can't complain about the service or cost

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All my threats not to buy another loco went out of the window on thursday evening when I succumbed to the reviews and  purchased one of Dapols new Manors in Br Lined Green with the decoder fitted from Hattons.  With no VAT payable for Australia the saving paid for postage with some change.
I felt guilty afterwards, then relaxed and thought I would have to wait at least two to three weeks for it to arrive by which time the guilt will have subsided.
Today Tuesday there was a knock at the door - "Parcel for Dave Pearson"  -  "are you expecting anything?" asks my wife. " Nope" I replied.  Then I looked at the box - wow -  five days since I put the order in !!.

Well done Dapol for producing a lovely loco at a sensible price and well done Hatton's and DHL for great service!


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Dave
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Makes a mockery of some of the Covid scaremongering about supply chains doesn,t it.

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Similar experience for me here ex UK, my last British Finescale Kits came from Brighton in under a week.


By way of comparison, a local purchase of some French carbonated aqueous ethanol took the same time to come from South Melbourne, all of 25km to our home. Culprit, a well known local freight company, (previously called "Slow-way" by those in the know before their recent name change)!


I got an alert from them "It's coming today, on the van - be there or miss out" only for nothing! So it went back to the depot that night sitting in limbo until my supplier complained, missed the next day's run and came eventually 2 days later.


At least it's blϕϕdy cold here at present, why it was almost ready to open! Pop and pour if you will.

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[user=540]gdaysydney[/user] wrote:
All my threats not to buy another loco went out of the window on thursday evening when I succumbed to the reviews and  purchased one of Dapols new Manors in Br Lined Green with the decoder fitted from Hattons.  With no VAT payable for Australia the saving paid for postage with some change.
I felt guilty afterwards, then relaxed and thought I would have to wait at least two to three weeks for it to arrive by which time the guilt will have subsided.
Today Tuesday there was a knock at the door - "Parcel for Dave Pearson"  -  "are you expecting anything?" asks my wife. " Nope" I replied.  Then I looked at the box - wow -  five days since I put the order in !!.

Well done Dapol for producing a lovely loco at a sensible price and well done Hatton's and DHL for great service!


Snap! :lol:

I originally decided to give this one a miss and ordered the Accurascale version (due December?). Then last week I weakened and decided a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush! So mine is on its way from Liverpool - I hope I get the same speedy service as you Dave.

Its brilliant you getting one - its not often I can compare notes about an identical (almost mine is Compton Manor) with a fellow Train Controller. I look forward to your detailed review and of course a screen shot of the profile graph! :)

You mentioned the decoder was fitted - is that with sound?  Being profoundly deaf I have never ventured there but I will be experimenting, albeit reluctantly, with the Dapol Imperium Next 18. Reluctantly because Zimo, my decoder of choice, have been suffering major supply problems for almost 6 months

Congratulations on your new loco Dave - hope to see photos soon!

Best wishes

John
 


 





John
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[user=2170]Colin W[/user] wrote:
By way of comparison, a local purchase of some French carbonated aqueous ethanol took the same time to come from South Melbourne, all of 25km to our home. Culprit, a well known local freight company, (previously called "Slow-way" by those in the know before their recent name change)!

:mutley :mutley

You know I am a bit slow Colin so I will bite. I am guessing this beverage (?) has a more common name?

Carbonated Colin doesnt have quite the same ring to it somehow :cheers

John
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[user=434]John Dew[/user] wrote:
[user=2170]Colin W[/user] wrote:
By way of comparison, a local purchase of some French carbonated aqueous ethanol took the same time to come from South Melbourne, all of 25km to our home. Culprit, a well known local freight company, (previously called "Slow-way" by those in the know before their recent name change)!

:mutley :mutley

You know I am a bit slow Colin so I will bite. I am guessing this beverage (?) has a more common name?

Carbonated Colin doesnt have quite the same ring to it somehow :cheers
It was just about the only thing to be found in Edina's fridge I believe, in huge quantities (Ab Fab).
Trust a chemist to describe it more accurately, removing all the romance!

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Indeed! :mutley

 :off topic  Sorry Dave - I forgot my manners now back to the Manor

John
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[user=434]John Dew[/user] wrote:
I originally decided to give this one a miss and ordered the Accurascale version (due December?). Then last week I weakened and decided a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush! So mine is on its way from Liverpool - I hope I get the same speedy service as you Dave.

Its brilliant you getting one - its not often I can compare notes about an identical (almost mine is Compton Manor) with a fellow Train Controller. I look forward to your detailed review and of course a screen shot of the profile graph! :)

You mentioned the decoder was fitted - is that with sound?  Being profoundly deaf I have never ventured there but I will be experimenting, albeit reluctantly, with the Dapol Imperium Next 18. Reluctantly because Zimo, my decoder of choice, have been suffering major supply problems for almost 6 months

Congratulations on your new loco Dave - hope to see photos soon!

Best wishes

John
 
 Hi John, I decided to get DCC fitted ( No sound)  since the last time I  purchased a Dapol Loco and had to mess around for months as the ESU   decoder I had purchased separately won't work to my satisfaction. After   multiple attempts with different decoders I ended up buying an Imperium  which worked fine. 
I've noted to post a copy of the speed profile.

Dave
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I fear that I must put a little dampener on proceedings.
Well done Dave for getting your order so promptly. 
Recently I have been trying to order parts by E Mail for projects that I wish to start sooner rather than later. My problem is that so called suppliers are not even answering or acknowledging E Mails. Many these days do not have a telephone number so the customer has a choice of E Mail or Snail Mail. I am left wondering if these people want to be in business or not. 

Should I name or shame or perhaps start another thread?



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Sol is in the usergroup ‘Super-moderators’
Mark, just name the firm in which you are having problems contacting them & their contact details. Any other words maybe construed differently & one does not know what action maybe taken by the firm.

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If a company has an email address I give them 2 tries and then telephone. If they don't give a telephone number I immediately move on. 

Many of the smaller companies are one person affairs, and never keep abreast of emails or telephone calls. Or promises. Or go out of business and neglect to do anything about it.


Name them, but keep it factual - date, result. Nobody wants to deal with unreliable businesses.


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[user=1729]MarkL71A[/user] wrote:
I fear that I must put a little dampener on proceedings.
Well done Dave for getting your order so promptly. 
Recently I have been trying to order parts by E Mail for projects that I wish to start sooner rather than later. My problem is that so called suppliers are not even answering or acknowledging E Mails. Many these days do not have a telephone number so the customer has a choice of E Mail or Snail Mail. I am left wondering if these people want to be in business or not. 

Should I name or shame or perhaps start another thread?


Hi Mark,
I share your frustration. I have had problems in the past and now, no matter what I am buying, I always do a search using Google for reviews about the company/ business I am thinking of doing business with.  Also I have made a decision not to deal with any company that does not have an address or phone number on their website.
Sometimes there are genuine reasons for an unanswered email but unless they are the only supplier I would look elsewhere - in need ask on forums like this one  for recommendations of suitable vendors.
 




Dave
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[user=434]John Dew[/user] wrote:
Snap! :lol:

I originally decided to give this one a miss and ordered the Accurascale version (due December?). Then last week I weakened and decided a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush! So mine is on its way from Liverpool - I hope I get the same speedy service as you Dave.

Its brilliant you getting one - its not often I can compare notes about an identical (almost mine is Compton Manor) with a fellow Train Controller. I look forward to your detailed review and of course a screen shot of the profile graph! :)

You mentioned the decoder was fitted - is that with sound?  Being profoundly deaf I have never ventured there but I will be experimenting, albeit reluctantly, with the Dapol Imperium Next 18. Reluctantly because Zimo, my decoder of choice, have been suffering major supply problems for almost 6 months

Congratulations on your new loco Dave - hope to see photos soon!

Best wishes

John
 
Hi John,
Haven't forgotten about posting the speed profile for the new manor. Its taken me until today to get the loco on the layout and I spent about half an hour getting the speed right.  The Dapol Imperium V4 has some tricks - first it has to be unlocked to ensure any changes to the CVs will work and to use the speed profile you have to adjust the speed at which the BEMF cuts out.
Hopefullt tomorrow I will have time to do the speed profile in TC and post it on here.
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[user=540]gdaysydney[/user] wrote:
[user=434]John Dew[/user] wrote:
Snap! :lol:

I originally decided to give this one a miss and ordered the Accurascale version (due December?). Then last week I weakened and decided a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush! So mine is on its way from Liverpool - I hope I get the same speedy service as you Dave.

Its brilliant you getting one - its not often I can compare notes about an identical (almost mine is Compton Manor) with a fellow Train Controller. I look forward to your detailed review and of course a screen shot of the profile graph! :)

You mentioned the decoder was fitted - is that with sound?  Being profoundly deaf I have never ventured there but I will be experimenting, albeit reluctantly, with the Dapol Imperium Next 18. Reluctantly because Zimo, my decoder of choice, have been suffering major supply problems for almost 6 months

Congratulations on your new loco Dave - hope to see photos soon!

Best wishes

John
 
Hi John,
Haven't forgotten about posting the speed profile for the new manor. Its taken me until today to get the loco on the layout and I spent about half an hour getting the speed right.  The Dapol Imperium V4 has some tricks - first it has to be unlocked to ensure any changes to the CVs will work and to use the speed profile you have to adjust the speed at which the BEMF cuts out.
Hopefullt tomorrow I will have time to do the speed profile in TC and post it on here.
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Hi Dave

Looking forward to seeing CV your settings and profile. It will come in useful I have 2 unused Imperiums - I finallly put a Zimo Next 18 taken from my Dapol Prairie in the Manor - its superb. (I hard wired a Zimo 617 +SA in the Prairie). It was dumb of me not to unlock the Imperium :oops: will be interesting to see how they compare……did you see my short video?

In other news - have you any thoughts on the TC V10 upgrade?  I cant make up my mind. There are a couple of useful new featuresbut it is hovering between "should have" and "could have". Definitely not "Must Have"! 

Best wishes


John
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In other news - have you any thoughts on the TC V10 upgrade?  I cant make up my mind. There are a couple of useful new features but it is hovering between "should have" and "could have". Definitely not "Must Have"! 

Best wishes

John, The speed profiling of the Dapol manor is in progress as I type this. It will take a while as I have the speed table set with a very slow crawl. The first leg took 15minutes !!  I'll post the profile and the CV values once completed.

I have seen the blurb on version 10 and have also seen the comments about the fact that you can now longer use the USB ( you need to provide evidence of its destruction !!) and some concerns that you now need to be connected to the internet ( although I understand that maybe for the initial installation/validation.

It would be good to see a demo of the new features in a video. Rudy has started anew series of videos  so I will be watching with interest once he gets into the nitty gritty.

My thoughts right at the moment are that given my layout is established and TC is all but set up except for the ongoing development of schedules it will cost about USD $240 in upgrading to the new version at this point in time as I would have to upgrade the other programs I use.  





Dave
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[user=540]gdaysydney[/user] wrote:
In other news - have you any thoughts on the TC V10 upgrade?  I cant make up my mind. There are a couple of useful new features but it is hovering between "should have" and "could have". Definitely not "Must Have"! 

Best wishes

John, The speed profiling of the Dapol manor is in progress as I type this. It will take a while as I have the speed table set with a very slow crawl. The first leg took 15minutes !!  I'll post the profile and the CV values once completed.

I have seen the blurb on version 10 and have also seen the comments about the fact that you can now longer use the USB ( you need to provide evidence of its destruction !!) and some concerns that you now need to be connected to the internet ( although I understand that maybe for the initial installation/validation.

It would be good to see a demo of the new features in a video. Rudy has started anew series of videos  so I will be watching with interest once he gets into the nitty gritty.

My thoughts right at the moment are that given my layout is established and TC is all but set up except for the ongoing development of schedules it will cost about USD $240 in upgrading to the new version at this point in time as I would have to upgrade the other programs I use.  




Hi Dave

Out of interest how long is your profiling block?

You may have to wait a while to learn about V10 from Rudy's new series. I watched the first episode expecting to learn about the new "facilities" but sadly he is starting at the very beginning as in "how to open a train window"

What version of TC do you have? The cost for me to upgrade from V9 is $130 USD. The upgrades seem to come round every 4 years so $35 US per annum to stay current isnt so bad - there I have almost convinced myself! :hmm


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Hi John,
The picture on the left was my first  attempt not using the speed profile CV - just high mid and starting values.  In experimenting I found the loco stalls at low speed without BEMF but it creates a sudden jump in speed no matter what I set the value for BEMF to stop functioning. As you can see the two distinct gradients but very slow running - too slow in fact  - the profiling took about 2 hours. ( My profiling block is 100cm in length)
The picture on the right is what I have settled for at present - top speed of 60km with the jump at 30Km. Sometime when I have nothing to do :lol: I will experiment more as it would be good to get the gradient going all the way to 60k rather peaking and flat lining at speed steep 18.
Any clues/ideas would be greatly appreciated. ( I use decoder Pro most of the time for programming even though I have TrainProgrammer - maybe I should try that!)

As to the upgrade to V10 it sounds like you have made your mind up to purchase the upgrade- being selfish, that will be good for me as I suspect you will discover the benefits long before Rudy posts his videos.
For me any upgrade just got more expensive as the value of the AUD against the USD  has dropped another 2c! ( Not sure why they quote in USD for Australia - as his costs would be in EUR


Dave
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Hi Dave

I am so glad I didnt persevere with the Imperium decoders!  Those violent surges would drive me mad. How does it perform on a schedule?

I have a feeling Imperium are re-badged TCS.The first chart is very reminiscent of TCS decoder performance

On the second chart: I have experienced that flattening with the top 2-3 speed steps but never as many as that.
:
 Here is mine with a Zimo Next 18 :



(I use MPH - profile block is 72" with 24" start/run off)

Default Cv's except:

    2           3           4        5         6        29         57    (track voltage)


    5            0          0      120       80       34        125


I normally have Cv 2 set at 1. I had it at 5 for the Dapol Prairie (pre SA) and forgot to change it  :oops: . Having also spent 2 hours profiling I wasnt inclined to change it!

Not totally committed to V10 yet. Our dollar is also not doing well against the US.

If I do take the plunge I will be sure to let you know how I get on

Best wishes






John
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Hi John,
Well its taken some time but I finally sat down to work out how to get rid of the sudden spikes in acceleration with the Imperium decoder in my Manor ( which I am sad to report has not run since I tried the speed profiling all those months ago.

With my new "off layout"  DYI built home DCC Command and track now sitting in front of my main computer, and a comfortable chair I have been experimenting with the CV settings - then I remembered your post above!

Eventually I managed to get a profile that wil lwork in TC as the jump in speed occurs at over 100kph which is a scale speed I never get to on Not Mutley.  

PS I looked up the Zimo decoders you use ( Next 18 ) but they are still as scarce as hens teeth.

Dave
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Now back to the original thread - delivery times etc.

How things have changed  - nowt to do with COVID this time but strikes and hackers have put the mockers on deliveries form the UK !

In the past week I have ordered a number of spare parts from the UK and all have advised that delivery is suspended due to problems with Royal Mail.  - Some have offered alternatives but at a substantial cost , so those projects have gone on hold for the time being! 

Fortunately deliveries from China haven't been impacted so other projects can continue….. now where is that weather balloon they were delivering????  my tracking service says its been routed via the USA
:mutley

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Dave
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