Dapol 'Western'

[Gwiwer]

On 03/08/2019 at 11:45, Hound Dog said:

Missing nameplates etc arrived this morning so good recovery by Hattons....... noticed they are branded “Extreme Etchings”

These plates also look brassy in colour which unless it is a quirk of the photography may be incorrect. 

 

Compare the photo of Dave Jones a couple of posts back with an apparently genuine D1000 number-plate (or at least a good replica) being shown for the correct colour. All previous Dapol-supplied plates have been correct. 

[cctransuk]

2 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

These plates also look brassy in colour which unless it is a quirk of the photography may be incorrect. 

 

Compare the photo of Dave Jones a couple of posts back with an apparently genuine D1000 number-plate (or at least a good replica) being shown for the correct colour. All previous Dapol-supplied plates have been correct. 

 

Not brassy - etched in, I think, stainless steel; (or possibly nickel silver).

 

Whatever, they look spot-on when fitted.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Phil Bullock]

On 02/08/2019 at 19:23, MikeParkin65 said:

Have you tried fitting the plastic ones that come with the Bachmann class 43?

 

Having done 660 of the Bachmann plastic ones they are easier for sure!

 

Phil

Edited August 4, 2019 by Phil Bullock
Spelling

[cctransuk]

On 02/08/2019 at 18:37, Butler Henderson said:

A bit more thought would have made it better - not sure what looks worse, the gaps in the roof for the lifting eyes when not fitted or the lifting eyes having a few missing and others at an angle. Tried gluing some in place with varnish but far too fragile if touched accidentally. It would have been quite simple to make the gaps extend through the body and the lifting eyes longer so that they would pass through the body, be folded back under the roof and glued in place inside the body. Really as supplied a detail too far IMO.

 

There are a few spares, to be fair.

 

I have just fitted a set of the etched lifting rings, using fine pointed tweezers and superglue - fiddly, certainly, but it took no more than half an hour.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Butler Henderson]

3 hours ago, cctransuk said:

 

There are a few spares, to be fair.

 

I have just fitted a set of the etched lifting rings, using fine pointed tweezers and superglue - fiddly, certainly, but it took no more than half an hour.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

What superglue did you use, wary of doing that for it crazing the roof finish

[Phil Bullock]

The slower setting gel types are far less prone to these issues. Beware the really thin stiff!

[Hound Dog]

6 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

These plates also look brassy in colour which unless it is a quirk of the photography may be incorrect. 

 

Compare the photo of Dave Jones a couple of posts back with an apparently genuine D1000 number-plate (or at least a good replica) being shown for the correct colour. All previous Dapol-supplied plates have been correct. 

Fear not for it is nothing more than a quirk of the light, as the plates are indeed silver metal and not at all brassy in real life.

[cctransuk]

11 hours ago, Butler Henderson said:

What superglue did you use, wary of doing that for it crazing the roof finish

 

I used the really thin stuff - Vitalbond CA; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vitalbond-CA-Thin-20g-Super-Glue-10-Sec-Cure-Model-car-Plastics-Metal-Balsa-Wood/183328667152?epid=1141023457&hash=item2aaf3d7610:g:jFsAAOSwl9RaFHtR

 

You don't use enough to craze anything - hold the ring in pin-point tweezers, dip the fixing lug in a little pool of glue in a tin-lid, fit the fixing lug in the roof slot - done.

 

When dipping, the changing reflections in the glue pool indicate when the fixing lug has broken the surface tension of the glue - a TINY amount is all that is needed. If there is a danger of paint crazing, you're using way too much.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Phil Bullock]

Absolutely John - minimal glue whatever is used....

 

 

[maico]

Well, here is mine, it did come with the etched plates.

 

It's the first modern diesel or electric loco I've owned so I can't really do a comparative review but here it is with my Fleischmann DB 103 Ho made in 1978 and 1998 Brawa DB 216 Ho.

 

All run well on my Kato Unitrack, Trix C-track and Peco Streamline 100, all wide angle turn-outs and minimum R3 curves.

The Brawa glides round the smoothest. The Dapol is good at all speeds but is quite noisy running on C-track.

The Fleishmann is the fastest. Unlike the others it has only 1 bogie driven, but all 6 wheels have traction tyres.

Th Brawa seems to have more torque and traction.

 

Looking inside the Dapol is neatly made. The body comes off easily by removing the 4 screws.

Just as well because running DC the cab lighting flickers at low speed but there are off switches on the board to switch the LEDs off !

I borrowed a new Trix 216 loco recently and the running light implementation is better. The lights come on before the loco moves off and don't flicker at all.

 

One gripe is the Dapol buffers: they are sprung plastic and one promptly detached itself and needed gluing. The Fleishmann buffers are metal and part of the die-cast chassis that extends to the top of the maroon banding. The Brawa has a zinc die-cast chassis and body.  

 

All have mainly plastic bogies which are well done. Interesting the forthcoming Accurascale Deltic claims to have metal-fabricated bogies.   

 

Value for money: yes, mine is the base model and worth the  £129 paid (re- release price). I would pay more if it had a zinc die-cast body like Brawa, ESU and Marklin-Trix. The machines do exist in China as Brawa and ESU are made there. Marklin-Trix Ho are made in their Hungarian factory.

Edited August 8, 2019 by maico

[Guest JiLo]

13 hours ago, maico said:

Well, here is mine, it did come with the etched plates.

 

It's the first modern diesel or electric loco I've owned so I can't really do a comparative review but here it is with my Fleischmann DB 103 Ho made in 1978 and 1998 Brawa DB 216 Ho.

 

All run well on my Kato Unitrack, Trix C-track and Peco Streamline 100, all wide angle turn-outs and minimum R3 curves.

The Brawa glides round the smoothest. The Dapol is good at all speeds but is quite noisy running on C-track.

The Fleishmann is the fastest. Unlike the others it has only 1 bogie driven, but all 6 wheels have traction tyres.

 

Looking inside the Dapol is neatly made. The body comes off easily by removing the 4 screws.

Just as well because running DC the cab lighting flickers at low speed but there are off switches on the board to switch the LEDs off !

I borrowed a new Trix 216 loco recently and the running light implementation is better. The lights come on before the loco moves off and don't flicker at all.

 

One gripe is the Dapol buffers: they are sprung plastic and one promptly detached itself and needed gluing. The Fleishmann buffers are metal and part of the die-cast chassis that extends to the top of the maroon banding. The Brawa has a zinc die-cast chassis and body.  

 

All have mainly plastic bogies which are well done. Interesting the forthcoming Accurascale Deltic claims to have metal-fabricated bogies.   

 

Value for money: yes, mine is the base model and worth the  £129 paid (re- release price). I would pay more if it had a zinc die-cast body like Brawa, ESU and Marklin-Trix. The machines do exist in China as Brawa and ESU are made there. Marklin-Trix Ho are made in their Hungarian factory.

Looking at your photo, if I didnt already know the answer and someone asked me which was the most recent model, I'd say your 216!

 

Im not knocking the Western at all, its a fantastic model.

[cctransuk]

13 hours ago, maico said:

 

 

Looking at your photos emphasises to me how the Dapol 'Western' is transformed by a coat of Klear - as supplied, the finish is dull and lifeless.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Enterprisingwestern]

29 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

 

Looking at your photos emphasises to me how the Dapol 'Western' is transformed by a coat of Klear - as supplied, the finish is dull and lifeless.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

 

A tricky one that John, and all down to personal taste as ever and period being modelled.

My memories and photographs of Westerns in the late 60's/early 70's were just that, dull and lifeless, a by product of BR using a basically dull colour only enlivened by a coat of varnish, and after a few visits to the Laira washing plant things only went from bad to worse.

Good to know they can be brightened up a bit, which I suppose is easier than trying to flatten a shiny colour.

 

Mike.

[cctransuk]

16 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

A tricky one that John, and all down to personal taste as ever and period being modelled.

My memories and photographs of Westerns in the late 60's/early 70's were just that, dull and lifeless, a by product of BR using a basically dull colour only enlivened by a coat of varnish, and after a few visits to the Laira washing plant things only went from bad to worse.

Good to know they can be brightened up a bit, which I suppose is easier than trying to flatten a shiny colour.

 

Mike.

 

To be fair, my recollections of 'Westerns' were as-built at Birmingham Snow Hill - they positively gleamed then. We model what we remember, I suppose.

 

The good thing about a single coat of Klear is that it reproduces very well the appearance of a locomotive that was ex-works, or had been well cleaned, but had been in service around a week. The shine is not a uniform gloss; it just allows highlights to be seen; and Klear greatly improves the transparency of the glazing. With diesel locos, all that is then required is a hint of road dirt on the running gear, and a touch of soot deposit around the exhausts.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[maico]

I

Edited August 8, 2019 by maico

[maico]

It seems to be the convention in the model world that matte or satin is used not gloss. The originals are clearly more on the glossy side.

My 1970's cream DB 103 actually is gloss.  The Brawa more satin, similar to metal bodied Wrenns. I think these metal bodied model locos might be stove enamelled.  

Edited August 8, 2019 by maico

[MikeParkin65]

1 hour ago, cctransuk said:

 

To be fair, my recollections of 'Westerns' were as-built at Birmingham Snow Hill - they positively gleamed then. We model what we remember, I suppose.

 

The good thing about a single coat of Klear is that it reproduces very well the appearance of a locomotive that was ex-works, or had been well cleaned, but had been in service around a week. The shine is not a uniform gloss; it just allows highlights to be seen; and Klear greatly improves the transparency of the glazing. With diesel locos, all that is then required is a hint of road dirt on the running gear, and a touch of soot deposit around the exhausts.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

Can you share a photo of the end results please?

[cctransuk]

1 hour ago, MikeParkin65 said:

Can you share a photo of the end results please?

 

Mike,

 

The model currently has the detail pack fitted, and Peco Simplex couplings fitted in the NEM pockets.

 

I have brush-applied a coat of Klear; painted the details such as buffer heads, vacuum etc. pipes; and applied my own transfers to the outside of the route indicator boxes; (the latter are the 1962 codes for the up and down 'PINES EXPRESS') !!

 

I will not, at this stage, be adding the weathering as I prefer to weather a batch of stock all at the same time. This saves time in setting up the airbrush, and gives a certain uniformity to the final effect.

 

I will post a photo when I get chance to get the camera out.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[atom3624]

Is that an aftermarket conversion, or do the Dapol Westerns come as 'standard' with the real coil springs?

 

Is there any function to them or is it simply aesthetic - appearance?

 

Al.

[maico]

1 hour ago, atom3624 said:

Is that an aftermarket conversion, or do the Dapol Westerns come as 'standard' with the real coil springs?

 

Is there any function to them or is it simply aesthetic - appearance?

 

Al.

 

They are metal springs. The unit is attached to the plastic bogie and gearbox housing.

 

The front pipes running over the wheel are also metal as are the brake caliper retaining springs.

 

The axles run in proper metal sleeves and there is a external gear oiling point.

 

Unlike Trix , Brawa and the Accurascale Deltic  the gearbox housing isn't metal though, probably on cost grounds.

 

 

Edited August 8, 2019 by maico

[MikeParkin65]

1 hour ago, atom3624 said:

Is that an aftermarket conversion, or do the Dapol Westerns come as 'standard' with the real coil springs?

 

Is there any function to them or is it simply aesthetic - appearance?

 

Al.

Purely aesthetic

[atom3624]

Thanks for the replies both of you.

 

It is quite impressive to look at nevertheless.

 

Al.

[maico]

The weathering particularly suits the maroon colour for some reason

[Phil Bullock]

They look great Mr P. Will be round to check for air brake pipes later.....

[Crepello]

Agreed great weathering but I always thought Westerns had black buffer shanks (if that's the right term) rather than silver as the Oleo type. (Only trying to help!)