Review: Dapol Class 29 is reviewed
Further support for Scottish Region modellers has arrived in the form of the Dapol's ‘OO’ gauge 'Sad Eye' NBL Class 21 and Class 29 rebuild. No. D6114, modelled as a rebuilt locomotive, is the subject of this reviewwhich also covers the Class 21 model in
More support for Scottish Region modellers with brand-newmodels of the iconic Class 29.
IN effect, two different locomotives were released at the same time by Dapol which will be of value to Eastern and Scottish Region modellers of the 1958 to 1971 era: the Class 21 and Class 29 Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives; the latter being a mechanical rebuild of the former.
Twenty Class 21 locomotives were selected to be rebuilt as Class 29s in an effort to improve reliability, a conversion which commenced in 1963 with No. D6123 which was fitted with a new Paxman Ventura engine at the company’s Colchester works.
The remaining 19 locomotives were converted at Glasgow and Inverurie workshops, being allocated to Glasgow Eastfield depot for mixed traffic duties. All but the first Class 29s were fitted with four-character headcode boxes below the cab windows in place of the train reporting headcode discs, among other small changes relating to the new engines. The original exhaust port was sealed up and new ones cut into the middle roof panel.
Conversions were completed between 1965 and 1967, resulting in a locomotive which was considerably more reliable than the original NBL/ MAN diesel powered locomotives from which they were derived.
The remaining 38 Class 21 locomotives were progressively withdrawn between 1967 and 1968. However, the non-standard nature of the Class 29, with its high-speed Paxman engine, combined with the transfer of other locomotive classes to Scotland, meant that they were unlikely to survive much longer than the Class 21s. The first Class 29 was withdrawn in 1968 followed by the rest of the fleet by the end of 1971, with no examples of either class surviving the cutting torch.
Dapol very kindly submitted one of its new Class 29 models for review which shares the same basic bodyshell, drive mechanism and bogies with the Class 21. Locomotive and class-specific details are applied to all of the models including the changes made to the roof of the Class 29 during conversion. Class 29 No. D6114 is finished in the attractive two-tone green livery with small yellow warning panels embellished with a white body side stripe. Fitted with advanced electronics and a refined drive system, how does this latest ‘OO’ gauge offering from Dapol measure up?
Bodyshell appraisal
Scanning photographs and other data, it appears that Dapol has achieved the correct dimensions and proportions for the Class 21 and 29 model. The locomotive is characterised by having a distinct crease in the body midway down the sides which is clearly modelled alongside a sharp turn-under at the base of the body. The roof profile is also well modelled including the complex area of lines and curves along the front of the cab where the raked window panels meet the roof.
Looking at the cab fronts, the very
subtle crease in the middle of the ‘face’ below the headcode box (Class 29) is present as is a correctly proportioned headcode box. The communication doors were plated over during the Class 29 conversion with just a fine seam where the plating overlapped onto the front of the cab. This feature has been represented with a recessed line which is not quite what photographs show.
Modern tooling has been used to good effect to model the wealth of grille detail on both sides of the body shell. Grilles have depth to them with fine dividing bars and near framing.
The slightly untidy appearance of the locomotives is emphasised with the short rain strips above the grilles, foot steps leading to the boiler compartment water tank filler and the engine room doors. The overall appearance of the bodyshell is neatly tooled and accurate except for a couple of very minor niggles.
Standalone details
It is good to see that wire is being used for the cab door handrails instead of the increasingly popular plastic ones that are appearing on other manufacturers’ models. Unpainted steel handrails, alongside sprung buffers, lamp irons (including the large and ungainly ones midway up the cab fronts) are part of the small fittings used to detail the locomotive.
Cab glazing is flush with the front panelling with a view of the cab detailing. Windscreen wipers are slightly chunky but firmly attached and not likely to go missing during normal handling. Comment has been made by fans of the Class 21 and Class 29 regarding the side glazing fitted to the engine room doors and side windows. They are distinctly lens-like in appearance with distortion clearly visible. The side windows incorporate the frame in the glazing moulding, making replacements awkward to fit.
Etched metal is used to detail the bodyshell to good effect, including the roof fan grille which has a pattern running in two different directions. The radiator grille in the locomotive sides is particularly fine with the detail fitted behind it clearly visible.
Running gear
Diesel locomotive models are all fitted with the same basic drive mechanism these days, consisting of a framemounted motor, flexible Cardan drive shafts and gear towers to distribute power to all of the model’s wheels. A high performance five-pole motor is fitted, coupled with carefully engineered and assembled gearing has resulted in a model with silky smooth performance and excellent slow speed control. Shunting and controllable slow speed running as well as smooth acceleration and braking is possible with this mechanism.
Below the solebar
Bogies are fitted with slip ring current collection of the same type as installed in the Dapol Class 73, utilising split axle wheel sets to collect the current. Application in the Class 21 and Class 29 is much improved over its use in the first batch of Class 73s, helping to add to the model’s smooth and quiet performance.
The wheels themselves are nicely made with the correct pattern of spokes and with no discernible eccentricity apparent during testing.
The spokes are barely visible behind the multi-layered bogie sideframes which enjoy a wealth of separately fitted details, all firmly attached. Brake shoes, sand boxes, primary and secondary suspension details and the bogie frames are very nicely moulded with excellent detail definition. The depth of detail in the bogie frames is excellent, yet there is sufficient room between the sideframes for fitting closer to scale wheels.
Lubrication holes are present in the blisters on the underside of the bogie frame assemblies to allow the gear tower to be lubricated without having to dismantle the bogies. A drop of plastic-safe oil placed in each hole will be carried round by the gears after a short period of operation. The usual caveats regarding excessive lubrication apply.
The NEM coupling pockets are frame-mounted and light sprung with centring springs, but not kinematic enabled allowing most of the buffer beam details to be fitted without worrying about the couplings fouling it.
Lighting controls
A 21-pin MTC decoder socket is installed allowing control of the basic lighting functions. The tail-lights and headcode panel of the Class 29 are illuminated together with the cab interiors. Wiring and miniature plugs and sockets are used to connect the body lighting to the circuit board which is mounted on top of the chassis. A speaker bay large enough for a good quality 20mm by 40mm speaker is provided.
All six light functions are individually wired, allowing them to be controlled through separate decoder functions. A six-function decoder is required for independent control of all the lighting effects.
It appears that manufacturers are listening to modellers when it comes to
removing bodyshells from the chassis (at long last) and the Class 29 is no exception. A DCC-ready model should be simple to fit with a decoder including simple access to the interior. In the past, bodyshell removal has been the key issue with many different models. No so with the Class 29: four simple clips hold the body to the chassis – firmly, but not so it cannot be easily removed.
Final analysis
A remarkable job has been done by Dapol considering that there are no surviving locomotives to survey today. Like the Bachmann Class 24/1, the model looks almost too neat compared to the full-size locomotives, with its sharply tooled grilles and other details.
Finishing of the model is neatly done, with printed details well applied and a slight sheen to the body colours. The warning panel yellow is dense and covers the cab front detail well but without obscuring it. The shade of the light (‘Sherwood’) green upper body band appears to be a tad on the light side, whilst the dark green finish looks deep and rich.
Dapol's Class 29 and by association, the Class 21, including the fine details and detailing add-on pack fittings, is an attractive model. With its smooth running drive train coupled to 365g of weight, the typical Glasgow-Aberdeen express won’t present a challenge to the locomotive.