Jump to content
 

New OO gauge Class 73


33212
 Share

Recommended Posts

Shedmaster, the three I've purchased all work well with, believe it or not, a Hornby Sapphire decoder. I've tried Lenz Silver and ESU Loksound (had a cl47 sound decoder handy), but the running is poor at best. Not sure why this is, but they run well. Tony.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • Tempfix

Hi,

 

Would anybody mind suggesting a suitable 21-pin decoder for one of these Dapol 73's please ?

 

I've tried using a Bachmann 21-pin to 8-pin converter and a spare 8-pin decoder but am unable to make it work this way.

 

Many Thanks,

 

Kindest Regards,

 

Shed.

 

I've got a DCC Concepts Zen 218 with stay-alive in both of mine. Considerable improvement in performance over the Hattons own decoder one of them came with. I will probably end up following Temaraire's excellent suggestion for pickup modifications though as both are hesitant through pointwork.

 

Rich

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm still trying to get hold of one of the Dapol Collector's Club green SYP Cl 73s ( the one that they still have plenty of).

 

After two phone calls to Dapol I put a comment on their Facebook page & got a response from Joel Bright. I then sent an email, & got an order form with the reply. It apparently needs to be printed & sent to them (they already have my address & credit card details) but the only way I could print it was to take a screen shot & paste it into Paint. Then I need to pay for a stamp & send them a cheque.

 

Having read all the other comments above, I'm wondering if I shouldn't just give up. If, by some miracle, the loco does turn up, what kind of hassle will I be in for if it is defective & needs to be returned?!

 

 

I called Dapol nearly 6 weeks back to purchase the club Class 73, gave them credit card and address, etc, no mention of a form needing to be filled in?! And certainly no mention of having to send a cheque! I stopped using cheques years ago!!!

 

I have chased it a few times and keep being told it will be despatched "soon". 

 

Close to giving up on it myself...

 

{Edited: originally stated a couple of weeks back but it was actually before Xmas 2015 that I placed my order!!!!!!)

Edited by southernelectric
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Still no reply from Dapol re the missing buffer.

 

However the good news is that I have found it whilst looking for something else. Must have popped out when I took the loco out of the box after the show to sort the light direction issue out.

 

The round buffers on 'Royal Alex' are metal and do not appear to come out as easily as the plastic oval buffers on the green ED. I have slightly bent the tags which are meant to hold the buffer in the shank. I am going to try to push the buffer heads in, hold with tape and add a tiny bit of canopy glue to these tags. If it doesnt work then at least I can peel the canopy glue off and try something else.

Edited by roundhouse
  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

A more likely scenario is that it just fell off. I have had mine for a while now and more than a half dozen parts have been found around the place. Each time there has been no adhesive on the parts. It would have been better if they sold it a a kit of parts, at least I could have done a better job of putting it together.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have five of the Dapol Class 73. Four are good runners, the fifth is OK once warmed up. One buffer went ballistic (round from 73101), so I called DC supplies and received a replacement in 2 days - excellent service. Nothing else has fallen off, though you do have to be extremely careful as some of the detailed parts are not very strongly glued.

Fine for display, but if you are going to run I suggest that each separate part is checked and re-glued before it falls off! 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I called Dapol a couple of weeks back to purchase the club Class 73, gave them credit card and address, etc, no mention of a form needing to be filled in?! And certainly no mention of having to send a cheque! I stopped using cheques years ago!!!

 

I have chased it a few times and keep being told it will be despatched "soon". 

 

Close to giving up on it myself...I also ordered this before having 'problems' with  two blue 73's I  had bought earlier! The model hasn't appeared nor has the Club membership! As Dapol haven't taken money from my bank account I'm not too bothered.

On a positive note have got the two faulty 73's on their way back to Dapol (no quibble at all by them, indeed the guy on the phone was very helpful) with Freepost parcel sticker to boot. Not sure I want them back either - will just have to wait and see what transpires!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Close to giving up on it myself...I also ordered this before having 'problems' with  two blue 73's I  had bought earlier! The model hasn't appeared nor has the Club membership! As Dapol haven't taken money from my bank account I'm not too bothered.

 

On a positive note have got the two faulty 73's on their way back to Dapol (no quibble at all by them, indeed the guy on the phone was very helpful) with Freepost parcel sticker to boot. Not sure I want them back either - will just have to wait and see what transpires!

 

I wonder what is going on at Dapol? How hard can it be to ship a loco out? I called in and placed my order for it NEARLY 6 WEEKS AGO with a credit card....but no sign of it! Has anyone on here seen their Club model arrive yet? Do Dapol read these forums?

Edited by southernelectric
Link to post
Share on other sites

I wonder what is going on at Dapol? How hard can it be to ship a loco out? I called in and placed my order for it NEARLY 6 WEEKS AGO with a credit card....but no sign of it! Has anyone on here seen their Club model arrive yet? Do Dapol read these forums?

It does make you wonder. Their statement that they had plenty of the club model left gave the impression that the models were there, waiting to be bought. When I phoned the second time I was told that it was the DCC version that was delayed, again suggesting that the DCC ready version was already in stock.

 

I've now sent them a cheque. If I receive a loco, I will be pleased, but surprised. If I was a shareholder in Dapol, I would be very concerned by the whole fiasco surrounding the Class 73s.

Link to post
Share on other sites

It does make you wonder. Their statement that they had plenty of the club model left gave the impression that the models were there, waiting to be bought. When I phoned the second time I was told that it was the DCC version that was delayed, again suggesting that the DCC ready version was already in stock.

 

I've now sent them a cheque. If I receive a loco, I will be pleased, but surprised. If I was a shareholder in Dapol, I would be very concerned by the whole fiasco surrounding the Class 73s.

 

The website still says the same as a week or so before Xmas when I placed my order....that they are selling fast but still have some left.

 

I get the impression it's all somewhat chaotic at Dapol HQ at the moment....but surely it cannot be too difficult for them to process an order and ship it out?!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, I guess I am quite rare, but I'm actually quite pleased with my Class 73.

 

I have Brighton Evening Argus from Gaugemaster.

 

I collected it in person from Gaugemaster as I was down that way.

 

I'm afraid I've forgotten the name of who served me, but he was very helpful and quite happy for me to take it out of the box to check for any dropped off parts, buffers pointing in strange directions etc. We also put it on their test track where it ran nicely, I picked up each bogie in turn to check it was picking up from both (a friend had a green one that only picked up from one bogie).

 

I then put the Micrometer on the wheels and confirmed that the back to backs and flange widths are all compliant with NMRA/DOGA etc (DJM please note!).

 

It all looked good at the shop, so I bought it.

 

Once back home, switching a circuit of the layout to DC, it runs very nicely through both Peco code 100 and my 00-SF trackwork, no hesitating on the points and very smooth running.

 

It will get a sound decoder in due course.

 

Yes, the couplings were assembled upside down, but forewarned by this forum that was an easy fix.

 

Yes, the cab lights are on all the time but a scalpel and soldering iron will soon see them operating from spare functions on the decoder, when fitted.

 

The yellow end is a bit lemony, but to my untrained eye this is less noticeable on the Pullman livery and it can always be airbrushed if I feel the urge.

 

I'm happy with the Pullman livery, because it looks fine to me and I don't actually know exactly what shade of brown it should be and I won't get involved in that discussion.

 

So, overall, I'm a happy customer.

 

That said, I have postponed buying a blue one until that livery is sorted out - the purple shade is too noticeable and the yellow ends are much more noticeably the wrong colour as it will be parked next to Hornby/Heljan/Bachmann in the same livery, which doesn't apply to 73101.

 

Regards,

 

Pete

  • Like 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

A scan of the 2015 British Model Railway awards shows for the OO gauge 'diesel and electric' category ...........................Daplol's class 73 in 5th place just behind SLW's class 24..............UNBELIEVABLE??

How can such an appalling model achieve this?  I give in!!!!!!

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

A scan of the 2015 British Model Railway awards shows for the OO gauge 'diesel and electric' category ...........................Daplol's class 73 in 5th place just behind SLW's class 24..............UNBELIEVABLE??

How can such an appalling model achieve this?  I give in!!!!!!

Because there was little else to vote for. I also think having these multiple choice things tends to make people feel they have to vote. So I'll bet there were a number of people who have no knowledge of this model , but felt they had to make a selection .

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

A scan of the 2015 British Model Railway awards shows for the OO gauge 'diesel and electric' category ...........................Daplol's class 73 in 5th place just behind SLW's class 24..............UNBELIEVABLE??

How can such an appalling model achieve this?  I give in!!!!!!

 

The model is actually rather good.  It looks like a 73 and the detailing is superb.  It runs very well.

 

It is the decoration and the quality control which so badly lets it down.  Important details like having the couplers assembled the right way up, ensuring the tiny parts which are separately applied are also stuck not just press-fitted with crossed fingers.  And ensuring that the livery is checked against a painted sample not just an image sent by email which is what has been alluded to above.

 

It's a good model at many levels.  It's a dreadful one to have to look at and put back together though.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Because there was little else to vote for. I also think having these multiple choice things tends to make people feel they have to vote. So I'll bet there were a number of people who have no knowledge of this model , but felt they had to make a selection .

 

The awards poll does not force participants to vote in any category. It can be left blank.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

As posted in #970/241215, cv changes were supplied by Digitrains. I don't understand the reference to TCS decoders, which have always been pdg in my experience. I pointed out the discrepencies with regards to the pcb/decoder interface to dcc supplies when I raised an issue with a new release Class 22. Dapol have acknowledged this fault to me in private correspondence.

Ah well, since posting my observations on the CV's and the running qualities (sic) of the model I have had to return the model to Kernows, this was done on 22/1/16, and, I am awaiting its return. The fault that occurred had been mentioned previously: the loco ran normally for a while, then stuttered and all lights went out, and then stopped dead. This fitted with a new Zimo mx634d decoder which had been tested prior to fitting.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

The awards poll does not force participants to vote in any category. It can be left blank.

I know it Andy, and it wasn't a criticism. Indeed from memory I left the N and O sections blank because I had no knowledge of it. It was more a reference to human nature, people do have a tendency to tick boxes just because it's there

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...