OO Terriers - Dapol v. Hornby

[Richard Lee]

Quite a few years ago, Dapol sold their OO Terrier tooling to Hornby, who have been happily churning them out since. I understand that Hornby did a different chassis for the Terrier to the one Dapol used. Occasionally, second-hand Dapol OO Terriers show up for sale. Does anyone know whether the Dapol made Terriers in OO run as well or reliably as the Hornby variants? Thanks in anticipation.

[SRman]

There is very little difference between the Dapol and the Hornby Terriers. Both use the same motors and make the same buzzing noise when running fast. I have converted both brands to DCC, using TCS Z2 decoders, and there is no difference between them for the actual fitting, space available and running qualities. I find the Hornby one marginally quieter, but that could be down to individual differences in gears, lubrication, and the amount of running they have had (my earliest one was Dapol and has had a lot more running than my second Dapol one and single Hornby example).

[Richard Lee]

Thank you SRman. That is useful to know.

I have a couple of LBSC Railway ones, a SE&CR one and an SR one in Maunsell Green SR (which was the locomotive that I started off with). Hornby keep bringing out pre-grouping Terriers, but so far there has been only one Hornby SR Maunsell Green one that wasn't an Isle of Wight loco. I probably have enough pre-grouping ones, but sometimes think that another 1930s Terrier would be nice.

[SRman]

I have two pre-group LBSC ones (oe each from Dapol and Hornby) and a BR lined black one (Dapol).

The Hornby rendition of Stroudley's improved engine green (i.e. a yellow ochre) is less satisfactory, being a sort of pale tan colour, so when I wanted a second one, I specifically looked for the Dapol version, which has a much better colouring.

[Bufferstop]

The Hornby chassis is little different to the Dapol one. Dapol took on the Terrier from what was left of Airfix GMR. Airfix had used a substantial open frame motor which of necessity sat over the rear wheels. Balancing this required a big cast metal chunk at the front of the chassis, but it wasn't very successful. Dapol designed it using the much lighter type 7 motor, and replaced the troublesome plunger pickups with wipers.

[D605Eagle]

I think you're quoting the GWR 14xx Bufferstop. Airfix didn't make a terrier, it was a Dapol new model.




Edit
Your right, brain off-line, Terrier chassis has seen very little change, my very early Hornby one is just as noisy as some of the Dapol ones I've heard. Anyone know who did the design work, was it Dapol or did it come along with other acquistions.
John W

[Bigmet]

Well, the Terrier returns!

Dapol have announced an all new tooling. That's on top of the released A4, expected any day now B4, and recently announced 43xx and 61xx, so they are pressing on with a return to OO steam. Any bets on what the LMS and BR standard specimens will be?

[Mountain]

The Dapol came out somewhere in the later end of the 1980's to the early 90's.
I remember their first three locos to hit the magazines. The J94, the castle (Neath Abbey), and the 4/6/0 County class. They were all something special, and more then I could afford in those days. (Never did buy them but really admired them as models). The J94 was £34.50. The castles and counties were £40. (The County may have been a slight bit more due to a small price rise,but otherwize was the same as a castle).
Dapol used to sell ex Mainline and ex Airfix items like the tender drive castles (Which were £17.50 back then). Back in those days I bought an ex Mainline (With Airfix origions) prairie for £12.50, which Dapol was the supplier. Now Hornby own the moulds. I bought an Airfix 14xx for £9.50. (Another from Dapol as both Airfix and Mainline had ceased production by the latter part of the 1980's (Actually they ceased in the early 1980's).
I remember the terriers price. £46.50 in GWR shirt button livery. (The shopkeeper said it was limited edition and Dapol were going to break the moulds so no more were to be made He lied!). Expensive compared to the many older models at discount prices back then. Having said that, it looked brilliant and was said to run well.
I do have a Hornby Terrier which I have later found it has a less common number. I dont remember using it! Was given it as a present from my mum and dad about 2006.

[Mike Parkes]

The Shopkeeper may have been telling the truth as he knew it, they were various stories of Dapol and their attitudes around that time. One I heard was that retailers were not allowed to discount and when Dapol found someone was they bought the entire stock back

[Mountain]

Not heard that. Is interesting. The mysteries of the model railway retailers... Was it Dapol buying back the entire stock, or could it be a mystery collector going round the retailers making an excuse and buying the whole stock back at trade price?

[D605Eagle]

Dapol did some very short runs of the terrier in the late 90s after they had sold the tooling to Hornby using up spares they had left. There were some odd liveries in that lot and very occasionally they appear on ebay. Because they are so rare its kind of backfired on them because they are virtually forgotten and unknown now and don't fetch that much money.

[Bufferstop]

I obtained an 0-4-2 motorised chassis and a motor bogie from Dapol long after they had sold the 00 tooling to Hornby. Close examination of some Hornby wagons reveals that some of the tooling had come from Wrenn, the ex Hornby Dublo SD series. So Hornby were buying back tooling that they had given to Wrenn when they were part of the Lines Bros conglomerate.

[Mike Parkes]

Wrenn was bought by Dapol, in 1993, not Hornby. In 1996 Dapol sold a number of toolings (not ex Wrenn) to Hornby, some of these being Airfix originals of which, in terms of a number of the wagons, Dapol retained a duplicate copy of the tooling . In 2001 Dapol sold on Wrenn to Mordvale but retained a number of the wagons. Going back to the 1960s when Triang became Triang-Hornby (what its today referred to as Hornby) and Hornby Dublo became Triang-Wrenn one model did cross from Hornby Dublo to Triang-Hornby, the Class 81 electric loco (Source; British Model Trains by Pat Hammond)

[Mountain]

Who ended up with the old Triang cast metal wagon chassis and coach (That had the cast metal bogies) moulds? I've not noticed any of these come back onto the market. They'd be ideal to bring back for children to use. Something solid.

[GWR_fan]

A sensible person would think that when a manufacturer announces a new product far superior to a product that is basically unchanged for thirty odd years that the older product would see a price reduction in the market. The current high prices for old Terriers is ridiculous. The same for the 14XX and Dean Goods when released older Dapol and Hornby models increased in price. Prices for older 14XX and Dean Goods are approaching that of their DJModels and Oxford Rail counterparts. Has the market gone loony (tomorrow is April 1st!!!!!!!).