On this Page
Latest News -- headlines since the last website update.
What's New -- news from Dingham
in more detail,
starting with the most recent items and going right back to launch date.
DINGHAM
AUTOCOUPLERS in the Model Railway Press -- a digest of press references to
Dingham Autocouplers.
During the summer of 2007, the Dingham website
will be transferred to www.dingham.co.uk
There may be an enforced change in the type
of electromagnet I supply in the fairly near future.
I have reluctantly had to impose price
increases on Dingham products with effect from 1 January 2006.
I can now accept payment via PayPal. This will
enable customers to pay by credit or debit card.
A page describing Mr Jim Mitchell's design for a DIY
Electromagnet has been added to the site.
Those who have visited here before will see that the site has been
totally re-designed. More below.
After a long development period, the design of the 4mm
Dingham Autocoupler has been finalised. The kits are now available in quantity
and cost 9.00 pounds (including
UK P&P) for a kit containing parts to fit 20 vehicles. (Note: there
will be a price increase to 10.00 pounds from 01 January 2006).
A photo-sequence showing How the Dingham
Autocoupler Works has been added to the website. Note that this page
is 80Kb plus and may take some time to download over a dial-up link.
This is where we'll announce the most recent
additions to our Web Site. If you've visited us before and want to know what's
changed, take a look here first.
In a continuing process between 1 June and 31 August 2007, the Dingham
website will be transferred from www.dingham.demon.co.uk
to www.dingham.co.uk. The new
location should be open from approximately 1 July 2007 and the
old location will no longer be available after 31 August 2007.
The supplier of the solenoids I use to make my electromagnets has told
me that there are only a few hundred left. I am looking for something to
replace them. I will try to match or improve on the present specification,
i.e., if possible, the new magnets will be of high resistance and will run
on 12 - 24V DC.
By January 2006, I shall have held my prices steady for 5 years and 11
months. During that time, although inflation has been at low levels, my
costs have increased considerably and I must unfortunately increase the
price of Dingham products. From 1 January 2006, prices will be as follows:
7mm Autocoupler GBP 15.00
4mm Autocoupler GBP 10.00
Springs
GBP 2.00
Electromagnet GBP 5.00
I can now accept payment via PayPal. This is a subsidiary company of
eBay, the well known internet auction company. Using PayPal enables
customers to pay by credit or debit card. I can then collect the payment
from PayPal. I have added a PayPal page to the
site which gives more information about PayPal and contains some tips on
registering. Please note there is a 5% surcharge for
using PayPal. This approximately reflects my costs.
Jim Mitchell is an Australian user of 7mm Dingham Autocouplers. He has
sent me a sample of his home made electromagnet with details of how it was
made. With Jim's kind permission, a page describing the DIY
Magnet has been added to the site for the benefit of other Dingham
users.
This is more than an overhaul. The most noticeable difference is the
appearance of the pages. I think they are clearer now, especially the
navigation buttons. The site's navigation structure has also been
overhauled and a navigation page has been added, accessible
from the homepage, to explain how to get around the site.
After more than 12 months development work, the 4mm version of the Dingham
Autocoupler was announced on 17 May 2002. Although it looks a lot like the original
7mm coupler and uses the same principle of operation, its development was
far from being just a scaling-down of the 7mm artwork. In fact, the 4mm
artwork is entirely new. A page describing the 4mm
Autocoupler and further pages containing Instructions
for the 4mm Coupler and a photo-sequence showing How the
Coupler Works have been added to the site.
14 October 2000
Second Website Overhaul
Further changes have been made to the News and FAQs
pages and a new page of Electromagnet Instructions
has been added.
7 June 2000
Website Overhaul
Today, the Website has been thoroughly revised and updated. Changes have been
made to News, FAQs and Products
pages and new pages have been added describing the new Dingham
Electromagnets and the Tests
carried out on the electromagnets to prove their reliability.
7 June 2000
Electromagnets
The magnets proved themselves to be reliable under exhibition conditions on
the Dingham
demonstration test track at the Halifax G0G Convention. One of the magnets was
operated between 30 and 50 times an hour throughout the day -- far more
intensive use than might be expected even on an exhibition shunting layout. It
never even got warm and was 100% successful in uncoupling. The magnets will now be
available as soon as stocks can be laid in -- probably mid-June 2000 -- and an Electromagnets
Product Page
has been added to the Website.
7 June 2000
G0G Northern Summer Convention, Halifax, Saturday 3 June 2000
Dingham
had an enjoyable and successful day at the Halifax G0G Convention.
Many customers called by, introduced themselves and stopped for a chat. The main
topics of conversation with both existing and new customers were electromagnets
and double-ended operation of the Autocouplers.
15 May 2000
First Customer Feedback Tip
The first customer feedback tip -- about an alternative method of fitting
latches to Dingham
Autocouplers -- has been published on the Feedback
page.
24 February 2000
Spring and Split Pin Fixing of Dingham Autocouplers
Several customers have asked about sources of suitable springs for fitting
Dingham
couplers to vehicles by the spring and split pin method.
 | Model Rail, March 2003, ran a "Super Test" on
couplings of various types. The Dingham Autocoupler was given the Best
Automatic Coupler Award and was described as the "Rolls
Royce".
|
| The announcement of the 4mm Dingham
couplers finally made it into British Railway Modeller's
November 2002 issue.
|
| Railway Modeller, September 2002 had a brief announcement of the
introduction of the 4mm Dingham
Autocoupler in Latest Reviews.
|
| Model Railway Journal, No136, July 2002 carried a short
announcement of the introduction of the 4mm Dingham
Autocoupler in Small Suppliers Forum.
|
| The EM Gauge Society Newsletter, No 149, July 2002 included a
description of the 4mm Dingham Autocoupler.
Unfortunately, Dingham's address was given as
Addington -- should be Addingham.
|
| The EM Gauge Society also published a comprehensive Manual Sheet,
9.1.1.(7) on the 4mm Dingham Autocoupler.
This includes a copy of the instructions and a photosequence showing the
coupling and uncoupling actions. This should give EMGS members a very good
idea of the coupler and its mechanism. (The photosequence
can also be seen on this website). In the Manual Sheet Dingham's postcode is given wrongly -- should be LS29 0TN.
|
| Model Trains, July 2002 carried a short article announcing the
introduction of the 4mm Dingham Autocoupler.
|
| Roy Wood describes his 0 gauge layout, Cranborne Joint in the May and June 2002
issues of Railway Modeller. In Part 2, he discusses automatic
couplings as follows: "After experimenting with two or three types
of auto coupling, all of which had their merits, I decided upon the
excellent Dingham couplings designed and marketed by Trevor Shaw. These have
the advantage of being pretty discreet when blackened, inexpensive, easily
fitted to stock and, most importantly, they can be magnetically
pre-uncoupled while vehicles are being pushed over the magnet. I use
Trevor's electro-magnets running on 20V.
Because the couplings are 'handed', I suppose Dinghams might not suit every
type of layout, particularly if stock has to be turned, but they suit
me."
|
| In Railway Modeller, October 2001, David Yule describes his use of
Dingham Autocouplers on his superb 0 gauge layout, Abingdon. Even better, the
free CD, given away with Railway Modeller, November 2001, includes a
movie of Abingdon, showing the Autocouplers in action.
|
| Bart Banks, reviewing an MSC Models MSWJR horsebox kit in Gauge 0 Guild Gazette,
August 2001, says, "Three link couplings are included with the kit;
they look fine although I chose not to use them, preferring to fit Dingham
autocouplers".
|
| The Gauge 0 Guild Gazette, August 2000, again carried news from
Dingham, including announcement of the availability of springs and
electromagnets and of this website.
|
| In Latest Reviews, Railway Modeller, February 2000,
showed photographs of the Autocouplers fitted to two vans, emphasising how
unobtrusive they are.
|
| In Trade News, Gauge 0 Guild Gazette, February
2000, Peter Trigwell, the Guild Trade Liaison Officer, described the Dingham
Autocoupler as "one of the neatest couplers I've seen for some
time". The Gazette also published a large isometric drawing of the
coupler, clearly showing its construction and mechanism. More coverage is
promised in a future edition of the Gazette.
|
