Kit 17 Despatched

Jo,

I think after your call today with Steve he suggested you send the bits back, we will then check them, fit them and return them to you once done.
This is standard practice for any issue a customer might have with any of our products. I think the comment about 'this shouldn't happen and should be sorted out' is a bit misleading for any potential customers out there, after all you only called about it today and we've not had the bits back to sort them yet. I agree it shouldn't happen but occasionally manufacturing over 200 kits a month, over a range of products, things do slip through. When they do if it's not sorted out in a reasonable time frame then thats the time to jump up and down.

I also believe Steve said that of the other 50+ kits despatched you are the first who has called with this problem he is aware of. Again as standard practice, when a customer has a major issue with an item in a kit, once it is brought to our attention we then check all the kits and spares we have in stock.

As soon as the bits are recieved we will look at them as a matter of urgency and if need be we will send a a complete set of replacements.

All the best

Dean

Hi Dean,

I appreciate you looking into my problems with the crank gears and diff, I'm not jumping up and down about it i'm just letting other builders know that there are problems and that they could have them also.... Yes Steve said he hadn't heard anyone having the same problem but i'm not sure how many builders of this engine have experience with how steam models like this should fit together. (no offense to anyone)They might never even spot it or not be at this stage in the build yet.. Posts on this thread would suggest that gears are not meshing, not fitting on splines and are also wobbly so it's not just me..
I suggested to Steve that important parts of the model like the fitment of the gears on the crank/splines could be factory fitted by you to ensure good quallity fitment, after all these parts take the brunt of the power and the load and will make the parts wear more quicky if they dont mesh and run smoothly. I know it's more work for you guys but in the end it makes for better models out there in steam and makes for happier builders.
whats better? spend a little more time and money on checking parts and making sure ALL parts fit the control model or having people ranting about it when things dont fit..I know what I would choose.
I now have to take apart my valve gear, take out my crank, box it all up, then post it at my own cost to get it put right. i'll then probably have to re-paint my crank also... Like I said at the start i'm not jumping up and down just informing people.

Jo,

I agree in part with your post, however, some of the best engines we have ever supplied have been built by builders with no experience what so ever so don't under estimate the novice.

Deciding what to supply individually or assembled, what level of detail to provide, how much cleaning up can be done on an item is never an easy task. For some individuals there isn't enough to do in one of our kits whereas for others there is too much. It's a fine line reaching a compromise that keeps everyone happy and makes customers feel that there is enough for them to do to feel they have contributed towards their finished model.
Would most customers want a cylinder supplied with the piston and valve chest fitted so it can be just bolted on the boiler? I don't think so and we think it's similar to the gears on the crank and other parts. We don't want to supply a kit that is just put together like lego. What is important though is that all parts supplied should fit and be fit for purpose. To try every part on the control model would just be too time consuming. Each machinist is responsible for their own quality and has gauges and mating parts to try the parts as they come off the machine. As the majority of the things we manufacture are CNC machined the tolerances can be held if managed correctly. If the parts are then inspected correctly before going in to packing we should in theory be able to try one or two on the control model as the rest of the batch should be identical.
Where we have slipped up on the gears for your crank is that we decided to buy them in and on delivery they have not been checked thoroughly enough, meaning a rogue like yours has slipped through the system. It shouldn't happen but occasionally it does, bit like the dif lock pin having the wrong thread last month, a silly mistake which could have been avoided if it hadn't have been missed on the control model but quickly and easily rectified when spotted.

Whenever we make a minor 'cock up' believe me we feel equally as bad as the customer. We get annoyed with ourselves too, as the rest of the kit may have been the 'dogs nuts' but the implication when something goes out incorrect is that all that is forgotten about. We also get annoyed at the cost implication (remaking a part, sending it out) and we feel for the customer who may have to disassemble something he has spent a long time putting together and painting.

Have a good weekend

Dean

Has anyone fitted there crank gears yet? do they fit? does your diff wobble around?