Dapol - 2D-142-002 - Passenger Train, Diesel, DMU, Class 142 - Merseyrail - 142042

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.

Road Name History: Merseyrail, part of Merseytravel, is an urban rail network serving Liverpool, England, the surrounding Liverpool City Region, the Wirral Peninsula, and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. Merseyrail operates 68 railway stations across two lines – the Northern Line and the Wirral Line, which are dedicated 750 V DC third rail electrified lines that serve underground stations in the centres of Liverpool and Birkenhead. Merseyrail branding is also applied to stations on the City Line, which has stations and services operated by other train operating companies (TOC). The City Line services, which use a mix of AC electric and diesel trains, operate on the Liverpool to Manchester Lines and the Liverpool to Wigan Line.
The Merseyrail third rail network has 68 stations and 75 miles (121 km) of track, of which 6.5 miles (10.5 km) are underground. Carrying approximately 110,000 passengers each weekday, or 34 million passengers per year, it is one of the most heavily used urban railway networks in the United Kingdom outside London.
The first part of the large comprehensive urban network was initially opened in 1977 by merging separate rail lines by constructing new tunnels under Liverpool city centre and Birkenhead. The full 1970s plans for the network were not realised, but the network has been extended on its peripheries with additional extensions proposed. The extensions were created by electrifying existing lines and then transferring the electrified sections into Merseyrail. Merseyrail is operated by 50:50 joint venture Serco-Abellio, who superseded Arriva Trains Merseyside in 2003. The 25-year contract expires in 2028.[6]From Wikipedia

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).