Easy Dapol Class 121 & 122 Slipping Drive Fix

[@richardgoddard5075]

Thank you so much Jenny my bubble car hasn't worked for years, but thanks to this video it is now running again, I can't thank you enough 😊

[@CAshleyMoss]

Hi Jen. Another excellent video. I have this problem with my class 121 and I thought I’d damaged it in some way. Now I know otherwise. All I need now is to pluck up the courage to follow your instructions!

[@hamshackleton]

Nice explanation, Jenny.

[@Flymochairman1]

Thank you Jenny. You've helped me over-come the 'not break the new shiny thing' I was faced with. Now I know what to expect if I come up against this problem again. Cheers Jenny!

[@ellisredjohnstrains2371]

Perfect timing for this video, I have just had to do a similar job on my friends Silverlink 121 Bubble car. Thank you. :)

[@Mokkers_stuff]

Thanks Jennifer, really useful video and nice clear instructions. Thanks for uploading!

[@gerrybvr]

Good video Jen. In my case a month too late. I had this failure with the tee piece slipping on the drive shaft. It definitely seems to be a design flaw on this model.

[@robertgates7686]

It does not matter if you are slightly out of warranty. There is clearly a problem with the driveshafts. Thirteen months is not a satisfactory life for a product. Threaten the shop with taking them to the small claims court for a full refund. There is plenty of evidence to support your claim on you tube. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised at the result.

[@theangelsmodellingandrailways]

Wow, talk about perfect timing. My highland stag 121 has just started doing that, I was like, oh oh, what's this? Then you upload a fix for it, cosmic. Nice one Jen. All the best. Brian @The Angels

[@clivengauge]

Very good video very informative thank you 👍

[@aagtubthumper]

Great video Jen! I've just purchased a "new" Class 121 from eBay which was a non-runner on delivery. Unfortunately my issue is with the other end so the speaker housing is in the way for removing the collar over the worm gear. I've contacted Dapol and have been told they will repair for free with new parts - splined ends now I believe. Hope they are good to their word!

[@jeffreysmith156]

I reckon I would lose my nerve when I got to the drive shaft removal part. I bow to your skill.

[@mels1811]

Brilliant video

[@hollyruston2444]

Very similar motor tower assembly to the later Hornby 56. My degreaser of choice is IPA.

[@LocoLeighton]

Thanks for the fix Jenny 👍🏻 My Silverlink 121 Bubble car is now running again 😊

[@paulgreening7387]

hi Jenny many thanks for this. I’ve had 2 of these go down at the same time . Such bad quality All fixed and running well. Cheers Paul

[@johnodonoghue7381]

Great vid Jen keep them up

[@kitchenhamfarm]

nice tutorial jenny had similar problem with a bachmann warship need to super glue the drive shaft into the motor end

[@declanbyrne1600]

Bought a 121 about a year ago but layout wasn’t really ready for it. Ran it today and guess what slipping and one driveshaft not working. Followed your instructions and now it works perfectly. Nice one Jen 👍

[@adrianolsen-woodhamwoodtur4980]

Thanks for this explanation Jen……just took delivery of one from Rails, and same issue with the drive shaft of the trailing bogie. Now I know what to do to fix it, but SHAME on Dapol for such a fundamental manufacturing error !

[@going2thedogs]

A great fix Jen. There has been a few issues with these models but you show a relatively easy fix. One word of caution, wouldn’t the white spirt not affect the neoprene washers on the worm drive?

[@richardgoddard5075]

Flipping heck my other bubble car has just developed the same fault but thanks to your fix it is working again so a double thanks to you Jenny your a star 🎉

[@JulianSaunders]

Thank you Jenny, I found a similar problem tonight - runs OK in one direction and makes a lot of noise and stops in the other. The loco has been in store for some time. As an aside I gave up trying to fit drivers in the cabs having fitted passengers.

[@tonybanton1664]

I had the drive fail completely on mine, I took it back to my dealer, who said 'this is the second one of these I've had back', and got it sent back to Dapol for repair. Obviously this is quite a problem on this model.

[@uk-jackie]

hi jen i just wanted to update you the updated drive shafts are now available from DCC supplies for both the class 121 and 122 DMUs at £4 each plus postage the new shafts have splined ends which the plastic universal joint locks on to so no more slipping ever 10 min job to change both shafts hope this update is helpful

[@JenniferEKirk]

That’s good to know!

[@gordonholmes3856]

I Find lifting up the motor up a little , eliminates taking the bogie apart.

[@johnbishop6667]

I bought a new one of these Dapol models brand new complete with that drive fault . Got my money back . Never had that problem with my good old hornby dublo .

[@stephenbromley2302]

I had the same problem with mine bought of eBay brand new I could of sent it back but was less hassle to fix it then post it back,never had this problem before with a Dapol model.

[@Accessibility-Track-Chris-Law]

Thanks for the video. This helped me with the same problem. Even though one end was fine, I did the same to both ends to reduce the chance of failure in the future. This seems like a bad set of choices in design/manufacturing.

[@jamesrogeralsop8801]

I have had my model 3 years but only run for about 15 mins, phoned Dapol, they sent me Freepost details to return to them, they said it was a common fault at that end, too much grease when made, they said it would turn around in a couple of days. First class service.

[@jamesrogeralsop8801]

Up date to my post, just received unit back from Dapol, 3 days from posting to receiving back. Brilliant service and no cost involved. Beat that.

[@michaelmorgan7893]

I'm planning an N scale layout, based on the old 1970's Santa Fe here in the states, and one section may have semaphores. I've decided upon using the Atlas N scale signals, but unfortunately they're only common cathode LEDs, and they no longer offer a detector for DC use. I'm also looking for some way to have both automatic block detection, and the ability to change the position of a switch and have the lower signal head reporting the change of the switch points from main to siding. I've found more concise information in your presentation than anyone here in the states.

[@Mapplewell_Park]

I have 2 of these….. the Railtrack 121 and the Regional Railways 122. Both have had to be repaired under warranty. Both from different retailers. Both now run fine, they are great looking models and with only having a small layout are perfect. Shame there is a quality issue somewhere along the way

[@kenny4string]

I’ve just been refunded my recently purchased pre owned model from Hattons for this exact problem, great explanation on resolving the fault though Jenny😊👍

[@RonsGardenRailway]

Hi Jenny my class railcar will not move but i can here the motor so i think it lost all drive so thanks i will have a go at fix it.thank for the video.sorry i missed you at gets. Ron garden railway.

[@steadycamman1]

Thanks for the video Jennifer, really helpful and very easy to follow with you great knack of simplicity 👍

[@RGJTrains]

thank you Jenny, brilliant as always, and to be fair, very clear

[@loftlegacy]

Run mine for the first time today… and guess what. Thanks for the tutorial 👍🏻

[@martyn6792]

Though not a modeller, I had a Hornby class 101 in the late 1970's and did a load of work weathering etc and was interested to see how these were put together now Things have come forward a lot in the years, a very nice model but the interior was disappointing, perhaps either 3D print (or have printed) a more realistic interior

[@loggior.speedweed4345]

This would've been very useful.... if my Bubble car had worm-drives to begin with :( I've recently been having very similar issues with my Dapol 121 Bubble unit. Opened it up to discover the issue came from the same area, however, as it turns out the drive was not loose.... it was missing all together. so now I have no choice but to send it back for replacments, which i doubt Dapol will even do

[@marklittlejohn1457]

Thankyou for the tips and video jenny

[@nigeldoran]

the fundamental issue is the same as the Hornby plastic gears splitting on axles, the Mainline driving wheel axles splitting and the Bachmann split chassis axles splitting, specifically: interference fitting a plastic part onto a metal shaft always results in the plastic part failing. This is a poor choice of materials at the engineering design stage. Interference fitting requires materials with closely matched coefficients of thermal expansion and different hardness ratings - although the hardness ratings need to be close. While analysis is required it also requires extensive testing and a detailed knowledge of the material variation from batch to batch. This is probably a greater engineering cost than the model train manufacturers are prepared or able to undertake. For the repair to be long term the stress on the hole in the plastic part needs to be eliminated i.e. the plastic part needs to be able to turn on the shaft or the hole needs to be opened up slightly. I have done a number of these using the same approach and Jenny has provided a clear explanation and demonstration on how to perform this repair.

[@westwonic]

I have 3 of these class 121's. Railtrack one repaired under warranty, NSE one repaired at my cost, and now the third BR green won't even move despite the motor revving nicely.😢

[@mbwoods2001]

Ive had that little plastic thing gets split cos of the metal rod that can expands and contract due to temperatures. Wouldn't it have bee better if the whole thing made out of plastic? Even thou the glue not gonna hold in for so long and would eventually fail again. "*edit*" repairing the customer's model, the plastic is split on the motor end of the driveshaft. The bogie end of the driveshaft is fine even thou covered in grease!

[@gnosticbrian3980]

Wonderfully instructive.

[@cannadineboxill-harris2983]

I needed to know why they don’t dig a tunnel and do an extension for the main line Train so that they can extend the unused abandoned underground train stations. Why couldn’t they use the part D78 Stock train doors on the sides and also restructure the front face of the A60 and A62 stock and that includes the class 313, class 314 and class 315 remix and make them all together and also redesign them an overhead line and also make them into Five cars per units and also having three Disabled Toilets on those Five cars per units A60 and A62 stock trains and also convert the A60 and A62 stock trains into a Scania N112, Volvo B10M, Gardner 6LXB, Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 8LXB Diesel Engines and also put the Loud 7-Speed Voith Gearboxes even Loud 8-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Gearboxes in the A60 and A62 stock, class 313, class 314, and class 315 and also modernise the A60 and A62 stock and make it into an 11 car per unit so it could have fewer doors, more tables, computers and mobile phone chargers. A Stock Trains and also having 8 Disabled Toilets on those A stock trains. why couldn’t we refurbish and modernise the waterloo and city line Triple-Track train tunnel and make it more Larger and extend it to the bank station, making it into a Triple-Track Railway Line so those Five countries such as Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden to convert the waterloo and city line Triple-Track Railway tunnel into a High-Speed Railway lines? The Third Euro tunnel Triple-Track Railway line to make it 11 times better for passengers so they could go from A to B. then put the modernised 11 car per unit A Stock and put them on a bigger modernised waterloo and city line Triple-Track train tunnel so it could go to bank station to those Five countries such as Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden. The modernised refurbished 11 cars per unit A stock could be a High Speed The Third Triple-Track Euro Tunnel Train So it is promising and 47 times a lot more possible to do this kind of project if that will be OK for London Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden. oh by the way, could they also tunnel the Triple-Track Railway Line so it will stop from Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex so that the Passengers will go to Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland and Sweden and also extend the Triple-Track Railway Line from the Bank to Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex Stations so that more people from there could go to Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden more Easily. Why couldn't they extend the Piccadilly line and also build a brand-new underground train station so it could go even further right up to Clapton, Wood Street can they also make another brand new underground train station in Chingford and could they extend the Piccadilly Line and the DLR right up to Chingford? All of the classes 150, 155, 154, 117, 114, 105, and 106, will be replaced by all of the Scania N112, Volvo B10M, Gardner 6LXB, Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 8LXB Diesel Five carriages three disabled toilets are air conditioning trains including Highams Park for extended roots which is the Piccadilly line and the DLR trains. Could you also convert all of the 1973 stock trains into an air-conditioned maximum speed 78 km/hours (48 MPH) re-refurbished and make it into a 8 cars per unit if that will be alright, and also extend all of the Piccadilly train stations to make more space for all of the extended 8 car per unit 1973 stock air condition trains and can you also build another Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive Companies and can they order Every 37 Octagon and Every 17 Hexagon shape LNER diagram unique small no.13 and unique small no.11 Boilers from those Countries such as Greece, Italy, Poland, and Sweden, can they make Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive speeds by up to 142MPH so you can try and test it on the Original Mainline so it will be much more safer for the Passengers to enjoy the 142MPH speed Limit only for HS2 and Channel Tunnel mainline services, if they needed 16 Carriages Per units, can they use those class 55’s, class 44’s, class 40’s and class 43HST Diesel Locomotive’s right at the Back of those 18 Carriages Per Units so they can take over at the Back to let those Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive’s have a rest for those interesting Journeys Please!!!!!!!, oh can you make all of those Coal Boxes’s 17 Tonnes for all of those 142MPH Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive’s so the Companies will Understand us PASSENGER’S!! so please make sure that the Builders can do as they are told!!!!! And please do something about these very very important Professional ideas Please? Prime Minister of England, Prime Minister of Australia, Prime Minister of Sweden, Prime Minister of Germany, Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister of Poland and that Includes the Mayor of London.

[@robertgates7686]

Manufacturers will continue to make shoddy goods if modellers continue to repair their products. They should be sent back for repair or replacement. Manufacturers need to bear the costs of repair or replacement for them to learn that shoddy products are not acceptable. If a product is outside the warranty period there is still an obligation under the Sale of Goods Act and Consumer Rights Acts 2015 to provide a product which is for purpose and has a reasonable life. Clearly a model which has slipping drive shafts is not fit for purpose. Send it back. We have many products much more complicated than a loco in our home which have given many years service without repair. Modellers will continue to get shoddy models whilst they continue to carry out their own repairs. Send it back. Some good has however resulted from your repair video I now know not to buy the Dapol Class 121/122.

[@LiveSteamNick]

When you find a perfect model with no issues, please let me know!!

[@robertgates7686]

That is the point of my comment. Three years ago we bought a breadmaker at about the cost of a large 00 gauge loco. From day one it made perfect bread and continues to do so. I did not have to repair it to make it work. The same should apply to model trains. To take the class 121 as an example it does not take an engineering wizard to see that pushing a piece of plastic onto the driveshaft will eventually result in the soft plastic slipping on the driveshaft. Bachmann use a wholly metal item for this function. Anyway it is ultimately your decision to accept shoddily made trains for your railway. I do not.