087 - Review - Rapido Trains Conflat P Wagons

Рет қаралды 602

Күн бұрын

Welcome to Ian's N Gauge channel!
In this video I’m going to review the Rapido Trains ‘Conflat P’ Wagon triple pack.
Thanks very much for watching.
Ian
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Links
Rapido Trains: rapidotrains.co.uk/
Class 28 Photo (WARD149) courtesy of RCTS Photo Archive (collection of Mr. Ward): rcts.org.uk/
‘Conflat P’ BR Diagram 1/60 courtesy of Barrowmore Model Railway Group: www.barrowmoremrg.co.uk/
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Related Video Links
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Пікірлер: 50

@exehavenharbour 7 ай бұрын

Hi Ian, now I have a set of those and haven’t had any problems at all. The containers do come off though but I’ve never checked for glue marks as they usually come off when I pick them up and they go straight back on. They are a nice hefty weight and it did cross my mind if you bought a full rake would a loco pull them🤔. I bought the Rapido class 28 and like many others there was a problem with them and it had to go back to the manufacturer for repair. Once repaired though it runs really well and the conflats look great running behind it. I shall at some point buy some more. Really good review, have a great weekend, cheers for now, John

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Hi John! Ah! I thought I saw them sat on your baseboard in your previous video! I'm glad yours are working well, but I can only review as I find! Maybe I got the only pack of bad runners? It'll be interesting to see how any additions you purchase will run! Yeah, I remember the issues with their Class 28! It seems that they have a quality control issue somewhere at the factory! Thanks, and enjoy your weekend too! All the best, Ian.

@graemerobinson5980 7 ай бұрын

Hi Ian. Thanks for this review. I have a Rapido class 28 so these are wagons are something I would like to have, but held off buying them today at the Warley Exhibition because of your comments. You may or may not be aware that there is a thread on rmweb covering these wagons, within which Andy from Rapido identifies a physical tooling error with the sub frame causing the wheels to rub. The posting is nearly a year old, but I can imagine that, even assuming the the tooling has been corrected, there would still be lots of wagons around from the original batch. Within the same thread there is also a link to a warranty form that you may wish to avail yourself of 🙂. I believe Rapido have a good reputation for repairing/replacing products that have quality issues. Cheers Graeme

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Hi Graeme! Thanks for watching! From comments I've had so far, some people have had no problems with them, but others have had exactly the same problems as myself! I guess taking the decision to purchase them is somewhat of a lottery! Hope you enjoyed Warley! From the videos I've seen so far it seemed like a great show, with plenty of exhibitors and manufacturers in attendance! I did quite a lot of research on the Conflat P wagons for this review, but didn't come across that particular RMWeb thread! It should be noted though, that there is absolutely no mention of any problems on Rapido's web page concerning the Conflat P! I've no doubt that they have a good reputation for warranty claims as they seem to be prone to having to fulfil them! Joking aside, how these wagons made it to market is a pure quality control problem, and I hope they've addressed it for future releases - especially as I have two triple packs of their new OAA Railfreight wagons on order! All the best, Ian.

@hayridgemodelrail4046 7 ай бұрын

Hi Ian, great video showing your experience and review of the wagons, it's true that we should expect our ready to run models to do at least that 'run' straight out of the box and these issues really shouldn't be present. Keep up the great work, really looking forward to the progress and more of your testing. If you're at Warley this weekend we might bump in to each other. All the best Allan

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Hi Allan! Thank you! Yes, running should be the bare minimum! I commented elsewhere that maybe RTR means Ready to Repair, which is clearly unacceptable! I'm in the thick of testing code 55 track at the moment, and there'll be a video out in a few week's time once I've drawn some conclusions! Have a great time at Warley! Unfortunately I won't be there - maybe next year! All the best, Ian.

@TheDavinator2009 7 ай бұрын

Looks can be deceptive, great revue, thanks. i don't think they are going on my xmas shopping list.

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Thank you! Yes, they look absolutely superb, but have been nothing but trouble! I'd stay well clear if I were you! All the best, Ian.

@edmorris631 7 ай бұрын

There was a discussion on RMWeb as to whether Conflat-Ps ever ran without containers and the conclusion seemed to be that they didn’t, which might explain why the containers tacked down. The underframe design is sheer madness though.

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Hi Ed! I did a load of research on these wagons before writing the review, but hadn't come across that particular RMWeb discussion! Unfortunately there's very little information about them at all! I actually like the look of them running without containers, though they're way too light! Yes, the underframe design is nuts! All the best, Ian.

@PaulSmith-pl7fo 7 ай бұрын

Hi Ian. Enjoyed the video. During your review I was waiting for you to say that you had contacted Revolution and report on their reply. I read most of the other comments and note that no one else has contacted them. I guess that they would just repair/replace the offending models.

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Hi Paul! Thanks! There was at least one person sent one of their triple packs back for repair - but to Rapido rather than Revolution!!! It's great if they replace them, but repairing brand new wagons doesn't sit right with me! Better quality control at the factory would mean neither would be necessary! All the best, Ian.

@ngaugefouroaksstreetstatio6932 7 ай бұрын

Good points Ian, easy to assume our wagons/ freight runs as intended

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Thanks Chris! It's really frustrating when these new models don't run properly, especially when they cost so much - even after a hefty discount! Oh well! All the best, Ian.

@ngaugefouroaksstreetstatio6932 7 ай бұрын

totally agree , prices on wagons / coaches becoming astronomical@@iansngauge

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

@@ngaugefouroaksstreetstatio6932 - I have to admit that I purchase most of my rolling stock second hand, but these were too tempting to resist! However, I've also got their OAA wagons on pre-order, and I'm having second thoughts whether or not to cancel them! Cheers, Ian.

@karlsage3064 7 ай бұрын

Great video, Ian. I bought one wagon and encountered the same running issue. My containers weren't glued and so came off easily. I solved the issue by glueing with a tacky glue. This keeps containers firmly in place, but you can remove them with a little pressure. I use this method with all my Graham Farish container and conflat wagons,, which I feel is a happy compromise! I haven't solved the wheel running issue though!

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Thanks very much Karl! It seems hit or miss whether you get a dodgy wagon or not! Some people had problems with the brake shoes binding on the wheels, but mine just seemed too tight in the axel boxes! It's such a shame as they're really nice wagons otherwise! I hope they've improved their quality control as I've pre-ordered two triple packs of their OAA wagons due out next year! We'll wait and see! Tacky glue is a good idea for attaching the containers! The Rapido ones seem fiddly to get into position, but once in place tend to stay there! However, my Farish containers seem to come off as soon as I look at them, so I'll definitely try using it to keep them in place! Thanks! All the best, Ian.

@thegrowler-blackwoodngauge 7 ай бұрын

Totally agree Ian - RTR models don't seem to run out the box - Revolution timber wagons - same as the conflats - wheel sets aren't free running. Very annoying 😢

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Hi Euan! RTR - maybe it actually means Ready To Repair? It comes to something when a Peco wagon with plastic wheels costing a third of the price can outperform these new releases! What on earth is going on with the quality control people at these places? Oh well! All the best, Ian.

@flinthillsmodelrailway 7 ай бұрын

Hi Ian. Great honest video . I’ve had the same problem with mine. You are so right we have purchased ready to run items yet they don’t run. Manufactures are falling over themselves to get the best detail yet they are missing the ready to run quality

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Thanks Geoff! Well it's good to know I'm not the only one having trouble with them! I agree, what's the point of having all of this detail, if at the end of the day, the wagons don't run properly! As there are people who have been happy with theirs, then it has to be a quality control issue! If the quality isn't there, why are we having to pay so much! All the best, Ian.

@SC68 7 ай бұрын

Hi Ian, great informative video, enjoy the format, there wont be any BR Conflat P's appearing on Westmorland but your right about the flaws in the majority of new models these days and its just not acceptable! no need for all that crazy detail especially as it stops you changing the wheels!! Cheers Gary

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Hi Gary! Thank you! It's a shame they're so flawed, as they look brilliant! It's also a shame they won't be appearing on Westmorland, as I guess they would have travelled up the West Coast Mainline to get to Glasgow? You're right about the crazy detail! There's probably some simple way that the wheels detach from the underside, but with no instructions, who knows? All the best, Ian.

@Wickford_N_Gauge 7 ай бұрын

Greetings, Shelfington, and hello Ian 👋 It is such a shame that a new release has such fundamental flaws in the design 😪 unfortunately this seems to be the case with most new models 😲 They engineer for unneeded details in N Scale and don't test them enough before releasing them on us, the poor buyers😱 Recently I have learned to appreciate the simplicity of pre owned models from a more practical era 😍 even if they have pizza cutter wheels 🤭 Great review 👍 and no fishplates or jigsaws 😇 Very best wishes from the Emerald Isle ☘️

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Good morning Wickford, and hello Paul! Thanks! I totally agree! It used to be the case that buying second hand was seen as taking a risk, but now it seems that purchasing newly released models is even riskier, which is crazy! We seem to be the testers, rather than the customers! I was so excited when I bought these, as they look superb, but probably won't run them much now! At least the containers come off, so I can dot them around the layout eventually! Lol! All the best, Ian.

@ashindy1 7 ай бұрын

I bought 3 triple packs at the start of the year to go with my Class 28. Luckily, my loco seems to be fine, unlike many peoples. Unfortunately, not one of my wagons ran perfectly, ranging from almost free running, to no chance at all. One got sent back straight away due to it shorting out randomly. When it returned, it ran beautifully. Since then I've been working my way through all of remaining wagons, making various adjustments, from trimming the chassis frames near the wheel flanges, to removing and correctly fitting the brake rigging, so that the pads do not rub against the wheels. I'd like one of the Rapido Peaks, when they are released but this has somewhat soured my experience and I'll be reluctant to pre order and will wait until they've hit the shelves and been reviewed. It's a shame as they APT and Revolution Pendolino (made by Rapido) are excellent models.

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Wow! Three packs, all with problems? That's got to be so annoying! None of my brake pads are actually touching the wheels, but I'd love to know how to remove the rigging, just so I can remove the wheels from their axle boxes - any tips? I've also got my eye on their Peaks, and have a couple of triple packs of their OAA Railfreight wagons on pre-order! The experience with these Conflat P wagons has definitely got me wondering whether or not to cancel! Thanks for relating your experiences! It's good to know I'm not alone in having problems! All the best, Ian.

@ashindy1 7 ай бұрын

Hi Ian, from memory the brake rigging is located in four holes in the chassis, with each 'corner' of the rigging having a small peg. I very carefully prised them out and cleaned up each hole with a small drill, to remove any excess glue. The rigging was then refitted, with a tiny drop of glue on the pegs, ensuring correct alignment of the brake pads with the wheels. I hope that makes sense and helps?@@iansngauge

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

@@ashindy1- Thanks very much for coming back to explain how you removed the brake rigging! It's very much appreciated! I'll give it a go if - when - my wheels stop turning again! All the best, Ian.

@millersdale3134 7 ай бұрын

I bought this ones also, i have 6 3 packs but they are way to heavy and i had send them back to the manufacturer for repair. The class 28 is working nicely. RTR wagons should run straight out of the box

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Thanks for confirming that a rake of wagons are too heavy! Each wagon is nearly twice as heavy as any of my other stock, so I thought that would be the case! Glad your 28 is working, as many had problems with theirs! Absolutely, they should be Ready to Run, not Ready to Repair! All the best, Ian.

@philbrown3685 7 ай бұрын

Hi Ian, a really useful review making pertinent points in relation to potential purchase, seems to be a lot of money to then made modifications, thanks Ian.

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Thanks Phil! Yes, even with the hefty discount it's a lot of money for them to need modifications! I guess these are the industry standards we've got to deal with nowadays! All the best, Ian.

@fentoncentral-ngauge 7 ай бұрын

Very informative..such a shame and no reason these days for such errors.

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Thank you! Yes, I agree, no reason at all other than poor quality control! Cheers, Ian.

@Decrepit_biker 7 ай бұрын

Just an idea... now that you have "freed" the containers, I wonder if some tiny magnets in the pin holes and removing the pins on the containers and drilling similar small holes for corresponding magnets.... the holes in the wagon can then be painted to hide the magnet? It may be that this is wishful thinking due to the tiny sizes involved (2mm dia magnets are available, and you'd only need to do opposite corners really) but it would allow the containers to be loaded and unloaded easily!

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Hi John! I love the idea of using magnets - in fact I've got plans for using them to create removable scenery on the layout eventually! Not sure my eyes - or fingers - could cope with handling magnets only 2mm in diameter though! However, I'll definitely look into it! All the best, Ian.

@Decrepit_biker 7 ай бұрын

@@iansngauge that's a really interesting idea with the scenery being magnetic, that would allow a layout to be "moved through time" if you follow. Thanks for the idea!!

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

@@Decrepit_biker - I must admit that I was thinking of using it more for ease of access, and being able to work on scenes away from the layout, before dropping them back into place! But yeah, you could do the same scene for different seasons, or years, or have completely different scenes! So thanks for your idea! Cheers, Ian.

@peterjackson-cheadleheath1182 7 ай бұрын

Hi Ian Another nice review, I do have some of these Conflat P' although have to admit I've only test run mine so far but there weren't any problems, maybe they will start to play up if I run them more often(?) Thanks

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Hi Peter! Thank you! I think if the wheels on your wagons are turning, then yours are much better than mine, and I wouldn't worry about running them more often! My wagons were literally being dragged around the track, with only a couple of the axles on all of the wagons being free enough to turn! As yours seem to be fine, and John at Exehaven Harbour said his were fine also, then it must be a quality control issue, rather than a design issue! The question is, do I chance it and purchase another pack? All the best, Ian.

@endoorrailway 7 ай бұрын

Hi Ian, Thanks for the review vid, nicely done, as always :) I've never intended to get any of these, but I'm very interested in the running quality of Rapido products because I chose to pre-order one of their Class 59s rather than a Dapol, and this week I cancelled all my Dapol Class 66 pre-orders and replaced them with Rapido ones, after this week's announcement. I'm quite fed up with Dapol's typical quality control, but now I'm starting to wonder if Rapido suffer the same issues :( Those conflats run like the Dapol JHAs that I had to fix, but at least the wheels were easy to get at in the JHAs. Plenty of others have reported issues with the Rapido Class 28. Hmm, will have to wait and see! The new typical wagon prices, along with the seemingly high potential for issues, have effectively frozen my wagon collection - I've got a limited wish list of things that I'd get if they were released, but I don't think I'll be tempted by anything else the way things have gone.

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Hi Jonathan, and thank you! It's a tricky one knowing what to order nowadays isn't it? I've not had a problem with Dapol wagons, in fact my Dogfish wagons are probably the best running wagons I've got, bar the Revolution Trains tankers! I've got a Dapol Class 56 on pre-order - and an A4, but I'm prepared for disappointment on that one!!! I've also got two triple packs of Rapido's OAA wagons on pre-order, which I'm now thinking twice about! In the comments here, some have had no problem with their Conflat P's, nor their class 28's, but there are others who have had the same experience as me! I think quality control at most of the manufacturers can be called "sketchy" at best, but I never thought the day would come where I'd be more confident in purchasing a second hand wagon over a new one! It's definitely a confidence sapping situation that needs to be addressed! All the best, Ian.

@endoorrailway 7 ай бұрын

@@iansngauge With Dapol it feels like it's a 50/50 chance with locos - most of their rolling stock that I've got has been fine, the JHAs are an exception compared with all the vans, tankers, 5 or 7-plank wagons, Collett or MK3 coaches. I haven't seen enough about Rapido yet to have a firm opinion, I guess they just haven't produced as much yet, but time will tell. It feels like it's heading in that 50/50 direction though! I've just commented on John of Exehaven Harbour's latest video - I now assume things won't work, expect to send back, and view working properly as a bonus - it helps to soften the disappointments!

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

@@endoorrailway - Haha! Yeah, it's sad that we have to think that way, but that's exactly how I'm thinking too! These were my first Rapido Trains purchase, so not a great experience, but knowing the market a little better now, they'll probably smash it with their OAA wagons - hopefully! My Dapol class 33 is without doubt my best running loco, but my class 122 is terrible - although saying that, it runs much better when using the NCE Powercab than it does when using my DR5000! Weird! You're right though that Rapido are a young company, and I wish them well, as a competitive marketplace should bring lower prices in the future! Let's keep our fingers crossed that the quality control improves across the industry! Cheers, Ian.

@collinsngauge5493 7 ай бұрын

Hi Ian like the wagons i wonder how the got the wheel set in, not that helps you. Colin

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Hi Colin! They're definitely good looking wagons! I may be wrong, but I think the wheels and brake pad frame have been assembled first, before fitting to the wagon, but I can't figure out how to release the frame without damaging it! All the best, Ian.

@timstrainvideos142 7 ай бұрын

some design errors ... hopefully future rapido wagons will be better

@iansngauge 7 ай бұрын

Hi Tim! Definitely some design problems! I hope they're resolved in future wagons too as I've pre-ordered two triple packs of their OAA Railfreight wagons due out next year! All the best, Ian.