New Class 59

[inoffapost]

I see Hattons have just acquired stock and having now decided to extend my layout I would like to invest in a couple of CoCo locomotives.

I wonder if anyone has any experience of this latest offering? Spec and price doesn't seem unreasonable.

MickH

[centenary]

Damn it! There's always a new, great looking loco just gone on sale right when I need my cash to pay for something else!

Looks a great loco especially in Yeoman livery!

[Bigmet]

First examples in customer hands were received Thursday or thereabouts, so it will be a while before there is much hands on appraisal or assessment of performance on owner's layouts. And the DCC fitted and DCC sound versions are not yet available; and I have no idea if Dapol persisted with the original plan for a smoke generator on this model.

(I would be surprised if fault is found with the mechanism's running performance.The mechanism scheme is a well proven design, and Dapol's past twin bogie product has been good in this respect. There's something of an 'arms race' underway at present over how much weight can be installed, but my experience suggests circa 500g is enough for any UK railway load on normal mainline gradients - should the layout have any - as it will yield 65 - 75g (force) drawbar pull, which will start a 6kg load, typically good for 30 or more bogie vehicles, longer than most layouts can accomodate. Those wanting a Shap or Lickey on their layout should understand that just as on the real railway, 'special measures' are probably going to be necessary.)

[inoffapost]

Thats good feedback Bigmet. I have no experience of Dapol's locomotive products so it's good to know the mechanism is fairly well tried and trusted, as it will be my first.
I think I saw on the Hattons page that there is to be a smoke generating option produced. Probably a longer wait for that.

My layout extension will hopefully provide a good run for the kit but there will be no Shap or Lickey so my intended application should be well within it's capabilities. From the pictures it looks like Dapol have done a good job. I'll need to make it grubby though! As the premium bonds have just afforded me a pre-christmas surprise I shall get my order in sharpish.

[Bigmet]

My sole example of traction from Dapol is the class 21, and it's a really sweet runner. Friends have purchased the LMS twins and Western models, and these were all good as received, smooth, quiet, ample traction, and only got better over the several hours they had on my test track. (I bang on about this a lot, but giving mechanisms an immediate prolonged run at mid speed, alternating directions and turning them around on the circuit so that they are 'fully exercised', will either detect an 'infant mortality' for rapid return to retailer as faulty on arrival, or set it up for a long reliable operational life. Among other things it works any lubricant around, so there are less likely to be grease lumps in the drive train which interfere with free operation if they dry out.)

[SRman]

If any faults are to be found, it is far more likely to be in the livery colours or errors in the electronics for lighting (think class 73 and 68 livery errors, and earlier 73 PCB design). The mechanisms themselves are generally good.

[Bigmet]

...having now decided to extend my layout I would like to invest in a couple of CoCo locomotives...

If you go for the 59, i would be interested to know if there is an assembly and parts diagram supplied or available as a download. (Nothing of the sort came with the otherwise most satisfactory Dap 21.)

[inoffapost]

Early Christmas present arrive today (from me to self)! Full marks to Hattons for the delivery. Considering I live in Germany and it arrived today that is a fantastic service as it was only ordered on Monday of this week.

Superbly packaged, as I guess is standard these days. I haven't weighed it yet but it feels pleasingly heavy.
No Bigmet, sadly no assembly parts list included, or as far as I can see no link for a download either.I hope I won't need any although there is some very fine details parts on the thing. The traction sand delivery pipes look very delicate and possibly vulnerable should any derailment occur!
Livery wise it looks OK and well done. I have some photos of the real thing from back in the day and a quick comparison hasn't shown anything up. If anything the ARC 'mustard' looks a little dark, but then again from my photos the real thing already had a limestone 'tint' after a month of operation so difficult to judge accurately. If Dapol have got that wrong, well, that would be embarrassing.

Unfortunately, I can't give you any operational first impressions yet as I opted for the DCC ready variant and Hattons didn't have any Imperium Decoders in stock at time of ordering. I have ordered from another source but that hasn't arrived yet. So running in is for another day. I'll keep you posted as and when.

I've tried to upload a couple of photos but despite being under the max size I can't get them to upload. When I work that out I'll put them up

[inoffapost]

[Dad-1]

That looks quite a beast.

Geoff T.

[D605Eagle]

Bought mine when they were first in stock from ROS, but it seems that Royal Mail have declared where I live as the badlands as I've not had any mail whatsoever for two weeks, so god only knows where it is now!

[Bigmet]

Hopefully Royal Mail / Parcelforce will put in a recovery effort over the next few days: after a week with no deliveries of any sort a RM manager delivered a very large wad to our address, which gave him some difficulty as various items were 'registered', 'signed for', 'dump it on the doorstep' 'guaranteed next day', ''delivered whenever'; and it was a long time since he had had to do all this stuff.

(Note to RM. KISS. Multiple options is only possible from a start point of the well oiled machine working perfectly.)

[D605Eagle]

I got just one small item from Royal Mail today which is a joke. God only knows what they're doing. At this rate they're going to need a lorry just for my stuff alone! LOL

[Bigmet]

... At this rate they're going to need a lorry just for my stuff alone! LOL

I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that volumes of mail are in parked trailers, waiting for what's already being worked through in sorting offices etc. to be cleared, to allow the next trailer load in for processing.

Having once experienced 'restoring normal operation' after a continuous flow production system had an unplanned stop due to an accident, I don't envy them the task. RM don't have the option of simply selling a heap of feedstock to a scrap merchant to create the physical space that enabled the system to restart.

[Richard08]

Hopefully Royal Mail / Parcelforce will put in a recovery effort over the next few days: after a week with no deliveries of any sort a RM manager delivered a very large wad to our address, which gave him some difficulty as various items were 'registered', 'signed for', 'dump it on the doorstep' 'guaranteed next day', ''delivered whenever'; and it was a long time since he had had to do all this stuff.

(Note to RM. KISS. Multiple options is only possible from a start point of the well oiled machine working perfectly.)

Hopefully that manager will now be aware of the issues 'at the front line' now. But sadly they will doubtless just tow the company line and do nothing.