I needed a chassis for an 0-16.5 locomotive I am building and was pleased to see that, unlike Hornby and Accurascale (who make locomotives which would have made suitable donors), Dapol offers a complete chassis as a spare part at half the price of a new locomotive.

The chassis itself was too big for the locomotive but after cutting down with a Dremel and cutting disk, it fit the bill perfectly. And despite the significant amount of surgery performed on it, it still runs perfectly and up to the standard that reviewers of the complete locomotive have reported (I wouldn't fancy my chances of a successful guarantee claim, though!).

The availability of a complete chassis as a spare part is incredibly useful - is it too much to ask other manufacturers to follow Dapol's lead in this respect?

For now, though, very happy with my purchase, not least as my new narrow gauge locomotive has also inherited the glowing firebox effect of its donor.