Olive green M7

[Mark Ellis]

When Dapol produce the next run of M7s, could we have an Olive green model please? Second hand ones of the previous batch are non existent, suggesting a market

[Crepello]

Just an updated M7 to modern standards please.

[Mark Ellis]

Just an updated M7 to modern standards please.

With decent traction to stop the wheel spin, and decent running - because the front wheel mounting system didn't seem to work very well on the original design

[Crepello]

Did see something about a new M7 or was I dreaming?

[Joel Dapol]

No you were not dreaming :-) The updated M7 (new Chassis, motor and pick up, plus some tweaks to the body) is in the tool room and we should have something to show soon.

[Jeff Eastmond]

Is it possible to also do the extended front frame pull-and-push version as well?

[Joel Dapol]

Hello Jeff, I am afraid not. We wanted to utilise as much of the old tooling as we could and this negated the push pull version. If this goes well, perhaps we will look at getting the new parts made later, but they are quite extensive and costly.

[capri_sam]

Hi Joel,

Will the new chassis have a DCC socket? If so will it be 6 pin or Next18?

Great to hear these are coming back - I'll be buying more than a few!

[Mark Ellis]

Has anything been done to improve the traction? It's embarrassing when a little Terrier has a whole lot more puling power than the original M7s

Maybe it's time to consider metal bodies?

[Andy Dapol]

Hi Mark (@Mark Ellis),
There are a number of improvements that we have made, as you can see traction is one item we are addressing.
Here's a short list:
- Diecast wheels
- Improved balance (CoG) to improve traction
- Keyed axles (similar to the A4/A3) (this is to allow for using more reliable power pick-up through brass bushes and wheels)
- Improved power path from rear pony (similar structure as main wheels but smaller)
- Extra weight to improve traction
- 6 pin decoder (not enough room for Next 18 system)

I must stress that until we are able to produce a sample these are design specifications (so subject to change), once we have an engineering prototype we'll be able to fully test the model and make adjustments if required.

-Andy

[capri_sam]

Hi Andy, this sounds perfect, exactly what the model needed. The M7 is my favourite Dapol model of all time and I'm very excited to see it back!

[Crepello]

That's excellent news Joel. The original M7 was very nice but let down my its wheels and performance. The Ivatt 2-6-2T would also fall in this category.....!

[Joel Dapol]

We agree, another excellent candidate for a revamp.

[Mark Ellis]

Hi Mark (@Mark Ellis),
There are a number of improvements that we have made, as you can see traction is one item we are addressing.
Here's a short list:
- Diecast wheels
- Improved balance (CoG) to improve traction
- Keyed axles (similar to the A4/A3) (this is to allow for using more reliable power pick-up through brass bushes and wheels)
- Improved power path from rear pony (similar structure as main wheels but smaller)
- Extra weight to improve traction
- 6 pin decoder (not enough room for Next 18 system)

I must stress that until we are able to produce a sample these are design specifications (so subject to change), once we have an engineering prototype we'll be able to fully test the model and make adjustments if required.

-Andy

That's brilliant news, Andy. Lets hope it all comes off.

Will the chassis be available separately for people to upgrade existing loco bodies? My ND-026 and ND-046 never get to play because of the traction

[Joel Dapol]

I am sure DCC Supplies will be stocking some of these chassis as spares.