Dapol - 2D-142-005D - Passenger Train, Diesel, DMU, Class 142 - British Rail - 142053

Specific Item Information: The British Rail Class 142 is a type of diesel railbus multiple unit designed to run in pairs for use on branch lines in Northern and South Western England and North Wales. Ninety six of the sets were built by BREL at Derby between 1985 and 1987 and followed on from the design of the Class 141. Initially, the Class 142 exhibited many operational problems including the inability to negotiate tight curves, a lack of power with poor braking and a rough uncomfortable ride. The class was extensively modified in subsequent years to overcome some of these shortcomings with the adoption of a more powerful diesel engine, uprated brakes and a plethora of internal and external detail improvements. Even with these changes the Class 142 was deemed unsuitable for working the tighter curves of the South Western rail system and the - feet was transferred post privatisation between NW Trains and Northern Spirit, where they are still used primarily on commuter routes between the major cities of the region.Impreium II NEXT-18 chips

Road Name History: British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages between 1994 and 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission, it became an independent statutory corporation in 1962 designated as the British Railways Board.

British Rail designed and manufactured rolling stock from 1948 to 1989, at which time its subsidiary British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) was privatised.

1997 marked the end of the privatization effort in which the last assets of British Rail were sold to 31 regional freight and passenger operators as well as Railtrack (which was later brought under public control as Network Rail), which was given the track and infrastructure.

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Brand/Importer Information: Dapol Ltd is a Welsh model railway manufacturer based in Chirk, Wales. The factory where design and manufacturing take place is just over the border in England. The company is known for its model railway products in N gauge and OO gauge. Dapol's name is a play on its founders David and Pauline Boyle's names. He owned a model concern Highfield Birds & Models. In 1981 he first tried to buy the Airfix and Mainline ranges. The Dapol brand name was first used in a Railway Modeller advert of September 1983. The first Dapol wagons (for OO) were announced to become available on 20 November 1983. From 1 March 1984 ex Airfix railway kits became available.

Dapol manufactures a growing range of N gauge locomotives, coaches and wagons, and is the main competitor of Graham Farish in the British 'ready-to-run' market. Continuous improvement in model specifications has led to the introduction of 40:1 gearing in locomotive drive mechanisms, NEM couplings on all stock, and LED lighting strips for coaching stock (yellow for 'older' coaches, to represent incandescent illumination, and white for more modern coaches and EMUs to represent fluorescent fittings).