Dapol

Lore & Background

Dapol's origins trace to David Boyle's earlier business, Highfield Birds & Models. In 1981 he first tried to buy the Airfix and Mainline ranges. The Dapol brand name debuted in a Railway Modeller advert of September 1983, and the first OO gauge wagons were announced for release on 20 November 1983. From 1 March 1984, ex-Airfix railway kits became available under the Dapol name. Later that year, Railway Modeller magazine ran a two-page profile titled 'An exciting new model empire'.

Dapol also acquired stocks of Matchbox's Powertrack slot car system when that brand exited the slot car market in 1982. The company set up a subsidiary called CounterLane Limited and reissued Powertrack under that brand name in similar boxes to its model railway range. During 1985 Dapol successfully bought Mainline (and thereby the former Airfix) model railway ranges from Palitoy. In February 1989 it was announced that Dapol had bought the former Trix/British Liliput range from Ernest Rosza, and the 1989 catalogue showed that the Model-Land building range had been bought.

In 1994, while the company was moving to Llangollen in North Wales, a fire destroyed the old site at Winsford in Cheshire, destroying large quantities of products and historical Wrenn material. In 1996 Dapol sold many of its inherited model railway lines to Hornby. In April 2025, Dapol announced they would be suspending all orders from the United States until further notice.

Reader's Guide

Dapol's significance lies in its role as a British model railway manufacturer that acquired and continued several historic ranges. The company's first entirely original OO scale locomotives were the L&YR Pug 0-4-0ST, the Austerity 0-6-0ST and the GWR County 4-6-0, generated in 1984/5. The LB&SCR Terrier followed, shown in the 1988 catalogue after being announced at the 1987 Toy Fair. In O gauge, Dapol released several locomotives and rolling stock, including the Austerity J94 and Great Western Toad Brake Van. The company's legacy includes preserving and reissuing products from Airfix, Mainline, Trix/British Liliput, and Model-Land, as well as the Powertrack slot car system via its CounterLane subsidiary. The 1994 fire destroyed historical Wrenn material, and the subsequent sale of many lines to Hornby in 1996 reshaped the British model railway landscape. The 2025 suspension of US orders marked a notable shift in its international operations.

Did You Know?

• Dapol's name is a play on the names of founders David and Pauline Boyle.
• The first Dapol OO gauge wagons were announced to become available on 20 November 1983.
• Dapol acquired stocks of Matchbox's Powertrack slot car system in 1982 and reissued it under the subsidiary CounterLane Limited.
• A fire in 1994 destroyed the company's old site at Winsford, Cheshire, along with large quantities of historical Wrenn material.