Dapol Class 121

SCALE ‘OO’ gauge MODEL Dapol 4D-009-DCC1 Class 121 121034, Chiltern Railways green PRICE £140.50 AVAILABILITY DCC Supplies, 08452 241601 or www.dccsupplies.com

The Class 122 arrived in our office in the autumn, and Chris Leigh bought two – what will be his verdict on the Class 121?

Dapol’s excellent Class 122 diesel railcar was fully reviewed in Model Rail August 2017 (MR237). This month we’ve had the opportunity to examine one of the very similar Class 121 models which are now reaching the UK.

CLASS SURVIVOR

The sample received for review is DCC Supplies’ limited edition model of Chiltern Railways’ 55034 which, along with the modernised 55020, was the last of its class to remain in frontline service (both being withdrawn in May 2017). The basic Dapol model represents the Pressed Steel cars that were built in 1960 and it would clearly not have been viable to make the specific tooling modifications needed to precisely represent 55034 as it was in its final years in traffic (in its original livery but with various 21st-century updates to detail). Let me look first at the ‘original’ aspects of the model. As expected, it uses the same body side tooling as the Class 122 but with the cab ends and roof having all the Class 121 features. In addition, the cab fronts feature the centrally placed high-intensity headlight fitted post-1980. The headcode box accurately reflects the Class 121 as built, and the antler-style exhaust pipes really give the ‘van’ end its character. On the sides, the only obvious difference between a 122 and a 121 is that the latter has a small cut-out below the inward-opening guard’s door. On the model this area still reflects the Class 122, but it has been painted black to represent the recess. A few moments’ work with a file will be all that’s needed if, like me, you would prefer an actual recess. The interior of this unit is moulded in blue plastic, which is close to the correct colour for the seats but also seems to make the raised floor (which has come in for some criticism in the Class 122) much less obvious. So that’s the model – pretty spot-on for an original Class 121. Fifty-seven years on from its construction, however, 55034 is not an original ‘121’, so how well has Dapol captured the changes? Firstly, all the changes on the real 55034 are quite subtle and relate to its use in service with Chiltern. The most obvious feature is the central door locking, achieved with electromagnets and metal plates welded to the lower part of the doors. A separate sheet of thin etched plates, painted in matching green, is supplied for attachment by the modeller. They require slight bending along the etched fold lines before attaching with the double-sided tape supplied. The ‘doors closed’ indicator light, midway along the bodyside, is printed on.

LIGHT TOUCH

The only other obvious visual feature of 55034 is that the old, dim marker lights have been replaced by LED units. This is correctly reflected on the model with bright, white LEDS. All the other changes to 55034 reflect the 21st-century

application of 1960s green livery and the model correctly follows the current paint scheme. Thus we have the orange cant rail stripe, correctly applied along the gutter. Also reflecting the modern arrangement is the full-depth yellow panel on both ends, extending from the waist lining right down to the lower edge of the body. The upper cream line has only the tiniest up-sweep over the windscreens, and this is somewhat less pronounced than on the real unit. Comparison with photographs suggests that the side lining should be lower – closer to the top of the windows. Also, and this is a discrepancy between the model and the real thing, the lining colour on the model is the same as that used on the early green livery, whereas the ‘cream’ lining on the real thing has a hint of ‘gold’. I suspect Dapol has used the same colours and positions of lining as on its standard green with small yellow panels model. It is the rest of the printed finish which makes this model of 55034 stand out, however. There are the lifting point markings, the disabled access logo on the guard’s door, the different numbers on the ends (121034 at one end and just 034 at the other) – all just as on the real thing. Sadly, the TOPS data panel has been missed from its location beside the right-hand cab door at one end. On the plus side, it is pleasing to see that Dapol now has the numbers correctly located on both sides of the model. The plated-over headcode boxes are painted correctly, but a superfluous headcode sheet is included with the model. This also carries blank destination boxes for the centre windscreens as well as numerous sample destinations. How many of these were actually displayed by 55034 is open to debate. Others, such as Kidderminster, which was displayed when I travelled between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough, are provided on the sheet. However, with white lettering printed on a white backing paper, they are almost impossible to see. As a large part of the sheet is printed in black and white it seems strange not to have printed these in the same way and made their use much easier. Minor criticisms apart, this is a splendid model of an iconic survivor which has now passed into preservation with Jeremy Hosking’s Locomotive Services Ltd at Crewe.

The headcode box accurately reflects the Class 121 as built, and the antler-style exhaust pipes really give the ‘van’ end its character