Hachette O gauge A1

[Blakey boy]

Ooooppsss

What I meant to say is that parts 40 - 43 should arive any day now.

They already have and i am going to have a good look at this problem at the back end of the loco with wheel binding

Points

As a former driver what we call the footplate is the cab floor area, The plate covering the loco we were told is a bed plate unless I have been told wrong.

Cheers

Bob

[Points]

They say there's some kind of a fix coming in 52 but the only way I cant see it is to remove some of the chassis frame length at the front, god only knows the knock-on effect this will have if they go that route.

Without doubt its a dodgy footplate/bedplate simple as that, not only do you get drive wheel foul you also get spalsh guards that are not central to drive wheels

[Blakey boy]

Points

The only way I can see out of it, is if they come up with a nexw foot/bedplate to re[lace the current one with appropriate splashers or the more expensive route with a new chassis.

I probably think it will be the former rather than the latter because of cost.

Upon saying that a trial fitting this afternoon of the Hornblocks in front and rear showed no signs of fouling in the rear but, the chassis is a little bit higher, with the everthing in place and a little extra weight so a little bit of adjustment needed.

I will try and fix them permanently later as and when time permits, and check again although I must admit that the plate looked to be a bit on the low side but, there again I could be wrong. I am going to email/speak to my former colleagues in EWS to see if I can glean a bit of info as to the distance from the rail level to the top of the bedplate front middle and rear on the real thing to see if the model is out in any way.

I will post any info ASAP

Cheers

Bob

[Points]

Well that's it, after being patient and giving them the benefit of doubt I've chosen to ditch this kit and ask for my money back!

I'm fed up of being duped with poor quality parts, poor instruction, inaccuracy and having to do major fix's in an attempt to put right error's in manufacture!

Would I buy into another partwork series or DJH product?

Not a flippin chance

The best of luck to any who continue as I suspect your going to need lot's of it!

[Ultimo Tiger]

I though DJH were renowned for good kits?

And I was going to buy an A2/2 in OO from them maybe in a few years when I learn how to build kits. Damn

And after I got that lovely Power of the A2's book from the NRM this weekend!

Although with this being one of those magazine things that seems to be on the stands for about a month before being banished to subscription only, I wouldn't be surprised if they had been approached to do a kit on the cheap.

[Bullhead]

I've built a number of 4mm scale DJH kits in the past and have always found them to be of a pretty good standard. The earlier ones (e.g., A8, D20) were a bit crude but later offerings (e.g., A3, BR standard 3MT) contain a much larger proportion of etched brass components of far finer appearance. With a modicum of skill, you shouldn't have any problems with a regular DJH kit.

[Points]

I think your probably right about the normal DJH build & quality being okay. but I'm surprised DJH let the publisher loose on there design to go and have have parts made on the cheap, as a result DJH are now being tarred with what is being found in a minefireld of problems & complaints coming to light.

It's just as though DJH accept the magazine kit for what it is, the problems appear not to have been addressed before the parts got to the customer even though DJH have said they are building the magazine model ahead of customers.

It's very much a case of lesson learned, simply buy from the source rather than have a second rate model from a weekly magazine series of parts, it's a real shame as the series looked promising but sadly for me it failed miserably at delivering on that promise and I did'nt even get half way through!

[Blakey boy]

Points

Sorry to hear your giving up. I have at present fitted Slater Hornblocks for compensation on the Main Chassis it is fitted with a Mashima 1833 and a Roxey Mouldings gearbox. It actually runs very well with the conrods attached up and down 2 metres of flexi track in my shed/workshop.

Yes I know there was a problem with the chassis that was highlighted by others previously and the major one was the fitting of the chassis to the footplate which was resolved in issue 52 by taking 1.5mm to 2mm off the front of the chassis and possibly some excess metal off the footplate at athe front end. I have done this earlier than now and, it now lines up nicely with no fouling anywhere.

On the GOG website/Forum most of the fittings are following DJH practice and standard as advised by several people who have bought the kits direct from DJH. The main answer is to do what I have done and persevere and I might make a silk purse out of a sows ear as they say but, it's not all that bad.

Good luck with any other projects your working on.

Cheers

Bob

[61650GTFC]

I have built the OO gauge A2/2 and A2/3 Do not be put off by the hachette A1 the A2/2 is a great kit. The valve gear main assemblies come pre formed so it is suprisingly simple to bulid. A lot of the parts that Hachette supply as whitemetal are brass on DJH kits (nuts and bolts for copling rods, whistles, safety valves etc. I have built many DJH kits and they are excellent. The hachette kit only uses the DJH kit as a basis and they have bodged it somewhat. This is not DJH's fault.

[Points]

Thanks Blakey boy for your support, but the thing is that I don't see the last round of chassis modifications as being the last we will see, the fact is that such major mod's should not have to be made to a kit targetted at the novice.

Also, having read around the rail forums I discover there is likely to be another another major fix waiting in the wings re the front bogie, one guy has already suggested that we will have to remove the bogie splashers and possibly remove material from the bogie arch's on the chassis to avoid wheel foul, I can also see possible problems with the cylinders, it seems the chassis has in some way been stretched by 1.5-2mm hence the need for a chassis mod or possibly and more likely that it is the footplate that has been streched.

So, enough is enough and it's why I'm ducking out, I bought into this series under the assumption that I was buying into a tried and tested kit which it now appears it is far from being let alone it being accurate, and if you take into account the total cost of £750 (taking into account there motor set) then what we have been getting in my view makes it poor value for money.

61650GTFC, DJH they say they are approving the parts for hachette and that they are bulding the model in front of the customer, so it makes you wonder what the heck is going on and that there should be no major problems to overcome.
Like I said before, it's just as though DJH have turned a blind eye and that the hachette model is what it is, though don't get me wrong, I think the experienced loco builder's will hopefully turn a pigs ear into a silk purse, but for the many novice's who'll likely end up with a pig's ear.

I'll watch on with great interest as to how this project pans out and good luck you guys hanging on in there!

[Blakey boy]

Points

There was a little note that some replacement parts are being issued with part no 99, so I will hang fire till then and do some other stuff like some coaches from the Ian Kirk "Teak" range

Cheers

Bob

[Points]

Yeah I saw that bit of info, replacement guard irons for the ones that need to be taken off to facilitate the chassis shortening and repalcement footplate support's, yes it's a move in the right direction in an attempt to put things right, but sadly it smacks of a model that has not been fully assembled let alone having been tested before being let loose on customers which explains what has been found to date.

And then we come to their discreet discalimer which appeared out of the blue in mag 47 (inside front cover at the bottom) which notes as follows:
"The model is designed primarly for static display. The motor provided is intended only to demonstrate movement of your model over the limited length of track as supplied (ie 1m) and is not suitable for use on longer tracks or circuits."

Even Gaugemaster have noted on the controller box that is is only suitable for OO, HO & N gauge's!

I think the model has turned out to be a bit of a lame duck, and one now get's the impression that the model is not up to being run around a circuit because of unsuitable parts such as the white metal coupling rod fixing's never mind the controller.

Why else would you want to insert a disclaimer at issue 47 (47 weeks down the line) which should have been noted at issue 1, at issue 1 it would have meant that we we're fully aware from day 1 exactly what we're buying into, this omission looks very very suspicious to me!

I hope all goes well for you Bob and good luck!