Dapol - 2F-045-003 - Wagon, Ballast - Network Rail - 3170 5992 021-3

Specific Item Information: The Romanian built IOA wagon is a type of high sided open wagon designed to carry ballast and spoil. They were first released in 2009 and all carried the distinctive Network Rail Engineers yellow livery. The IOA has a maximum load capacity of 102 tons and travelled in rakes of 10 or more wagons.

Road Name History: Network Rail as they define themselves:
We own and operate the railway infrastructure in England, Wales and Scotland on behalf of the nation.
That’s 20,000 miles of track, 40,000 bridges and viaducts and thousands of tunnels, signals, level crossings and points. We also manage rail timetabling and 18 of the largest stations in England, Scotland and Wales. We work round-the-clock to provide a safe, reliable experience for the millions using Europe’s fastest-growing railway each and every day.

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).