selset bill

Despite the level of negativity on this forum towards this model, I ordered one (black) from Batch 2 and it arrived last Saturday. I am very pleased with my purchase, it looks the part and runs beautifully. I saw the prototype once, at St Pancras in about 1952 or 3, I didn't count the bonnet grills, nor did I note the position of the numbers. I never even noticed what fittings there were on the roof! However the model definitely has the feel of what I remember seeing all those years ago, and if it has errors I will live with them. I personally think having it in a different condition on the two sides is a bonus and a stroke of genius on KR's part. If others disagree, thats fine. You can't please all of the people all of the time. Performance wise it is amazing. It took ten coaches up my 1 in 30 return line on test, much more than it will normally be called on to do as my fiddle yard and platforms will only take eight and the ruling gradient on the rest of the layout is 1 in 60. The only problem I have had is that in a couple of places the outside cranks fouled the overhanging coping of my platforms, but a quick trim sorted that out. In short, I am a happy bunny!

I received my D1 (31487 with sound) on Saturday and have given it a run on my layout and on the club's one. It cetainly looks really good, and the sound is also good once the volume has been reduced substantially. The sychronisation with the wheels is probably the best I have seen for a model straight from the box. The performance in terms of speed control is excellent, from a crawl up to a prototypical maximum speed BUT it can't pull the proverbial skin off a rice pudding! My layout has a ruling gradient of 1 in 60 on the main line and it just about manages three birdcage coaches but not four. On the club layout (whose gradients I haven't measured but I would guess 1 in 50 in a couple of places) it wouldn't even take three but got round, with a bit of slipping, with two. Not good enough, Mr Dapol ! You should have put traction tyres on, like the D which is ok with three birdcages on the club layout. I should add that I have a section of 1 in 30 that forms a link to enable continuous running, and this I have equipped with DCC Concepts' Powerbase system. Fitting a magnet under the loco (with loss of the brake pull rod) transforms the performance and it will take the three coaches up the 1 in 30 without difficulty - possibly more than the prototype could do. If I were starting from scratch I would fit Powerbase everywhere but I'm not going to rip all the track up so I will have to live with my 1 in 60 gradients as they are.

I got my O2 (30193) yesterday. What an exquisite model, really looks the part. BUT - it won't run on most of my layout! The low-slung brake linkage fouls my third rails - not by much, but enough to slightly lift the drivers off the track on one side so losing traction. Obviously my fault for trying to run an Exmouth Junction loco on a South London layout! (but I don't think renumbering to 30221 will help!) Seriously, I am at a loss to know what to do as ripping up the third rail is not an option, and it is difficult to see how to take anything off the brake gear without spoiling the model. I guess she will have to be confined to the non-electrified goods yard and carriage sidings which is a great pity as I hoped to use her on ecs into the terminus.