Dapol working signals review

[Douglas G]

Hi everyone,

 

Just finalising the GWR round post signals in N and OO, and have had a brain F**t , silver or white finish posts? or both?

cheers

Dave

 

Further to Dave's query, I have looked through my Ian Allan colour albums and while most GWR round post signals seem to have been painted aluminium/silver, there were quite a lot painted in white in the late 1950s and 1960s when the pictures were mostly taken.  This includes one of the main platform starter signals at Dulverton in 1962, which is my particular interest.  So it is worth doing some in both colours, I would say.

 

Douglas

[jaydor]

Referencing white or silver painted post. White was tried as a typical money reducer, but they soon showed to be a poor choice as the pigment broke down quickley and the post started to rust.

 

Alluminium oxide paint was re-introduced and is still used today.

[locofan]

I have wired my signals as instructed. the lights illuminate ok but the signal arms don't move when the switches are flicked. I have on-off-on (centre off) spring loaded toggle switches fitted. Is it the switches at fault?

[DapolDave]

Hi loco fan,

 

No it may not.

 

Here's a little tip that's 85% successful in the customers I tell it to.

It maybe that the gear has gone a little too far on the worm meaning that the motor operates but the signal doesn't.

 

Try operating the signal as normal via the switch. At the same time flick (yes flick) the top or bottom of the signal, depending on which way the arm will go if properly operating. Strangely enough this should re engage the gear with the arm, although you might have to flick a couple of times for success.

 

If that doesn't work it's back to the place of purchase for replacement.

Fingers crossed

Cheers

Dave

[Guest oldlugger]

Am I right in believing that UQ signal arms from the LMS, or complete LMS pattern signals were found on parts of the Southern Railway or later southern region? I'm sure I've seen photos of them, especially around the London area. If this is the case, why did it happen?

 

Simon

[The Stationmaster]

Am I right in believing that UQ signal arms from the LMS, or complete LMS pattern signals were found on parts of the Southern Railway or later southern region? I'm sure I've seen photos of them, especially around the London area. If this is the case, why did it happen?

 

Simon

Basically 'yes' but technically they were - as far as I can tell - so called 'BR Standard' components as used on the LMR and other Regions so whether they were exactly the same as latter day LMS parts is something I'm not so sure about.  The other thing is the question of dates - I have  some pics of such a signal on the Southern (as was by then) in the early 1990s but I don't know when it was installed and I think it was in any case unique on that section of line.  I have always presumed that such signals were used by the Southern Region once their supplies of their own kit ran out - i.e. once they had no more rail built posts left in stock or had lost to 'rationalisation' the facility to make them.  Again that would suggest to me that the use of foreign posts and fittings would be fairly late in the date - ?post 1980s but I can't definitely date it.

 

As far as arms are concerned the running signal arms were standard for UQ signals and while there might possibly have been different manufacturers/stores number marks on them they were otherwise identical when it came to the flush front later design.  It is possible that the corrugated arms varied between the grouped Companies but I really don't know any more than that about them.  While they appear to have no longer been used in new work from a relatively early date on the Midland and Eastern etc Regions the Southern seem to have still been installing them later - maybe into the 1950s or later?  And they definitely had stocks of spares, I even came across a couple in the (WR S&T factory) stores at Reading c.1983/4 in brand spanking new condition and presumably taken into stock when a former Southern Signal Dept stores in the south-west had been taken over.

[Guest oldlugger]

Many thanks Mike for this information; most interesting. I don't suppose you could post the photo that you refer to, on here? I have seen LM type signals on the eastern side of Newport station (after the line crosses the river).

 

All the best

Simon

[The Stationmaster]

Many thanks Mike for this information; most interesting. I don't suppose you could post the photo that you refer to, on here? I have seen LM type signals on the eastern side of Newport station (after the line crosses the river).

 

All the best

Simon

I will try to delve out the pics Simon (only about a thousand to go through so not too bad to find them).  

 

If the Newport you are referring to is the one in South Wales you are no doubt on about the signals at East Usk where some passing signal engineering supervisor allegedly decided the existing arm fittings were in poor condition and duly replaced the proper Western lower quadrants with some upper quadrant tat which looks fairly out of place on Reading designed and built posts and bracket structures instead of getting hold of new parts to replace any considered to be life expired (quite how they'd become 'life expired' when they were well under 40 years old beats me but maybe there was something in the air from the nearby steelworks?).

[Guest oldlugger]

Thanks Mike. Yes it is Newport south Wales.

[DLPG]

Is there any thoughts towards a North Eastern region signal?

[60800]

I sure hope so - I'd be in the market for GNR somersault and LNER lattice type signals. It's the previous comment from Dapol Dave about lattice signals that stopped me getting some midland region ones

[asmay2002]

Am I right in believing that UQ signal arms from the LMS, or complete LMS pattern signals were found on parts of the Southern Railway or later southern region? I'm sure I've seen photos of them, especially around the London area. If this is the case, why did it happen?

 

Simon

 

I think it's more the case that the LMS used the Westinghouse standard UQ arm and parts and this was also used by SR and LNER. 

Edited May 12, 2013 by asmay2002

[hoover50008]

Hi I have been having an issue with my Dapol signals and started a topic here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/72783-Dapol-signal-issue/  any advice would be appreciated.

 

E

[tender]

Hi,

 

Is there any timescale for the introduction of signals for the Southern in 4mm?

 

Tim

I take it from the lack of replys to this post that it's a no.

[RFS]

I take it from the lack of replys to this post that it's a no.

Southern Signals - both lattice and ladder - now showing on pre-order at Hatton's.

 

http://www.ehattons.com/62573/Dapol_4L_003_001_SR_lattice_signal_home/StockDetail.aspx

http://www.ehattons.com/62579/Dapol_4L_003_003_SR_ladder_signal_home/StockDetail.aspx

 

Any news on the junction signals?

[coachmann]

Tearing my hair out here.....My PC is sooo slow that wading through this thread is a nightmare. So did anyone post pictures of the 4mm signals?

 

EDIT :- Just looked up Hattons and the 4mm scale GWR signals are pre-order.   Wow, it seems ages since they were announced and still nothing to buy.

Edited August 2, 2013 by coachmann

[cromptonnut]

http://Dapol.co.uk/

 

or more specifically, http://Dapol.co.uk/index.php?route=product/isearch&filter_name=signals

[Nile]

They've been and gone, Larry. Hattons still have distants for sale, was you planning on replacing the arm anyway?

[coachmann]

They've been and gone, Larry. Hattons still have distants for sale, was you planning on replacing the arm anyway?

Yes and putting on an LNWR arm. Didnt realise I'd missed them but then with my memory its not suprising....

[Crewlisle]

As a BR(LMR) 00 gauge modeller I am most impressed with these Dapol signals. On my layout I have a section signal (a home arm mounted above a distant arm). Can someone give me an idea how difficult it would be to replicate this signal using a single arm distant and single arm home (or are Dapol going to make one)? I appreciate that one of the operating mechanisms would have to be mounted separately to the post and linked by a connecting rod. That would be the easy part! Would it be too difficult to fit the LED and wires?

[rover90]

Has anyone wired up these signals using a Peco PL26 point lever, and if so, can you advise how.

 

Regards,

 

Brian

 

Yes. One yellow wire to the centre contact, the other yellow wire to both of the remaining contacts. Due to the construction of the Peco switch (passing contact effected on one side only  at a time for each throw), when the Peco switch is thrown, the contact is made once, hence changing the Dapol signal to "off". Throwing the Peco lever back makes one contact again, hence returning the signal to "on". I have found that throwing the Peco switch needs to be done slowly.

 

(another) Brian

[Benn]

Can anyone shed any light on the progress of the N gauge GWR Bracket signal? Most importantly, will it be a right hand or a left hand bracket?

Cheers,
Benn.

[mkwolf1877]

Hi loco fan,

No it may not.

Here's a little tip that's 85% successful in the customers I tell it to.

It maybe that the gear has gone a little too far on the worm meaning that the motor operates but the signal doesn't.

Try operating the signal as normal via the switch. At the same time flick (yes flick) the top or bottom of the signal, depending on which way the arm will go if properly operating. Strangely enough this should re engage the gear with the arm, although you might have to flick a couple of times for success.

If that doesn't work it's back to the place of purchase for replacement.

Fingers crossed

Cheers

Dave

Thanks for this Davel, installed two "homes" this afternoon, both worked fine, then after a few changes, the motor turned but the arm didn't move on one of them. A few "flicks" seem to have done the trick. Fingers crossed this isn't a regular occurrence!

[roundhouse]

At the weekend I picked up a lower quadrant round post N scale signal.

 

It has now been offered up to the boards on Banbury (2" x 1" timber frame and 12mm chipboard top) and it just fits in the depth of the boards so will get installed fairly soon. I ma now considering using the Traintech accessory decoder they do to control these Dapol signals.

 

Ian

Edited November 25, 2013 by roundhouse

[Suzie]

If you are planning on having more than two signals the Signalist SC1+DP8 combination will save you money, and it can power the Dapol signals from the track supply to make wiring easier.