is another question...

 

 

B.

 

Westerns have an access flap for the compressor brushes on one side only. This is the small rectangular panel in the bodyside beneath the centre grille of the right-hand group of three. This flap is towards the B end of the locomotive.

 

If you are looking side-on at the "flapped" side of a Western, the A end is to the left and the B end to the right.

 

I can't see the flap in this photo, so if this is the side without it, the B end must be on the left and the A end on the right.

 

It's the A end. Dapol have put a black letter A below the cab hand rail nearest the camera. I didn't realise it was there, I need a magnifying glass to see it. The access flap Geoff mentions is on the side facing the camera, and is just about visible (if you know what you are looking for) if you enlarge the photo. Thanks both.

 

I've put a Kadee coupler on the other end; so I'll remember when the loco is pulling a train, the A end is leading.

 

- Richard.

[Geoff Endacott]

Now that club member Stafford Evans has taken a photo of one of my Westerns (running on Highbridge Road at Trainwest) I can post it on here:

 

 

Precision Labels 4.0mm headcodes, inside the glazing, Q.E.D.

 

Geoff Endacott

Edited April 15, 2014 by Geoff Endacott

[rembrow]

Having thought I might be OK with my two Westerns, I've just had a failure with Western Sovereign, the first Dapol release. My two have only been used on an 'end to end' layout as I didn't have a continuous run or a suitable rolling road. Last week I bought a Hornby steam loco outline live roller rolling road and converted it so that it will take long chassis, twin axle drive diesels and electrics. The first loco I ran on it was Western Sovereign, for 20 mins at half power setting. No issues were evident and it ran smoothly, however having turned off the power, when I turned it back on, the motor was barely turning and no lights operated. I've been in contact with DCC Supplies, who were really helpful and the loco could have been repaired under warranty for payment of the second year service fee, however I suspected that the blanking plate circuitry was the cause and DCC confirmed that the current spare part for the Class 52 blanking plate has been redesigned from the original one fitted. I ordered one to see if this solved the problem, it arrived the next day-brilliant service. The circuit board layout is certainly substantially changed from the original, with fewer components and a shorter board. After installation, everything worked. Loco has now been run for long periods on 3 occasions without any issues. I've ordered another blanking plate to change the one in Western Legionaire as a precaution, at £9.70 plus p&p its worth it. The spec indicates the board is suitable for the later style Class 22s as well. I didn't have any problems in removing the chassis, not experiencing any overtightened screws that others have reported.

[Gwiwer]

Having five of these locos I can advise that the over-tightened screws seem to be as random as the other issues.  Not all locos are affected by any means but it can be frustrating to find one if you need to get inside for any reason.

 

All five continue to serve well here with the previously-noted minor niggles.  One end of one waddles slightly, one sounds coggy but is perfectly smooth running despite.  I have removed and repositioned the cab steps by around 1 mm which has eliminated a source of bogie-swing related derailments.  

Edited April 16, 2014 by Gwiwer

[rembrow]

My Legionaire has a wobble two. As I was ordering a second blanking plate from DCC Supplies, I ordered 2 sets of wheels to try and sort that out as well. The wheels can be bought without the central gear at a reasonable price and my multi order saved on p&p

[MikeParkin65]

My Legionaire has a wobble two. As I was ordering a second blanking plate from DCC Supplies, I ordered 2 sets of wheels to try and sort that out as well. The wheels can be bought without the central gear at a reasonable price and my multi order saved on p&p

Though you shouldn't have to pay to replace substandard parts on a model no more than 12 months old.

[rembrow]

I agree completely, but with the circuit board I was asked to pay the £15 second year service fee in order to have the model looked at so decided to buy the part. I've subsequently read an article in the May Hornby magazine, where the Class 52 failures were put to Joel Bright managing director and Andy Forty technical director of Dapol and the quoted response was that they had identified faults with the lighting circuit board used in the first Class 22s and 52s. That fault has been corrected by the production of a new circuit board. They go on to say that this has been used in models identified as a retro fit or as a supplied board. To me this is the first official statement from Dapol which identifies that they accept there has been a manufacturing fault in some of the circuit boards used in those models. I have e-mailed Dapol with that point and advised that following that confirmation, I consider that in the UK the Sale of Goods Act 1979 applies, in that some of the models are not of satisfactory quality or fit for purpose and that the cost of replacement should be with the supplier even after warranty has expired. I've quoted the similar example of Hornby's action with the Class 31 chassis failure, as accepting responsibility for funding the replacement, years after the production occurred. I'll let you know what answer I get.

[steveb860]

Not forgetting Hornby replacing faulty circuit boards FOC on the first batch of their class 50's.

[MikeParkin65]

And Bachmann replacing motors in the A1

[steve22]

Whatever happened to the EU directive (if that's the term) that products now carried a two year warranty.  Is it for items only produced in the EU or what; does anyone know?  Was it just a nice dream that I had?    

[Ryde-on-time]

Whatever happened to the EU directive (if that's the term) that products now carried a two year warranty.  Is it for items only produced in the EU or what; does anyone know?  Was it just a nice dream that I had?    

The directive was a set of minimum rights for consumers within the EU. The directive has not been adopted in the UK because the uk's 'sale of goods act' offers far greater protection. For instance it covers goods potentially for up to 6 years rather than the EU directives 2 years

 

It is a shame that stories of 'the secret EU 2 year warranty' are trotted out ocasionally on slow news days by the Daily Mail (and other papers) without seemingly knowing what they are talking about

[steve22]

Thanks for the info Mr. Ryde-on-time, that's helpful.  I'll be brief so as not to go OT; up to SIX years sounds great but 'potentially' is something that seems rather open to interpretation far more than a definitive warranty.        

[Ryde-on-time]

The sale of goods act covers goods for up to 6 years and gives the buyer rights against the seller (not the manufacturer unless they purchased direct). I said 'potentially' because some items simply do not last 6 years

 

For the first 6 months it is for the supplier to prove an item has failed due to damage rather than an inherent / manufacturing fault

 

From 6 moths up to 6 years it is for the buyer to prove the item is faulty rather than damaged. Sometimes stores ask buyers to get an independent report confirming a fault rather than damage, but if the item is faulty ithey are entitled to a refund for any costs getting the report. Just because an item has a reputation for failure or there are numerous stories on the internet of failure, the buyer can still be asked to prove that their particuler item has not failed due to damage.

 

Although a buyer can request a particular remedy (repair, replacement or refund) the seller can choice an alternative (usually because it is cheaper). If the seller chooses to refund they can also reduce the refund to take into account the age/usage, therefore a refund offer for some goods nearing 6 years (especially electrical goods) may be disappointingly small. (I don't think a 6 year old laptop computer would be worth much on Ebay)

 

Some of the above may not sound great but it is still better than the EU directive!

[Phil Bullock]

Druid heads north on vans to Worcester whilst Marquis is on southbound steel empties at Abbotswood today

 

 

Great fun!

 

Phil