DapolDave

Hi Dave, Not disheartened at all. It's constructive criticism so i'm good with that. lol If i get get an ultimate 73 (or as near as) then i shall be a happy bunny and this forum helps us all, me to get a good model out there, and you guys to get a good and accurate model to run. Cheers Dave

Hi Mike, Thanks for that. I'm in meetings all afternoon and will make a debug list for this 'JA' later on, possibly tonight as i have promised an update today on here. cheers Dave

Hi everyone, Here's a latest look at our upcoming OO class 73 model. This is the 'JA' version , with the 'JB' with me in a week or so. Feel free to comment if you spot anything. I've just received this file so i havent had a good look, but noticed rubbing plate marks are not there, and i'm not 100% happy with the lack of tread on the steps, or the exhaust. Anyway, enjoy. cheers Dave

Hi guys, sorry its late but as promised some pictures taken outside in sunny conditions of all 3 (BR Blue, Maroon and Green) Westerns. Please note the grey roof isny on the model and that the double arrows are incorrect. Interesting to note the maroon is pink in one picture but in others darker (as it looks with the naked eye. sorry about the blurriness of some as i was handholding the camera with a wide shutter to try and get a good depth of field. As usual comments welcome cheers Dave

Hi Jon, Sorry but Dapol isn't offering the Western as DCC fitted or even DCC sound. All I am doing is facilitating what I consider one of the best DCC sound recordists in the country the chance to record, mix and offer the most dynamic and complete DCC recoding yet available. Cheers Dave

Hi Mike, I'll try and do this tomorrow. I think1 of each one then a group shot in natural light may help. Cheers Dave

Hi Mike, Thanks for the mail. sorry i didnt attribute the original to you and no offence meant but i did need to post here to try and gauge thoughts. Checking BR Loco maroon samples i have it seems spot o, and nowhere near BR Coach maroon which was on some of the first built ones before the specification changed from coach to loco maroon. I certainly dont think the hall lighting helped as it is too yellow, but here on my window ledge they look fine. However this also doesnt mean they 'are' fine, as i am open to offers. lol I've also checked against Railmatch and Precision BR Maroon and find the railmatch definately too pink, but precision very close, if that helps? cheers Dave

Hi guys, So those that saw the maroon ones at the weekend, are they too pink? We have colour matched them quite well i think for loco maroon, but as ever this needs to be correct. opinions please. Cheers Dave

Hi guys, A quick update for you. The GC buffet cars have been sent to the magazines for review, and should land in country on December 11th all being well. FGW buffets are on the next consignment along with EMT and X-C and i am sending out FGW buffets to magazines today for review. W&SR + Pretendolino 'twin packs' are next in, probably the first week in January i think, with the IC executive, IC swallow, Blue / grey and virgin ones on the next ship in after that time. cheers Dave

Hi Tase, Sorry i wasnt around to answer Topsyde's post of 19.19 yesterday, as i was on the road home after a longer than normal day at the office after a heavy weekend. I am, of course, dissapointed that you are dissapointed, and my dissapointment is, in itself, dissapointing, as i get dissapointed at being dissapointed which is after all quite dissapointing, in a disspointing manner. So to save any dissapointing dissapointment here is a status update. The Blue / Grey MRA wagons are now apparently scheduled (China's, not ours) to be OBS (on board ship) in April 2013 for arrival here a mind numbingly late May 2013. Putting aside CNY issues for now (which are factored into this date), the delay has been due to the factory, like a lot in China who are saller than say Kader Industries, subcontracting parts out which our factory cannot readily make. For example, this factory cannot and does not have the facility to etch metal, turn wheels, or even squirt plastic themselves and as such they subby it out. When this works ok, we get terrific models but this time of year everyone is busy. Combine this with the closure of SandaKan (which i think is probably open knowledge now) and the retrenchment of the Kader and SK production into Kader, it shows how much the industry is changing out there and as such the subbby's are now very busy with a lot of work that they are struggling to keep up with. Now things could go even more 'pear shaped' all round when the CNY hits. As you probably know factory workers leave for home up to 2 weeks before CNY, and drift (and i mean drift) back up to 2 weeks after, if not at all. Its the 'if not at all' that worries most companies, as workers have a habit of not bothering as they have 'made their money' the previous year and stay at home. Those that want to return to work go back to the area, and frequent the open air job markets looking for alternative employment at higher rates etc. Unfortunately the idea of long stay bonuses or return to work bonuses to keep experienced and highly capable workers is unknown out there, and as such each year we have this growing problem with up to 40% of the workforce never coming back to the factory. Engineers from SK have now at least gone their own way and have started their own small companies making model railway equipment and they also will rely (as do a lot of start up factories out there) on subby's to supply the relevant goods while their new factories develop. So, anyway, it leaves us with an April / May delivery time. I am pushing to get this earlier but the factory is unsure it is possible. I will periodically update this thread if there is news, but if i dont it is because there isnt any which will be.....................................dissapointing cheers Dave

Hi chaps, Just a small update......... For those interested in DCC sound, i hope to arrange very soon a recording session by a very well known gentleman of this parish (who i consider to produce the best class DCC sound files by a long way) to record a Western ready for the release of our model. This will allow those that are interested to have a 'proper' DCC sound coming from their big speaker mounted in our Class 52. I might go down to the recording session and take pictures etc for our website, or even in the DCC sound section on here to give you all a 'feel' of what goes into one of these proper recordings. cheers Dave

Not sure about the yellow 'T' on the buffer beam as this sample will have been rushed from China. In fact its on the delivery van to deliver to my hotel at 4pm today its that rushed, so even i havnt seen it. Cheers Dave

Hi John, Thanks for running it for me. It did look rather nice on your layout (even though the wrong era). cheers Dave

Hi Phil, The Western, 73, 21, 29 etc, will all take the same speaker as the class 22 was designed for. Cheers Dave

Hi guys The First working test model was shown off at the Crewe show yesterday to traders. It also drew looks from the public as it ran on one of the layouts for a bit. Cheers Dave

Hi Ian, the W&SR twin packs are after (but only a couple of weeks after) the FGW buffets Cheers Dave

Hi njee20 Sorry but no chance, deco press samples next week, and I'm hoping we get then for just before Christmas. I know the factory is working flat out at the moment so it wouldn't surprise me if the arrived the first week of January. Sorry Cheers Dave

Hi everyone, I ave, this week sent out Grand Central Buffet cars to the press for review, I should have FGW ones sent out late next week to magazines as well. GC are being shipped as I type this. Cheers Dave

Hi confused, Apologies for no reply, as you can imagine with Warley coming up, things have been a bit frenetic. Nope, they shouldn't be like this, and I can't guarantee they will work, so please send them back to me at Dapol and I'll replace them for you immediately. Cheers Dave

Hi Matt, At present our conversion kit isnt designed for bogie mounting the NEM couplers, which i know, will be problematical for some. I havnt had a play with body mounting the couplers to B sets but in theory it 'should' work if theres clearance. And no, no NEM's on B set bogies i'm afraid. cheers Dave

Hi, If anyone wishes to PM me with their comments i will pass them onto HM directly. However please be aware that there have been several incarnations of the cad/cam since HM went to press and quite a few changes have been made. so just because problems can be seen, doesnt mean that HM havent seen them and asked for the DBT cad/cam to be altered to reflect this. Cheers Dave

Hi Ben, All 3 lengths of couplers will be permanently in the Dapol range. The 'mediums' have an old product number simply because after we released them we changed the way we do product numbers. We may change the medium product code at the end of 2013 when. The next catalogue comes out. Hope his helps Cheers Dave

Hi everyone, I am pleased to announce (having seen mention of it in todays MREMAG) that Dapol have been comissioned by Hornby Magazine to produce in OO gauge a BR Brake Tender exclusively for them. As we have confidentially agreements betwen both parties i would ask that any questions be sent to Hornby Magazine and not Dapol. However i can say that i think we are only a few days from metal cutting on this as since the magazine went to press with the announcement, we have altered the cad/cam somewhat to make it more detailed. I have a feeling that these new and final cad/cam's will appear on show at Warley for those interested. cheers Dave

Just dont tell my missus i'm doing 'different shades of grey' or she'll expect a 4th book cheers Dave

ah but the class 22 was standard loco roof grey, the same as the 26's, 27's Hymeks etc. this looks the same in pictures but not when seeing the BSS colour. hmmmmmmmmmm might be a difficult choice and i wouldnt want to ruin the model at this stage. cheers Dave