Dapol Announce New OO Gauge Functioning Water Tower

[81C]

Tacky like their private owner wagons, purely for the toy train set market.

[steve W]

When I first saw the title of this thread, I lit up, I need two of these (the second in '0' scale)  one for the gin the t'other for the tonic.

B%$%%r, they didn't mean it could dispense liquids

[cal.n]

Opening doors. If I recall, part of the reason Hornby abandoned them was that they were a mechanical device operated by a ramp and the coach doors opened whether or not the train stopped. Perhaps that’s why the yellow line on platforms was introduced on the real thing.

 

Cheap solution. Model Adlestrop.

Just thinking about this, could sliding DMU (or EMU) opening doors be modelled using a small linear servo hidden beneath window level to control the (separate) door. Zimo decoders have two servo control features (can be used to operate left and right side doors individually). It wouldn't work on units with flush doors like the 153, 158 and EMUs like 350 and 390. Obviously not on Pacer's folding leaf doors. But maybe possible on a 156?? Maybe even synconised with sound?

 

Worth a try.....

[No Decorum]

Just thinking about this, could sliding DMU (or EMU) opening doors be modelled using a small linear servo hidden beneath window level to control the (separate) door. Zimo decoders have two servo control features (can be used to operate left and right side doors individually). It wouldn't work on units with flush doors like the 153, 158 and EMUs like 350 and 390. Obviously not on Pacer's folding leaf doors. But maybe possible on a 156?? Maybe even synconised with sound?

 

Worth a try.....

I wonder. I suspect that it would turn out to be very expensive, although it would be a nice feature. It would be easier to use a servo motor to power the cooling fans which some Hornby diesels have. Linked to the same function button as the cooling fan sound, they would operate much more realistically and would not cause the poor performance some have reported having with these locomotives. So bad that they prefer to disconnect the fan mechanism. Even a servo-powered fan, though, is likely to increase prices rather more than most of us would like.

[Stevelewis]

I suspect most people would love the sound of a flushing toilet in a camper van rather than the wheezing sound of a foot pedal squeezing a pathetic stream of foul smelling coloured liquid round what looks like a small plastic bucket with a seat!

 

Just  re  reading  this   thread   and  remembered  some  of  my  LGB  coaches  actually  have  a  toilet  &  washbowl  provided in  them  in  the  toilet  compartment    the toilet  actually has  a lifting  lid!  I  cannot  think  why  they  actually  bothered  as  the fittings  cannot  be  seen  unless the  coach  rooves  are  removed  as  the  glass window  is  frosted!

 

Although  strangely  I fitted  a  tinfoil 'mirror' over  the washbowl in one  cannot  think  why!!  Another  senior  moment  I suppose?

Edited December 3, 2016 by Stevelewis

[Harlequin]

This project seems to have come back to life! Rails are taking pre-orders:

 

https://railsofsheffield.com/groups/3058/oo-gauge-water-towers

 

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by Harlequin
Removed email campaign params from URL

[Chrisr40]

1 hour ago, Harlequin said:

This project seems to have come back to life! Rails are taking pre-orders:

 

https://railsofsheffield.com/groups/3058/oo-gauge-water-towers

 

 

Yup seen it ordered one am very excited and couldn't give a monkey's if it's considered low brow or tacky - we are meant to be having fun which at the moment is hard to come by.

[MGR Hooper!]

Seems like it will be in stores in a few days. Retailers are expecting them in a couple of days.

[The Johnster]

This is a big temptation, and I might consider the motorised with sound version.  My locos quite often stop for water, and this will enliven the experience considerably!

[jonhinds]

Wonder if this will ever make it to N. My layout needs a water tower and this looks rather fun.

[CUCKOO LINE]

Maybe a SR one next ! maybe gimmicky but that's the way to get interest into the hobby. 

[johnofwessex]

Given that the hobby is asociated with the older generation might it cause havoc with our bladders?

[CUCKOO LINE]

According to Dapols website they are on the way to retailers now

[The Johnster]

19 hours ago, jonhinds said:

Wonder if this will ever make it to N. My layout needs a water tower and this looks rather fun.

I condone this idea, on the basis that it might make Dap consider using their shrink ray to provide me with a 4mm Diagram N auto trailer...

[didcot]

Just had an email to say they are in stock at Hattons

[tomparryharry]

I wonder if Dapol would consider making a trench, to lay in a water supply?

 

I'm not, repeat, not, going to mention ballcocks.....

[The Johnster]

I think you got away with it...

 

If they're in stock at Hatton's, mine, pre-ordered from Rails, shouldn't be far behind!  Website is currently stating 'on order' though.  Never mind...

[Mike10nis]

I purchased one of these and it arrived promptly. It is a bit of a gimmick but a bit of fun especially when you have a 7 year old at home. Not a bad little thing. 
 

Now a word of warning. I connected it to a 9v battery and everything was fine. But as I haven’t got a suitable connector I connected it to a transformer with the correct voltage which the instructions say you can do and it’s literally just blown up- as in the conical top was projected a couple of feet into the air. Should have stuck to the battery. 
 

 

[The Johnster]

Ouch!

 

Mine was dispatched this morning from Rails and should be here tomoz or Monday.  It’s static so I should be able to not emulate Apollo 11 with it...

[Chrisr40]

Mine has arrived. Looks like fun. But got 2 hrs working from home left yet today boo!!

[The Johnster]

Mine came this morning; well done Rails.  I have only so far given it a cursory examination but some issues raise their heads; the arm is very loose and swings in the breeze, and the base is a vary light concrete colour with the fire devil matching; that can't be right, can it?.  Mine is a static, but the threaded tube that contains the gubbins, presumably not containing gubbins, is included because it is presumably moulded as part of the tower column.  I will not be drilling a big 'ole for it, and will cut the tube off to simply glue the concrete base on to the layout.  What I thought were reflections in the clear plastic packaging when I ordered it turn out to be white painted pipes, presumably the thick one being the supply and the thin one overflow.  Pleased overall so far; I like the detail on the cistern base plate.

 

The paint would be fairly fresh on a WR liveried tower in the 50s, so I will only be lightly weathering it, but will go to town a bit on the concrete base.  The loose swinging arm can be stiffened up with judiciously applied gunge, as I want to pose the arm in use; in fact, I may even investigate the possibility of manual remote operation!  This evening's job will be it's installation and light weathering, and wondering what to do with the old whitemetal water crane.

[tomparryharry]

I don't know if the top is open, but if it is, you'd likely have a dead pigeon floating on the top.........

[truffy]

Do model water towers have a gauge? Scale, yes; gauge, no.

 

Although, presumably, the EM and P4 4mm scale modellers are unlikely to entertain such frippery.

Edited May 4, 2020 by truffy

[Chrisr40]

Oh well it was fun while it lasted. Wired as directed and it made a God awful buzz and no movement before I pulled the plug.

[The Johnster]

3 hours ago, tomparryharry said:

I don't know if the top is open, but if it is, you'd likely have a dead pigeon floating on the top.........

Or live fishes.  The signalman at Deveraux between Abergavenny and Hereford kept brown trout in the water tower there, which must have occasionally ended up in tenders and tanks.  The top isn't open, it's one of those conical riveted sheet ones.

 

Anyhoo, I've had a good look and, for anyone who's interested, here are some of my general impressions.  As I say this is the static, serious, model, no frippery for me, though I might have been persuaded if the voiceovers had Valleys accents...  Firstly, it's a nice little model, well detailed and convincing, but fell apart almost as soon as I started examining it.  The top came off, with the handrail and the ballcock lever attached, and the metal post holding the bag chain fell out when I looked underneath.  No problem, I was going to take the top off and pull the post out to attach the chain to the bag anyway, but it's worrying in terms of assembly quality.  

 

Since the top was off anyway, I superglued a piece of sponge to the inside of the cistern to foul on the inside part of the swinging arm, to rub against it and stop it flapping about in the breeze.  As experiments go, this is 100% successful!  This done, I removed the threaded tube under the baseplate, you can pull it off with a bit of a tug, glued the errant fallen off bits back on with dabs of superglue, and at the moment the Civil Engineer's lads are clearing a site just off the platform to install it.  The Per Way's hut is going to have to move a few feet towards Tondu.

 

The bag is a not a good thing on a £25 item, a piece of shiny plastic tube which also fell off and had to be glued back on.  It will have a bit of a roughing up and a coat of matt black before the final installation.  The base is ok but the colour is badly off.  I'm going to do a bit of research to give me ideas for toning it down.  I am convinced there should be a drip catcher fitted to the drain grill under the position the bag rests at.