The quintessential branch line ‘lead actor’…

Over the past few weeks a new ‘lead actor’ has appeared on several layouts on the blog. The Dapol Class 121 in N gauge from the latest release…

The diminutive single car DMU is a fantastic story teller. Compact, characterful, evocative. The model is one of their better attempts at capturing the character of a prototype, however this is no Farish model. Quality is generally acceptable but paint finish feels cheap and detail a little fragile in places. The glazing is flush but a little thick and performance was noisy and jerky - a complete strip down and inspection of every gear, tidying up flash and reassembly with less grease has improved matters but I don’t expect to have to do this when the locomotive cost over a hundred notes.

There was one awful glaring element that betrayed its scale though, the TOPS data panel on each end - a black rectangle with white horizontal lines and a thick white border. Dapol have done this better in the past! I carefully measured and reproduced something more accurate and had it made as a decal which I just carefully applied in place - relatively easy and a massive transformation. Destination blinds would be a nice touch, but I’ve not added these yet.

But all that is forgotten when you watch her on a layout… 

I chose two things to raise the standard were adding foot steps to the bogies and buffer beam details. The former were harvested from Farish spare DMU truck frames (£15 worth!) and the latter supplied in the ‘details’ bag. Weathering is gentle and subtle but brings the model to life. A wash on the chassis and body, largely removed on the latter - airbrush to add exhaust and a subtle blending of edges.

Whilst I don’t think the result allows us to entirely suspend reality and think this is OO, the details and weathering do help her blend in to the scene - be that a wintry estuary or summer valley. 

For those of us who find space at a premium these ‘single unit’ trains offer a way of creating a meaningful travel based story, one that even non railway enthusiasts can appreciate and understand. The humble DMU almost transcends the hobby and is a touch point for so many people, our railway experiences including a motorised carriage of some description. Welcoming one in our collection opens a whole world of possibilities, and I’m glad I added one to my collection. Until next time, more soon…

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