Dapol Deltic motor

[Marcyg]

Hi all. I purchased a Dapol Deltic kit recently as I needed another project away from the layout. Been reading a lot about different chassis etc and the Lima/Hornby railroad one being too short and the bogies being too short. Same with the Bachmann chassis regards the bogie length. I did a bit of research and found the class 47 is 1" off being correct bogie wheel base, which is the closest out of all the locos available. So, my idea was to use a railroad Deltic chassis, with railroad 47 bogies, the tabs on the chassis then lining up with all the clips etc on the kit. Will this actually work? Does anyone know if they'll fit together? I havn't bought any of the running gear yet so I cant find out myself yet. Thanks

[giz]

The Railroad (ex Lima) Deltic is short in overall length as well as having undersize bogies so it won't be a direct fit under the Dapol body.

 

I motorised one years ago using the original Hornby Silver Seal class 47 power bogie fitted to the kit chassis. I think your best option would to be to fit the Railroad 47 bogies direct to the kit and forget about the Railroad Deltic.

Edited December 13, 2017 by giz

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

It's your choice, but it is the easiest job imaginable to fit the Bachmann class 55 mechanism in the old DP1 body kit.

 

Build the body shell with the fuel tank mouldings removed, as an open bottom shell to match the Bachmann 55 body. Trim and shape the plastic ends of the class 55 chassis to length and plan profile, to fit inside the kit body. Cement thick sheet 'shelves' inside the noses so that the body sits at correct height, if required use self tappers to secure body to chassis. That's how difficult it isn't.

 

The end wheelsets will be a scale inch further forward than they should be! So the bogie wheelbase is slightly short, but the tanks fill the gap between, and these are far better than the kit representation as supplied, The model then has all wheel pick up and drive, and with a lot of weight on those wheels will work up to a scale 100mph with well over double the usual East Coast trainload.

[John Tomlinson]

The proposal in #3 is an excellent and straightforward way of making a DP1 that will work well.

 

The only drawback is a dimensional one in that the bogie wheelbase on DP1 is a foot (4mm) longer than the production series, and this more or less was made up for by the bogies being closer together, so the overall distance from the far end of one bogie to the other is about the same. If you can live with this then #3 is the way to go.

 

I've been toying with this problem for a while, and have a Dapol DP1 shell with A1 etched grilles fitted assembled and in a drawer! If you want total dimensional accuracy, one way is to use the Hornby 31 (full price) bogies, with the Dapol kit frames, and make a chassis that uses the 31 motor and connectors driving the bogies. I've stalled at that part, although I do have the bits bought on ebay from a 31 with Mazak rot. I look at them sometimes and then do something else!

 

John. 

Edited December 13, 2017 by John Tomlinson

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

So I am not the only one looting the nice mechanism out of mazak rotted Brush 2s. That'll work well for sure.

 

One thing I didn't mention if scale diameter wheels are used, is the problem of the prototype's wheel tops positioned inside bodywork. Placing the body at scale height means the bogies swing will bring wheels into contact with bodywork when the radius goes below about 30". They will 'machine their way through the soft plastic Dapol use in one semicircle! It is up to the builder to decide on the compromise to solve this. Mine is a minimum radius restriction, cannot go on a route with sub 30" radius curves.