Really liked the little history segment about the loco before delving into the model review. This quickly became one of if not my favourite channel as I was starting my own n gauge layout a few months ago. Thanks for the tips and inspiration!
Runs just like a Dapol! I'm so happy with the Grafar GWR tank I have, it runs well but like all 6 wheelers requires a little speed for points. I saw on another channel the same running issues you have with the Dapol. They had 2 of them and they really didn't like points at all. Or straights. Or curves. Best of luck sorting it out Ian. I'm past sorting out new locos.
Hi Simon! Hmm! Runs like a Dapol steamer? Their diesels are, on the whole, really good runners! My friend got a Farish Pannier as part of the Western Rambler train set, and it has similar running issues to mine, so these problems aren't confined to Dapol models! Yes, points can be a problem, but even a small loco should be able to traverse insulfrog points when it has pickups on all wheels! Hopefully I'll be able to get to the bottom of the problem of it going around curves! All the best, Ian,
Thanks very much Terry! Yes, the Pannier Tank is definitely a good looker, and was a great runner until recently! Hopefully I'll get to the bottom of the problem with a thorough servicing! I have to say in defence of Dapol, that all of my diesel's are great runners! :) All the best, Ian.
Sorry to hear you've also experienced similar running issues! It seems we are far from alone in experiencing poor running! I've got my fingers crossed that a service will get it back running normally, and will share the results of the service whether it solves the problems or not! All the best, Ian.
Hi Ian, really good review mate, loved the history section with some lovely photo’s. Now I have a Pannier Tank but it is a Graham Farish but it does have similar issues to yours and will be going away at some point to be looked at. I do think though that the Farish model is slightly better as the running gear looks better and does have some fine detail. It was the first loco I bought actually and did run really well for sometime but has ended up running much like yours. It does run better after running it for sometime but once stopped and then used again starts with the same problems. Have a great weekend, look out for my update later today, cheers for now, John
Good morning John! Thank you! There are some great photos around, especially if you search Flickr or explore Wikipedia! It's interesting that your Farish Pannier Tank degraded in time, just as my Dapol one seems to have done! At the moment, mine can be running fine one minute, then not the next! Also, one of my friends purchased the Farish Western Rambler train set, which has the same Pannier Tank as yours, and it suffers from similar running problems, so I'm sure these problems aren't confined to Dapol! I've been looking forward to your next update, but probably won't get to see it until tomorrow as I'm out today! Enjoy your weekend too! All the best, Ian.
Hi Ian, Great video. I only just started a conversation on Saturday with Rails about this issue. After a question from them regarding what DCC control system I was using, I've heard nothing since :(
Hi Frodo! :) That's interesting that they asked you about the DCC control system! I'm not a fan of the Imperium decoders, and I sometimes have trouble with them initially responding to inputs from my NCE PowerCab, but I've never seen them cause running issues like this! With this in mind, I've got a spare Zimo decoder that I could try - told you I'd end up having to take that cab off! Lol! Thanks for the info! Hope you get your loco sorted! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge Ian, To be fair I did ask Rails if reseting the decoder to factory settings might help. I'm new to this game and asked for guidance i.e. reset code, hence why they asked what I was using. Actually I'm using PowerCab as well. Watched "This Way Works" video and with my loco only being 7 months old, I'd rather not strip it down and degrease. Noticed that it is fairly oily (why do they tell you to oil before running if it's already greased?) so have used a tissue to soak up the oil between wheels and chassis, ran and repeated a few times. This has helped though not perfect but it is better. I've sent them a nudge earlier linking your video so hoping they respond today. Will keep you informed ;)
@@frodohobbits9684 - Ah, okay! Still think I'll try changing the decoder first! You never know! Yes, Rich at This Way Works makes disassembling and reassembling locos look fairly easy, but I'm pretty sure I'll struggle with it! Instructions that come with locos are full of contradictions, which is annoying! Let's wait and see what Rails have to say! Thanks for keeping me up-to-date! Cheers, Ian.
@@iansngauge Hi Ian, This reply today, umm.... "Dear David, if you take the cab off and remove the decoder carefully noting the way it is situated there is a screw under it can you try a quarter turn then refit the decoder and retest the loco the loco should be running after this, regards" Let's hope I don't do any dmage and void my warranty. Cheers, David.
@@frodohobbits9684 - Hi David! That's interesting! I wonder what the screw is holding? I'll add that to my list of things to try! Thanks, and good luck! Ian
A very good review of the model Ian. I was interested to see what your experience with this model was. When they came out there was a lot of chat on the N gauge forum from disaffected owners and your experience is in line with that. It put me off buying one. Small tank engines all can be fickle running over points and they need wheels very clean. My two Jintys and my GF Panniers all run very well but only if their wheels are very clean. They also don't like not being run regularly. It is a pity about the positioning of the decoder, but the cab appears to be the only place for all the various tank engines I own whether from GF or Sonic (which about 6 different classes of engine). Stephen
Thanks Stephen! I too have read quite a lot comment from dissatisfied owners, but I have to say that the model has run perfectly for months! It's only just started behaving poorly in the last few weeks or so! Your comment about clean wheels is an interesting one, as I've not cleaned them since purchase! Not sure how that would cause it to stall on corners, though you never know!! Yes, the decoder positioning is frustrating! I've just purchased the Sonic Large Prairie, and like you say, it's also in the cab! Anyway, hopefully a service will sort out the running issues - and make me more confident at disassembling locos! Cheers, Ian.
@@iansngauge If I've understood things correctly, as the loco goes around the corner not all the wheels remain in contact completely. If there is dirt on the ones that are in contact it isn't enough to keep it going. The fact that it was running fine and now is playing you up makes me think it is dirty wheels (it might be dirty pick ups, but wheels far more likely). If it had been over lubricated I would have expected that to cause you a problem from the start. The Gaguemaster wheel cleaner will do the trick. Stephen
Greetings, Shelfington, and hello Ian 👋 One of these was my second ever N Gauge locomotive purchase 🤔 of course, it had to be returned as a non runner 🙄 it's replacement has spent the last 9 years unloved at the back of a drawer 🤕 The Farish Pannier is a much better performer though 👍 This Way Works did a great video on servicing one, so well worth a review before you get the screw driver out 😇 Very best wishes from the Emerald Isle ☘️
I have no clue about dcc, but I hear that a lot of people fit stay alives into 00 gauge 0-6-0 locos. Not sure if there's the room for that in n gauge? Best of luck solving the hesitation on your points. Perhaps trying out an electrofrog point as a replacement for the insulfrog one to see if it improves the situation? Nice review Ian. 👍
Good morning Wickford, and hello Paul! Haha! They don't have a great history do they? I believe the earlier ones only had two pickups, and a 3 or 5 pole motor, but all wheel pickup should mean much better running, especially over insulfrog points! My friend as a Farish Pannier, and guess what? It behaves very similar to mine! Yes, Rich did a great breakdown of the 57xx, which I'll be following very closely! All the best, Ian,
Hi Simon! I fear this particular loco is too small to fit a stay alive! I fear the loco has other issues as it always used to run over insulfrog points, and indeed, you see it at the end of the video quite happily trundling over them! When I build the real layout, I'll be using unifrog points! Cheers, Ian.
Nice review, I really like your style of content! I currently model in OO and rarely see running issues with brand new models from Bachmann, Dapol, Rapido, etc. Are these issues normal in N, or is this model just a dud?
Thank you! That's very kind of you to say! The vast majority of my loco fleet (20 locos) have had no running issues! The 57xx developed them after a few months, but I have a Farish 08 that had pickup problems right out of the box and needed to be sent away to be fixed, and a Dapol 27 that kept derailing due to a dodgy coupling hook placement! All the best, Ian.
@ good to know, sounds like N isn’t really anymore unreliable or fiddly than OO than, even though most people tell it is much more fiddly. Glad N has become so prominent though as OO takes up far too much space for a lot of people!
@@modelrailfan37 - I think N gauge locos and rolling stock have come a long way in the last decade, and are incredibly detailed, and no less reliable than their bigger scale counterparts! It's still a fiddly scale to work on though, especially as you get older and the eyesight starts to fail! It's the perfect size for houses in the UK, as most homes have small spare rooms / garages / sheds, and you can have a decent sized tail chaser layout, rather than having to settle for an end to end type one! Cheers, Ian.
@ thanks for the info! I don’t think I will switch since I already have a lot of OO stock, and also because I tend to like obscure prototypes that often are only made in OO (ie: I have the Jones Goods and T3 on order, my Y7 is on the way, and I have a H Class and a P2, and have other models as well). My friend is thinking of switching from OO to N because he doesn’t have much space, so I’ve been trying to help him look into N and see what’s available and what is good and what to avoid
@@modelrailfan37 - Yeah, that's one downside of N, in that you're really at the whim of the manufacturers as to what new tooling arrives next! I'm basically going to be modelling the BR Blue era, which has to be one of the more popular eras to model, so you'd think there'd be plenty of models out there? No! Still waiting for newly tooled Deltics, 40's, 37's and the like! And then when Farish did release a newly tooled 47, they didn't release a BR Blue version! Madness! I think my advice in terms of what to avoid, it would probably be Dapol steam locos with tender drive, because I've seen numerous complaints about their drive shaft mechanism, although I have no direct experience with this - I have a new A4 on order, which I'll review in due course! I've got the Farish 5MT, which is superb, and the Sonic Models J50 and Large Prairie, both of which are excellent too! Dapol diesels are also very good, with my 33 and 50 being two of my best runners! Revolution Trains are doing good stuff too, and I have two of their 128 parcel units! Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll do my best to answer them! Cheers, Ian.
Hi Ian, Top draw review once again, the content of the review is spot on! Its a real shame about the issues your having with a new RR loco and the DCC decoder in the cab is not good to see. Cheers Gary
Good morning Gary! Thank you! To be fair, the loco ran straight out of the box, and continued to run well until about a month ago, when it suddenly started stuttering and stopping! It's why I like to wait a few months before reviewing a loco, to give some time for issues to appear - and to get more familiar with the model! Yes, there seems to be a trend with putting decoders in the cab of N gauge models! My new Sonic Models Large Prairie also has one in the cab! Oh well! All the best, Ian.
@@SC68 - This is the only Dapol steamer I've got, but it doesn't seem to have bucked the trend, so you're right to be wary in the long run! I've got their new A4 on pre-order, and have wondered on several occasions whether I should cancel it because of comments I've seen about their tender drive mechanism! I'll hang on though, and report what I find! In my eyes, the Farish 08 has been my most temperamental loco, and it's only now running properly since getting it back from Mark's Trains! When it comes to quality control, I don't think any of the manufacturers cover themselves in glory! I hope you find better luck with the switch to OO gauge! Cheers, Ian.
Hi Ian A good review of the Pannier, although "I don't do steam" (but I do have an EFE J94..shhhh), I can't comment on how these perform but from what those previous comments on here have said, its certainly put me off and of course its a Dapol (as I've said before I'm always wary of Dapol loco's, so probably wouldn't get one). Good luck with it though. Thanks
Hi Pete! Thank you! Haha! I don't do steam either - but now have three kettles after just purchasing the Sonic Models Large Prairie! Lol! Yes, Dapol has a bad reputation, especially with it''s range of tender driven steamers, but their diesels are all pretty good runners in my experience! Fingers crossed a good service will get it running properly again! Cheers, Ian.
A nice review Ian. I have to confess I have one of these pesky little locos in Lime Green NCB livery. Put it this way it's never runs on the layout as performance wise its awful 😢. Even taking it apart and cleaning the over zealous lubrication only helped make it marginally run better - on the Growler scorecard its a 2 out of 10 I'm afraid - 10 out of 10 packaging wise though !
Thanks very much Euan! Did yours ever run properly? Mine has been great for months, and has only started to run erratically! I'm a bit disappointed to hear that your cleaning / servicing didn't solve the problem - hopefully I'll have better luck - if I ever get into the thing! Haha! Yes, this is my new favourite style of loco packaging! :) Cheers, Ian.
@@thegrowler-blackwoodngauge - Oh, that's disappointing, especially as it was a present! Would have liked to have seen a bright lime green loco running around Blackwood! :)
Morning Ian, this is a good review video. Shame your model has become temperamental though :( The one I got in 2020 didn't like insulfrog points, but has been really smooth ever since I switched to electrofrog, and so far I haven't done any maintenance on it and it's probably got one of the higher mileages in my fleet. It's one of my favourites, and if I could only have a handful of locos this would be one of them. Hard to see how sound could be fitted though - speakers and sound decoders would have to get even smaller - it would be awesome if that could be done though! I hope you have success with the investigation - the loco looks great with those coaches and the private owner wagons.
Good morning Jonathan! Thank you! Yes, it's odd that it only started running this way in the last month or so! With pickups on all wheels it should be able to traverse the insulfrog points easily, and indeed you see it do this at the end of the video! I'm currently at a loss to why it doesn't like going around curves - sometimes! I'm really glad you've had no issues with yours since switching to electrofrog points - you've had far too many problematic locos, so I feel for you! I too love this loco, and have featured it running well in most of my private owner wagon footage! I guess a redesign would be required to make it sound fitted, but Farish managed it with their class 08, so I reckon it could be done! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge Yes the intermittent behaviour is very odd - I don't have any helpful theories for that I'm afraid! A Farish re-do of theirs with sound would be awesome, but I think a lot harder than the 08 - the 08's body is a nice convenient box that's got OK width, good length and is the full height of the loading gauge - the Pannier has nothing like as much internal room, so it would take quite some doing. Undoubtedly it's all possible though, so I live in hope :)
@@endoorrailway - I was thinking a small speaker in the cab, with a 90 degree decoder slotted beside it! Maybe that could work? Or decoder in the smoke box door and a speaker in the cab? :) Cheers, Ian,
I had a similar problem with mine and I returned it to Rails. They said it was over lubricated so they cleaned it up and returned it to me. It was no better so it went back again for a refund..
Hi Richard! Yes, like I mention in the video, there are quite a few reports of over lubrication causing problems! However, mine has ran fine for nigh on six months, and has only recently been running erratically! I was even wondering whether mine required more lubrication! Lol! It's so annoying when our locos don't run as expected right out of the box, but somehow seems worse when they've ran well, and have subsequently ceased operating correctly! I'm glad Rails gave you a refund! All the best, Ian.
Appreciated your review (good and bad points). Why do most British N gauge steam loco reviews ignore below the running plate? Can no one see the botched-up items they call coupling rods and crank pins that would be better suited to OO or even O gauge. If you say anything to manufacturers they shout 'price', but they can include all the extra details for the bodies. Is it just me?
Thank you! I suspect that the coupling rods are quite difficult to manufacture to scale, and if they could be, would indeed be more costly! Most things in N gauge are a compromise over what can be achieved that looks good - and works - without costing too much! My bug bear is with manufacturers putting insane amounts of detail on the underside of their models, where it'll never be seen! Cheers, Ian.
Really liked the little history segment about the loco before delving into the model review. This quickly became one of if not my favourite channel as I was starting my own n gauge layout a few months ago. Thanks for the tips and inspiration!
Hi Stephen! That's very kind of you to say! Glad you enjoyed the history segment, as I really like researching them! All the best, Ian.
Runs just like a Dapol! I'm so happy with the Grafar GWR tank I have, it runs well but like all 6 wheelers requires a little speed for points. I saw on another channel the same running issues you have with the Dapol. They had 2 of them and they really didn't like points at all. Or straights. Or curves. Best of luck sorting it out Ian. I'm past sorting out new locos.
Hi Simon! Hmm! Runs like a Dapol steamer? Their diesels are, on the whole, really good runners! My friend got a Farish Pannier as part of the Western Rambler train set, and it has similar running issues to mine, so these problems aren't confined to Dapol models! Yes, points can be a problem, but even a small loco should be able to traverse insulfrog points when it has pickups on all wheels! Hopefully I'll be able to get to the bottom of the problem of it going around curves! All the best, Ian,
Great consice and fair review Ian. Of the various reviews of Dapol N locos I've seen , they look great but are average runners. Regards Terry. 😮
Thanks very much Terry! Yes, the Pannier Tank is definitely a good looker, and was a great runner until recently! Hopefully I'll get to the bottom of the problem with a thorough servicing! I have to say in defence of Dapol, that all of my diesel's are great runners! :) All the best, Ian.
Great review very nice looking loco 👍
Thanks very much Clive! It really is a great looking loco, just wish it hadn't stopped running properly! Cheers, Ian.
Had exactly the same issue with mine, so nice to know I'm not alone. Be great to see if a service clears it up. Cheers.
Sorry to hear you've also experienced similar running issues! It seems we are far from alone in experiencing poor running! I've got my fingers crossed that a service will get it back running normally, and will share the results of the service whether it solves the problems or not! All the best, Ian.
Hi Ian, really good review mate, loved the history section with some lovely photo’s. Now I have a Pannier Tank but it is a Graham Farish but it does have similar issues to yours and will be going away at some point to be looked at. I do think though that the Farish model is slightly better as the running gear looks better and does have some fine detail. It was the first loco I bought actually and did run really well for sometime but has ended up running much like yours. It does run better after running it for sometime but once stopped and then used again starts with the same problems.
Have a great weekend, look out for my update later today, cheers for now, John
Good morning John! Thank you! There are some great photos around, especially if you search Flickr or explore Wikipedia! It's interesting that your Farish Pannier Tank degraded in time, just as my Dapol one seems to have done! At the moment, mine can be running fine one minute, then not the next! Also, one of my friends purchased the Farish Western Rambler train set, which has the same Pannier Tank as yours, and it suffers from similar running problems, so I'm sure these problems aren't confined to Dapol! I've been looking forward to your next update, but probably won't get to see it until tomorrow as I'm out today! Enjoy your weekend too! All the best, Ian.
Hi Ian, Great video.
I only just started a conversation on Saturday with Rails about this issue. After a question from them regarding what DCC control system I was using, I've heard nothing since :(
Hi Frodo! :) That's interesting that they asked you about the DCC control system! I'm not a fan of the Imperium decoders, and I sometimes have trouble with them initially responding to inputs from my NCE PowerCab, but I've never seen them cause running issues like this! With this in mind, I've got a spare Zimo decoder that I could try - told you I'd end up having to take that cab off! Lol! Thanks for the info! Hope you get your loco sorted! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge Ian, To be fair I did ask Rails if reseting the decoder to factory settings might help. I'm new to this game and asked for guidance i.e. reset code, hence why they asked what I was using. Actually I'm using PowerCab as well.
Watched "This Way Works" video and with my loco only being 7 months old, I'd rather not strip it down and degrease. Noticed that it is fairly oily (why do they tell you to oil before running if it's already greased?) so have used a tissue to soak up the oil between wheels and chassis, ran and repeated a few times. This has helped though not perfect but it is better.
I've sent them a nudge earlier linking your video so hoping they respond today. Will keep you informed ;)
@@frodohobbits9684 - Ah, okay! Still think I'll try changing the decoder first! You never know! Yes, Rich at This Way Works makes disassembling and reassembling locos look fairly easy, but I'm pretty sure I'll struggle with it! Instructions that come with locos are full of contradictions, which is annoying! Let's wait and see what Rails have to say! Thanks for keeping me up-to-date! Cheers, Ian.
@@iansngauge Hi Ian, This reply today, umm.... "Dear David, if you take the cab off and remove the decoder carefully noting the way it is situated there is a screw under it can you try a quarter turn then refit the decoder and retest the loco the loco should be running after this, regards"
Let's hope I don't do any dmage and void my warranty. Cheers, David.
@@frodohobbits9684 - Hi David! That's interesting! I wonder what the screw is holding? I'll add that to my list of things to try! Thanks, and good luck! Ian
A very good review of the model Ian. I was interested to see what your experience with this model was. When they came out there was a lot of chat on the N gauge forum from disaffected owners and your experience is in line with that. It put me off buying one. Small tank engines all can be fickle running over points and they need wheels very clean. My two Jintys and my GF Panniers all run very well but only if their wheels are very clean. They also don't like not being run regularly. It is a pity about the positioning of the decoder, but the cab appears to be the only place for all the various tank engines I own whether from GF or Sonic (which about 6 different classes of engine). Stephen
Thanks Stephen! I too have read quite a lot comment from dissatisfied owners, but I have to say that the model has run perfectly for months! It's only just started behaving poorly in the last few weeks or so! Your comment about clean wheels is an interesting one, as I've not cleaned them since purchase! Not sure how that would cause it to stall on corners, though you never know!! Yes, the decoder positioning is frustrating! I've just purchased the Sonic Large Prairie, and like you say, it's also in the cab! Anyway, hopefully a service will sort out the running issues - and make me more confident at disassembling locos! Cheers, Ian.
@@iansngauge If I've understood things correctly, as the loco goes around the corner not all the wheels remain in contact completely. If there is dirt on the ones that are in contact it isn't enough to keep it going. The fact that it was running fine and now is playing you up makes me think it is dirty wheels (it might be dirty pick ups, but wheels far more likely). If it had been over lubricated I would have expected that to cause you a problem from the start. The Gaguemaster wheel cleaner will do the trick. Stephen
@@Elvenhome - Ah, okay! That makes sense! Maybe I'll start with cleaning the wheels! I'll take a look at the Gaugemaster cleaner! Thanks! Ian
Greetings, Shelfington, and hello Ian 👋 One of these was my second ever N Gauge locomotive purchase 🤔 of course, it had to be returned as a non runner 🙄 it's replacement has spent the last 9 years unloved at the back of a drawer 🤕 The Farish Pannier is a much better performer though 👍 This Way Works did a great video on servicing one, so well worth a review before you get the screw driver out 😇 Very best wishes from the Emerald Isle ☘️
I saw a couple on another channel. Same problems. I agree with the GraFar being better.
I have no clue about dcc, but I hear that a lot of people fit stay alives into 00 gauge 0-6-0 locos.
Not sure if there's the room for that in n gauge?
Best of luck solving the hesitation on your points.
Perhaps trying out an electrofrog point as a replacement for the insulfrog one to see if it improves the situation?
Nice review Ian. 👍
Good morning Wickford, and hello Paul! Haha! They don't have a great history do they? I believe the earlier ones only had two pickups, and a 3 or 5 pole motor, but all wheel pickup should mean much better running, especially over insulfrog points! My friend as a Farish Pannier, and guess what? It behaves very similar to mine! Yes, Rich did a great breakdown of the 57xx, which I'll be following very closely! All the best, Ian,
Hi Simon! I fear this particular loco is too small to fit a stay alive! I fear the loco has other issues as it always used to run over insulfrog points, and indeed, you see it at the end of the video quite happily trundling over them! When I build the real layout, I'll be using unifrog points! Cheers, Ian.
Nice review, I really like your style of content! I currently model in OO and rarely see running issues with brand new models from Bachmann, Dapol, Rapido, etc. Are these issues normal in N, or is this model just a dud?
Thank you! That's very kind of you to say! The vast majority of my loco fleet (20 locos) have had no running issues! The 57xx developed them after a few months, but I have a Farish 08 that had pickup problems right out of the box and needed to be sent away to be fixed, and a Dapol 27 that kept derailing due to a dodgy coupling hook placement! All the best, Ian.
@ good to know, sounds like N isn’t really anymore unreliable or fiddly than OO than, even though most people tell it is much more fiddly. Glad N has become so prominent though as OO takes up far too much space for a lot of people!
@@modelrailfan37 - I think N gauge locos and rolling stock have come a long way in the last decade, and are incredibly detailed, and no less reliable than their bigger scale counterparts! It's still a fiddly scale to work on though, especially as you get older and the eyesight starts to fail! It's the perfect size for houses in the UK, as most homes have small spare rooms / garages / sheds, and you can have a decent sized tail chaser layout, rather than having to settle for an end to end type one! Cheers, Ian.
@ thanks for the info! I don’t think I will switch since I already have a lot of OO stock, and also because I tend to like obscure prototypes that often are only made in OO (ie: I have the Jones Goods and T3 on order, my Y7 is on the way, and I have a H Class and a P2, and have other models as well). My friend is thinking of switching from OO to N because he doesn’t have much space, so I’ve been trying to help him look into N and see what’s available and what is good and what to avoid
@@modelrailfan37 - Yeah, that's one downside of N, in that you're really at the whim of the manufacturers as to what new tooling arrives next! I'm basically going to be modelling the BR Blue era, which has to be one of the more popular eras to model, so you'd think there'd be plenty of models out there? No! Still waiting for newly tooled Deltics, 40's, 37's and the like! And then when Farish did release a newly tooled 47, they didn't release a BR Blue version! Madness! I think my advice in terms of what to avoid, it would probably be Dapol steam locos with tender drive, because I've seen numerous complaints about their drive shaft mechanism, although I have no direct experience with this - I have a new A4 on order, which I'll review in due course! I've got the Farish 5MT, which is superb, and the Sonic Models J50 and Large Prairie, both of which are excellent too! Dapol diesels are also very good, with my 33 and 50 being two of my best runners! Revolution Trains are doing good stuff too, and I have two of their 128 parcel units! Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll do my best to answer them! Cheers, Ian.
Hi Ian, Top draw review once again, the content of the review is spot on! Its a real shame about the issues your having with a new RR loco and the DCC decoder in the cab is not good to see. Cheers Gary
Good morning Gary! Thank you! To be fair, the loco ran straight out of the box, and continued to run well until about a month ago, when it suddenly started stuttering and stopping! It's why I like to wait a few months before reviewing a loco, to give some time for issues to appear - and to get more familiar with the model! Yes, there seems to be a trend with putting decoders in the cab of N gauge models! My new Sonic Models Large Prairie also has one in the cab! Oh well! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge maybe I am still not over my experience with Dapol steam locos that I find fault 😉 cheers Gary
@@SC68 - This is the only Dapol steamer I've got, but it doesn't seem to have bucked the trend, so you're right to be wary in the long run! I've got their new A4 on pre-order, and have wondered on several occasions whether I should cancel it because of comments I've seen about their tender drive mechanism! I'll hang on though, and report what I find! In my eyes, the Farish 08 has been my most temperamental loco, and it's only now running properly since getting it back from Mark's Trains! When it comes to quality control, I don't think any of the manufacturers cover themselves in glory! I hope you find better luck with the switch to OO gauge! Cheers, Ian.
Hi Ian A good review of the Pannier, although "I don't do steam" (but I do have an EFE J94..shhhh), I can't comment on how these perform but from what those previous comments on here have said, its certainly put me off and of course its a Dapol (as I've said before I'm always wary of Dapol loco's, so probably wouldn't get one). Good luck with it though. Thanks
Hi Pete! Thank you! Haha! I don't do steam either - but now have three kettles after just purchasing the Sonic Models Large Prairie! Lol! Yes, Dapol has a bad reputation, especially with it''s range of tender driven steamers, but their diesels are all pretty good runners in my experience! Fingers crossed a good service will get it running properly again! Cheers, Ian.
A nice review Ian. I have to confess I have one of these pesky little locos in Lime Green NCB livery. Put it this way it's never runs on the layout as performance wise its awful 😢. Even taking it apart and cleaning the over zealous lubrication only helped make it marginally run better - on the Growler scorecard its a 2 out of 10 I'm afraid - 10 out of 10 packaging wise though !
Thanks very much Euan! Did yours ever run properly? Mine has been great for months, and has only started to run erratically! I'm a bit disappointed to hear that your cleaning / servicing didn't solve the problem - hopefully I'll have better luck - if I ever get into the thing! Haha! Yes, this is my new favourite style of loco packaging! :) Cheers, Ian.
@@iansngauge it stuttered from day one - it was a present from someone - didn't have the heart to tell them it wasn't running very well !
@@thegrowler-blackwoodngauge - Oh, that's disappointing, especially as it was a present! Would have liked to have seen a bright lime green loco running around Blackwood! :)
Excellent review Ian, and interesting reading the comments.
Hi Chris! Thank you! Yes, it seems that I'm not alone in having some erratic running problems! Cheers, Ian.
Morning Ian, this is a good review video. Shame your model has become temperamental though :( The one I got in 2020 didn't like insulfrog points, but has been really smooth ever since I switched to electrofrog, and so far I haven't done any maintenance on it and it's probably got one of the higher mileages in my fleet. It's one of my favourites, and if I could only have a handful of locos this would be one of them. Hard to see how sound could be fitted though - speakers and sound decoders would have to get even smaller - it would be awesome if that could be done though! I hope you have success with the investigation - the loco looks great with those coaches and the private owner wagons.
Good morning Jonathan! Thank you! Yes, it's odd that it only started running this way in the last month or so! With pickups on all wheels it should be able to traverse the insulfrog points easily, and indeed you see it do this at the end of the video! I'm currently at a loss to why it doesn't like going around curves - sometimes! I'm really glad you've had no issues with yours since switching to electrofrog points - you've had far too many problematic locos, so I feel for you! I too love this loco, and have featured it running well in most of my private owner wagon footage! I guess a redesign would be required to make it sound fitted, but Farish managed it with their class 08, so I reckon it could be done! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge Yes the intermittent behaviour is very odd - I don't have any helpful theories for that I'm afraid! A Farish re-do of theirs with sound would be awesome, but I think a lot harder than the 08 - the 08's body is a nice convenient box that's got OK width, good length and is the full height of the loading gauge - the Pannier has nothing like as much internal room, so it would take quite some doing. Undoubtedly it's all possible though, so I live in hope :)
@@endoorrailway - I was thinking a small speaker in the cab, with a 90 degree decoder slotted beside it! Maybe that could work? Or decoder in the smoke box door and a speaker in the cab? :) Cheers, Ian,
@@iansngauge Sounds like we just need to get Rich at This Way Works to have a go at it and show us how ;)
@@endoorrailway - Definitely! I'll be following his instructions on how to take mine apart when I get around to it! Ian
I had a similar problem with mine and I returned it to Rails. They said it was over lubricated so they cleaned it up and returned it to me. It was no better so it went back again for a refund..
Hi Richard! Yes, like I mention in the video, there are quite a few reports of over lubrication causing problems! However, mine has ran fine for nigh on six months, and has only recently been running erratically! I was even wondering whether mine required more lubrication! Lol! It's so annoying when our locos don't run as expected right out of the box, but somehow seems worse when they've ran well, and have subsequently ceased operating correctly! I'm glad Rails gave you a refund! All the best, Ian.
Appreciated your review (good and bad points). Why do most British N gauge steam loco reviews ignore below the running plate? Can no one see the botched-up items they call coupling rods and crank pins that would be better suited to OO or even O gauge. If you say anything to manufacturers they shout 'price', but they can include all the extra details for the bodies. Is it just me?
Thank you! I suspect that the coupling rods are quite difficult to manufacture to scale, and if they could be, would indeed be more costly! Most things in N gauge are a compromise over what can be achieved that looks good - and works - without costing too much! My bug bear is with manufacturers putting insane amounts of detail on the underside of their models, where it'll never be seen! Cheers, Ian.