Dapol working signals review

[Stevelewis]

Noticing  this  topic is still  live,  just  reporting  I  have  recently  returned  3  SR  home  signals ( and   received   refunds)  as  faulty!

 

2 were purchased  one  worked  fine,  the  other  had  motor drive  problems   so it  was  replaced  by the  retailer,  its  replacement  worked  for   around  6 'UP/Down  cycles  then  failed,  the  next  day the  original one from  the  order  also  failed!

 

I would  point  out  that  these were supplied  as per the revised  instructions  with   DC  voltage 12V.  Also  worth  mentioning  that  I  still have  just  3  signals  purchased  when  they  were  first  launched  still working  OK  ( 12V DC feed)   I have  returned  around 20 now  as  faulty

 

We have  decided  that we will no longer  bother  to  purchase Dapol Signals,  and  have  purchased  Train Tech Digital  Colour  light  signals to  replace  the failed  Dapol  ones  ( they  work very well and   are  easy to install so long  as  they  are   hard  wired and the  system of direct  track contact  is  not  used!) 

[phil-b259]

We have  decided  that we will no longer  bother  to  purchase Dapol Signals,  and  have  purchased  Train Tech Digital  Colour  light  signals to  replace  the failed  Dapol  ones  ( they  work very well and   are  easy to install so long  as  they  are   hard  wired and the  system of direct  track contact  is  not  used!) 

 

Not much use if you want Semaphore signals on your layout though - particularly as colour light signals were relatively rare in steam days (large termi excepting)

[Stevelewis]

Not much use if you want Semaphore signals on your layout though - particularly as colour light signals were relatively rare in steam days (large termi excepting)

 

Not  really  that  bothered  myself  there   is  more  than  one  layout  involved some  belong  to  my   friends,  and  we  tend   to invoke  Rule  1  quite  a  lot!

 

But  seriously  we  see no point  in  further time  wasting  with  Dapol   semaphore signals,  we  were totting  up recently   how  many  we  had  actually  purchased  since  their  launch and  got  the  figure  to  around 30, that's  over  £700!!  Luckily   the  returned   ones  all got  full refunds + return  shipping  costs.

[Rshakes3]

Hello all, I just wanted to add a final comment here, I now have 6 of the LMS home signals and again so far so good – 2 from the 1^st production run & 4 from the 2^nd run.

I have had to ‘open up’ 2 of them to re set the spring that returns the arm to danger - I followed the process as shown on You Tube – so a was a little miffed but I`ve had no issues with the electrics running on 9 volt 500ma.  It’s a long way from Australia to return them so I was cautious but I`m happy with them and would probably look at buying some more if the needs arises – I have no need at this time.  

[PaulRhB]

Yes they have totally redesigned the mech for the bracket signals to be servo based. Expected mid to third quarter 2018. Andy also said they have ironed out the bugs in the current mech to bring failures down as they thought approx 15% they were getting was far too high. He said latest batches have performed to much higher rates so they think they've sorted it.

[geoffwba]

If the revised bracket signals are available in 2018, that makes it 4 or 5 years since they were first announced!  Not exactly quick progress.

[tetsudofan]

Agree with you but better late than never I suppose!!

 

Keith

[PaulRhB]

When you look at the bashing their semaphores get and things like the 68 bodyshells is it surprising they have waited to get it right

[Hilux5972]

Seems they have announced GWR signals at Warley.

[dpgibbons]

Yes - official word is GWR brackets for 4mm to be servo operated with bounce, due 2Q18

[dunnyrail]

Yes - official word is GWR brackets for 4mm to be servo operated with bounce, due 2Q18

Hm I wonder if they will be Servo Upgrading the earlier designs?

JonD

[PaulRhB]

Hm I wonder if they will be Servo Upgrading the earlier designs?

JonD

Hi Jon,

No they said they have sorted the mech so will continue to use it on the Single signals.

[PaulRhB]

Has anyone run these off 9v batteries? I'm thinking rather than set up separate supply if I could use a battery on each board to work them on a portable layout without buying a 9v supply and running a second bus around to power signals.

[Chris M]

Has anyone run these off 9v batteries? I'm thinking rather than set up separate supply if I could use a battery on each board to work them on a portable layout without buying a 9v supply and running a second bus around to power signals.

The problem with batteries is of course they will inevitably be flat just when you need them. I’ve just put some resistors in the circuit for the signals in order to bring the voltage down. Simple, cheap and works.

[phil-b259]

Has anyone run these off 9v batteries? I'm thinking rather than set up separate supply if I could use a battery on each board to work them on a portable layout without buying a 9v supply and running a second bus around to power signals.

Yes - although only for testing purposes.

 

At what point they would cease to work due to the battery voltage lowering over time is unknown though

[Suzie]

Probably be OK from a rechargeable battery (8.4V Ni-Mh for example) but I suspect would not run for very long from Alkaline.

 

A resistor is unlikely to be very effective - the current requirement varies significantly between not moving and moving such that the correct value for when moving is unlikely to limit the voltage to below 9V when stationary.

 

Now, trickle charging the rechargeable battery via a resistor (and diode) might work OK...

[Stevelewis]

Has anyone run these off 9v batteries? I'm thinking rather than set up separate supply if I could use a battery on each board to work them on a portable layout without buying a 9v supply and running a second bus around to power signals.

 

Yes  they  do   work  with  a  9 volt  battery  quite  satisfactorily,  I  have  had  one  working  for  some  months  now  which  was  set  up  to  test  the  possibility of its usefulness on 9v  battery  power,  I incorporated  an on/off switch in  the  circuit  so that  the  battery did not  drain from powering  the  light  when  layout not in use.

 

I am still not  wholly  satisfied  with  the  mechanical   aspect  of  them  though    some  early  ones   are  still working ( changed  to 12v DC power)  but  I have  had  many failures  3 SR ones  not  too long  ago  all returned  & refunded! 

[Chris M]

Probably be OK from a rechargeable battery (8.4V Ni-Mh for example) but I suspect would not run for very long from Alkaline.

 

A resistor is unlikely to be very effective - the current requirement varies significantly between not moving and moving such that the correct value for when moving is unlikely to limit the voltage to below 9V when stationary.

 

Now, trickle charging the rechargeable battery via a resistor (and diode) might work OK...

My signals no longer have working lights. Having looked at real signals in daylight I decided there should not be a light on semaphore signals and disconnected all the lamps. My power supply therefore only provides power for the motor.

[Suzie]

No need to disconnect the lamp - just reverse the red and black wires!

[PaulRhB]

My signals no longer have working lights. Having looked at real signals in daylight I decided there should not be a light on semaphore signals and disconnected all the lamps. My power supply therefore only provides power for the motor.

The lights are there just not visible as they are rather dim. When I used to do the oil lamps at Marchwood we had no traffic in the dark during summer so I turned the wicks right down and they would last two weeks. In winter they lasted a week and were easily visible but nowhere near as bright as the Dapol LED's I put a dab of yellow paint on mine so they barely show unless it's dull and look more like an oil lamp. Even the modern electric bulbs they replaced the lamps with are fairly dim as no one cleaned the lamp holder glass!

[The Johnster]

Most model railway lighting is far to bright and looks gimmicky to me as a result, and steam age oil lighting is as bad as any other sort in model form.  Signal oil lamps were supposed to burn for 7 days if properly trimmed, and were visited by the lampman on a weekly schedule.  They would be barely visible in daylight even on a dull day; there was a lot less ambient light around even in urban areas in those days, and at night they were easily visible to drivers form at least a mile away if the sightlines allowed.

 

Drivers would have to wear sunglasses on duty at night if most model signal lighting was scaled up for brightness to full size!  The same applies to marker lights on locos and multiple units; post steam age lighting used very low wattage bulbs that merely replicated the oil lamp brightness for many years until the current 'high intensity' lights were introduced.

 

My signals, and everything else on my layout, are unlit and look fine for daylight operation, but I am working on a long term plan for lighting in some buildings and perhaps the signals if I can make it dim enough to suggest very dull weather (I model South Wales where the only time it isn't raining is when it's about to).

[trevor7598]

When the high intensity lights were first introduced a driver was asked what he thought of them.

' They are very good ' , he replied, ' before I didn't know what i'd hit, but now I can see it before

I hit it '.

[Hailstone]

Most model railway lighting is far to bright and looks gimmicky to me as a result, and steam age oil lighting is as bad as any other sort in model form.  Signal oil lamps were supposed to burn for 7 days if properly trimmed, and were visited by the lampman on a weekly schedule.  They would be barely visible in daylight even on a dull day; there was a lot less ambient light around even in urban areas in those days, and at night they were easily visible to drivers form at least a mile away if the sightlines allowed.

 

Drivers would have to wear sunglasses on duty at night if most model signal lighting was scaled up for brightness to full size!  The same applies to marker lights on locos and multiple units; post steam age lighting used very low wattage bulbs that merely replicated the oil lamp brightness for many years until the current 'high intensity' lights were introduced.

 

My signals, and everything else on my layout, are unlit and look fine for daylight operation, but I am working on a long term plan for lighting in some buildings and perhaps the signals if I can make it dim enough to suggest very dull weather (I model South Wales where the only time it isn't raining is when it's about to).

 

For Dapol signals, try painting the light behind the spectacle plate with Tamiya clear yellow, it does make quite a difference

 

Regards,

 

Alex

[Gwiwer]

The problem with batteries is of course they will inevitably be flat just when you need them. I’ve just put some resistors in the circuit for the signals in order to bring the voltage down. Simple, cheap and works.

 

Have we never heard of signal failure?

 

When one of my Dapol signals genuinely failed (blown motor) I grabbed a uniformed person from the drawer of spare little people, gave him a green flag and stood him at the base of the offending signal for a few weeks until I could replace it!

[shedman]

For anyone who's interested, I have just rewired my Dapol signals using an AC to 6V DC adapter/transformer from Maplins (L66BQ). Works perfectly well. I used the same wiring but made sure all the red wires were connected to plus, and the black to minus. Because I was using AC before they weren't all wired the same. All the Best for 2018, Trevor