Dapol Class 121 and 122 in OO gauge

[The Johnster]

John and Chris are right of course, it is not worth getting vexed over and I'm not, especially as I'm not in the market for this model at the moment, but it is irritating when a manufacturer goes to so much trouble to get things so very precisely and accurately wrong.  For now, though, I'm gonna be getting on with my life, and my modelling...

[St Enodoc]

Working lights are primarily a selling point - not a detail feature. I recall, as a kid, being captivated by the models that had lights - I think they were probably Trix Twin (the Warship and the Woodhead electric, maybe). I like 'em. I don't give a fig that the red markers on my N gauge 121 shouldn't be on, or the front ones are too bright. Bothering about such things just makes one miserable. Model railways are fun and the lights are part of the fun. And, as John says, if you don't like 'em, you can switch 'em off! The beauty of modelling Canadian is that the locos have lots of lights, they all work, and they are bright - and meant to be so. (CJL)

Same with my Tri-ang Transcontinental double-ended electric loco...

Edited August 5, 2017 by St Enodoc

[tetsudofan]

I've just been looking at my blue and grey railcar and can only really see the "tear drops" if I remove the railcar from the track and look at the cab ends with a magnifying glass, not something I do each and every day.

 

Somehow think that mountains are being created from mole hills by the few. My only problem is finding a decent sound decoder to install on mine.

 

Dapol has produced some first class lemons in the past. For instance I purchased a Western diesel from a shop in South Wales who fitted a sound decoder. When I received the model it made all the appropriate sounds but would not move - the shop said they can't help as Dapol said there was nothing wrong with the loco and South West Digital said there was nothing wrong with the decoder and the shop says they fitted the decoder properly. That is a problem, tear drops aren't.

 

Keith

[owentherail]

I have taken 3 blue gray DMUs out of boxes at my local shop and the teardrop effect differs quite a bit from very obvious to hardly noticeable but still there!!

[Chris116]

The more I read this thread the happier I am that I have a large number of Lima and Hornby bubble cars!

[wombatofludham]

Are the paint blemishes visible under normal layout viewing distances when moving?  For me, that would be the acid test, especially as in BR days the real units tended to acquire all sorts of dings, rust-spots and scrapes, plus copious amounts of weathering.  I must admit to being tempted by the blue/grey railcar.
 
Meanwhile, by way of a musical interlude for those upset by the "teardrops"...

 

https://youtu.be/k59E7T0H-Us
 

Edited August 5, 2017 by wombatofludham

[The Johnster]

I've just been looking at my blue and grey railcar and can only really see the "tear drops" if I remove the railcar from the track and look at the cab ends with a magnifying glass, not something I do each and every day.

 

Somehow think that mountains are being created from mole hills by the few. My only problem is finding a decent sound decoder to install on mine.

 

Dapol has produced some first class lemons in the past. For instance I purchased a Western diesel from a shop in South Wales who fitted a sound decoder. When I received the model it made all the appropriate sounds but would not move - the shop said they can't help as Dapol said there was nothing wrong with the loco and South West Digital said there was nothing wrong with the decoder and the shop says they fitted the decoder properly. That is a problem, tear drops aren't.

 

Keith

 

To be fair, I can remember real Westerns that made all the right noises but didn't move...

 

I'm not helping, am I mummy?

[Paul W]

Are the paint blemishes visible under normal layout viewing distances when moving?  For me, that would be the acid test, especially as in BR days the real units tended to acquire all sorts of dings, rust-spots and scrapes, plus copious amounts of weathering.  I must admit to being tempted by the blue/grey railcar.

 

 

It depends on the individual model in your hand or on your layout.

 

So far I have had 8 in hand and all 8 on a layout, 4 blue & 4 blue/grey, and although all were affected they were so in varying degrees, and they have all been returned. They were all noticeable when on my layout and viewed from a distance of 2ft, but then again I was looking for it. It is one of those instances where ignorance is bliss.

 

The worst was the first one I took out of the box, a blue one, which had had the paint run rubbed off by the packaging right down to the blue underneath and was so obvious, as this was the first time I had noticed the problem, that I noticed it in the plastic retaining packaging before I took it out.

 

I hope there are some blue & blue/greys out there which are unaffected and people are happy with them, as I would be if I could find any blue ones unaffected. The search continues.

 

The least affected one was a blue/grey which was just noticeable on the layout, but noticeable all the same.

[Yankee]

Update on the crooked step. Post 721

 

I found that by very gently  levering the step there was movement of the forward visible lug that was holding the step to the bogie.  Picture 1

I got it to the point where that lug was almost out but there  was another lug holding it in that finally broke off which can be seen as the white spot in picture 2. If I had noticed the second lug earlier I may have been able to prize it out also, but think it might have been glued in better and not come out without breaking.  I think I was lucky at least one lug was not glued in too well.

Picture 3 shows the removed step with one good lug and one broken.

I drilled out the hole in the bogie very slightly oversize so the lug slipped in without force and glued it in horizontally level picture 4.

However being held in with two lugs means there is only one position that the step can be installed in and to reposition the step one lug has to be broken off. If the step is crooked means either the holes were drilled incorrectly or the lugs on the step not positioned correctly.

[Silver Sidelines]

Well done

.I found that by very gently  levering the step there was movement ..

When I was faffing on with the handrail on the driver's cab I was pleasantly surprised to be able to lever the rail very gently apart from the body shell.  Others might know the type of adhesive used by Dapol but it does not appear to bond to the plastic in quite the same way that MEK / Butanone welds parts together.

 

Ray

Edited August 7, 2017 by Silver Sidelines

[Caddy]

Just had to keep this thread on a positive note, don't care about tear drops, crooked steps, bright lights or wide stripes, it runs like a dream and I really wish Bachmann would adopt this type of drive train into their DMU's, Hampshire units and EMU's.

 

Back to playing trains.....................

[Miss Prism]

and I really wish Bachmann would adopt this type of drive train into their DMU's, Hampshire units and EMU's

 

Arguably Bachmann did, with its 108, but maybe you have a different notion of 'type of drive train'.

[dibber25]

Arguably Bachmann did, with its 108, but maybe you have a different notion of 'type of drive train'.

I think Caddy wants to avoid the 'massive metal block in the passenger saloon' that has been a feature of some Bachmann DMUs but there are others who find Dapol's raised floor equally unacceptable. It'll be interesting to see what Rapido has done with Realtrack's 156. If it's like their Budd car, it'll have individual drive to the bogies from small underfloor motors and full interior detail. The only down-side with the Budd cars is that the motors are operating at their max, with little or nothing in reserve, while Bachmann's and Dapol's have, probably, more in reserve than is really necessary. So plenty of choice and something to suit everyone. It's just that you'll need to prioritise choice of drive over choice of prototype. (CJL)

[Paul W]

 "there are others who find Dapol's raised floor equally unacceptable."

 

Especially with the bright interior lighting on, not so bad with the interior lighting switched off though, and even better with passengers in, although you have to snip the legs off all those who wish to travel in a Dapol 122.

 

As always it's a case of how far you are willing to compromise against benefits over negatives as with all things modelling. The space provided for a big speaker is much appreciated which has resulted in the loss of depth in the interior flooring.

 

The benefit of better sound quality through a bigger speaker installation than otherwise possible when using the more conventional drive system, such as Bachmann,over not having to cut off the legs of the passengers and loosing depth in the flooring? Bigger speaker for me every time but as we know not everyone wants this.

[Dungrange]

It'll be interesting to see what Rapido has done with Realtrack's 156. If it's like their Budd car, it'll have individual drive to the bogies from small underfloor motors and full interior detail. The only down-side with the Budd cars is that the motors are operating at their max, with little or nothing in reserve, while Bachmann's and Dapol's have, probably, more in reserve than is really necessary. 

 

I haven't received my Realtrack Class 156 yet, but my understanding is this is precisely how Rapido are doing it - small motors mounted in the bogies under each vehicle.  The demo version of the Realtrack 156 at various shows over the last six months of so shows full interior detail within both cars and from speaking to Charlie at a couple of shows I am informed that is why the unit requires two DCC decoders: one in each car, because each of the two cars are powered independently. 

[dibber25]

I've now fitted Legomanbiffo sound to my Dapol 122 and although I had some initial reservations, the job was easy despite having to change the supplied oval speaker for a round one that fits the Dapol mounting. A spot of very precise soldering to some tiny pads is needed but I've no reservations at all about Dapol's choice of speaker size/shape. It's all been photographed for a future Model Rail Workbench feature. (CJL)

Edited August 12, 2017 by dibber25

[dibber25]

A couple more pictures of my 122s running-in on my Canadian layout (my only continuous run with DCC control). Both now have sound fitted, one with Legomanbiffo and the other with a Zimo decoder from DCC Supplies ( I see now, that the sound is by YouChoos). Both use the 20mm round speaker as specified by Dapol but both come with an alternative larger oval speaker. I can't figure any way to use that but I suspect the Zimo would sound better through it than it does through the small round speaker. (CJL)

 

55007 has the Zimo sound and has yet to be 'shopped' for detailing. I need to buy more passengers and seated drivers first. It will also have a change of identity to become W55006, which I cabbed on the St.Ives branch in 1966.

55000 has the Legomanbiffo sound and will return to the workbench for some tweaks to stop the light bleed through the headcode panel. The LED is fine for the high intensity headlight versions but way too bright for the headcodes. It has homemade destination decals as the choice of destinations supplied concentrates on midlands and Scottish names to the exclusion of west country and London area. The one Midlands name I wanted - Much Wenlock - isn't included and the only one I might have used - Moreton in Marsh - is incorrectly spelled. 

Many of the west country units ran without destination blinds, presumably because they were covering services that were scheduled for closure and there was no point in making blinds for them.

(CJL)

Edited August 20, 2017 by dibber25

[The Johnster]

A couple more pictures of my 122s running-in on my Canadian layout (my only continuous run with DCC control). Both now have sound fitted, one with Legomanbiffo and the other with a Zimo decoder from DCC Supplies. Both use the 20mm round speaker as specified by Dapol but both come with an alternative larger oval speaker. I can't figure any way to use that but I suspect the Zimo would sound better through it than it does through the small round speaker. (CJL)

 

55007 has the Zimo sound and has yet to be 'shopped' for detailing. I need to buy more passengers and seated drivers first. It will also have a change of identity to become W55006, which I cabbed on the St.Ives branch in 1966.

55000 has the Legomanbiffo sound and will return to the workbench for some tweaks to stop the light bleed through the headcode panel. The LED is fine for the high intensity headlight versions but way too bright for the headcodes. It has homemade destination decals as the choice of destinations supplied concentrates on midlands and Scottish names to the exclusion of west country and London area. The one Midlands name I wanted - Much Wenlock - isn't included and the only one I might have used - Moreton in Marsh - is incorrectly spelled. 

Many of the west country units ran without destination blinds, presumably because they were covering services that were scheduled for closure and there was no point in making blinds for them.

(CJL)

 

Are those salmon?  Have you modelled salmon swimming upstream to spawn?

 

Awesome!

[Persephone]

This may be useful if you are considering doing a quick and easy conversion to EM:

 

https://newheymodelrailway.wordpress.com/2017/08/18/another-convert-to-the-cause/

[dibber25]

Are those salmon?  Have you modelled salmon swimming upstream to spawn?

 

Awesome!

Yes, you can't model western Canada without the salmon run. They are slivers of the red elastic bands which the postman used to drop on my front path almost every day. No use npw, though, as Royal Mail has switched to brown elastic bands. Did you notice Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey dancing on the log in the background? (CJL)

Edited August 20, 2017 by dibber25

[The Johnster]

Yes I did but I just assumed they were lumberjacks, and that's ok, they sleep all night and they work all day.  After all, one is dressed in wimmin's clothing...  Kudos for the salmon, though.

 

Brown elastic bands would work for trout, presumably!

[ColinK]

I've just started personalising my blue 121. The plan is to renumber it, fit DCC sound (two sugar cubes), add passengers & drivers, then weather it.

 

I've got the body off and painted the 'raised floor' black to make it less obvious. Fitting passengers is simple. But can anyone advise how I get into the cabs to fit drivers?

[Tony_S]

Fitting passengers is simple. But can anyone advise how I get into the cabs to fit drivers?

Unscrew the ceiling lighting strip. Then release the cab interiors with the lighting strip. Reversal required making sure the ends of the lighting strip are properly located. As legs need to be trimmed I did wonder if a driver could be inserted with yweexrts through the bulkhead window. Removing the cabs was mentioned much earlier in the thread. I was very grateful for the advice shared by dibber25.

[cctransuk]

I've just started personalising my blue 121. The plan is to renumber it, fit DCC sound (two sugar cubes), add passengers & drivers, then weather it.

 

I've got the body off and painted the 'raised floor' black to make it less obvious. Fitting passengers is simple. But can anyone advise how I get into the cabs to fit drivers?

 

Colin,

 

Funnily enough, I've just stripped my Class 122 (GRCW single car railcar to me) for a repaint - I decided that the livery and lining were just a tad to 'in your face' for me.

 

I removed the exhaust pipes and other external body detail with fine pointed treezers - though I left the handrails in-situ as they'll need respraying.

 

The body comes off very easily - it's a snap-fit over lugs on the chassis.

 

The light bar is released by removing two cross-head screws.

 

The cab interiors are fixed to the light-bar and locate into slots in the body - spring the body sides apart and the cab interiors and light-bar will pull out.

 

The windows can be sprung away from the bodysides with a sharp knife - the glue is not particularly strong.

 

The headcodes just push out from the inside of the body; as do the destination glazing / light bars.

 

I could not release the marker light glazing, so this will be masked.

 

The roof is a separate moulding that snap-fits to the rest of the body via lugs - it can be released from the body sides / ends moulding with a sharp knife blade inserted at the interface.

 

I have fitted the detail to the chassis - at least, as much of it as is compatible with auto-couplings.

 

The 'floor' area between the seats, and the 'boxes' over the electronics, have been painted matt grey to make them less conspicuous. The wheels have also had a coat of black paint on their faces.

 

I am removing the undersized shell vents from the roof by drilling 0.8mm. through their square locating lugs from the inside of the roof, in order to fit slightly larger castings.

 

I will then mask the white roof end domes, and spray the rest a darker grey.

 

The body will be sprayed Phoenix early DMU green, and then lined / lettered with my own transfers.

 

All in all, the Dapol Class 122 is a very nice model; well designed and assembled. It is also very amenable to disassembly for those of us who can't leave well alone !!

 

Photos in due course.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

Edited August 24, 2017 by cctransuk

[dibber25]

I've just started personalising my blue 121. The plan is to renumber it, fit DCC sound (two sugar cubes), add passengers & drivers, then weather it.

 

I've got the body off and painted the 'raised floor' black to make it less obvious. Fitting passengers is simple. But can anyone advise how I get into the cabs to fit drivers?

 

Because of the raised floor, the drivers will sit too high if you try to place them on the very nice little seats. I took the seat out, cut off the pedestal and refined the seat to the floor. (CJL)