00 Terriers, Hornby vs Dapol

[Nearholmer]

I’ve got a cunning plan in mind, and like so many cunning plans, it will need a r-t-r 00 Terrier, ideally an A1, for its execution.

 

At risk of reigniting The Great Terrier War, could I ask for direct comparisons between the current Dapol and Hornby offerings, preferably from people who have one of each, in terms of:

 

- mechanical and electrical robustness and reliability;

 

- controllability at “shunting plank” (lack of) speeds; and,

 

- finesse/fidelity.

 

Under the last heading, I’m really more interested in whether the models convey “Terrierness” than “the third rivet up on the left hand side is in the wrong place for the 1904 livery” sort of observations relating to particular variants.

 

Put another way: the price difference isn’t huge; which firm would you buy one from?

 

Any contributions will be gratefully received.

 

 

Edited October 17, 2023 by Nearholmer

[Nick C]

I've only got Hornby ones, so can't give a direct comparison, but I am intrigued by a cunning plan that needs a Terrier - as I've got one lurking in the back of my mind too...

 

I have to say that I've not had any problems running-wise with any of mine, all have run well at slow speeds - and I've had a mixture of new and secondhand ones. However I know @NHY 581 did have problems, with both manufacturers IIRC.

 

Both A1s convey plenty of Terrierness to me, but IMHO the coal rails on the Dapol version look very odd, and you may want avoid the early releases of the Hornby one as they lack the indentation in the tank top - which can be more or less obvious depending on livery.

 

The Hornby one is much more easily avilable, especially secondhand - there's plenty on eBay. I believe the Dapol one is only available direct.

[PMP]

I would have no problem buying another contemporary Dapol OO terrier.

Finesse and fidelity under your criteria are spot on, I'm not aware of any major howlers.

Controllability and mechanicals, again mine has shown no issues at all runs on small shelf layouts. Control is Gaugemaster W.

DCC fitting/sound don't know, not my circus.

 

 

 

Graham Muz does a good piece here on them, with the Dapol one just edging it.

https://southern-railway.com/2020/05/18/another-terrier-a1-a1x-class-takes-to-the-rails-of-sheffield/

Edited October 17, 2023 by PMP
addition

[RodneyS]

I have three Dapol Terriers and quite a few Hornby ones.

 

The Dapol ones were bought when they first came out so the quality may have improved by now.

 

The K&ESR one arrived with bits missing so was returned.  The replacement has a bent footplate and one coupling rod bent vertically.  It runs very badly.

 

I then bought two 32650 with the long bunker and am turning one into 32662.

One runs well but has a very badly bent footplate.  The other one has a straight footplate and the running is adequate.

 

The middle axle is sprung but on one of mine the wheel rubs on the DCC board.

 

The coal rails are ridiculous.  A friend replaced his with the coal rails from an old Dapol model and they look better.

 

The Marsh chimney is fractionally too high and the cap is smaller than the barrel.

 

My Hornby models all run well but perhaps a bit faster than the Dapol ones.

As Nick says the first ones didn't have the recessed tank tops and the guard irons were a bit odd.

The later ones have the recess but perhaps it's not as deep as it should be.

The Marsh chimney and coal rails are better than the Dapol one.

 

It's difficult to say which is best.  They both have plus and minus points.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Hornby one but I will not be adding to my Dapol three.

In fact, if Hornby produced a suitable model to convert into 32662 I would replace my conversion with one.

Rodney

[Nick C]

16 minutes ago, RodneyS said:

In fact, if Hornby produced a suitable model to convert into 32662 I would replace my conversion with one.

I've got one in the middle of such a conversion - starting with a 32640 and using bits of a damaged 2662 I picked up cheap off ebay to replace the splashers, chimney and front buffers (for the tall lamp irons that '62 kept after getting '77's bunker). 

 

If you were happy to do a full repaint you could of course use their preservation-era release of B662 in olive.

Edited October 17, 2023 by Nick C

[RodneyS]

That sounds interesting.

I was hoping to avoid a full repaint.  I don't suppose I could get new lining to match the existing.

 

Mind you, I've spent so long adding all he bits that I think I should have done what you are doing.

 

Thinking about it, if Nearholmer wants an A1 with a Stroudley chimney and no coal rails then there is not much to choose between Dapol and Hornby.

Rodney

[Right Away]

When the “Great Terrier War” was getting underway, finances pointed towards the Hornby version even though I was aware that the then forthcoming Rails/Dapol model offered higher detail. I therefore cannot speak of the virtues or otherwise of the latter model.

 

In the event I purchased a Hornby model with not a little trepidation which has subsequently proved to be unfounded. Equipped with a Zimo MX617F decoder, the slow speed performance of the little engine was such a delight, when funds permitted, I eventually bought two more! With a little weathering they can do a quite respectable job of looking the bizz. The attached photo, which has been posted elsewhere on RMWeb shows one which underwent surgery to remove the Westinghouse “donkey” with which 55 was not fitted - at least not in the period modelled.

These are comparatively light models and rely on a smoothly laid permanent way plus all wheel electrical pick up. The pick ups are quite flimsy but can be easily tweaked by undoing the 4 screws and removing the keeper plate which has no wires to worry about as there are two spring plungers to the chassis. Spare keeper plate and wipers (Hornby X7425) are available from Lendons of Cardiff if required. I purchased a spare set “just in case” and found the new wipers to be stiffer than those originally fitted to the model.

 

Note: Zimo have now replaced the MX617F (which went for around twenty quid) by a far more expensive decoder, which, going by the forums, some have had issues with.