Dapol - 2S-012-014 - Locomotive, Steam, A1 Terrier - London, Brighton and South Coast Railway - 643

Specific Item Information: The A1 Terrier was built at the Brighton Works under the design of William Stroudley in 1872 and between 1874 and 1880 and operated by the LB&SCR primarily on the London lines serving the commuter towns that were rapidly springing up. As the demands placed on the commuter network increased, the A1 Terrier were replaced by heavier more powerful Tank engines and the Terrier was sold to other private operators to work on branch line and shunting operations. Sixteen of the class was modified between 1911 and 1913 and in 1919 with a new boiler and extended smokebox plus some other improvements and were classified A1X. The Class survived well into nationalisation with the final Terrier being decommissioned in 1963. In all 10 terriers survive into preservation.

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).